at made me want to play rugby league, he said.ddddddddddddBut most young players today aspire to play for NSW or Queensland and not so much the Kangaroos.I do think once the attitudes of players towards international footy starts to change you will see the public come back on board.Meninga, who is rev

CHICAGO -- There are plenty of nice pieces, beginning with NHL MVP Patrick Kane, star center Jonathan Toews and Calder Trophy winner Artemi Panarin.How they fit together is the big question for Chicago coach Joel Quenneville.The Blackhawks traded Andrew Shaw and Teuvo Teravainen and lost Andrew Ladd in free agency over the summer, leaving three big holes. Dale Weise and Tomas Fleischmann also left in free agency, and Marian Hossa, long one of Chicagos most consistent forwards, is coming off a down year.The result is an unsettled situation for the Blackhawks four lines that Quenneville might need some time to sort out.That unpredictability sometimes can be healthy in a lot of ways, knowing that guys are pushing and decisions -- when we have tough decisions -- we feel were a better team and a better organization when it comes down to that type of situation, Quenneville said Tuesday.Kane, Panarin and center Artem Anisimov combined for one of the NHLs most productive lines last season. Kane was the leagues top scorer with 106 points, and Panarin had 30 goals and 47 assists in an impressive rookie season. Anisimov finished with 20 goals and 22 assists in his first year in Chicago.But Kane and Panarin are the Blackhawks best playmakers, and Quenneville could break up their second line to create more balance. Hossa, who turns 38 in January, could play on any one of Chicagos top three lines depending on how it shakes out.Regardless of who Im playing with, its up to me to make sure that Im trying to enable those other two guys to be the best they can be as well, Toews said.The play of Chicagos top forward prospects also will affect the look of the Blackhawks lines. Tyler Motte, a former University of Michigan star, and speedy Vincent Hinostroza, a Chicago-area native who played college hockey at Notre Dame, each looked great in camp. Nick Schmaltz, a first-round pick in the 2014 draft, also is in the mix.The Blackhawks look pretty settled on defense. Brian Campbell, who led NHL defensemen with a plus-31 plus-minus rating last season with Florida, signed a one-year deal in July, returning to Chicago after helping the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup in 2010.The addition of Campbell gives the Blackhawks one of the best defensive lineups in the league, topped by two-time Norris Trophy winner Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Niklas Hjalmarsson. Michal Kempny, who signed with Chicago on May 24 and played for Czech Republic in the World Cup, also is an intriguing prospect for the third pairing.This is probably the deepest d-corps group weve had since Ive been in this organization, said Hjalmarsson, who made his NHL debut with the Blackhawks in 2008.Here are a couple more things to watch as Chicago tries for its fourth Stanley Cup title since 2010:SWEET, SWEET RESTThe Blackhawks lost to St. Louis in seven games in the first round of the playoffs in April. It was their shortest stay in the postseason since they lost to the Coyotes in the first round in 2012.The amount of top-level games, including the Olympics, had stacked up for some of Chicagos biggest stars, and the longer-than-usual offseason might help this year.Sometimes when you go far and deep in the playoffs youre still mentally tired and not as excited to tie the skates on every morning, Hjalmarsson said. But thats not an issue at all now. So I think everybody is just excited to get the regular season going.CO-REY! CO-REY!Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford is coming off one of his best seasons in the NHL. He set career highs with 35 wins, 58 starts and NHL-best seven shutouts.Crawford tuned up for this year by helping Canada win the World Cup. With an improved defense in front of him, the 31-year-old Crawford could contend for the Vezina Trophy awarded to the NHLs top goaltender after finishing fifth in the voting last season.CONSIDERING KRUGERCenter Marcus Kruger agreed to a $9.25 million, three-year contract extension in March, locking up the versatile penalty killer through the 2018-19 season. But Kruger had no goals and four assists in 41 games last season, and the Blackhawks need more production from the Swede with their losses at forward, especially if he plays on the third line.REPLACING SHAWShaw was a valuable net-front presence for Chicago, finishing with 14 goals and 20 assists. He also is one of the leagues top agitators, excelling at getting under an opponents skin. Brandon Mashinter, who had a career-best four goals in 41 games last season, Jordin Tootoo and Ryan Hartman could get a chance to fill Shaws shoes.---Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenapCheap Custom Vikings Jersey .2 billion agreement with Rogers Communications for the leagues broadcast and multimedia rights. Garrett Bradbury Jersey Large . Reassurance came from Paul Tesori, his caddie and close friend whose newborn son is in intensive care in a Florida hospital. "Paul sent me a text this morning, just told me he loved me and wanted to go out and fight as hard as I would any other day," Simpson said Sunday after doing just that. http://www.customvikingsjersey.com/ . Howard Ganz, an MLB lawyer, said in a letter to U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos that Rodriguezs claims do not come "remotely close" to what is needed to overturn an arbitration decision in federal court. Wholesale Custom Vikings Shirts . Siddikur, whose previous win on the circuit came in Brunei three years ago, finished his bogey-free round with a birdie on the 18th for a total of 17-under 199. Indias Shiv Chowrasia, who has finished runner-up in this tournament twice, was in second place after a 66. Custom Vikings Jersey China . Scott won the Australian PGA last week in his first event in Australia since winning the U.S. Masters in April. American Matt Kuchar, ahead by two strokes with four to play and even with Scott with one to go, double-bogeyed the 18th after taking two shots to get out of a bunker.Kangaroos captain Cameron Smith may be one of the most successful State of Origin players of all time, but he insists donning the green and gold must go back to being the pinnacle of the game in Australia .Smith, who is embarking on his fourth tour of the UK in the upcoming Four Nations, said hes as enthusiastic as he was on his first in 2009, but concerned the Origin juggernaut now dwarfs the importance of the international game.We want the Kangaroos to go back to being the No.1 rugby league team in our country, Smith told AAP at the tournament launch at Liverpools Anfield.At the moment its not. State of Origin is bigger than the international team which it shouldnt be.Its something Mal (Meninga) has spoken about a lot and he has really good ideas around our international program and hopefully over the next few years theyll come to fruition.Smith concedes it will be impossible to reduce the importance of Origin given that it dominates talk and debate from the start of the season in March until the conclusion of game three in July.However, he believes that changing the mindsets of young players is the key to making the public fall back in love with the international game.I enjoy playing against England in England, watching thosee games as a kid is what made me want to play rugby league, he said.ddddddddddddBut most young players today aspire to play for NSW or Queensland and not so much the Kangaroos.I do think once the attitudes of players towards international footy starts to change you will see the public come back on board.Meninga, who is revered in the north of England due to his exploits in six Ashes series against Great Britain and a highly successful season with St Helens in 1984, believes its important to keep the international game alive.Youre never going to be able to go back to the three-month tours we embarked on where you played every team and three Tests, Meninga told AAP.But theres no reason why we cant play midweek games against representative sides from Yorkshire and Lancashire and then have a three-match series.Teams coming to Australia to play could do the same. Its something that could be in the offing and hopefully it can happen.Australia open their tournament on Friday (Saturday 6am AEDT) in Hull against Scotland with the hosts then taking on David Kidwells Kiwis in Huddersfield (Sunday, 1230am AEDT). ' ' '