TORONTO -- Team Europe will lean on 6-foot-9 defenseman Zdeno Chara, referred to by his coach as a tower, to slow Canada in the World Cup of Hockey finals.When Sidney Crosby and Co. come charging down the ice, Chara will often be standing and skating in their way.Hes a guy who you dont want to play against, Canadian forward Brad Marchand said Monday. Hes mean. Hes big. Hes tough. And, he covers a lot of ice.Marchand would know.He, along with Canadas Patrice Bergeron, play with Chara in Boston.The 39-year-old Chara will not only be the tallest player on the ice Tuesday night in Game 1 of the best-of-three series. Hell also be the oldest.Marchand, though, insisted the 2009 Norris Trophy winner has not lost a step.Hes still dominant in so many areas.Chara is averaging nearly 22 minutes of ice time per game, ranking among team leaders, and has scored a goal in four World Cup games.Europe coach Ralph Krueger cites leadership as one of Charas biggest assets. He has been Bostons captain for nearly a decade and became the first Slovakian player to win a Stanley Cup in 2011, and the second European to be captain of an NHL champion, following Nicklas Lidstrom in 2008.When Krueger was putting together the team a year ago, he traveled to New York to talk to Chara when the Bruins were playing the Islanders in a preseason game.Getting Chara to buy in, Krueger figured, was a key to the teams success.Several players joined the conversation, Krueger recalled, and a newfound respect began to develop.A tower for more than his physical presence, Krueger said. Its the man inside of that tower that has been so exciting to work with.Chara said the top priority for team-building was having players from eight nations mesh as one.We talked about a lot of things, but nothing can be accomplished, nothing can be done if you dont come together as a team, he said. Its not going to happen if youre not going to have everyone on the same page and playing as a team. Nobody showed any egos and we worked really hard.Instead of just playing for his country, Chara is competing for a pan-European team made up of countries outside of the continents four traditional powers.Hes one of six players from Slovakia, tying the number of Germans on the team. Four players are from Switzerland, three from Denmark and one apiece from Austria, France, Norway and Slovenia.Its been a real pleasure to get to know them and being on the same team, Chara said. So, its been a really good experience.The three-time Olympian sounds like hes having a good time, playing in another best-on-best tournament, even though he acknowledged he doesnt always look like it.It doesnt mean if I dont smile, I dont have fun, he said. A lot of time you might think Im maybe sad, but inside Im happy and smiling. Thats just the way I am and Im not expressing myself. Maybe I should do that because my wife tells me I have a beautiful smile.The often-pesky Marchand said he wont be cracking jokes, or talking trash, to Chara on Tuesday night.Hes way too scary, Marchand said with a grin. New England Patriots Pro Shop . -- Stanfords Kevin Danser knelt on one knee and hardly moved on the sideline as Michigan State celebrated its Rose Bowl victory and his Cardinal teammates made their way to the locker room. Wholesale Patriots Jerseys . Jon Montgomerys gold medal in skeleton at the Whistler Sliding Centre and his subsequent auctioning off of a pitcher of beer in the village square elevated him to folk-hero status. https://www.patriotsjerseysale.com/ . -- Edmontons Val Sweeting is two wins away from a trip to Winnipeg to play in Canadas Road of the Rings in December. New England Patriots Gear . He said Tuesday thats a big reason why he is now the new coach of the Tennessee Titans. Whisenhunt said he hit it off quickly with Ruston Webster when interviewing for the job Friday night. Custom New England Patriots Jerseys . The formidable trio of Canadian receivers -- individually known as Chris Getzlaf, Rob Bagg and Andy Fantuz -- will share the field at Mosaic Stadium one more time on Sunday. HOUSTON -- Jose Altuve left the Houston Astros game against the Texas Rangers on Wednesday night with right oblique discomfort.The second baseman exited after the fourth inning with the injury. He was 1-for-2 with a double.He entered the game leading the American League in hitting with a .340 average to go with 24 home runs and 94 RBIs.ddddddddddddHe also leads the AL in hits with 196.Tyler White entered the game to play first base, and Marwin Gonzalez moved from first to second. ' ' '