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MONTREAL -- Canadian tennis star Eugenie Bouchard says she had no problem with a controversial question she fielded at last months Australian Open, moments after the biggest win of her career. Elias Lindholm Hurricanes Jersey Authentic . The 19-year-old from Westmount, Que., had just become the first Canadian to reach a Grand Slam semifinal in 30 years when she was asked by an on-court female interviewer who she would like to date, if she could choose anyone in the world. Many observers quickly deemed the question sexist, with some asking whether a similar query would ever be put to a male athlete. The exchange attracted even more attention because Bouchard, apparently caught off guard by the question, blurted out an unexpected response on live TV: "Um, Justin Bieber?" Her reference to the Canadian pop star seemed to be tongue-in-cheek. Bouchard, who will represent Canada at this weekends Federation Cup in Montreal, said Wednesday she thought the question was all in good fun and she was happy to play along. "I think it was a fine question, you know, I think its entertainment for the fans," Bouchard said when asked at a Fed Cup news conference if she thought the Australian Open question was sexist. "It was actually a fan question, so at the end of the day, its for the fans and, if thats what theyre curious about, well thats fine by me." The No. 19-ranked Bouchard said she might like to know more herself about who, for example, a certain soccer player would want to date. Sometimes, she added, it can be fun to handle questions about something other than tennis because the answers might interest a broader audience. When asked if she thought a male athlete might receive a similar question, Bouchard didnt directly respond, saying the fact shes a younger player might explain why she got such a query. "You know, they wouldnt ask Roger Federer that question -- obviously, hes married and has kids," she said, referring to the 32-year-old Swiss tennis legend. "But I dont know, maybe, I think they should (ask) other single tennis players. Why not?" The question came after Bouchard, who was the 30th seed at the Australian Open, completed a stunning 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 upset of former world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic. The victory made her the first Canadian to reach the semis at a Grand Slam since Carling Bassett-Seguso at the 1984 U.S. Open. Bouchards impressive run in Melbourne came to an end a couple of days later when she lost 6-2, 6-4 to fourth-seeded Li Na of China in the semifinal. But her accomplishments caught the attention of tennis fans in Canada and abroad, including a group of a dozen or so raucous Aussies who became her unofficial cheering section at every match. The group, which dubbed itself the "Genie Army," wore T-shirts that spelled her name, belted out cheers composed just for her and tossed stuffed animals to her on the court following each of her appearances. Bouchard was asked Wednesday about how much things have changed since her emergence at the Australian Open, where some commentators called her next big thing in womens tennis and a potential future Grand Slam tournament champion. "For sure theres been more attention and I think it comes with the job," said Bouchard, who added that more people now recognize her on the street. "It just shows, you know, if you have success on court, youll get attention off the court. But my first priority is tennis and I focus on that and make sure I get everything I need to do done. "And then if theres other attention off the court, well, thats a good thing." Jay McClement Hurricanes Jersey Authentic . The 25-year-old native of Milford, Conn., has 18 points in 41 games this season. The five-foot-eight 166-pound centre also has 28 points (10-18) in 15 games with AHL Oklahoma City. Justin Faulk Hurricanes Jersey . - Buffalo Bills running back C. http://www.officialhurricanesauthority.com/john-mi...rsey-c- 14/ . The Jets have now won three straight at home and four of the last five at the MTS Centre. After a scoreless first period, Brad Marchand scored his first goal in eight games eight seconds into the second.LOS ANGELES -- Big, fast and physical, the Los Angeles Kings play a punishing brand of hockey. But its also a smart game. Theres more to the Kings than banging bodies. They take a toll mentally on their opponents. "Very opportunistic, first and foremost," Rangers defenceman Ryan McDonagh said of the Kings game. "They make something out of nothing a few times in the game and thats whats dangerous. "You feel like youve got them. You feel like youve got a simple battle in the corner, youve got numbers back. It doesnt matter, they find a way to get a puck towards the net and get a bounce, get the right body position. Youve got to maintain your discipline and your focus all the way through until your shift is done." Goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who faced 20 shots in the third period of the Rangers 3-2 overtime loss in Game 1, says the Kings can threaten from anywhere. "They like to throw pucks from the outside, go for rebounds," said the stylish Swede. "A lot of times you might not think theres a big chance, but a lot of times they create something from second and third chances, not necessarily from the first shot. "Its important that you dont relax even though you feel like you have everything under control maybe in the first sequence. Thats when they can surprise you a little bit." "They throw a lot of bodies, throw a lot of pucks on net," Rangers defenceman Dan Girardi summed up. The Kings certainly have the Rangers attention. New York coach Alain Vigneault has spent the last two days urging his team to dig deep for Game 2 Saturday. "If youre in the final, and your expectations are to win, you have to bring your best game to the table. Our guys are aware of that," he said. "Our guys are talking to themselves, between themselves about it. Were all looking for a better response (Saturday)." Both teams practised Friday -- the Rangers at Staples Center and the Kings at their practice facility in suburban El Segundo. There will likely be lineup changes on both sides. Rangers defenceman John Moore, eligible to return from a two-game suspension, resumed his normal spot in practice. And Kings coach Darryl Sutter said veteran defenceman Robyn Regehr, who has been out injured since Game 1 of the Anaheim series, will "probably" play. Vigneault says backup goalie Cam Talbot remains day-do-day with an undisclosed injury. Despite losing last time out, thee Rangers were as cool as ice Friday. Jay McClement Hurricanes Jersey . The message has been to turn the page on Game 1, while turning it up a notch for Game 2. For the Kings, its stay the course. That means playing with discipline and putting their bodies on the line for the 105th time since the start of the regular season. It is to their credit that they can continue to play their game. "Our style is not easy to play for 82 games every night," acknowledged captain Dustin Brown when asked about the teams scoring lapses during the regular season. "Sometimes we get into a funk and everyone focuses on our goal-scoring. "There was a stretch of games (during the regular season) where we couldnt score but we were finding ways to win games because we played the right way on the other side of the puck. I think thats where a lot of our success comes from, is really the defensive side of the puck." Los Angeles ranked 26th in the league during the regular season with 2.42 goals a game. It helped that the Kings were first in goals-against average at 2.05. In the playoffs, they lead with 3.46 goals a game. They are in the middle of the playoff pack with 2.82 goals against. Asked how they have managed to add a gear in the post-season, Brown said champions find a way. "This time of year, good teams find that extra," he said. The Kings clearly take pride in the toll that their game takes on opponents. "When teams play against us and say that Man, these guys compete, they play hard. They battle for every puck. And yeah, to win four out of seven against these guys is going to take a lot," said defenceman Willie Mitchell. "If other teams are saying that, or people from the outside are kind of giving us that label, it means that were doing a lot of things here and well continue to do that." On Saturday, its the Rangers time to dig deep. "We have to expect theyre going to be a lot better," said New York forward Brad Richards. "We have to be better or youre going to be down 2-0 ... Its this time of year. You get one crack at it. You got to raise it. Theres no other option." Added Girardi: "We know in the room here that we have what it takes to get the job done." "Were going to be ready (Saturday)," said Vigneault. A good performance and the Rangers go home happy. "It would be really nice to have (the series) 1-1 leaving L.A.," said forward Carl Hagelin. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
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