TORONTO -- There was one question Nail Yakupov couldnt escape during the NHLs scouting combine. Mikhail Grigorenko and Andrey Vasilevskiy kept getting it, too. Even Alex Galchenyuk -- an American despite his Russian-sounding last name -- was unable to get through an interview this week without being asked why hed rather play pro hockey in North America than the Russian-based KHL. "I told (my parents) that since I was a little kid my dream was to play in the NHL and win a Stanley Cup," said Galchenyuk, who was born in Milwaukee. "Its not to play in the KHL and Gagarin Cup. I think I want to be a great player in the NHL and play against the best players. ... "I just want to play in the NHL and I see myself in the NHL." Its become increasingly difficult for Russian teenagers to convince NHL teams of that fact. Consider that 47 Russians were selected in the 1992 draft alone, yet only 39 have been taken in the past five years combined. The point will come into focus even more this month at the draft in Pittsburgh, where Yakupov is expected to be the No. 1 pick overall and Grigorenko and Vasilevskiy are potential first-round selections along with Galchenyuk. However, even the top-ranked Russian players elicit concern from some NHL teams. Its a taboo subject for many -- general managers and scouts alike are loathe to speak publicly on the topic -- but the continued threat posed by the KHL is causing many to think twice before drafting teenagers from Russia. "Part of the problem is you never get them to buy in," said Phoenix Coyotes GM Don Maloney. "Theres always that little option that when you face some adversity, its easier just to say nyet and go in the other direction (to the KHL) instead of making it work. You have that out. "I think I can speak to probably every manager in the game saying theres some hesitation there." That much was made clear to the current batch of Russian prospects as they were subjected to interviews from as many as 20 teams. Even Yakupov and Grigorenko, who both moved from their homeland to play in the Canadian Hockey League, found themselves repeatedly explaining their future intentions. "All the teams asked me about this, about the KHL," Grigorenko said. "I understand why theyre concerned about this, but I told them I will not go there for sure." The 18-year-old managed to display a sense of humour about the topic. He went through interviews on Thursday wearing a polo shirt adorned with a large red Maple Leaf that he picked up at a local mall. "Everyone was laughing," Grigorenko said. "I came here last year to play in the NHL. Its my dream, I will wait for the chance. I just want to play in the NHL." However, theres no denying the strong allure of the KHL. Both the Washington Capitals (Evgeny Kuznetsov) and St. Louis Blues (Vladimir Tarasenko) have had trouble luring recent first-round picks to North America. Players are able to earn a lot more money in Russia than theyd get on an entry-level deal in the NHL and they dont have to worry about the possibility of being sent to the American Hockey League, where they make considerably less. The chilling effect it has had on the NHL is undeniable, with only eight Russians selected in the 2011 draft and just 30 players from that country having appeared in a game this season. Edmonton holds the No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft and will have Yakupov visit the city this weekend for a follow-up interview. That organization hasnt selected a Russian-born player since 2006 and GM Steve Tambellini is anxious to become better acquainted with Yakupov. "You have to get to know the player, you have to get to know the person," said Tambellini. "You have to find out what really motivates them and why and what their goals are. And then maybe you get a sense of if there should be some hesitation or not." Yakupov sat down with 18 different teams this week and fielded several questions about his nationality. The consensus No. 1 pick in this draft for the past year, there have been some whispers that it could end up working against Yakupov. If Edmonton were to pass on him, Columbus might do the same with the second pick given the trouble that organization had previously with top-ranked Russians Nikita Filatov and Nikolai Zherdev. However, Yakupov says hes "not worried" about teams being unsure of him because of his homeland. He hails from Nizhnekamsk in the far east of Russia and insists that hes his own man. "Every player has his way, you know?" said Yakupov. "Im Muslim, Im not Russian. If you say what happens with the Russian factor, its his life. I have my life. Ive got to work. "It doesnt matter what teams going to (take me) in the draft. ... For me, it will be my team, my first favourite team in the NHL. I want to play and do everything for them." Black Friday Shoes . Kyrie Irving and the Cleveland Cavaliers were left fretting over an MRI on the stars left knee. Paul George scored 21 points, Roy Hibbert added 19 and the Pacers used a dominant fourth quarter to blow out the Cavaliers 91-76 on Tuesday The Pacers (25-5) have won eight in a row over Cleveland, their longest active streak against any opponent. Clearance Shoes . According to Yahoo! Sports, the team has reached a five-year deal to play their home games on the roof of the Plaza Hotel and Casino. https://www.fakeshoeswholesale.com/. The Earthquakes (6-9-7) were coming off a 5-0 loss at home last Saturday to FC Dallas. Even with the draw, the Sounders (13-7-3) climbed back into a tie for both the Western Conference and overall top spot in MLS. Seattle, West co-leader Real Salt Lake and East leader Sporting Kansas City all have 42 points. Shoes Outlet . Her return engagement begins tonight as TSN presents Day 1 coverage of the 2015 event from Melbourne. Watch Eugenie Bouchards opening round match at the Australian Open live tonight on TSN5 at 3am et/Midnight pt. Fake Shoes . Martin Reway and David Griger both recorded four points with a goal and three assists each. Mario Lunter, Daniel Gachulinec and Stanislav Horansky also scored for Slovakia (1-0). Dominik Kahun had both goals for Germany (0-2), who lost its opening match to Canada 7-2 on Thursday.We dont like penalty shootouts to end matches. Thats what they tell us. Play on until they score. Argentina and Netherlands may still be playing until Sundays final if that were the case. It was a drab affair, arguably the worst game of the World Cup. With so much on the line, no team came close to proving why they deserved to win it. Fittingly, the record books will show it as a draw: A stalemate in every sense of the word. It was a chess match where both players didnt make moves for long stretches. Just when it looked like either of them could capture their queen, along came two of the best pawns on the board. It was Javier Mascherano vs. Ron Vlaar. Both players were magnificent for their team but their standout performances said a lot about the oppositions weaknesses. Argentina have been waiting for a player to step up to a level that Lionel Messi has been at during this World Cup, but on a night when their current captain didnt get close to that level, their former skipper stepped up with an absolutely immense performance. Mascherano sat deep, allowed the defenders to play deep as well and flat out refused the Dutch any space in front of them. It forced their opponents to play long balls to try and get Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie into the match. In possession, Mascherano was also excellent with distribution helping his side attack down the right and target Bruno Martins Indi. Louis van Gaal reacted quickly at half-time by removing the Feyenoord man. That Argentina forced them into a move so quickly played a big part in how the game was played. When Nigel De Jong, back after a thigh injury, had to come off in the second half, suddenly van Gaal only had one move left. A move he decided to use by removing the ineffective van Persie in extra time. No one could argue that the Dutch team needed Klaas Jan Huntelaar but for a game that looked so destined for penalties, the removal of the Manchester United striker could be questioned. What definitely needs to be questioned is the order of the penalty takers for the Dutch. It was clear that van Gaal wanted to keep as many of his players in the same spot as they were used in the shootout victory over Costa Rica. That day the Dutch went four-for-four in order: van Persie, Robben, Sneijder, Kuyt. Huntelaar was the fifth taker but wasnt used. Against Argentina, van Gaal looked at his team and knew the only one he had to replace was van Persie at number one. Every credit to Ron Vlaar, the Aston Villa player, to step up and replace van Persie in the shootout but making him the first shooter was the wrong decision. In 24 previous World Cups the team that missed first lost 20 times. You cannot ask a player to take tthe first penalty in a key shootout when he wasnt even in your choice to be in the top five in the last shootout.dddddddddddd. Vlaar had had a wonderful match. Argentina tried to force things wide but ultimately they were drawn back centrally and Vlaar, in the middle of the back three, won every tackle and aerial duel he went for. After 120 minutes, though, his job was not done. Showing nerves, he stepped up quickly, from the prompt of the whistle, and it wasnt a good penalty. The moment Vlaars effort was saved by Sergio Romero the momentum changed. Lionel Messi was the right choice for Argentina to take the first penalty and, to no ones surprise, he scored. Messi had struggled throughout the game, which was the first World Cup game he has played when he didnt get a touch in the opponents penalty area. It was clear the Dutch had done their homework and their mandate was to shut down Messi. He will receive his fair share of criticism based on this performance but, once again, this match was another shining example of how much he needs his teammates to take him to glory. The Barcelona man has carried Argentina to this stage, it is only fitting that some - in this case Romero, Mascherano and the rest of the shooters - helped carry him to the final. They are, however, a team that arrives in the final with flaws. This is nothing new. Many teams have reached the World Cup Final when not playing very well but few have won it. Argentina showed a lot of grit and fight in this semifinal, just like they did in the 120 minutes against Switzerland and the narrow 1-0 defeat over Belgium. However, despite their fight they do look very ordinary. They arrive in the final after scoring just two goals in three knockout matches. The only team in World Cup history to do that was Argentina in 1990 and that was a terribly average side who frustrated Germany for over 80 minutes in arguably one of the worst games in football history. No one will be hoping for a repeat on Sunday but I am sure it will cross Argentinas mind that they will be naive to think they can play an open, expansive game against Germany. The Dutch end their quest to be world champions with their heads held high. They went further than most imagined and many of their young players, players produced by their own clubs in their own league, will grow and get better for this experience. Many will also find new clubs, too. However, they will also reflect on just how close they were – once again – to getting over a significant hurdle on penalties. Van Gaal departs for Manchester United after a very good World Cup but ultimately his decision on the order of the takers had a massive impact on this result. ' ' '