Jeff Stoughtons 11th Canadian mens curling championship is a bit of a homecoming.

Jeff Stoughtons 11th Canadian mens curling championship is a bit of a homecoming. Marquette King Broncos Jersey . Kamloops, B.C., the host city of this years Tim Hortons Brier, is where he won his first Canadian mens curling crown in 1996. He has won twice since -- the last in 2011 -- and is a two-time world champion. "Its kind of special being able to come back after so many years to a place with some great memories," he said in an interview. "Its pretty cool and the team is really looking forward to getting on with the week." The Brier starts Saturday and runs to March 9. Last year Stoughton lost the Brier final in Edmonton 11-4 to Brad Jacobs and his Northern Ontario rink. Stoughton had a disappointing 3-4 finish at the Olympic Curling Trials in December, as Jacobs went undefeated in claiming the right to wear Canadas colours in Sochi. Stoughton had lots of company. No one could slow the juggernaut from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.. "There was only one happy team coming out of those trials and that was obviously Jacobs," said Stoughton. "We just sort of decompressed for a few weeks and then got right back at it, had a great Skins Game, great fun Continental Cup with the guys, and then just carried right through to the Safeway championship in Winnipeg." In this years Brier field -- with both Jacobs and Alberta veteran Kevin Martin absent -- Stoughton and Albertas Kevin Koe are favourites. Manitoba has a record 27 wins at the Brier, followed closely by Alberta with 25. Koe is representing Alberta this year for the third time, after beating Martin 7-5 to take the provincial title. Koe won the Brier in 2010, his first appearance, and went on to win a world championship. Just getting out of Alberta is tough for Koe, who curls out of Calgary. "Youve got to get through one of the top teams in the world in Kevin Martin and its definitely not realistic to think you can do that every year," he said. He recognizes hes going to be one of the favourites along with Stoughton but says thats no different than any other year and the rest of the field may be deeper than some suspect. "Theres quite a few teams that a lot of people dont know about that I think will do pretty good, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Quebec, maybe even the Territories. I think its a pretty tough field actually." Theres maybe a little family pride creeping in there. For the third time in five years, hell be joined at the Brier by brother Jamie, who skips the Northwest Territories-Yukon entry. Jamie Koe is making his eighth appearance. In 2012, the brothers met in the 3 vs. 4 Page playoff. Kevin won and Jamie later lost to Manitobas Rob Fowler in the bronze-medal match but it was still a strong finish for a Territories team. Saskatchewan is led by 2003 World Junior champ Steve Laycock, back for his second appearance as skip at the Canadian championship with a new team of Kirk Muyres, Colton Flasch and Dallan Muryes. Jean-Michel Menard is back for his eighth try after becoming just the second skip from Quebec to win the championship in 2006. His lineup consists of Martin Crete, Eric Sylvain and brother Philippe Menard. One of the only new faces this year is Ontarios Greg Balsdon, who stopped Glenn Howard from making his ninth straight appearance at the Brier. "I dont want to say we lucked out because weve had good games but theyve obviously beaten us more than weve beaten them," Balsdon said of the final, that saw Howard miss with his last rock and give up the winning point. Balsdon is new to the Canadian mens championship. He was part of the Cory Heggestad-led team that won the 2013 Canadian Mixed, but he says this feels bigger. "It feels just amazing. I dont think well truly appreciate it until were there," he said. Another team that has the chops to run with the best is also the hometown favourite -- John Morris and his B.C. rink, that features former skip and Kamloops native Jim Cotter at third. "Its exciting," says Cotter. "I think back 18 years ago when it was in Kamloops and Barry McPhee was the hometown team and I remember watching in the crowd there and I was pretty excited for those guys. . . Here we are 18 years later and Ive got the same opportunity." They made it all the way to the final against Jacobs at the Olympic Trials by beating Martin. After a disappointing loss, they took a few weeks off during the holidays to regroup but Cotter says they took good things out of the trials into the provincial finals in B.C. The addition of the veteran Morris, now curling for his third province, has made a huge difference, Cotter says. "We really have clicked. Johns just a phenomenal guy on and off the ice." Jacobs, meanwhile, is still celebrating his Olympic gold-medal win. The schedule made it virtually impossible to compete for a berth in this years Brier, although starting in 2015 the previous years winner will get an automatic berth, something the women already do. With Jacobs out of the mix, 1996 Canadian junior champ Jeff Currie was able to shift the Northern Ontario title from Sault Ste. Marie to Thunder Bay with his team of Mike McCarville, Colin Koivula and Jamie Childs. Former Olympic champ Brad Gushue from Newfoundland and Labrador is still the headliner out of the Atlantic provinces and James Grattan is making his 11th appearance for New Brunswick. Eddie MacKenzie has led Prince Edward Island to the Brier for three of the last four years and Jamie Murphy is back after also representing Nova Scotia at the 2012 championship. Brier finalists each receive $40,000 in prize money, the bronze medallist gets $30,000 and the $20,000 goes to the fourth-place team. Isaac Yiadom Jersey . The Swede became the first golfer to win the PGA Tours FedEx Cup and European Tours Race to Dubai in the same season. "It is still taking a little time to sink in what Ive achieved this week as was the case when I won the FedEx Cup but then it just kept getting better and better as the days went on and I am sure this will be the same," he said. Jared Veldheer Jersey . - Canadian tennis star Eugenie Bouchard has signed with WME-IMG, saying the sports management powerhouse will help maximize the value of my brand. http://www.authenticshopbroncos.com/broncos-marquette-king-navy-blue-jersey/ . Almost 40 years to the day, the two teams will meet again, this time at BC Place, to celebrate the past and try to earn important points for the present.Columbus, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - Ryan Johansen was credited with the game winner in the shootout, and Columbus recovered from a Pittsburgh rally late in regulation to post a 4-3 victory at Nationwide Arena. Nick Foligno, Boone Jenner and Jack Johnson scored for the Blue Jackets, who extended their season-high win streak to six games. Sergei Bobrovsky made 33 saves, then turned away Brandon Sutter in the games final segment to lock up the win. Kris Letang tallied twice, including the tying marker with less than 11 seconds to play for the Penguins, who also received a goal from Blake Comeau. Thomas Greiss stopped 24 pucks in 65 minutes of play but allowed two of three Columbus shooters to best him. Cam Atkinson and Johansen scored on the hosts first two attempts, while Letang kept the visitors in with a score on the Pens second try. Folignos backhander went wide of the net, but Sutters salvo was turned away to end the contest. Foligno slammed home a centering feed by Jenner from atop the crease just after the three-minute mark of the first to cap the games first power play. The Pens escaped unharmed after Patric Hornqvist and Letang committed minors 1:12 apart early in the second which gave the Jackets 48 seconds of 5-on-3 play. Craig Adams had a prime chance to put the visitors on the board with 5 1/2 minutes left in the period, but he shot high annd wide at a half-open net from the right side as Bobrovsky couldnt scramble fast enough to get into position. Tramaine Brock Jersey. Comeau did pull his club even with 4:54 left, scoring from the outer edge of the left circle on a shot which an unscreened Bobrovsky could have stopped if he was tighter to the near post. Letangs backhander to finish a 2-on-1 short-handed rush with Adams hit the net at 7:22 of the third period. Jenner was awarded a penalty shot with 7:55 left in regulation when Pittsburghs Simon Despres dragged him down on a breakaway, and the former tied the game on a quick wrister. Johnsons shot from the left circle with 2:11 on the clock put the hosts ahead, and the lead seemed safe until Letang forced overtime when his rip from the left-wing boards beat Bobrovsky to the far side with 10.9 showing. Game Notes Columbus snapped a five-game regular season losing skid to Pittsburgh since the clubs were placed in the Metropolitan Division prior to the start of last season ... The teams meet for the second of four matchups in the Steel City on Feb. 19 ... Penguins captain Sidney Crosby sat out a second straight game with an undisclosed illness which has not been confirmed as mumps ... Prior to the contest, the Penguins recalled forward Bobby Farnham from Wilkes- Barre/Scranton of the AHL. White NFL Jerseys Cheap Youth NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys 2020 Stitched NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Autographed Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Discount Jerseys ' ' '