CALGARY -- Steve Yzerman would prefer to get Canadas players on the ice at the upcoming orientation camp for the Olympic mens hockey team. But the price tag to insure players against injury is too high for Hockey Canada, so the four-day camp starting Sunday in Calgary will consist of informational meetings about the Games in Sochi, Russia, and fostering team chemistry off the ice. "Not going on the ice isnt the end of the world," says Yzerman, the executive director of the national mens team. "Theres lot of other things that need to be done in preparation, logistically going through how were going to get there, where well stay, where family and friends may stay, a walkthrough of the venues, drug testing policy, a lot of informational things we need to go through and get out of the way. This is a good time to do it." Forty-seven players -- five goaltenders, 17 defencemen and 25 forwards -- are scheduled to arrive in Calgary on Sunday and head to Hockey Canadas headquarters at Canada Olympic Park on the citys west side. Canada can take three goaltenders and 22 skaters to Sochi. Among the summer camp invitees are 15 players who won Olympic gold in Vancouver in 2010, including Sidney Crosby. The Pittsburgh stars overtime goal lifted Canada to a 3-2 win over the U.S. in the final. Players invited to the same orientation camp in the summer of 2009 skated daily and finished with an intra-squad game that drew a sellout crowd to the Scotiabank Saddledome. The Saddledome is undergoing restoration from severe flooding in June, but thats not keeping the players off the ice next week, says Yzerman. "Its strictly insurance," he explains. "Its because of the high cost of insurance Hockey Canada is obligated to place on the players were not going to skate." Its up to each countrys federation to insure NHL players against injury at summer camps. Hockey Canada president Bob Nicholson has said that would cost over $1 million for the invited 47, whose combined 2013-14 salaries total $259 million, according to capgeek.com. Canadas isnt the only ice-free summer camp. USA Hockey has also decided against an on-ice component to its mens Olympic camp in Arlington, Va., on Monday and Tuesday. The 2014 mens Olympic hockey tournament will be played on wide, international ice, which places a premium on a players skating ability. The new Markin MacPhail Centre at COP boasts a rink that size. When asked if he wished the Canadians could make use of it next week, Yzerman said "yes" twice. The 2002 Olympic gold medallist was also executive director of the victorious 2010 squad. He says even a couple of practices could lay important groundwork for the Winter Games in February. "We have such a limited amount of time to prepare," said Yzerman, the general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning. "I think well have two, maybe three, practices in Sochi prior to the Olympics. "The summer camp, and its only a few days and six months in advance, but its a little time for the players and coaches to get on the ice and kind of run through some of the systems, the way theyll play, the power play, penalty killing, neutral zone and things like that. "At least youll have an idea way ahead of time as to how were going to play. That, to me, was the most important part of going on the ice in August for a few days." Strategy can still be communicated without skating, Yzerman adds. Head coach Mike Babcock and assistants Lindy Ruff, Claude Julien and Ken Hitchcock will have a video session with the players in Calgary. "Im sure well go over different stuff," says Pittsburgh Penguins forward and camp invitee James Neal. "Its a lot tougher when youre not on the ice, but were going there for a reason and Im sure it will help us," Its also crucial players get face time with the coaches, support staff and each other, Yzerman says. "The more time they can spend together, the more comfortable theyll be when they get to Sochi and thats a big part of it, particularly for the young players that havent been to NHL all-star games, havent been to Olympic camps before," Yzerman says. "Theyll walk into the (dressing) room and have spent time with Sidney Crosby before, theyve spent time with some of these veteran guys and theyll be much more comfortable around them." He says players will have time to golf, fish and go for dinner together, as well as work out while theyre in Calgary. NHL training camps start earlier this season because the league breaks Feb. 9-26 for the Winter Games. Louis Riddick . As each game passes (each has played close with the exception of last night) it becomes clearer just how evenly matched these two teams are and how one mistake, or one bad inning, is likely to sway the result. Jordan Willis . -- The Tampa Bay Lightning are disappointed, though not discouraged. https://www.cheapnfljerseyschina.co/rip-king-jersey-for-sale/ .J. -- Pete Carroll said it was the suspension of linebacker Bruce Irvin last spring that finally got the attention of the rest of the Seattle Seahawks that they needed to be taking their commitment to the team more seriously. Bruce Gregory . Yet coming off consecutive series losses at St. Louis and Pittsburgh, Los Angeles needed some sort of spark as August approaches. The Dodgers found it in the ballpark of their biggest rival, and left the Bay Area in first place following an emphatic three-game swing. Al Del Greco . The alleged sexual assault is believed to have happened over the weekend of Feb. 1, when the hockey team was in Thunder Bay for two games against Lakehead University. The criminal investigation branch of the Thunder Bay Police Service is leading the investigation with help from Ottawa police.For once, the New York Yankees lost out on the bidding for one of their high-priced free agents. Numbers Game looks at the Mariners landing Robinson Cano. The Mariners Get: 2B Robinson Cano. Cano, 31, has been an elite second baseman, leading the offensive parade at the position. Sicne 2006, his 190 home runs ranks second, as does his .868 OPS and 36.9 fWAR. Clearly, hes been a top tier performer, so its no surprise that he was able to command a lucrative contract as a free agent. In addition to having a pretty sweet swing, Cano has been incredibly durable, missing a total -- total -- of 14 games in the last seven seasons, with more than 650 plate appearances in six of the last seven seasons. Naturally, Cano wont remain this productive as he heads into his late thirties, but the more immediate concern ought to be about park effects, moving from a lefthanded-hitters haven, Yankee Stadium, to cavernous Safeco Field. Over the course of his career, Cano has hit .309 with an .837 OPS in 40 games at Safeco, about the same as his career marks (.309/.860), but four home runs in those 40 games is below Canos career home-run rate (which is one every 6.7 games). While offence is his calling card, Cano has become an asset in the field as well. Since 2009, his 38 Defensive Runs Saved ranks fourth at the position and his Ultimate Zone Rating is above average for that span. The issue, of course, is that Cano is 31 and doesnt figure to be increasing his range as he gets olders so, at some point over the life of this deal, hes pretty much assured to be a liability at second base and then it could be a matter of finding him another position. Where all of this leads is to a certain point of inevitability, that by the time Cano is 37, 38-years-old, on a contract that pays him through age 41, hes not going to be productive enough to warrant $24-million per season. Since 1960, among second basemen that were at lleast 37-years-old, there are a total of four (Joe Morgan, Davey Lopes, Jeff Kent and Craig Biggio) that recorded a fWAR of at least 5.dddddddddddd0, total, after that point in their careers, so its asking a lot for Cano, even if he is going to be a Hall of Famer, to be overly productive through that age. That leaves the potential for 3-5 years of marginal production at the end of the deal. Given the annual cost, thats a pretty steep premium for the Mariners to pay. With Cano in the fold, the Mariners have more moves coming. Nick Franklin, their 2009 first-round pick, showed some promise last season, hitting a dozen home runs with a .225 batting average and .686 OPS in 102 games. Hes just 22 and hit .287 with an .819 OPS in five minor-league seasons, an indication that he should be able to hit at the major league level. Now that Cano is blocking Franklin at second base and Brad Miller is at shortstop, it seems likely that Franklin will be part of another transaction for Seattle, possibly to improve the pitching staff. From the Yankees perspective, they have signed Kelly Johnson, who offers respectable power -- his 79 home runs since 20010 ranks fourth among second basemen -- to a one-year deal and hes a fine stopgap solution. If there is a benefit to be gained by losing the leagues best second basemen, its in the financial flexibility that is gained and how the Yankees might spend money they had earmarked for Cano. If thats merely the Jacoby Ellsbury signing, then its hard to see this as a net gain, but if the Yankees turn around and add more pieces because they have room in the budget to do so, then it becomes easier to justify a fiscally-responsible decision, even if thats the last thing to expect from the Yankees. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. ' ' '