TORONTO -- The fastest show on ice is the biggest attraction at the World Cup of Hockey.Team North America is made up of the best 23-and-under American and Canadian players, a combination of speed and skill that captivates even the most old-school of hockey people. Deputy commissioner Bill Daly said North America has captured peoples imaginations before the real games even started.No one is more spectacular than Connor McDavid, the 19-year-old generational talent who could soon be the face of the NHL. The World Cup is an introduction to many of the games best young stars but especially McDavid, who could slip into anonymity in Edmonton but will be front and center at this tournament for fans in the U.S. and around the world.In a short period of time, because its a worldwide stage, theyre going to see Connor and what he can do, said Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli, who helped build Team North America. Hell be with his peers, so itll be even more fun to watch. World-class talent. Hes getting better every day. Im excited to see it at this level, too.Team North America is the buzz of the World Cup after making opponents look like they were skating in mud during exhibition play. It features five of the past six No. 1 picks: Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs (2016), McDavid of the Oilers (2015), Aaron Ekblad of the Florida Panthers (2014), Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche (2013) and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of the Oilers (2012).Add in 2015 No. 2 pick Jack Eichel of the Buffalo Sabres and Calgary Flames star Johnny Gaudreau and North America is not a team to overlook. Team Europe coach Ralph Krueger called North America the fastest team in the tournament, and dont expect anyone to offer an argument.That was an amazing sight to see these kids in action together, Krueger said after losing two exhibition games to those kids. What an unbelievable future the National Hockey League has with these players has with these players around the league.The future could be downright absurd. Sidney Crosby is the best hockey player on the planet in the present, but its not a stretch to think McDavid is next to claim that honor in the very near future.A finalist for the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year despite missing three months with injury, McDavid was a point-a-game player as a teenager. All the hype around him may not even be enough, and by the day more hockey people are gaining an appreciation of what McDavid can do.You hear a lot about him from the outside, and its fun to watch him play, said Chicago Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman, whos a part of North Americas management staff. Incredibly talented player, exciting to watch. I think the skys the limit as far as what he can do. ... Hes going to be a great player in this game for a long time.McDavid is already a great player, and North America coach Todd McLellan is spicing up his teams opener Sunday against Finland by putting him on a line with Matthews. Even though Matthews is only eight months younger, he understands playing with McDavid is a rare opportunity.He thinks the game extremely fast. He makes quick, fast decisions, Matthews said. Hes a special player. He can do a lot of things at a pace that not many people can do.McDavid said North America doesnt have a shortage of speed and likely wont struggle to score goals. He acknowledged the job will be to defend well and keep the puck out of the net against more experienced competition.But North America was designed to showcase the most exciting elements of hockey.Their speed stands out, theyre confident, Crosby said. To be at their age and have the success that they do, you dont have that without confidence and obviously skill. They have a good combination of that. I think they respect their opponent, but not too much, so you have to be ready for them.Opponents are ready and so is McDavid, North Americas captain at 19 who led Canada to world junior gold at Air Canada Centre 20 months ago. Back in the same building, the spotlight is on McDavid, who shines when the competition level rises.Anytime the worlds best play against the worlds best, it always brings out the best hockey, McDavid said. Its a good opportunity for our whole team and myself personally to make a real name for ourselves and put a real statement on what the future may hold for all of us and myself. We definitely have a good opportunity ahead of us.---Follow Stephen Whyno on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/SWhyno . Air Max 97 Vapormax Gold Bullet .Y. -- Sabres forward Drew Stafford has witnessed plenty of turmoil during his eight seasons in Buffalo. Air Max 97 Outlet . The veteran safety was a starter for the Bengals from 2008-2012. He totaled 41 tackles and three interceptions while starting all but four of the 13 games he played last season. http://www.outletairmax97.com/ . Takahashi, who had a 10-point lead after the short program, received 268.31 points after the free skate to finish 15 points ahead of second-place Nobunari Oda. Air Max 97 Shanghai . After Mondays hard-fought loss, the wait seemed longer than usual. Getting set to go their separate ways for a short Christmas break, the Raptors coach credited his team for their effort on a seemingly impossible three-game road trip, urging them to build on that success when they get back to work at the end of the week. Discount Air Max 97 .com) - The Chicago Blackhawks aim for their third three-game winning streak of the season when they host the struggling Edmonton Oilers in Sundays battle at the United Center. In November, espnWs weekly essay series will focus on giving.I first heard of Chinese Olympic swimmer Fu Yuanhui when someone on Facebook posted an article about her with the caption: I want to be her best friend. I winced and moved on. For days, I did not click on the link, until I saw even more people posting about her -- always with the same words. Shes amazing. I love her. Too real.Oh, no, I thought. Oh no. I knew exactly where this was going. But I clicked anyway.When I was in elementary school, I was the only Asian in my grade. On the playground, my classmates pretended to be Chinese, saying things like ching-chong-chaw and doing kung-fu. At my desk, I seethed but could not explain why -- only that it came from some deep feeling that my classmates were pretending to be Chinese the way kids pretend to be aliens or superheroes.One afternoon, my classmates had gathered around me, fascinated by my eyes. Theyre different, one of them announced, and then they all stepped in closer. I wondered if I had became a caricature by being fully Asian and half-Chinese.When I grew older, the narrative changed. After college, I spent some time studying Chinese in China, in an attempt to understand my mothers culture. The majority of my male classmates had arrived on a different quest: They wanted a girlfriend.Chinese women are beautiful, one of my classmates told me. He handed me his phone. The contacts list was filled with the names of women hed met clubbing. The album was packed with photographs of him wrapped around each of the women hed met, their faces green and silver from the flashing lights of the clubs.I cant speak the language, I hate the food here and I miss my family, he told me as he swiped through each picture so quickly the faces blurred together, but Im not going home until I get a girlfriend.Theyre different from American women, my apartment mate explained when I asked him about the allure. Theyre more feminine and more submissive. Perfect wife material.Chinese women had evolved to mean sexy. I couldnt decide if that was better or worse. Really, it was just about the same as being a caricature, but now served with a side of submission and breaasts.ddddddddddddith all of that in mind, I read all the stories and watched interviews of Fu Yuanhui, expecting a celebrity swimmer who was polite and poster beautiful.The unexpected happened: I too fell in love. I, too, wanted Fu Yuanhui to be my best friend. She wasnt poster-pretty. She was something far better: She was human.When Fu Yuanhui heard shed come in third at the 100-meter backstroke finals at the Rio Olympics, she gasped for air, stuttered and then mangled her lanyard from the sheer joy of winning. Her bubbling, over-the-top delight with life was infectious. In the photographs, while other athletes posed for the camera, smiles frozen in place, she clutched her medal mouth open in a silent roar of happiness. She made faces, grinned maniacally.The moment I truly fell for her was during the womens 4x100-meter medley relay when she emerged from the pool doubled over in pain. Her period left her feeling weak, she told the reporter, and she didnt swim her best. Then, she apologized for her performance and moved on.Never mind the cultural taboo that exists around periods, particularly in China, where tampons are hard to come by. Never mind the cultural taboos about periods that exist around the world. Fu Yuanhui swam in pain; she felt like she underperformed; she apologized; and that was all simply all there was to it.Fu Yuanhui didnt give us pretty, she gave us joy so fierce you could feel its power blasting through the camera lens. She didnt give us pitch-perfect celebrity-speak molded to showcase her best self to the press. She gave us herself, her incandescent happiness, her earthly pain.She showed us its possible to be loved by the world for simply being yourself. And for this, we loved her, for this we continue to love her: Fu Yuanhui, champion swimmer, champion human.Shalene Gupta is currently working on a novel about growing up Chinese-Indian in Minnesota. A former Fortune reporter, with an M.S. from Columbia Journalism School, she is currently a freelance writer living in Boston. Follow her @ShaleneGupta ' ' '