SOCHI, Russia -- The ashes of Canadian freestyle skier Sarah Burke were spread in the Olympic halfpipe, high on a mountain above

SOCHI, Russia -- The ashes of Canadian freestyle skier Sarah Burke were spread in the Olympic halfpipe, high on a mountain above it and also near the Olympic rings in the athletes village. Matt Murray Jersey . Burke, considered a pioneer for the introduction of halfpipe and slopestyle into the Winter Games, died following a training accident in Utah in January, 2012. Freestyle coach Trennon Paynter from Squamish, B.C., says he distributed the ashes in the halfpipe prior to the competition. "That was a little bit of a stealth mission," Paynter said Saturday. "I feel pretty good about knowing Sarah was all over these Olympics in our hearts and quite literally too." Burke was a four-time X Games champion and a driving force behind the inclusion of both halfpipe and slopestyle in the Sochi Olympics. She spent her early years in Barrie, Ont., but was living in Squamish when she died. Burke competed against men until there was a womens event. A leading contender for gold in Russia, she died at age 29 two years before her sports introduction into the Winter Games. Paynter went alone on a gondola as high as he could on the mountain above Rhosa Khutor Extreme Park to leave some of Burkes ashes there. The urn he carried was also in a freestyle team picture at the Olympic rings in the athletes village. Prior to the start of womens freestyle halfpipe Thursday at Rhosa Khutor, volunteers slid down the course in a heart-shaped formation in memory of Burke "This event really, I feel, had Sarah at the core of it in so many ways," Paynter said. Australian snowboarder Torah Bright, who won Olympic halfpipe gold, in 2010 was incensed the International Olympic Committee would not allow her to wear the "Sarah" stickers on her helmet and snowboard that she sports in other competitions. "The sticker thing for us was really no big deal," Paynter said. "We knew the way the protocols worked here. We knew for a couple of years we wouldnt be wearing stickers here. The rest of the season, I have Sarah stickers all over my stuff." Burkes husband Rory Bushfield and Paynter are friends and the two had discussed a plan to bring her ashes to the Winter Games in Sochi. The Canadian Olympic Committee provided a glass container and Paynter carried the container in a leather holster with Burkes name on it. During a quiet moment on the first training day, Paynter was able to "poach a couple pipe laps." "I know Sarah wanted to get some hits in the pipe so she got those," he said. The freestyle skiers won seven medals in Sochi and the most by one sport on the Canadian team. Canada also won a pair of medals in ski cross and while the international governing body of skiing considers it a freestyle discipline, Alpine Canada administers it domestically as a speed sport. Although the Canadian women finished off the podium in halfpipe, Mike Riddle of Sherwood Park, Alta., took silver in the first mens event. "Shed just be thrilled with everything from Mike winning a medal to the women just performing at such a high level," Paynter said. Tom Barrasso Jersey .com) - Edmonton Oilers forward Taylor Hall left Saturdays game against the Senators in the second period with a left knee injury. Ron Francis Jersey .Former NBA forward Morris Peterson has been added to TSNs Toronto Raptors broadcast team. http://www.hockeypenguins.com/authentic-mark-recchi-penguins-jersey/ . Halladays resume as a Blue Jay is among the elite in the franchises 36-year history. Over 12 seasons in Toronto, he was named an All-Star six times. He had arguably the finest campaign of his career in 2003 when he posted a 22-7 record, a 3.ST. PAUL, Minn. - Three lawsuits filed by retired NHL players over concussion-related injuries have been consolidated and will be heard by a federal judge in Minnesota. A special panel assigned the cases Tuesday to U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson of St. Paul. The order says Minnesota provides a central location for parties and witnesses, including those from Canada. It consolidates lawsuits filed by more than 200 former players in Minnesota, New York and Washington. Bryan Trottier Jersey. It notes that Nelson is already presiding over one of the cases. The order says two similar cases pending in Minnesota and New York may be added later. The lawsuits are similar to those on behalf of ex-NFL players, which resulted in an $870 million settlement. The NCAA agreed to a $70 million settlement in another concussion lawsuit. Wholesale NFL T-shirts Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping NFL Jerseys Wholesale China NFL Gear Wholesale NFL Camo Jerseys Cheap NFL Hoodies Camo China NFL Jerseys ' ' '