Youve heard of Buccis Overtime Challenge? Well, this is Buccis Hat Trick Challenge. Whats the challenge part? Regularly coming up with three hits about the World Cup of Hockey. Sundays games are Team Russia vs. Team Sweden (3 p.m. ET, ESPN) and Team Finland vs. Team North America (8 p.m. ET, ESPN2).1. Starting strong: For the first time in my broadcasting career, I got to say Crosby scores! Canada vs. the Czech Republic was my first non-#cawlidgehawkey play-by-play broadcast outside of the times I turned down the sound on the TV and broadcasted hockey games into my Panasonic tape recorder. (Girls LOVED me in my teenage years.) For my first broadcast of NHL players to be a Saturday night in Toronto describing the movements of 29-year-old Sidney Crosby, who has now entered his true prime intersection of mind, body and soul, well, it was exhilarating. Team Canada was a unit of energy, concentration and confidence against the Czechs in a 6-0 win. The Mike Babcock-Crosby-Carey Price triumvirate has no peer here at the World Cup of Hockey.2. On the other hand: Team USAs collective slog through oatmeal against Europe (a 3-0 loss) was surprising. It was a rainy, humid (90-plus-percent) day in Toronto on Saturday, and that did make ice quality a challenge, as humidity always does. Humidity is the enemy of fast, firm ice. Humidity is still high Sunday. It was surprising to see Kyle Palmieri and Dustin Byfuglien sit as healthy scratches. Coaches know their players better than we do, but Byfuglien is such a special, versatile force, I cant ever imagine not playing him. If Bill Belichick were a hockey coach, he would love using versatile players such as Byfuglien. I would think Palmieri and Byfuglien would be in versus Canada on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN) and Jonathan Quick will return in net for the U.S.3. Marchand will cash in: Brad Marchands next contract will be something to watch for Boston Bruins and NHL fans of teams that want him. Marchand will become an unrestricted free agent next summer. For a seven-year deal, a team would be paying for Marchands age 29-35 seasons. An eight-year deal by the Bruins obviously makes the contract for ages 29-36. Marchand is in great shape and loves to train. In fact, a Bruins player told me last season that the Bruins have to slow Marchand down sometimes from overtraining. He should age well, and Mark Recchi, I think, is a good comparable to Marchand. Recchi continued to produce and be durable in his 29-36-year-old years. I think its going to take eight years at about $7 million per to sign Marchand, and Im surprised that it hasnt already been done by the Bruins. Teams will be lining up next summer if he becomes a UFA. Jason Williams Jersey . How great will be revealed in the next couple of days at the board of governors meeting in Pebble Beach, Calif. Darko Milicic Jersey . Both players have lower body injuries that will keep them out of the lineup until at least January 31, which is the first game they can be activated from IR. https://www.cheapgrizzlies.com/124p-courtney-lee-jersey-grizzlies.html . Ferrer, trying to win his fourth title on Mexican soil, will next play South Africas Kevin Anderson, who eliminated American Sam Querrey,7-6 (2), 6-4. Also Wednesday, Gilles Simon (6) of France beat Donald Young of the United States 6-4, 6-3, Ukraines Alexandr Dolgopolov downed Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-3, 6-4 and Croatias Ivo Karlovic defeated Dudi Sela of Israel 7-6 (4), 6-2. Mike Conley Jersey .B. - Sebastien Auger made 44 saves as the Saint John Sea Dogs edged the visiting Acadie-Bathurst Titan 2-1 on Saturday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Allen Iverson Jersey . "No difference at all," chirped U.S. roommate and linemate James van Riemsdyk. "Its still the same cranky Phil. RIO DE JANEIRO -- IOC President Thomas Bach defended the decision not to ban Russias entire team from the Rio Games, declaring Sunday that the doping crisis wont damage the Olympic bodys credibility and taking a swipe at global anti-doping officials for failing to act sooner against state-sponsored cheating in Russia.Speaking at a news conference five days before the opening of the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Bach said a total ban on Russia for systematic doping would not be justifiable on either moral or legal grounds.Every human being is entitled to certain rights of natural justice, said Bach, who also denied suggestions he had bowed to pressure from the Russian government to reject calls by anti-doping authorities for a complete ban.Bach was peppered with questions about the International Olympic Committees handling of the Russian scandal, including the decision to give international sports federations the authority to decide which Russian athletes should be cleared to compete in Rio.Asked whether the ruling represented a failure by the IOC, Bach said: No. This is for very obvious reasons.Bach said the IOC had set a very high bar by imposing strict conditions on the entry of Russians, including a ban on any athletes with prior doping sanctions.More than 100 Russian athletes -- including the track and field team -- have been excluded, with more than 250 declared eligible by the federations.With the games opening Friday, it remains uncertain exactly how many Russians will be competing. Some have filed appeals against their bans.I dont think that this in the end will be damaging because people will realize we have to take this decision now, Bach said. Imagine if we had not taken a decision, what limbo we would be in then.I trust the people realize the difficulties we are in, that they realize that it was not an easy decision to take, and that they realize we did our best to address this situation in a way which allows to protect all clean athletes all over the world, he added.The IOC on Saturday set up a review panel consisting of three executive board members who will have the final say on which Russians are let into the games, based on advice from an independent expert appointed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.Bach and the IOC have been heavily criticized by anti-doping bodies, athletes groups and Western media for not imposing a total ban on Russia.Pressure for a complete ban followed a World Anti-Doping Agency report by Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren that accused Russias sports ministry of overseeing a vast doping conspiracy involving the countrys summer and winter sports athletes.Despite the backlash against the IOC decision, Bach said the committee had broad support across the Olympic movement, including from national Olympic committees and sports federations.Of course the negative opinions are most likely to be quoted, he said.Bach took a shot at WADA, which was set up by the IOC in 1999, for not having acted earlier on whistleblower evidence of widespread doping in Russia. He also questioned why WADA had accredited the Moscow and Sochi doping labs at the center of the scandal.The IOC is not responssible for the timing of the McLaren report, Bach said.dddddddddddd The IOC is not responsible for the fact that different information which was offered to WADA already a couple of years ago was not followed up. The IOC is not responsible for the accreditation or supervision of anti-doping laboratories.Therefore, the IOC cannot be made responsible, neither for the timing nor for the reasons of these incidents we have to face now ... just a couple of days before the Olympic Games.Bach said the IOC wants to shed full light on all the allegations in McLarens report, including evidence that Russian officials replaced tainted urine samples with clean ones during the 2104 Winter Games in Sochi.McLarens investigation has been extended so he can identify athletes and others involved in state-backed doping and cover-ups. Once McLaren finishes his work, then we will take all the further necessary sanctions, Bach said.The evidence published so far by McLaren was shocking, Bach said.If this system was applied like this, its an attack on everything we want to represent, he said. Its an attack on the Olympic Games and its an attack on our values.But Bach reiterated his position that it would be wrong to collectively sanction all Russian athletes because it would punish some who had no links to doping.How far can you go to punish an individual for the failures or manipulations of your government? he said. Is it possible to take an athlete and say, `Because your government has done something wrong, you automatically are out? This would not be justifiable, neither on a moral ground, not to speak on a legal ground.Bach dismissed suggestions that pressure from the Russian government influenced the IOC decision.I havent been talking to any Russian government official since the publication of the McLaren report and not even in the days or weeks preceding it, he said.Bach defended the decision to reject a bid by 800-meter runner Yulia Stepanova, a former doper and whistleblower who helped expose the extent of cheating in Russia, to compete in Rio as a neutral athlete, as proposed by the IAAF.It was not easy, he said. The executive board made it really clear that it appreciates the contribution of Yulia Stepanova in the fight against doping. We offered assistance and support which no other organization has so far offered.Bach said the IOC had targeted 2,200 athletes in pre-Olympic tests ahead of Rio, and that 4,500 urine tests and 1,000 blood controls would be conducted during the games, similar to the figure in London four years ago.Bach also gave an upbeat assessment of Rios readiness for the games. The preparations have been clouded across multiple fronts, including a severe recession leading to Olympic budget cuts, concerns over water pollution, crime and the Zika virus, and problems with accommodations in the athletes village.Its coming together, Bach said. There will be, as always, some late challenges. We are more confident than ever that we will have great Olympic Games `a la Brazil with a great spirit. ' ' '