TORONTO -- The NHL has gotten almost everything it hoped for so far at the World Cup of Hockey.In holding the first World Cup since 2004, the league and players wanted a festival of hockey that showcased the its best players. Two losses and an early exit by the United States isnt what anyone wanted for the sake of interest, but the 23-and-under Team North America put on a show and captured the attention of fans, coaches and players around the tournament.Team North America and the U.S. are out, with Canada and Russia meeting in one semifinal Saturday night and Sweden and Team Europe in the other Sunday afternoon. The quality of play has already been Olympic-level high and should only get better with at least four and potentially five games left.The winners here have been the fans, North America coach Todd McLellan said. Theyve watched some really good hockey in September and that doesnt happen very often.The NHL was panned initially for the North American and European all-star teams, but the youngsters speed, skill and scoring won so many people over that merchandise bearing the NA logo was almost entirely sold out at Air Canada Centre. Europe won people over by winning, beating the U.S. and the Czech Republic to advance.Two-time Olympic champion Canada has rolled, going 3-0 and outscoring opponents 14-3 along the way, and Sweden has leaned heavily on goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. North Americas games against Russia and Sweden were two of the most exciting end-to-end games in recent international history.Commissioner Gary Bettman is proud of how the NHL and NHLPA revived the World Cup in world-class fashion.Its been sensational. Its exactly what we expected, Bettman said. We wanted this to feel like and be a major event. We predicted that the competition would be better than any international tournament to date, that it would have a big-event feel.The World Cup achieved big-event status in Toronto, with a mostly full arena and buzz around the city. The same cant be said on U.S. TV, as ESPN reported that approximately 770,000 people watched Canada beat Team USA on Tuesday night, the most watched game so far.Executive vice president of programming and scheduling Burke Magnus called the Americans disappointing showing a lost opportunity.Thats the beauty of live sports, Magnus said by phone Thursday. Thats what makes sort of the unscripted nature of what we do so much fun. We obviously were counting on them to get out of pool play, but they werent able to do it. But this is the best players in the world.Canada looks like it still has the best collection of players in the world, even without North Americas Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon, who orchestrated a magic show on ice. Even the most grizzled old-school fundamental hockey people had to appreciate the way McDavid, MacKinnon, 2016 top pick Auston Matthews and Co. played.McDavid said North America definitely turned heads. Canada coach Mike Babcock called it a great way to showcase the NHL of the future.The North American kids have been a home run for the NHL, Babcock said. This North American team is a pump in the arm for hockey. Its fantastic.Here are some other things we learned in round-robin play at the World Cup of Hockey:U.S. CANT SCORE: In two games before being eliminated, the U.S. scored a total of one goal. Even with Patrick Kane, Joe Pavelski and Zach Parise on the roster, the Americans failed to generate scoring chances and general manager Dean Lombardi and coach John Tortorella had to answer for why they chose size and physicality at the expense of more skill.From the staff right on through, (we) did not get the job done, Tortorella said. You need to accept that and we need to take the medicine.3 AND OH CANADA: The Sidney Crosby-led Canadians looked so good in their first game that American Hockey Hall of Famer Mike Modano tweeted to cancel the rest of the tournament and give them the trophy. Goalie Carey Price is on, and Canada looks unstoppable as usual.We feel like we can improve, said Crosby, who has won 22 consecutive games with Canada. I think its just probably just consistency in every area, just making sure that were sharp, that we make the plays we need to make.HOW SWEDE IT IS: Lundqvist stopped 81 of 85 shots in two games and is the top reason Sweden can win this. Ten years after leading the Swedes to gold at the 2006 Olympics, the King has one last crack at another international title.Hes been our MVP, forward Carl Hagelin said. I didnt expect anything else from that guy.A MIGHTY CONTINENT: Slovakia, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Norway, Slovenia, Austria and France all likely wouldve been three and out at this tournament, but with players from those eight countries, Team Europe showed it can hang with the big boys. Its the World Cups Cinderella in the Final Four after creating its own September madness, and coach Ralph Krueger beamed about Europes underdog spirit.FROM RUSSIA WITH GOALS: Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin and the Russians used quick-strike offense to set up a rivalry showdown with Canada. A win on Canadian ice would go a long way toward moving past the home-ice failure in Sochi.Its going to be like Russia when we play Olympic Games, Ovechkin said. Everybody going to be crazy. Atmospheres going to be unbelievable.---Follow Stephen Whyno on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/SWhyno . Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap . "It was nerve-wracking, but we pulled through," said Collaros, who threw four touchdown passes to lead the Toronto Argonauts (8-4) to a 33-27 win over the Calgary Stampeders (9-3) in front of 28,781 fans at McMahon Stadium. Clearance NFL Shop .C. -- Kemba Walker and the Charlotte Bobcats got off to a fast start, and the Sacramento Kings were never quite able to catch up. http://www.cheapnfljerseyswholesale.com/ . Dusautoir, the former World Player of the Year, sustained a torn bicep playing for Toulouse in the Heineken Cup on Saturday. The flanker, who has played 65 times for France, is expected to be out for up to four months. Wholesale Jerseys For Sale . The 27-year-old Scrivens will be joining his third NHL club since signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs as a free agent in 2010. The move also reunites with him with head coach Dallas Eakins from their time together with the American Hockey Leagues Toronto Marlies. Stitched Jerseys Wholesale .5 million, one-year contract on Friday. Hawkins, who turns 41 in December, will compete with Rex Brothers for the closers role at spring training. SALT LAKE CITY -- Russell Westbrook, the?Oklahoma City Thunders historically prolific point guard, is sick and tired of hearing and talking about triple-doubles.Westbrook failed to notch a triple-double for the third consecutive game in the Thunders 109-89 loss Wednesday to the Utah Jazz, which qualifies as noteworthy due to his remarkable production so far this season.Honestly, man, people and this triple-double thing is kind of getting on my nerves, said Westbrook, who was 7-of-25 from the floor and committed five turnovers. People think if I dont get it, its like a big thing. When I do get it, its a thing. If yall just let me play. ... If I get it, I get it. If I dont, I dont. It is what it is. I really dont care. For the 100th time, I dont care.Westbrook is on pace to join Oscar Robertson as the only players in NBA history to average a triple-double for an entire season, and Westbrook recently had a streak of seven straight games with a triple-double, joining Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain and Robertson as the only players to ever accomplish that feat.But Westbrook wanted nothing to do with the triple-double talk after his 27-point, 6-rebound, 5-assist outing in the lopsided loss to the Jazz.All I care about is winning, man, honestly, Westbrook said. All the numbers s--- dont mean nothing to me.Westbrooks numbers do appear to mean a lot to the Thunder, however.Oklahoma City is 9-3 when Westbrook records a triple-double this season. The Thunder are 6-8 when he falls short of a triple-double, including back-to-back blowout losses to the Portland Trail Blazers and Jazz the past two nights. He had 20 points, 6 reebounds and 6 assists in the loss in Portland on Tuesday night.dddddddddddd.Westbrook has had fewer than six rebounds in a game, his total in both of the back-to-back losses, only once this season. The five assists he had against the Jazz matched his season low.Westbrook, who is averaging 30.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 10.6 assists per game, brushed off a question about whether it was realistic to expect him to continue to put up an average statistical line not seen in the NBA since Robertsons 1961-62 season.I dont know whats realistic, Westbrook said. I just go out and play every night, and thats it. I really dont care what people think is real or not. I just go out and compete, and thats it.Thunder coach Billy Donovan pointed to his teams poor shooting (36.6 percent from the floor) and the Jazzs outstanding shooting (58.3 percent) as the primary reasons that Westbrook didnt approach a triple-double Wednesday night. Donovan downplayed concern about the Thunder, who were 18-0 when Westbrook posted a triple-double last season, being so dependent on the point guards all-around production.He is going to be who he is, Donovan said. I think the biggest thing we talk about with Russell all the time, and I think Russell really talks about this a lot, is just playing efficiently. ... He had a hard time getting a triple-double tonight because of the shooting percentage that Utah shot and the fact that we didnt shoot the ball well. So there goes the rebounds and assists right off the board there. ' ' '