EDMONTON -- The Edmonton Oilers returned to the ice Wednesday after 12 days off for the Olympic break, several of them with red faces either from sun tanning or the hard bike riding that was part of the mini training camp/conditioning session they were put through. Gerrit Cole Astros Jersey . "It feels a lot shorter than it was," said veteran defenceman Andrew Ference, who spent part of the break with his family in Canmore, Alta., visiting former Olympians Thomas Grandi and Sara Renner. "But its a really good chance to get rid of all the little aches and pains." Ference said it has to be remembered that with back-to-back condensed seasons - last year because of the lockout - players need the break both mentally and physically. "The last calendar year I think I played 110 or 120 games, so its a much welcomed break." It was a break that came with the Oilers suddenly having found their game in the midst of another disastrous, non-playoff season. They went into the Olympic break having won five of their previous seven games - one of the losses was in overtime - and outscoring their opponents 18-12. Their previous 10 games before the break - the statistic the NHL keeps - showed them at 5-3-2, a record that put them in the middle of the pack, unlike the 29th place they are in with their overall record of 20-33-7. "It is tough from that aspect," forward Jordan Eberle said of the untimely break. "Some of the GMs around the league have been complaining, some of the teams were going well and then you get this break. Its almost like a new season starting. "But, for me personally, I feel you get re-energized, with a little more jump and a little more excitement to play, like you did in camp. I feel really energized and ready to play." Like many of the players, Eberle took a vacation away from the game, away from Edmonton and away from winter. But not away from working out. "Yeah I went away but I definitely worked out," he added. "I knew today was going to be a tough day. It was just a bit of a skate but most of the stuff was in the gym and it was tough." Ference said the players were put through a tough physical that included a hard bike ride but said everybody looked fine. "Nobody was puking." Veteran Ryan Smyth said it would have been nice to be playing in the Olympics again, but he appreciated the great family time he had in Mexico. And as a player turning 38 on Friday, he said "any time you get some rest for the body to recuperate, it will really help." While players made sure they stayed physically active and in shape, they were able to mentally turn off the game and enjoy some rare family time. "Your mind is a little off on vacation so you give yourself a break there," said Eberle, second on the Oilers scoring with 45 points. "But as far as your body you have to make sure youre still able to come back and play 22 games. So everyone took their mind away from the game, which is a good thing. "I went on vacation somewhere hot and your mind is so out of it that you think, wow, I have to come back and play hockey? But as soon as you get to Edmonton, see the snow on the ground, it changes pretty quickly. I got on the ice, felt pretty excited to get back. Its almost like a new season here." The Oilers resume play Feb. 27 at home against the Minnesota Wild. 20:11ET 19-02-14 Carlos Correa Jersey . Maximilian Arnold put Wolfsburg ahead in the eighth minute, when the stationary Fallou Diagne allowed him to guide Patrick Ochs cross beyond the helpless Freiburg goalkeeper, and Ivica Olic doubled the lead three minutes later after Luiz Gustavo did well to set him up. Custom Houston Astros Jerseys .Martin Caceres marked his return from injury by scoring in the 3-1 win at Napoli and he believes Juventus sent out a warning to the rest of the league with that result.We go out on the pitch every game looking to give our all, Caceres said. http://www.baseballastrosproshop.com/alex-bregman-astros-jersey/ . The 25-year-old McIlroy, who is from Northern Ireland, was eligible to play for either Ireland or Team GB when golf makes its return to the Olympics in Brazil for the first time since 1904.HOYLAKE, England -- The British Open packs 154 years of history on links courses that have been nurtured more by time than by tractors. It returns this year to Royal Liverpool, the second-oldest golf club in England, established in 1867 before anyone in America knew much about the Royal & Ancient game. For all its heritage, however, the charm of this major is what lies ahead. No one ever knows what to expect. Consider the landscape. Royal Liverpool was so brown and baked when The Open was last here in 2006 that the R&A asked players to take extra care if they smoked, and it had two fire engines stationed on the golf course. The ball rolled so far when it hit the ground that Tiger Woods hit only one driver over 72 holes and won by two shots. Now the grass is greener than it was at Pinehurst No. 2 for the U.S. Open. It feels like a new course this year. "Its lush. The greens are soft and very green. Fairways are pretty similar," said Rory McIlroy, who took a scouting trip to Hoylake last week. "But I think they are going to get a spell of good weather leading up to The Open, and hopefully, it will get a bit firmer." He recalled watching in 2006 when "the ball was like bouncing down a road on the fairways." McIlroy says he could hit as many as five drivers each round. "Its going to be a little different," he said. "Theres some thick spots of rough on the course, so avoiding that and avoiding those fairway bunkers ... if I can just do that, and anyone else can do that, then theyll have a good chance." A greater change might be the landscape of golf. Woods was at the height of his powers eight years ago when he won the claret jug for the third time. He was the first player in more than 20 years to repeat as Open champion. He would go on to win the PGA Championship that year, making history as the only player to capture multiple majors in successive years. Now he makes news when he can even play in a major. Woods has had three surgeries since he was last at Royal Liverpool a(euro)? two on his left knee, the most recent on March 31 to alleviate a nerve impingement in his back, which caused him to miss the Masters for the first time, and then the U.S. Open. When the British Open begins on Thursday, it will be his first major in 11 months. Woods returned earlier than anyone thought a(euro)? himself included a(euro)? three weeks ago in the Quicken Loans National at Congressional. He missed the cut, which annoyed him, and played without pain, which thrilled him. "I hate to say it, but Im really encouraged by what happened this week,"t; Wood said. Andy Pettitte Jersey. "What I was able to do physically, and the speed I had and the distance that I was hitting the golf ball again, I had not done that in a very long time." He wasnt worried about the little mistakes, mainly with his short game, because he could fix them. But how soon? Woods is 38 and without a major in six years, leaving him at 14 for his career and still four short of catching Jack Nicklaus. It might help to return to a course where he has won before, except that this is a different golf course. And he is not the same player. "We havent seen Tiger really, really play well in a while now," two-time U.S. Open champion Curtis Strange said. There hasnt been a dominant player even during his time away from various injuries and surgeries over the last five years. Golf is ruled by committee. McIlroy, with two majors by age 23, is just now starting to get his game back in order. Martin Kaymer is in the best form, having won The Players Championship and U.S. Open by going wire-to-wire in both. Adam Scott is No. 1 in the world. Phil Mickelson is the defending champion. Justin Rose is fresh off a big win at Congressional. Bubba Watson is a Masters champion again. All have had moments of greatness, none of it sustained. Nineteen players have won the 24 majors that have been held since Woods won his last one. "We have all witnessed what Tiger has been able to do over his career, whether thats come back from injury and win, come back from any sort of off-course stuff and win. I mean, win the U.S. Open on one leg," McIlroy said. "Is it foolish for people to write him off? I would say so. If hes playing and hes competing, hes got as good a chance as any." Considering the circumstances, Woods winning would be a surprise. Then again, for as long as golfs oldest championship has been around, it is still capable of delivering a few shockers. Mickelson produced one of his own at Muirfield last summer when he had his named etched on that silver claret jug for winning the one major that for years befuddled him. Only five years ago, 59-year-old Tom Watson came within an 8-foot par putt of being the oldest major champion. Ben Curtis was playing his first major in 2003 when he won at Royal St. Georges. He was the only player to break par. The Open returned to St. Georges eight years later, and 11 players had a better score than Curtis. What happened eight years ago at Royal Liverpool feels like ancient history. Perhaps that should be the adage for The Open. The more things stay the same, the more they change. ' ' '