along the right wing and fired a low wrist shot that Dell knocked int

Canadian skier Jean-Philippe Auclair was remembered Wednesday as a freestyle pioneer who helped revolutionize the sport in its formative years before shifting to filmmaking and a focus on the more extreme side of the slopes, influencing a generation of athletes with his creativity and vision in the process.He was a creator, said former Canadian Freestyle Skiing Association CEO Peter Judge. He saw the world in a different way.The bodies of Auclair and fellow pro skier Carl Andreas Fransson were spotted by helicopter Tuesday in Argentina during a joint rescue operation by the armed forces and police in neighbouring Chile, The Associated Press reported.They had been missing since an avalanche swept them away while they were hiking in southern Chile. Auclair, a native of Ste-Foy, Que., was 37.Armada Skis, a company based in Costa Mesa, Calif., confirmed to The Canadian Press that one of the missing hikers was Auclair — the firms co-founder — but offered no further comment pending permission from his family.Judge, now Own The Podiums winter sport director, was a coach when Auclair was first starting out with the freestyle development team in the mid-1990s.At the time, the squad was loaded with stars like Jean-Luc Brassard, Stephane Rochon and Dominick Gauthier. The teams depth made it very difficult to crack the elite World Cup roster.Some of the up-and-coming skiers like Auclair later branched out in different directions.By doing that, I think it really accelerated their creative thought processes and doing some of the innovative things that they did that eventually took the sport in a whole different direction, Judge said in a phone interview from Calgary.But as these things go, many of the unintended consequences of something creates something totally different, he added. In this case in many ways it created a reinvention of the sport.Auclair was a strong influence in the burgeoning sport as it gained more mainstream acceptance. He was the first guy to do what (American) Jonny Moseley later made famous in the 98 (Nagano) Games, to do a mute-grab 360, which was a significant departure from the stock foray of jumping at the time, Judge said. Everything was very formula in moguls at the time, in that time period. He actually bent the mould based on that and didnt really ever get credit.Like a true artist, you dont get credit until after youre gone and out of the sport.Longtime friend Jean-Francois Cusson, who partnered with Auclair to start Armada Skis, released a statement Wednesday afternoon, calling Auclair an unbelievable human being.J.P. was by far the most creative calculating perfectionist I ever met in my life, he said. Extreme skiing might be a dangerous sport, but he was meticulous in every aspect of his preparation. Everything! So I always felt like he was untouchable.Nobody came close to touching his talent and his ability to push the boundaries of creativity. The sport has lost a pioneering innovator and is going to miss him, but the great personal memories I have with J.P. will stay with me forever.Auclair moved into different areas like freeskiing, urban skiing and ski development. His Facebook news feed was stocked with incredible photos and videos from his travels.His love for adventure, nature and sport was evident.Big mountain skiing was certainly a large part of his draw and what he wanted to project and convey to people in the sport as well as all the other pieces, ranging from in the early days of competing through to innovating to filmmaking, Judge said. Theres so many dimensions to how his love of the sport manifested itself.Auclair appeared in the 2011 film, All.I.Can, which featured the Canadian navigating the twists and turns of a Trail, B.C., neighbourhood while on skis. I was astounded when I saw it, Judge said. Just how much it nailed who J.P. was and what went on in his mind and what his legacy inside of what he gave to the sport.Photographer Felix Rioux was a longtime friend of Auclairs and joined him on many ski trips over the years.I think his goals were to execute his visions of what he thinks skiing should be about or at least how he would like it to be, Rioux said from Montreal. He was always a great skier but hes always been a great visionary, working with the ski companies to design skis, design the clothing.Rioux is the director of the IF3 International Freeski Film Festival, which ran earlier this month in Montreal.Most of the ski videos that youve seen of J.P., well he was directly involved with the concept, directing and sometimes he would even be the guy directing the segment, Rioux said. I think if you look at J.P.s career and everything that surrounds him, thats pretty much what his dream was all about.Auclairs last Facebook post on Friday included a picture of a mountain top and a note about the future.road trip down south with a great crew. back at it with @andreasfransson99 @bjarnesalen and @danielronnback for #apogeeskiing and very much looking forward to the days ahead, he posted.Authorities said Auclair and Fransson arrived in the Aysen region of Chiles Patagonia on Thursday along with two other tourists from Sweden. They had been hiking the 3,600-metre San Lorenzo mountain, and disappeared when a wall of rocks and snow cascaded down, dragging them to a stream in Argentine territory.The two survivors in the group were treated at a local hospital, and police said they provided information to help locate the bodies.Auclairs biography on the Armada website said he had obtained Level One certification in avalanche operations through the Canadian Avalanche Association in 2009. In an interview on the website, Auclair said his approach to his work recently changed after he became a father.Now, I double, triple check and do my homework a lot more thoroughly. The factors that Im not aware of, I want to make sure its dialled before jumping into the unknown.Rioux said Auclairs family members and loved ones were keeping in touch with local officials as they waited for more details on the effort to recover the bodies. The Canadian Freestyle Ski Association said on Twitter it was shocked & deeply saddened by Auclairs sudden death. Slopestyle skier Kaya Turski was one of several athletes to voice their grief on the social media website.I am so sorry to hear about JP Auclairs recent passing. My heart goes out to his family. A true legend...... Rest well, she tweeted.Former alpine star Brian Stemmle also posted a note.I didnt have the chance to meet JP Auclair or Andreas Fransson but I grieve with our entire ski community. #RIP, he said.Judge added that Auclair was a well-respected, unassuming, quiet kind of guy.For someone who had achieved the kinds of things he had achieved, he could have been very bigger than life and ostentatious, he said. And yet he was the most grounded, down to earth, humble guy. Just a real genuine soul, you know.———With files from Canadian Press reporters Peter Ray and Fred Daigle and The Associated Press. 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Fast forward 30 seconds to the Cavs next possession, with the home team still trailing by three, Spencer Hawes - one of the leagues best passing big men - threw an interception, intended for Tyler Zeller and picked off by DeMar DeRozan.HAMILTON, Ont. -- The Hamilton Bulldogs are focused on keeping their composure period by period as their season winds down. Christian Thomass second-period goal stood as the winner and Dustin Tokarski made 27 saves as the Bulldogs defeated the Abbotsford Heat 2-1 on Wednesday in the American Hockey League. "Tonight we stayed composed, even when we thought we had another goal in the third period," said Hamilton head coach Sylvain Lefebvre. "We kept working, and we have to get used to playing those tight hockey games. "Thats what gets you to the playoffs, and thats what helps you win hockey games when you get there." A post-season berth is far from Hamiltons grasp, however. The Bulldogs remain 10 points back of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, with just 14 games to play. Mike Blunden and Gabriel Dumont also scored for Hamilton (27-30-5). Chris Breen had the lone goal for the Heat (34-23-7), who have lost 10 of their last 11 games. Aaron Dell stopped 36 shots. Michael Bournival made his debut for the Bulldogs on Wednesday, having been sent to the team by the Montreal Canadiens a day earlier on a conditioning assignment. After playing 50 games for Montreal in his rookie season, the forward suffered a concussion in a Feb. 6 game against the Vancouver Canucks, and was cleared for contact on March 14. His insertion in the Bulldogs lineup provided a much-needed boost to the top line, and the combination of Bournival, Sven Andrighetto and Thomas used its speed to great effect against the Heat in the first period. Thomas was very pleased with the lines first game together, and felt comfortable playing alongside Bournival, who he came across several times at the junior level. "Its always tough playing with a new guy, but (Bournival) fits in really well and brings a lot of speed," he said. "Ive known him for a long time, and grew up playing with him at world junior camps. "Ive seen him quite a bit, and obviously he has some NHL experience. But he plays a hard game and that always helps your line." Hamilton was getting the best of play, but it was Abbootsford that opened the scoring at 8:56.dddddddddddd Ex-Bulldog Corey Locke controlled the puck below Hamiltons goal-line, and connected with the open Breen as he glided into the high slot. The defenceman released a mid-range wrist shot that Tokarski only partially connected with, and the puck trickled over the goal-line. It was Breens first goal of the season. Pressure did eventually pay off for Hamilton, as Blunden stole the puck from Abbotsford defender Shane OBrien to create an equalizing goal. The winger moved in alone on Dell and shifted from backhand to forehand before lofting a shot over the far shoulder of the goaltender at 17:55. Blunden nearly scored his second of the game with 10 minutes to play in the second period, as Dell kicked a Morgan Ellis slap shot from the point out to his right and the winger narrowly missed a tap in attempt at the post. Thomas did better with Hamiltons next scoring chance, as the Bulldogs took the lead at 12:42. After a period and a half of successful forechecking, Hamiltons top line got on the board when Bournival fought off a defender along the right wing and fired a low wrist shot that Dell knocked into the path of Thomas to his right. The rookie winger did the rest, slotting a quick shot past the sprawling goaltender from close range. Consecutive penalties to Nathan Beaulieu posed a late challenge for the Bulldogs, but their penalty killing unit responded well to hold the lead through 40 minutes of play. Hamilton entered play on Wednesday with an 18-0-1 record when leading after two periods. Tokarski did his part to preserve the lead, snatching a Max Reinhart wrist shot out of the air from point blank range with just under six minutes to play. His save was rewarded at the other end of the ice, as Dumont was awarded a penalty shot after being tripped with a clear path to the net, and made good on the chance. Slowly skating toward Dell, Dumont stopped abruptly and shifted to his forehand to tuck the puck in behind him at 16:01 of the third period. Neither team made use of their power plays on Wednesday, as Hamilton went 0 for 2 while Abbotsford was 0 for 3. ' ' '