SOCHI, Russia – It was the third game of the Olympics for the Canadians in Torino, Italy when the wall of Martin Gerber emerged in shocking fashion. Gerber stopped each and every one of the 49 shots peppered by Team Canada en route to a highly improbable 2-0 victory for Switzerland. In a two-week tournament like the Olympics, goaltending performances of that caliber have the potential to shock, rattle and awe even the most powerful foes, hindering medal hopes with save after unlikely save. Eight years after Gerber shook up what was an ultimately doomed 2006 Canadian bid – they finished seventh – lies another Swiss goaltender in Jonas Hiller capable of doing the same, if not more, at the Sochi Olympics. "Every year at a tournament like this you need a good goalkeeper to have success," said Andreas Ambuhl, a winger for Switzerland and teammate of Hiller for years with Davos in the Swiss League, "especially a team like us." Switzerland is still buzzing from a silver medal finish at the 2013 World Championships – the now 39-year-old Gerber teaming with Calgary netminder Reto Berra – and though they have no grand illusions about their chances at these Olympics, possession of a goaltender like Hiller poses at least the possibility of a little unlikely noise. Hiller is back to top form in Anaheim after a couple bumpy seasons punctuated by injuries. The 31-year-old stopped 36 of 38 shots in his final game before the Olympics and owns a .943 save percentage in his last five starts. "Theres no doubt," said Swiss head coach Sean Simpson, a Canadian and former Chicago Blackhawks draft pick who has yet to actually coach Hiller during his four-year run as bench boss of Switzerlands national program. "Any of the goalies, they stand on their head they can make a difference in a one-game scenario thats for sure." Simpson would consider a trip to the quarterfinals as success for his squad, which sits in a group with Sweden, Latvia and the Czech Republic. In the past 50 years the Swiss have never finished higher than sixth which they managed during that unlikely 06 run with Gerber at the forefront. Sizzling efforts in goal have the potential to alter the face of the Olympics, both for powerhouses like Canada, who must decide between Carey Price and Roberto Luongo, and lesser limelight squads like the Swiss. Its why Finland still holds dark-horse medal potential despite losing potential captain Mikko Koivu and second centre Valteri Filpulla to injury. With Tuukka Rask, Antii Niemi and Kari Lehtonen as sterling options between the pipes, the Finns have the goods in goal to rattle more than a few cages. It was during those same 06 Olympics in Torino that then-Flyers goaltender and Finnish product Antero Niittymaki carried his country to a silver medal – they fell to Sweden, who was led by Henrik Lundqvist – leading the tournament with a mighty .951 save percentage. One need only remember the heroic efforts of Dominik Hasek in 1998. Hasek allowed just six goals in Nagano – posting a crazy .971 save percentage – willing the Czech Republic to their first and only gold medal. "Theres going to be lots of strong goalies here," said Simpson. "Jonas, hes got a great personality and hes going to give the team a lot of confidence when hes in net there for sure." Kwon Alexander Womens Jersey . - Tom Brady was upset that his New England Patriots hardly looked like a division champion in the first half. Matt Breida Youth Jersey . - The situation looked bleak at best for the coach Doc Rivers Clippers — down by four points with 18 seconds left in the fourth quarter. http://www.49ersrookiestore.com/49ers-Je...ersey/.Brothers B.J. and Justin Upton each homered and had an outfield assist, and the Braves held on for a 4-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday night. Frank Gore Jersey . -- For one night, Nick Calathes provided a big reason to believe the Memphis Grizzlies might be able to withstand the loss of Mike Conley on a short-term basis. Nick Bosa 49ers Jersey . So it was understandable if he was a little shaky early in his return to the Texas Rangers rotation. He spent most of the outing searching for his best stuff, but still managed to shut down the struggling Minnesota Twins offence.NEW YORK -- Michael Sam was picked by the St. Louis Rams in the seventh round of the NFL draft Saturday, becoming the first openly gay player drafted by a pro football team. Sam played at Missouri, and came out as gay in media interviews earlier this year. His team and coaches knew his secret and kept it for his final college season. He went on to have the best season of his career: He was the Southeastern Conference defensive player of the year. "Thank you to the St. Louis Rams and the whole city of St. Louis. Im using every once of this to achieve greatness!!" Sam tweeted with a frenzied typo moments after he was picked, including a picture of himself wearing a Rams cap and a pink polo shirt. The pick came after several rounds of suspense. The first round of the day came and went, no Sam. Then the second, and the third, and finally, the day was down to just a handful of picks. When Mike Kensil, the NFLs vice-president of game operations, walked to the podium at Radio City Music Hall in the drafts final minutes to announce the Rams second-to-last pick, the crowd got a sense something was up. Very few of the last day picks were announced at the podium. Twitter lit up with suggestions the Rams were about to make news. When Kensil said: "The St. Louis Rams select ... Michael Sam..." the fans gave a hearty cheer, chanting "Yes! Yes! Yes!" and "Michael Sam!" Sam was in San Diego watching with friends and family at the home of his agent, Joe Barkett of Empire Athletes. ESPN and the NFL Network had cameras there and showed Sams reaction. Sam was on the phone bending over, with his boyfriend hugging him and rubbing his left bicep. When Sam got off the phone, the tears started. He gave his boyfriend a big kiss and a long hug as he cried and his eyes reddened. After, they shared cake -- and another kiss. Sam will start his professional career not ffar from the place where he played his college ball, with three former Missouri teammates.dddddddddddd The 6-foot-2, 255-pound Sam was considered a mid-to-late round pick, far from a sure thing to be drafted. He played defensive end in college, but hes short for that position in the NFL and slower than most outside linebackers, the position hell need to transition to at the professional level. He was taken with the 249th overall pick out of 256. Players from Marist, Maine and McGill University in Canada were selected before Sam. "In the world of diversity we live in now, Im honoured to be a part of this," Rams coach Jeff Fisher said during an interview on ESPN. The impact of Sams selection goes far beyond football. At a time when gay marriage is gaining acceptance among Americans, Sams entry into the NFL is a huge step toward the integration of gay men into professional team sports. Pro sports have in many ways lagged behind the rest of society in acceptance. Publicly, most people in and related to the NFL have been supportive of Sam. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has said Sam would be welcome in the league and judged solely on his ability to play. A few wondered whether teams would be reluctant to draft Sam because of all the media attention that would come with it. Fair or not, the NFL -- coming off a season in which a bullying scandal involving players on the Miami Dolphins was one of the biggest stories in sports -- was looking at a possible public relations hit if Sam was not drafted. He would likely have been signed as a free agent and given a chance to make a team in training camp, but to many it would have looked as if he was being rejected. Now that hes there, it could be seen as an opportunity for the NFL to show that crass locker room culture is not as prevalent as it might have looked to those who followed the embarrassing Dolphins scandal. ' ' '