PITTSBURGH, Pa. - LeGarrette Blounts early exit Monday night cost the volatile running back his job. The Pittsburgh Steelers cut Blount on Tuesday, less than 24 hours after he jogged off LP Field with the clock still running in a 27-24 victory over the Tennessee Titans. Coach Mike Tomlin called the decision to part ways with Blount in the best interest of the organization while bringing a swift end to the latest chapter in Blounts increasingly nomadic career. The Steelers signed Blount to a two-year deal, $3.85-million deal in March to provide the running game with some needed heft. He ran for 266 yards and two scores but saw his playing time diminish in recent weeks. Blount took the field for just one play on Monday night while good friend LeVeon Bell rushed for a career-high 204 yards and a touchdown. Blount and Bell celebrated Bells 5-yard dive early in the fourth quarter that pulled Pittsburgh within a touchdown, posing for a faux selfie on the sideline after the play was upheld on review. Yet when quarterback Ben Roethlisberger lined up for the final snap, Blount headed for the tunnel. He was already dressed when his teammates entered the locker room and sat on the bus while the rest of the Steelers (7-4) soaked in their fourth win in five games. I know him, I know hes not a selfish guy, hes a team guy, said safety Mike Mitchell, who tried to coax Blount off the bus. But its more so knowing his feelings were hurt. I just tried to get him to not do that but hes a grown man. One who quickly lost the support of the guys he lined up with every week. If you dont want to be here, dont be here, centre Maurkice Pouncey said. At the end of the day youve got your decision to make as a man and he made it. Pittsburgh announced the move shortly after 1 p.m. and a half-hour later the nameplate over Blounts locker was already gone, though several personal items remained. While Pouncey called Blount a good teammate he wasnt exactly broken up about Blounts abrupt departure. Weve got our star running back, Pouncey said. Thats probably a good thing for our team that happened. At the end of the day if there was someone that was a cancer who ended up leaving on his own, thats a blessing for us. The Steelers promoted Josh Harris from the practice squad to take Blounts spot, though the reality is Bell will probably carry an even heavier workload as Pittsburgh tries to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2011. The 22-year-old Bell is the only player in the NFL with more than 950 yards rushing and 450 yards receiving but had forged a bond with Blount over the last nine months, though not always for the better. The two were both cited for marijuana possession — with Bell also being charged with DUI — following a traffic stop in August while they were heading to catch a team plane to Philadelphia. Pittsburgh declined to immediately discipline the pair and they showed flashes of becoming one of the leagues most dynamic backfields. Bell and Blount both went over 100 yards rushing in a victory over Carolina in Week 3, a moment that proved to be the high point of Blounts season. He ran five times for zero yards in a loss to the Jets on Nov. 9 and spent Monday night watching Bell have the best day by a Steelers running back in eight years. Cornerback Ike Taylor believes Blount broke a vital part of footballs code by his small act of defiance. Defensive end Cam Heyward praised the club for acting quickly rather than letting the situation stew during Pittsburghs bye week. Of course you want everybody to be here but we dont have time for this, Heyward said. Blount has developed a reputation as one of the leagues more talented and tempestuous backs. He was suspended for nearly the entire 2009 season during his senior year at Oregon for punching a Boise State player. He enjoyed moderate success at Tampa Bay and New England, rushing for a club playoff record four touchdowns for the Patriots in a post-season victory over Indianapolis in January. New England, however, made no move to re-sign him and he ended up in Pittsburgh. Yet while Bell flourished, Blount stagnated, and his frustration finally bubbled over. Hes got to be smarter in that situation and know how it could be perceived, Mitchell said. ___ AP NFL websites: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Nikola Jokic Jersey . His right arm rested in a sling and was encased in a cast from above the elbow to his hand. "Im excited," Fernandez said with a grin. Jarred Vanderbilt Jersey . Seriously. Seven years of losing has brought many different faces, players and management, to the annual pre-season get-to-know-the-team round up. http://www.nuggetsprostore.com/kids-mali...nuggets-jersey/. Watching them over the past year - and in some cases, two years - has given us a starting point for this seasons Craigs List. Michael Porter Nuggets Jersey . The visitors missed a host of good chances to win the game, and were left to rue substitute Ivo Ilicevics strike against the crossbar in the 86th minute, when he only had the goalkeeper to beat. Allen Iverson Nuggets Jersey . - The New Orleans Saints have re-signed receiver Joseph Morgan for one year and have agreed to a four-year deal with free agent fullback Erik Lorig.BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Sabres re-signed centre Tyler Ennis on Thursday to a five-year contract worth $23 million, addressing one of the final pieces of their off-season rebuilding plan. Two people familiar with the agreement revealed the terms to The Associated Press. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because the Sabres referred to the contract only as a multiyear deal. Ennis will make $7.3 million this season, $4.75 million in 2015-16, and $3.65 million in each of the final three seasons of the contract, one of the people said. Ennis was a restricted free agent after the Sabres retained his rights by tendering him an offer last month. Buffalo has re-signed four of its five restricted free agents. Only forward Luke Adam remains unsigned. Ennis is a speedy, playmaking forward who led the Sabres with a career-best 21 goals and added 22 assists in 80 games last season. Last month, general manager Tim Murray spoke highly of Ennis and how he might help revive tthe team.dddddddddddd. Last season, the Sabres (21-51-10) finished last, set a franchise record for losses, and established a post-NHL-expansion-era low by scoring just 150 goals. "I like his approach to the game. I like his compete level. I like his speed," Murray said. "Theres a lot of things I like about him, and if we can do a long-term deal with him, then obviously the decision weve made is wed go forward with him." Ennis was the second of Buffalos two 2008 first-round draft picks. He is a two-time 20-goal scorer and has 69 goals and 97 assists in 267 games over four-plus seasons with the Sabres. Murray has already been busy restocking the Sabres this summer. Buffalo made a splash in free agency by signing forwards Matt Moulson and Brian Gionta and defencemen Josh Gorges and Andrej Meszaros. Center Sam Reinhart, selected with the No. 2 pick in the draft last month, will also have a shot at making the team. ' ' '

Faced with a must-win situation, the Detroit Red Wings will be going with Jonas Gustavsson in goal again when they face the Boston Bruins in Game 5 of their first-round series at TD Garden. "Gus is going to start," head coach Mike Babcock told reporters on Friday, adding that goaltender Jimmy Howard couldnt practice and he expects him to be the backup. Gustavsson allowed three goals on 40 shots as the Bruins rallied for a 3-2 overtime victory in Game 4 at Joe Louis Arena on Thursday. The Bruins lead the best of seven series 3-1 with Game 5 on Saturday. Gustavsson said he found out just before pre-game warm-ups that there was a chance hed start in place of Howard, who led the Red Wings onto the ice. The decision was made not long before puck drop as Babcock said of Howard: "Last second, he just couldnt go." The team announced that Howard had the flu. Also, veteran winger Daniel Alfredsson practiced on Friday and was confident that hell be ready to play on Saturday. Alfredsson was scratched for the Red Wings in Game 4 as he continues to deal with back problems. "I skated today and felt good," he told reporters. "Well see how it goes later today, but I anticipate being available for tomorrow." Captain Henrik Zetterberg, who was playing his first game in two months after back surgery, didnt skate on Friday but told reporters he felt good and will also play in Game 5. Alvin Kamara Youth Jersey . Power had a two-lap average of 218.896 mph in qualifying Friday at the high-banked, high-speed 1 1/2-mile track for his 34th career pole. Wil Lutz Jersey . -- Howie Kendrick had a two-run single in his first game batting leadoff this season, Chris Iannetta hit a pair of RBI singles and the Los Angeles Angels beat Cleveland 6-4 Tuesday night, sending the Indians to their fifth straight defeat. http://www.saintsrookiestore.com/. -- The way Ted Ligety carved into turns looked so easy. Willie Roaf Saints Jersey . They find themselves trying to knock each other out in the Western Conference finals for the second straight year. The Blackhawks prevailed last year on their way to the Stanley Cup, and they have the early lead this time after taking the opener, 3-1. Bobby Hebert Saints Jersey . Vincent Lamar Carter is no longer the lean, athletic dynamo who dazzled Raptors fans with eye-popping dunks that posterized even the leagues best defenders.CHARLOTTE, N.C. - After twice blowing leads in losses to the Charlotte Hornets earlier this season, Brandon Knight did his part to make sure it didnt happen again.Knight scored 18 points, including a layup to force overtime, and the Milwaukee Bucks pulled away in the extra period to beat the Hornets 104-94 on Monday.Jared Dudley scored 17 points, Giannis Antetokounm had 16, Zaza Pachulia had 15, O.J. Mayo had 13 and John Henson added 11 for the Bucks (16-16), who snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Hornets dating back to the 2011-2012 season.Included in that streak were two close games this season — a 108-106 overtime loss Oct. 29, and a 108-101 loss on Dec. 23 — where Milwaukee held the lead, only to allow the Hornets (10-22) to come back.We just have to do better once we get up a lead like that, Knight said. Us players have to do a better job on the court, just being better in those situations. Not just playing to stay up 20, but playing to continue to win and make the right plays.Mondays game nearly became a repeat — behind Kemba Walkers 28 points, Gerald Hendersons 19, Michael Kidd-Gilchrists 10 —Charlotte fought back from a 21-point deficit in the first half.Walkers layup with 54.5 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter gave the Hornets an 83-81 lead, but Knight followed up his own blocked shot for a layup with 16 seconds left to tie the score and force overtime.We had a big lead offensively, but defensively we started to slip a little bit, Bucks coach Jason Kidd said. We got some great looks that just did not play out, but our guys just kept their composure.Milwaukee then pulled ahead for good on Hensons three-point play with 3:51 left in overtime, and the Bucks would lead by as many as 13 points in the extra period.Charlotte looked to be on its way to an easy victory over the Bucks early in the game, going up 14-6 on Hendersons 3-pointer with 7:29 remaining in the first quarter.But the Hornets went cold, missiing 16 straight shots.dddddddddddd That allowed Milwaukee to close out the quarter with a 19-4 run, and take a 25-18 lead.Charlotte hit another cold spell, going 1 of 9 over the first six minutes of the second quarter, which allowed the Bucks to take their first double-digit lead. Milwaukee took its biggest lead, 43-22, on Knights steal-and-layup with 3:19 remaining.We were missing shots, got our heads down and got a little frustrated out there, Walker said. We need to be more consistent in our play. One game we play well, the next we dont. That cant happen. We cant get away from the things we do well.___TIP-INSBucks: Won at Charlottes Time Warner Cable Arena for the first time since March 23, 2012, losing four straight games before Mondays victory. . It was also the second time this season that Milwaukee won back-to-back road games, and the first since road wins over the Minnesota Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons on Nov. 26-28.Hornets: Suffered their third straight loss, and second straight at home. . Overcame their poor first-half shooting to finish at 36.7 per cent (33 of 90) from the field. But they were only 7 of 25 on 3-pointers. . They also had a season-high 13 steals.STAT LINEThe Hornets shot just 20 per cent (5 of 25) from the field in the first quarter, and 26.2 per cent (11 of 42) for the half, while Milwaukee overcame a slow start to shoot 46.3 per cent (19 of 41) and take a 49-32 halftime lead.SHORT-HANDEDBoth teams dressed just 11 players each for Mondays game. The Hornets sat guards Lance Stephenson (pelvic sprain) and Jannero Pargo (sore back), and had assigned forwards Jeffery Taylor and Noah Vonleh to the NBAs D-League on Sunday. The Bucks were down four players, all for injuries - forwards Jabari Parker (knee), Ersan Ilyasova (concussion) and Damien Inglis (knee), and centre Larry Sanders (illness).UP NEXTMilwaukee plays at Cleveland on Wednesday.Charlotte travels to Houston on Wednesday. ' ' '

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Keeping active in the trade market, the Oakland Athletics acquired right-handed reliever Luke Gregerson from the San Diego Padres for outfielder Seth Smith. It marked the second swap of the day for the two-time defending AL West champion As and third in two days. Gregerson will join a bullpen with new closer Jim Johnson, acquired from Baltimore on Monday night. Dealing Smith became a viable option when general manager Billy Beane acquired Craig Gentry from division rival Texas earlier Tuesday. Gregerson went 6-8 with a 2.71 ERA and four saves in 73 relief outings for the Padres in 2013. Smith batted .253 with eight home runs and 40 RBIs in 117 games in his second season with the As. The Padres have plenty of outfielders, including Carlos Quentin, Cameron Maybin, Will Venable, Chris Denorfia and Alexi Amarista, who had been primarily an infielder. Quentin and Maybin missed significant time with injuries last season. Padres general manager Josh Byrnes said Smith could play left or right field, and probably will end up with 400 to 500 plate appearances. Smith will allow the Padres to match up better against right-handers and have a more viable bat in the lineup when Quentin needs days off due to his balky knees. "Obviously he did a great job this past year and hit lefties better than he ever has, which is a good thing," Byrnes said of Smith. "We liked our offence for a year, kind of from All-Star break to All-Star break. Injuries last year, toward the end of the year we werent scoring runs. The reality is, were coming off a year where we asked Venable and Denorfia to do more than they ever have. We asked Amarista to play a lot in the outfield. We extended Quentin and Maybin. "I dont think weve overdone it by acquiring Smith, but we just want to make sure that if there is an injury or two, that we dont have such a dropoff, that were still showing up every night, especially against right-handed pitching, and able to score runs," Byrnes added. Byrnes said the Padres might be looking to add a reliever or two, or could move some starters to the bullpen. Scarpe Adidas Nmd Uomo Italia . LOUIS -- The St. Yeezy Boost 700 Italia . According to Tony Barrett of The Times, the Liverpool captain is set to announce that he will leave the club at the end of the 2014-15 season. http://www.yeezyscarpeitalia.it/ultra-bo...e-ingrosso.html. -- Cam Newton pranced into the end zone, placed his hands over his chest and did his familiar Superman pose. Scarpe Yeezy Negozi . Cruz set the tone with a two-run homer in the first inning, and Baltimore scored eight times in the eighth to pull away for a 12-3 victory in Game 1. The major league leader with 40 homers during the regular season, Cruz added an RBI single to his early blast off Max Scherzer. Yeezy Scarpe Bianche Scontate . The trade deadline is Monday, Mar. 2 at 3pm et/Noon pt. TRADES COMPLETED SINCE OCT. 1, 2014: Feb. 15, 2015 Toronto Maple Leafs acquire: F Olli Jokinen, F Brendan Leipsic, 1st Round Pick (2015) Nashville Predators acquire: D Cody Franson, F Mike Santorelli Feb.The Toronto Blue Jays are reportedly interested in bringing outfielder Alex Rios back into the fold. According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, the Blue Jays are amongst a handful of teams interested in the 33-year-old veterans services. The Kansas City Royals and Seattle Mariners are reportedly also among the other clubs with interest in Rios. This season, Rios is hitting .302 with four home runs, 41 runs and 42 RBI in 96 games with the Rangers. Rios made his MLB debut with the Blue Jays in 22004 and finished his rookie season hitting .dddddddddddd286 with one home run, 55 runs and 28 RBI in 111 games. He played with the Jays through the 2009 season before the team put him on waivers. The Chicago White Sox claimed him off waivers and Rios spent just over four seasons in the Windy City. In 2013, the White Sox traded him to the Texas Rangers in exchange for Leury Garcia. Rios is earning $12.5 million this season and has a team option for $13.5 million next year. ' ' '

The Montreal Canadiens hope to aid their push for home ice in the first round of the playoffs when they host the New York Islanders in Thursdays game at the Bell Centre. Viewers in the Habs region can watch the game on TSN starting at 7:30pm et/8:30pm at and listen to it on TSN Radio 690. Montreal will face Tampa Bay in the first round of the playoffs and currently holds a three-point lead over the Lightning for second place in the Atlantic Division and home-ice advantage in the best-of-seven series. However, Tampa Bay has three games left in the regular season compared to two for the Canadiens. The Habs are closing their regular-season slate with two straight on home ice and will host the New York Rangers in their 82nd game on Saturday. Montreal is 22-12-5 as the home team this season. The Canadiens lost for just the second time in nine outings on Wednesday, but they still picked up a point in a 3-2 overtime loss at Chicago. Peter Budaj misplayed a harmless Patrick Sharp shot into the game winner at 43 seconds of OT, giving the Blackhawks a come-from-behind victory at United Center. Marian Hossa tied the game inside the final minute with the extra attacker, then Sharp won it when his contested, rolling shot from between the circles trickled up Budajs stick. Instead of trapping it, the Habs netminder tried to shake it away, and instead whacked it into the net for Chicagos winning goal. "We were in a position to get two points, but I really liked the way we played," Montreal head coach Michel Therrien said. "On the last two goals, it was some bad coverage in front of the net. Im sure on the last goal, the winning goal, (Budaj) certainly would like to see that shot again, but those things happen." Dale Weise and Francis Bouillon scored for the Canadiens, while Budaj took the loss despite 25 stops. The Islanders are out of the playoffs for the sixth time in seven seasons after making an appearance last spring. The club has lost three straight and has been outscored by a combined 8-1 margin over the last two games. After losing 4-0 in Columbus on Sunday, New York was dealt a 4-1 setback by the visiting Ottawa Senators in Tuesdays season finale at Nassau Coliseum. Jason Spezza scored twice, including the go-ahead goal in the third period to lift the Senators to the win and drop New Yorks record this season on Long Island to 13-19-9. "We had some problems here at home," said Islanders coach Jack Capuano. "Thats something we have to straighten out if we want to make the playoffs." Next season marks New Yorks last campaign at the Coliseum, as the club is scheduled to move to Brooklyns Barclays Center at the start of 2015-16. Frans Nielsen scored for the Islanders, while Anders Nilsson made 28 saves in a losing effort. New York will play three games on the road to complete its schedule and is 18-18-2 as the visiting team. After tonights tilt at the Bell Centre, the Isles will visit New Jersey on Friday before ending the campaign Sunday in Buffalo. Montreal has won three straight against the Islanders overall, but New York has claimed three of the past five meetings in Quebec. Boston Bruins at Winnipeg Jets The Boston Bruins will try to move closer to just the second Presidents Trophy in franchise history on Thursday night as they take on the Winnipeg Jets. Viewers in the Jets region can watch the game on TSN starting at 6:30pm ct/7:30pm et and listen to it on TSN Radio 1290 in Winnipeg. The Bruins lead the NHL with 114 points, two ahead of the idle Anaheim Ducks with a game in hand. Boston has already locked up the top seed in the Eastern Conference and has not finished a season as the top points earner since 1989-90, when it lost to the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup Finals. With nothing to play for down the stretch, the Bruins have lost three of their last four games, but they are 1-1-2 in that stretch and have earned a point in 19 of their previous 20 games (16-1-3). Boston is coming off Tuesdays 4-3 shootout loss to the Minnesota Wild, yielding the game-tying goal with 1:05 left in regulation before getting shut out in the tiebreaker. Loui Eriksson, Reilly Smith and Patrice Bergeron lit the lamp for the Bruins, while Tuukka Rask made 21 saves. "I felt we were a little sloppy tonight. We werent very sharp in our passing and our playmaking," Bruins head coach Claude Julien said. Both forward Jarome Iginla and defenseman Kevan Miller missed a second straight game, while David Krejci, who leads the NHL with a plus-39 rating, was scratched from the game for rest. Both Iginla and Miller practiced on Wednesday and could be game-time decisions. The Bruins will host the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday before ending the regular season at the New Jersey Devils on Sunday. Rask figures to get some rest over that time, but could start tonight and is 8-4-0 lifetime versus the Jets with a 1.98 goals against average and two shutouts. Winnipeg comes in having lost four of its last six games and will miss the playoffs for a seventh straight season. The Jets are also banged up as both Andrew Ladd (undisclosed) and Dustin Byfuglien (upper body) will miss the clubs final two games of the regular season, while goaltender Al Montoya and defensemen Zach Bogosian and Keaton Ellerby are questionable due to injury. Though Winnipeg lost a 1-0 decision to Minnesota on Monday, it marked a solid NHL debut for Michael Hutchinson as he posted 16 saves. The 24-year-old Hutchinson, a third-round pick by Boston in 2008, began the season in the ECHL before putting up solid numbers with the St. Johns IceCaps of the AHL. "Everyone hopes to play a game in the NHL every season but realistically I didnt think itd be possible," admitted Hutchinson. "Im very fortunate to have been in some good situations and I was able to play well this year and I was just happy to get a shot." Winnipeg ends its regular season on Friday at the Calgary Flames and Hutchinson may get another start tonight. The Jets have lost three of four and six of their last nine versus the Bruins, including a 4-1 setback in Boston on Jan. 4. Torey Krug scored twice and had an assist for Boston, while Rask posted 36 saves. Byfuglien had the lone Winnipeg goal and Ondrej Pavelec made 25 saves in defeat. The Bruins have lost five of their last six road meetings with the Winnipeg/Atlanta franchise. Wil Lutz Youth Jersey . Sam, who joined the Cowboys in early September, has spent the entire season on the practice roster. Alvin Kamara Youth Jersey . The former Toronto FC designated player played three of his 15 professional seasons with the team. http://www.authenticsaintssportsonline.c...rt-gold-jersey/. The 2010 batting champ showed what he can do when hes mostly healthy. Gonzalez homered, doubled and singled in his return to the lineup, and the Colorado Rockies snapped a five-game losing streak with a 13-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night. Drew Brees Jersey . Replay backed him up. Adeiny Hechavarria immediately followed the ruling with a go-ahead sacrifice fly for the Miami Marlins, who held on to beat the Seattle Mariners 3-2 on Sunday completing a three-game sweep. Willie Roaf Saints Jersey . None of them was better than playing with LeBron James again.South Bend, IN (SportsNetwork.com) - Jerian Grant scored 23 points and handed out eight assists to help No. 12 Notre Dame shake off a slow start and top Miami, 75-70, on Saturday. The Fighting Irish (17-2, 5-1 ACC) trailed by as many as 12 in the second half but had enough time to recover and shoot their way out of their hole. V.J. Beachem added 13 points on 3-of-7 shooting from 3-point range and Pat Connaughton contributed 10 points and 11 rebounds. The Hurricanes (12-5, 2-2) were led by Sheldon McClellans 17 points and JaQuan Newton chipped in 16. Tonye Jekiri scored eight with a game-high 13 rebounds, but star Angel Rodriguez had just four points on 1-of-10 shooting. Notre Dame came into the game leading the nation in field-goal percentage at 53.0, but made only two of its first 16 attempts from long distance. After Miami got back-to-back 3s from Davon Reed and McClellan to go up 43-31, the Irish broke out of their slump. We were down against Georgia Tech and were down against these guys, said Notre Dame coach Mike Brey. Theres really not panic or worry or discouragement. They really have a strong belief that they will find a way to win. Demetrius Jackson connected from beyond the arc on Notre Dames next possession, and the Irish got triples on their next three trips down the floor to cut Miamis lead to five points. They shot 7-of-15 from 3-point range in the second half. The Irish soon went on a 7-0 run that tied the game for the first time since it was 5-5 early in the first half. Connaughton missed the 3, but Jackson crashed the boards and hit the follow-up basket to even the score at 50. On their next possession, GGrant passed to Steve Vasturia from the floor and Vasturias running layup gave Notre Dame its first lead of the game.dddddddddddd We just never responded to the second-half run they had with the threes and the twos, said McClellan. At one point it felt like they couldnt miss. After some back-and-forth play, the Irish took the lead for good on Grants triple with less than 6 1/2 minutes to go. James Palmer responded with a jumper to cut Notre Dames lead to one, but the Hurricanes would only hit three more shots from the floor the rest of the game, including McClellans dunk as time expired. Miami never trailed in an uncharacteristic first half for Notre Dame. Averaging the fourth-fewest turnovers per game in the country with 9.2, the Irish committed two in the first minute and five in the first 7 1/2 minutes. They shot just 40.7 percent from the field in the first half. The Hurricanes still only led by one at the break. After Palmers 3 with 7 1/2 minutes to play in the half put Miami up eight, Notre Dame scored on four straight possessions and would go into the break trailing 30-29. Game Notes Notre Dame now leads the all-time series, 9-8 ... Notre Dames Zach Auguste returned after a one-game absence due to a reported academic issue and scored four points in nine minutes ... Miamis Ivan Cruz Uceda scored two points in his Hurricanes debut after sitting out the first half of the season with a suspension issued by the NCAA ... The Hurricanes fell to 10-1 when leading at halftime ... Notre Dame inducted Tom Hawkins, the schools all-time leading rebounder, into its Ring of Honor. ' ' '

BIRIMINGHAM, England -- Aleksandra Wozniak of Blainville, Que., advanced to the third round of the Aegon Classic with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Britains Johanna Konta on Wednesday. Wozniak saved four of five break points and converted four of her five break opportunities in her second straight win over a British opponent at the tournament. Woznaik next plays fourth seed Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium. Flipkens defeated Italys Camila Giorgi 6-3, 6-2. Also Wednesday, former U.S. Open champion Sam Stosur, won her opener 6-1, 6-3 against Christina McHale of the United States, moving well on the lush grass and looking buoyant despite her Paris disappointment. The Australian quelled an American fightback, which carried McHale to within a point of 4-all in the second set, by delivering three good first serves just at the most risky moments. Stosur suggested she may have conquered her emotions as well, after wasting a set lead to Sharapova in the fourth round. "Its a bit of a weird feeling, because I was so close and then I lost nine games in a row. What happened?" she said of the Sharapova setback. "After a couple of days thinking about it, I realized I did play a very good tournament, probably the best for a few months. But, yeah, you still think, Wow, thats an opportunity kind of gone by." Stosurs response is trying not to be too hard on herself, nor expecting to respond with the best tennis she has ever played, and focusing on day-by-day steps to the final. She is seeded for a final on Sunday with Ana Ivanovic, the former world No. 1 from Serbia. First, though, she has to get past a meeting tomorrow with her Aussie compatriot Casey Dellacqua before a potentially difficult quarter-final. That would be against either the titleholder, Daniela Hantuchova, or the amazing 43-year-old Kimiko Date-Krumm. The former Wimbledon semifinalist from Japan saved a match point in a dramatic 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7) win over Monica Puig of Puerto Rico. -- With files from The Associated Press. Clark Gillies Jersey . "Opinion: Womens World Cup is the best Soccer of the year," Hanks tweeted to his 8.73 million followers on Friday. "Hey FIFA, they deserve real grass. Put in sod. Tom Kuhnhackl Jersey . Alexander was released last week by the Edmonton Eskimos, where he spent the past three seasons at safety. He had 121 defensive tackles, five special teams tackles and seven interceptions in 51 regular-season and three playoff games. http://www.islanderssale.com/authentic-b...ers-jersey/.com) - The Toronto Maple Leafs will try to play spoiler as the Los Angeles Kings will try to match their longest winning streak in over four years in Thursdays battle at Staples Center. Bryan Trottier Islanders Jersey . The turf is scheduled to give way to actual grass that is bright green, so we dont have to complain any more—we just have to wait a few years. Instead, do feel free to complain if the roof is closed for any reason other than to allow a game to be played. Thomas Greiss Islanders Jersey .J. -- John Elway says Peyton Manning cannot stamp himself as the greatest quarterback in NFL history even if he wins the Super Bowl on Sunday.PHOENIX - Almost all football fans know Tom Brady, Russell Wilson, Richard Sherman, Marshawn Lynch and Rob Gronkowski.The New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks wouldnt be playing in the Super Bowl on Sunday if it werent for their superstars. But both teams got here with lesser-known players coming up big at key times.Jermaine Kearse caught a touchdown pass in overtime in Seattles win over Green Bay in the NFC championship game. Julian Edelman threw a TD pass in New Englands division-round win over Baltimore.Theres Rob Ninkovich, Michael Bennett and several others. Often, surprise players are the stars in the Super Bowl.Just look at last year when Seahawks linebacker Malcolm Smith was the unlikely MVP in Seattles win over Denver. Smith returned a Peyton Manning interception for a touchdown and recovered a fumble in a 43-8 rout. Now the former seventh-round pick hardly plays on defence.Thats the beauty of our team that anybody can have an MVP-type of day, Seahawks wide receiver Doug Baldwin said Wednesday. Thats what makes us special. I wouldnt be surprised if somebody nobody talks about is MVP.Brady, Wilson, Lynch, Gronkowski and LeGarrette Blount have the five best odds of winning the MVP award. But Smith is listed at 100:1 by Bovada.To get to this point and to win these games, its not about anything more than that, Smith said. That is how we can be successful.Ninkovich, one of New Englands top pass rushers, is also at 100:1 odds. He had eight sacks in each of the past three seasons and will be a key factor in trying to contain Wilson.You cant run past him, Ninkovich said. Those are when the big plays happen. You have to be under control, but also not just stand there and not do anything to affect him in the pocket. So you just have to be smart.Bennett has helped solidify Seattles defence since arriving from Tampa Bay before the 2013 season. The defensive end gets overlooked on a unit known for the Legion of Boom secondary featuring Sherman, Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor.I dont really worrry about the atmosphere of the game, Bennett said.dddddddddddd. I think for us we treat every game exactly the same and weve been in every situation we could possibly be in.Heres a list of some surprise stars from past Super Bowls:DEXTER JACKSON: Jackson had two interceptions to help the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Oakland Raiders 48-21 in the 2003 Super Bowl. Teammate Dwight Smith returned two picks for touchdowns against Rich Gannon and Oaklands top-ranked offence, but Jackson got the MVP award. Jackson signed a $14 million, five-year deal with Arizona in free agency, but was released after one season and returned to the Buccaneers.LARRY BROWN: Brown became the first cornerback to win Super Bowl MVP when his two interceptions helped the Dallas Cowboys beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-17 in 1996. Brown leveraged that performance into a $12 million, five-year contract with the Raiders in free agency, but lasted only two seasons in Oakland and started just one game.DAVID TYREE: Tyree only had 54 career catches, but hell forever be remembered for the helmet grab that helped the New York Giants beat the Patriots 17-14 in the 2008 Super Bowl, snapping New Englands perfect season. Giants quarterback Eli Manning was the MVP of the game.TIMMY SMITH: After running for only 126 yards as a rookie in 1987, Smith set a Super Bowl rushing record with 204 yards and scored two TDs to help the Washington Redskins beat Denver 42-10. Quarterback Doug Williams was the MVP of the game. Smith played only two more seasons in the NFL and ran for another 476 yards total.ROD MARTIN: Martin had more interceptions (three) against Ron Jaworski in Oaklands 27-10 win over Philadelphia in the 1981 Super Bowl than he had in his first four seasons in the NFL. Martin eventually went to two Pro Bowls and was a productive player for eight more seasons. Quarterback Jim Plunkett was MVP of the win over the Eagles.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org___Follow Rob Maaddi on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_RobMaaddi ' ' '

null Charlotte Hornets Jerseys . The Mariners ace allowed just one hit over eight innings while striking out nine, and Robinson Cano backed him with a two-run homer as Seattle earned a 3-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Sunday. Percy Miller Hornets Jersey . - Derek Wolfe says hes finally healthy after suffering a seizure in November that doctors now believe was related to the spinal cord injury he suffered in the preseason. http://www.hornetsteamproshop.com/Cheap-...Hornets-Jersey/. The Canadiens captain, who underwent surgery on his injured biceps in the off-season, had been skating with the team in a non-contact capacity since last week. Custom Charlotte Hornets Jerseys . The Red Sox maintained a share of the AL wild-card lead Tuesday night, using four home runs to beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-7 and set up a dramatic conclusion to the regular season. The skidding Red Sox were 6-19 this month before rebounding to edge the last-place Orioles. Glen Rice Jersey . Traditional contenders Brazil, Greece and Turkey drew the other three spots to complete the 24-team field for this summers tournament in Spain, basketball governing body FIBA announced Saturday at its meeting in Barcelona. SOCHI, Russia -- Canada has won silver in the womens 3,000-metre relay short-track speed skating event at the Sochi Olympics. South Korea won gold in four minutes 9.498 seconds. China came in second but was disqualified because their skaters did not immediately leave the track after passing off to their teammates. That bumped the Canadian team of Marie-Eve Drolet, Jessica Hewitt, Valerie Maltais and Marianne SSt-Gelais up from third place.dddddddddddd Canadas final time was 4:10.641. The disqualification was a role reversal from the 2010 Vancouver Games, when South Korea was disqualified for impeding and China was promoted to the gold medal. Italy finished well back of the top three teams after one of its skaters fell, but earned a bronze medal after Chinas penalty. The Italians finished in 4:14.014. ' ' '

MINSK, Belarus -- Wanting Team Canada to improve game by game at the world hockey championship, coach Dave Tippett thought the quarter-final effort against Finland was the best yet. It was also the last, as a couple of third-period mistakes led to a 3-2 loss Thursday at Chizhovka Arena and Canadas elimination from the tournament. "I use a phrase all the time that every play counts," Tippett said. "Every play counts and unfortunately we had a couple go against us." The play that counted the most for Canada was a turnover by defenceman Tyler Myers, who tried to pass it off the wall to Kyle Turris. Jori Lehtera got in the way, setting up Iiro Pakarinen for the game-winner with just 3:08 left. A downtrodden Myers said everyone saw what happened and didnt feel he needed to explain. Turris, who scored Canadas first goal, took the blame. "I was yelling at him, Im open in the middle, Im open in the middle, and when he passed to the middle, the guy stepped in between," Turris said. "It was my fault. I was yelling at him to move it to me, and the guy stepped in the way and went the other way. I should have had it." It was a game that Canada felt it should have had. Holding a 2-1 lead after two periods on goals by Turris and Mark Scheifele, the Canadians were in control despite a strong game from Finnish goaltender Pekka Rinne. One bad bounce 28 seconds into the third changed everything. Finlands Juuso Hietanen let a slapshot fly that hit Ben Scrivenss right arm, the back of his blocker, and then the shaft of his stick before trickling over the goal-line. "Its a terrible goal to give up," said Scrivens, who stopped 23 of the 26 shots he faced. "Its deflating for the team. Thats squarely on me. Its really tough to swallow right now." This was the fifth straight year Canada lost in the quarter-finals at this tournament. Making it more difficult to accept was that this squad of NHL third-liners and potential stars of the future bounced back perfectly from an opening shootout loss to France. Six straight victories followed. The Finland game easily could have been one, too. "We still had our shifts in their end, our chances," captain Kevin Bieksa said. "We had a couple breakdowns. We knew going into this game that the Finns were a team that would sit back and capitalize on our mistakes, and they made us pay tonight." Tippett addressed his players after the loss but couldnt offer much in the way of an uplifting sentiment. "Its a tough situation for everybody," Tippett said. "Its not the result you want. We came here to win, we didnt come here to lose in the quarter-finals. Theres not much to say. We didnt accomplish what we wanted to accomplish." All because of a few bad breaks. Finlands first goal 6:06 in, which came on the power play with Myers in the box for roughing, happened after an attempted point shot deflected off penalty-killer Joel Wards stick and right to Olli Palola for his third of the tournament. That didnt deflate Canada, which kept putting pucks on Rinne, who finished with 36 saves on 38 shots. The attempts came from everywhere and almost everyone, as 17 of 20 skaters had at least one on net. "I thought we played some really good hockey throughout the whole game," Myers said. "I think we were right there. It was our game to lose. Its never a good feeling to have it happen like that." One problem was going 0-for-5 on the power play. Had Canada buried a couple of those chances, like Brayden Schenns shot very early that hit the crossbar, it would have been a very different game. Canadas players and Tippett were quick to credit the Finns, who played their brand of hockey well and pounced on mistakes. "We worked extremely hard (for) 60 minutes," Hietanen said. "We knew that we were going to get our chances and now we scored a couple goals." Finland coach Erkka Westerlund was proud of how his team responded and came back from the 2-1 deficit. "In (the) third period we showed the mental strength," Westerlund said. "We call it in Finland sisu." The third period was Canadas weakest of the game. "Its frustrating. I thought we had a great first two periods, we were outshooting them badly, had great opportunities," Turris said. "If we played the way we did in the first two to finish the game, I think we would have come out with a better outcome." Instead, Scrivens lamented Finlands goaltending being better than his and not holding up his end of the bargain to teammates. And Myers was left with the same feelings he had much of this NHL season with the Buffalo Sabres. "Its never fun losing," Myers said. "I did too much of that this year." This wasnt a loss that had Canadas players wondering about their overall play. But that was no consolation. "Its just the way it is," Tippett said. "We played a good game tonight. Unfortunately, we lost." Notes: Alex Burrows returned to Canadas lineup after missing the final two preliminary-round games with a leg injury. Burrows was the 13th forward and played just 4:11 with no shifts in the third period. ... Finlands roster features just three NHL players: Rinne, Olli Jokinen of the Winnipeg Jets and Erik Haula of the Minnesota Wild. Trent Williams Youth Jersey . Louis Cardinals. He was 48. The commissioners office said Bell died in his home state of Ohio. Bell had not been feeling well over the weekend and had been scheduled to see doctors later Monday at the Cleveland Clinic. Dwayne Haskins Jersey .com) - Chris Kreider tallied a goal and an assist as the New York Rangers capped a successful California road trip with a 3-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Saturday. http://www.redskinsfansproshop.com/Redsk...y.html?cat=1300. "I wasnt waving the pom-poms to be involved with it to start with," Carlyle said after a 5-2 win over Carolina on Sunday night. "Its been a trying time. "Specifically we havent played as well as wed like to hang our hat on. Derrius Guice Womens Jersey . After falling 5-0 on home ice in a game that could have tied them for second in the wild card standings, Washington head coach Adam Oates had some strong words for Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin. Sam Huff Womens Jersey . A knee to the thigh might have stung him the most, but his sixth straight double-double made up for the brief burst of pain.Injured lightweight champion Anthony Pettis will be back in the octagon to defend his title against Gilbert Melendez at the end of the year, UFC president Dana White announced at news conference in Puerto Rico on Wednesday. Pettis (17-2), who suffered a torn PCL during his title-winning performance against Benson Henderson at UFC 164 last August, is slated to appear opposite Melendez as a coach of "The Ultimate Fighter 20" leading up to the finale expected to highlight UFC 182 in December. Melendez (22-3) has endured a lonng layoff as well, defeating Diego Sanchez at UFC 166 in October of last year.dddddddddddd The break comes due to a long contract dispute that had the title contender on the brink of a deal with fight promotion Bellator. However, the UFC matched its rivals offer and retained Melendezs services. Melendez also ensured himself a shot at the title as part of the new contract. The event and date have yet to be officially announced, however the UFCs end of the year event usually takes place in the last week in December. ' ' '

The plan for some Toronto Blue Jays players to defer their salaries in order to sign free agent pitcher Ervin Santana was beyond the planning stages. First reporting on the proposal on Thursday, FOX Sports Ken Rosenthal now indicates that the wheels were in motion to a greater extent than previously thought and that the MLBPA had already signed off on the plan. "Everyone had signed off," a source told Rosenthal of the plan. "It was already done." In the past the MLBPA has been reticent to allow its players to forego a contractual benefit, which includes deferral of salary, without commensurate return. It remains unclear where the impetus for the proposal came from, but its likely that the players would not have conceived of such an idea had they not been led to believe that the team could not afford or were not interested in Santana. According to the Associated Press, the Blue Jays $132.6 million salary for 2014 is the 10th-highest in the MLB, but its unknown if the team is willing to take on more salary if the need were to arise. The 31-year-old Santana eventually turned down a one-year, $14 million offer from the Jays to accept the same deal from the Atlanta Braves, who were looking to shore up their rotation following the loss of Kris Medlen to Tommy John surgery. He is scheduled to make his first start for the Braves on Wednesday night. Seattle Seahawks Jerseys .Currently no, Tatjana Haenni, FIFAs deputy director of the competitions division and head of womens competitions, said Tuesday in an interview from Ottawa. Shaquem Griffin Jersey . -- Chad Labelle scored the winner 17:36 into the third period to give Medicine Hat a 2-1 victory over the Swift Current Broncos on Sunday and lift the Tigers into the second round of the Western Hockey League playoffs. http://www.seahawksfansofficial.com/shaun-alexander-jersey/. DETROIT LIONS AT CHICAGO BEARS, 1:00 PM (ET) Detroit - G Rodney Austin, WR Ryan Broyles, DT Nick Fairley, QB Kellen Moore, DT Caraun Reid, CB Mohammed Seisay, DE Larry Webster Chicago - S Chris Conte, DT Brandon Dunn, QB David Fales, K Robbie Gould, CB Terrance Mitchell, OT Michael Ola, DE Trevor Scott GREEN BAY PACKERS AT TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS, 1:00 PM (ET) Green Bay - LB Carl Bradford, DT Bruce Gaston, C Garth Gerhart, CB Davon House, WR Jeff Janis, TE Justin Perillo, QB Scott Tolzien Tampa Bay - OT Anthony Collins, CB Isaiah Frey, WR Robert Herron, RB Mike James, WR Solomon Patton, FB/TE Evan Rodriguez, LB Lawrence Sidbury KANSAS CITY CHIEFS AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS, 1:00 PM (ET) Kansas City - WR Donnie Avery, CB Marcus Cooper, OT Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, OL Eric Kush, QB Aaron Murray, RB Charcandrick West, DT Nick Williams Pittsburgh - WR Justin Brown, DE Clifton Geathers, G Chris Hubbard, QB Landry Jones, S Troy Polamalu, TE Matt Spaeth, CB Ike Taylor MINNESOTA VIKINGS AT MIAMI DOLPHINS, 1:00 PM (ET) Minnesota - LB Anthony Barr, OT Carter Bykowski, DB Ahmad Dixon, OT Charlie Johnson, FB Zach Line, CB Shaun Prater, TE Kyle Rudolph Miami - G Nate Garner, WR Matt Hazel, S Don Jones, WR Rishard Matthews, LB Chris McCain, G Dallas Thomas, RB Daniel Thomas NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS AT NEW YORK JETS, 1:00 PM (ET) New England - CB Kyle Arrington, RB LeGarrette Blount, OL Dan Connolly, CB Alfonzo Dennard, OT Jordan Devey, WR Julian Edelman, RB James White NY Jets - DT T. Patrick Kerney Youth Jersey . Seager had another triple, a home run and a double in a rare feat not seen in more than 40 years, leading Felix Hernandez and the Seattle Mariners past the New York Yankees 10-2. "It was a weird play," Seager said of the triple in the fourth inning. L.J. Collier Seahawks Jersey . -- John Senden never imagined it would take more than seven years to win again.Toronto Maple Leafs Winger Joffrey Lupul is taking part in his first practice since breaking his hand. Head coach Randy Carlyle has said that players should go through two to three practices before returning. - Mark Masters, TSN The team placed forward Matt Frattin on waivers. - Pierre LeBrun, TSN Brendan Shanahan, Dave Nonis, Kyle Dubas and Cliff Fletcher were all watching practice. - Mark Masters, TSN Dave Nonis called last nights loss emabarassing and says he is not going to make a deal just to make one. - Pierre LeBrun, TSN Anaheim Ducks Both Devante Smith-Pelly (upper-body injury) and Francois Beauchemin (mumps) will return to the lineup tomorrow. - Team Twitter Boston Bruins Dougie Hamilton (flu), Brad Marchand (day-to-day) and Adam McQuaid (broken finger) are all not on the ice for practice. - Team Twitter Defenceman Adam McQuaid is out six-to-eight weeks with a broken thumb that was sustained in a game against St. Louis on November 18. - Team Twitter Chicago Blackhawks Defenceman Trevor van Riemsdyk will undergo knee sugery tomorrow and is expected to be out three-to-four months. - Team Twitter Columbus Blue Jackets Centre Michael Chaput has been assigned to the Springfield Falcons (AHL). - Team Twitter Dallas Stars Ryan Garbutt is expected to miss a week with an upper body injury. Jyrki Jokipakka will play tomorrow. - Mark Stepneski, Dallas Stars Detroit Red Wings Andrej Nestrasil has been placed on waiverss.dddddddddddd - Pierre LeBrun, TSN Edmonton Oilers Dallas Eakins confirms that Ben Scrivens will start in net tonight against the Canucks. Steven Pinizzotto will dress while Jesse Joensuu is scratched. - Jack Michaels, Edmonton Oilers Minnesota Wild Erik Haula is practicing today after sitting out a game as a precautionary measure. - Team Twitter Jonas Brodin still has a few concussion symptoms and will not travel with the team to Philadelphia. - Team Twitter New York Islanders Johnny Boychuk missed practice for what Jack Capuano described as a maintenance day. - Team Twitter New York Rangers Forward Lee Stempniak has tightness in his lower back and is day-to-day. He is unlikely to play tonight. - Team Twitter Ottawa Senators Robin Lehner will start in goal tomorrow against Nashville. - Brent Wallace, TSN Lines are being juggled today. Zack Smith skated in between Milan Michalek and Chris Neil while Mika Zibanejad moved to the left wing with David Legwand and Bobby Ryan. - Brent Wallace, TSN Philadelphia Flyers The Flyers announced that they have loaned centre Blair Jones to their AHL affliate and recalled centre Scott Laughton. - Team Twitter Laughton is expected to make his season debut tonight. - Team Twitter Pittsburgh Penguins Forward Pascal Dupuis has been diagnosed with a blood clot in his lung and will be out at least six months. He will undergo treatment with blood thinners. - Team Twitter ' ' '

The Montreal Canadiens made a run to the Eastern Conference Final, losing in six games to the New York Rangers, and the challenge this summer will be to continue improving, recognizing that run wasnt built on the strongest foundation. Off-Season Game Plan examines a Habs team that has some very nice pieces around which to build, but GM Marc Bergevin has some work to do to fill out his roster this summer. The first priority will be getting restricted free agent defenceman P.K. Subban signed to a long-term deal. Subban took a bridge deal the last time he was a restricted free agent and betting on his own performance paid off, or it will shortly. Subban is the Canadiens most dynamic player, one of the few defencemen in the league that drive play and create offence. Behind Subban, the Habs have goaltender Carey Price, who has put up numbers that rank the best among starting goaltenders in recent years and is coming off the best season of his career; one shortened when Rangers winger Chris Kreider collided with him in Game One of the Conference Final. Up front, the Habs building blocks include Max Pacioretty, who scored 39 goals last season, 2012 third overall pick Alex Galchenyuk and rambunctious winger Brendan Gallagher; nice players all of them. The trouble is, while the Canadiens just had their second 100-point season since 1993, they were also a team that ranked in the bottom third in terms of possession and responded to that by signing their coach to a four-year contract extension. For the Habs sake, they better hope Michel Therrien has some ideas about how to reverse that puck possession trend because if the plan is to rely on Carey Price to play out of his mind in goal, well, its possible that will work, but its a risky approach to bank on a goaltending advantage to overcome a puck possession deficit. Personnel changes could help alter that tilted ice. Letting veteran defenceman Doug Murray head to free agency is a start, and maybe young blueliners like Nathan Beaulieu, Jarred Tinordi and Greg Pateryn can be part of an improved back end that will ease Prices workload. A decision to be made on free agent Andrei Markov will also play a role in determining reasonable expectations for next years defence corps. Since the Thomas Vanek experiment seemed to fall flat, the Canadiens may still have room for another scoring forward and thats probably necessary if the Canadiens harbour hopes of competing with the best teams in the Eastern Conference. If it happens to be a forward that has a track record of pushing play in the right direction, all the better. The TSN.ca Rating is an efficiency rating based on per-game statistics including goals and assists -- weighted for strength (ie. power play, even, shorthanded) -- Corsi, adjusted for zone starts, quality of competition and quality of teammates, hits, blocked shots, penalty differential and faceoffs. Generally, a replacement-level player is around a 60, a top six forward and top four defenceman will be around 70, stars will be over 80 and MVP candidates could go over 90. Sidney Crosby finished at the top of the 2013-2014 regular season ratings at 87.12. Salary cap information all comes from the indispensable www.capgeek.com. CF% = Corsi percentage (ie. percentage of 5-on-5 shot attempts), via www.extraskater.com. GM/COACH Marc Bergevin/Michel Therrien Returning Forwards Player Rating GP G A PTS CF% Cap Hit Tomas Plekanec 68.84 81 20 23 43 45.5% $5.0M Max Pacioretty 77.92 73 39 21 60 51.6% $4.5M Daniel Briere 63.39 69 13 12 25 47.1% $4.0M David Desharnais 68.07 79 16 36 52 50.3% $3.5M Rene Bourque 66.44 63 9 7 16 45.3% $3.333M Brandon Prust 59.45 52 6 7 13 42.2% $2.5M Travis Moen 58.71 65 2 10 12 45.7% $1.85M Alex Galchenyuk 65.10 65 13 18 31 47.4% $925K Brendan Gallagher 68.71 81 19 22 41 52.0% $685K Michael Bournival 59.53 60 7 7 14 44.0% $660K Free Agent Forwards Player Rating GP G A PTS CF% Class 13-14 Cap Hit Lars Eller 67.69 77 12 14 26 48.2% RFA $1.325M Dale Weise 62.53 61 6 10 16 44.3% RFA $750K Ryan White 56.82 52 2 4 6 37.5% RFA $700K Thomas Vanek 73.52 78 27 41 68 47.0% UFA $7.143M Brian Gionta 67.64 81 18 22 40 45.4% UFA $5.0M George Parros 51.83 22 0 1 1 26.9% UFA $938K He doesnt necessarily have the reputation as a premier goal-scorer yet, but after Max Pacioretty tallied 39 goals in 2013-2014, he has 87 goals in the past three seasons, which ranks seventh in the league, so maybe its time to give him that respect. His relative puck possession stats have also been sensational over the past four seasons, as hes been placed into an offensive role with the Habs and has run with the opportunity. Veteran centre Tomas Plekanec had 43 points in 81 games, his lowest per-game scoring rate since 2008-2009 but, for the fifth straight year, he played more than 19 minutes per game. Much of the reason for Plekanecs offensive decline is that, as a strong two-way player, hes asked to handle tough assignments and he took on some of the toughest, against high-quality opposition and less than 40% offensive zone starts. Plekanecs ability to handle those tough minutes frees up Montreals other centres for more offensive focus. Brendan Gallagher followed up a strong rookie campaign with a good full season in his second year. The short and stocky agitator has already been a strong puck possession player, a facet of his game that should earn him more ice time on a Canadiens team that doesnt control the puck particularly well. Additionally, Gallagher plays with a relentless drive that is a great example for other Habs forwards. Through the first 19 games last season, David Desharnais had but one assist and the Habs were trying to figure out what they were going to do with him over the three-plus years remaining on his deal. Then, the tide turned, and pucks started finding the net and Desharnais, who played primarily with Pacioretty and Gallagher (and some with Thomas Vanek), tallied 51 points in his last 60 games of the season. Hes small, theres no getting around that, but Desharnais has been productive and a solid puck possession player while playing in an offensive role. Just when it might appear to time to unload Rene Bourque, and a 16-point season made that fair game, he flipped the switch in the playoffs and scored eight goals in 17 games, while generating 3.0 shots on goal per game. Thats the kind of play that the Habs need out of Bourque, a big winger who can skate and was a three-time 20-goal scorer before he was acquired in 2011-2012; he has tallied 21 goals in 128 games since. The Canadiens wont be accused of throwing Alex Galchenyuk into the fire, keeping his ice time down and his production waned as his second season went on. Around time missed with a broken hand and prior to a knee injury that knocked him out late in the regular season and through a dozen playoff games, Galchenyuk managed nine points in his last 30 games of the year. Hes a real talent and needs to play a bigger role going forward. There was plenty of reason to be skeptical that 36-year-old Daniel Briere would be a help to the Canadiens and his point production, 25 points in 69 games, was his lowest in 15 years. What is somewhat noteworthy, though, is that Briere was an adequate possession player with 44.1% offensive zone starts. Thats hardly ideal for a $4-million player, but Briere can at least fill a depth role and contribute to the power play on occasion. Acquired from the Colorado Avalanche in 2010 for defenceman Ryan OByrne, Michael Bournival started paying dividends for Montreal last season, using his speed in a checking role. He missed some time with a concussion and maybe there isnt a lot of offensive upside to his game, but Bournival can give the Canadiens reliable work in a checking role. When Brandon Prust was earning his reputation and a bona fide NHL player, in addition to willing pugilist, he was coming in a little below break-even in possession terms, but starting a high percentage of his shifts in the defensive zone, close enough that Prust could handle a regular shift, sometimes in a top-nine role. Last season, however, Prust got thumped in puck possession terms, so his play needs to improve if hes going to keep getting regular ice time. Otherwise, he can point to 100 fights over the past six seasons as his calling card. Injuries kept Travis Moen out of the lineup from time to time last season, but he was adequate in the defensive role to which he was assigned when he was healthy. It doesnt very well justify his contract, which has two years remaining, but if Moen can handle a strictly defensive fourth-line role, thats okay. No Canadiens forward scored more points in the postseason than Lars Eller, who finished with 13 in 17 games. This was among the bigger surprises of the playoffs, as Eller had six points in 35 games to finish the regular season, with three of those points coming in his last two games. For all of Ellers attributes, as a big centre who can skate, theres something amiss when he can go 33 games with one goal and two assists. He was remarkably unlucky in terms of on-ice shooting percentage and that should bounce back, but it would be nice to see the 25-year-old take another step forward in his development. Acquired in a trade for Raphael Diaz, Dale Weise has typically been obliterated when it comes to puck possession, though it needs to be acknowledged that he starts many more of his shifts in the defensive zone, tilting the ice a little in one direction already. Weise had a fortunate postseason run, scoring three goals and seven points in 16 games, and that pace isnt the kind of thing that hes expected to contribute, but if he could handle a steady fourth-line role, that would be a positive. Ryan White certainly adds bite to the Canadiens lineup when he plays, but he struggles to stay disciplined and is frequently caved in when it comes to puck possession. If the Canadiens could ever convince Joe Thornton to waive his no-movement clause -- come beat the Bruins! -- to jump into the Montreal pressure cooker, he would be an excellent fit for a team that shouldnt be seduced by their run to the Eastern Conference Final. There is talent here, and there should be room to add more in the summer, but the Canadiens need a lineup that starts driving the puck in the right direction more consistently, and Thornton is an ace in that regard. If not Thornton, and presuming that Thomas Vanek wont be coming back after a miserable postseason, then another top-six forward -- Paul Stastny, Ales Hemsky, Marian Gaborik (maybe Pierre-Marc Bouchard on a bargain deal?) -- would be most welcome. Returning Defence Player Rating GP G A PTS CF% Cap Hit Alexei Emelin 64.24 59 3 14 17 44.4% $4.1M Josh Gorges 62.63 66 1 13 14 45.2% $3.9M Free Agent Defence Player Rating GP G A PTS CF% Class 13-14 Cap Hit P.K. Subban 77.83 82 10 43 53 49.9% RFA $2.875M Andrei Markov 72.68 81 7 36 43 49.4% UFA $5.75M Francis Bouillon 60.72 52 2 4 6 43.8% UFA $1.5M Mike Weaver 59.39 72 1 12 13 49.1% UFA $1.1M Douglas Murray 56.12 53 0 2 2 41.4% UFA $1.5M Coming back from knee surgery, Alexei Emelin had a bit of a tough year, with poor possession stats, though he was starting a lot of shifts in the defensive zone against quality opposition. Hes physical and isnt afraid to mix it up with opposing forwards, but the Canadiens need Emelin to be better and its fair to expect that, with good health, he will be better than he was in 2013-2014. Josh Gorges gets the tough minutes on the Montreal blueline, facing quality opponents and starting the majority of his shifts in the defensive zone. He missed some time with a broken hand last season, but hes generally quite durable for a defensive defenceman who blocks shots regularly and has played more than 21 minutes per game for the past five seasons. The straw that stirs the proverbial drink in Montreal, P.K. Subban is up for a new contract and should get paid in a big way after taking a bridge deal the last time his contract came due. After scoring a career-high 53 points, while playing a career-high 24:37 per game during the regular season, before leading the Canadiens in playoff scoring, with 14 points in 17 games. He might make the occasional highlight-reel gaffe, but Subban drives the play for Montreal; they need him. There is room for significant turnover on the Montreal defence. While there appears to be interest in bringing back veteran free agent Mike Weaver, it gets more complicated with Andrei Markov, a 35-year-old who had a solid season, but has clearly lost a step. If Markov wants a three-year contract, its possible he would find that on the open market, from a team needing a top pair defenceman, but that could give the Canadiens second thoughts when they are already preparing for Subbans new deal. Prospects Nathan Beaulieu, Jarred Tinordi and Greg Pateryn could have really good opportunities to join the Montreal defence full-time, but free agency or trades could be important to rounding out the group. A lot will depend on how the Subban and Markov situations shake out. Returning Goaltenders Player Rating GP W L OTL GAA SV% Cap Hit Carey Price 77.27 59 34 20 5 2.22 .927 $6.5M Peter Budaj 64.43 24 10 8 3 2.51 .909 $1.4M Coming off the best season of his carer, it would be easy to believe that Carey Price is now set as a top-tier goaltender, but that would require ignoring the fluctuation in performance that comes with most goaltenders, even the really good ones. Over the past four seasons, Price has a .920 save percentage, which ranks fourth among goaltenders to play at least 150 games, but hes also one season removed from a .905 save percentage, so more time north of .920 would be just fine from the Canadiens perspective. With a .910 save percentage in 54 games over three seasons with Montreal, Peter Budaj has been a solid backup for Price; not playing very much, but providing adequate rest for the starter. When Price got hurt in the playoffs, though, the Canadiens turned to Dustin Tokarski, and with Tokarski requiring waivers to get sent to the AHL next season, there may be a decision to make regarding who gets to spell Price next season. Top Prospects Player Pos. Team/League Stats Nathan Beaulieu D Hamilton (AHL) 7-20-27, -19, 57 GP Jacob De La Rose C Leksands (SHL) 7-6-13, -5, 49 GP Zachary Fucale G Halifax (QMJHL) 2.26 GAA, .907 SV%, 50 GP Jarred Tinordi D Hamilton (AHL) 3-6-9, -4, 47 GP Charles Hudon LW Hamilton (AHL) 26-50-76, +9, 57 GP Dustin Tokarski G Hamilton (AHL) 2.38 GAA, .919 SV%, 41 GP Michael McCarron RW London (OHL) 14-20-34,+11, 66 GP Sven Andrighetto RW Hamilton (AHL) 17-27-44, -4, 64 GP Martin Reway LW Gatineau (QMJHL) 20-42-62, +13, 43 GP Greg Pateryn D Hamilton (AHL) 15-19-34, +4, 68 GP Tim Bozon LW Kootenay (WHL) 33-36-69, +9, 63 GP Dalton Thrower D Vancouver (WHL) 12-27-39, +9, 42 GP Magnus Nygren D Farjestads (SHL) 12-8-20, +6, 25 GP A first-round pick in 2011, Nathan Beaulieu is a puck-moving offensive defenceman who has played 23 games, with sheltered minutes, for the Canadiens. Hes promising, but also 21-years-old, so he shouldnt be rushed, but Beaulieu also showed well enough in limited ice time for the Habs in the playoffs. A forward with good size and skill that was a second-round pick last summer, Jacob De La Rose hasnt scored much playing against men in Sweden, but has shown in international play that he can produce in an offensvie role. The 19-year-old has signed with Montreal and will get an opportunity to adjust to the North American game. Also a second-round pick last summer, Zachary Fucale is a highly-regarded goaltending prospect, but hasnt had a dominant statistical season through three years as a starter in the QMJHL. Fucale is a 19-year-old goaltender, though, which leaves lots of time and lots of room for improvement. Like Beaulieu, Jarred Tinordi has played sheltered minutes in his 30 NHL games, but hasnt looked out of place and while his puck skills can improve, its safe enough to project Tinordi in a defensive role. If all goes right, the 2010 first-rounder could play shutdown minutes in the top four. Drafted in the fifth round in 2012, Charles Hudon is an industrious winger who can create a bit of offence and could use some time to get stronger before he is considered for a spot in Montreal. Acquired from Tampa Bay for Cedrick Desjardins, Dustin Tokarski is a little small (5-foot-11) as NHL goaltenders go, but he played well in the playoffs and has a .912 save percentage in 235 AHL Games, which is good enough to get consideration for a backup role. Last summers first-round pick, Michael McCarron had trouble generating offence in his first OHL season, but hes something of a project, a 6-foot-6 winger with a massive frame. If he can improve his skating and pick up his production next season, that would ease some doubts created by his 2013-2014 season. A third-round pick last summer, Sven Andrighetto is a smallish Swiss-born winger who was a productive scorer in the QMJHL, putting up 204 points in 133 (regular season plus playoff) games and made a smooth transition to pro hockey. Picked in the fourth round last year, Martin Reway is an undersized winger who has 139 points in 109 (regular season plus playoff) QMJHL games over the past two seasons. The 19-year-old will play for Sparta Praha in the KHL next season, but is worth keeping tabs on because of his offensive talent. Acquired from Toronto in a trade for Mikhail Grabovski in 2008, Greg Pateryn is now knocking on the door for an NHL job after scoring 15 goals in his second AHL season. He wasnt a big scorer at the University of Michigan, but has good size and a big shot. Taken in the third round in 2012, Tim Bozon is a winger with good finishing touch who endured a meningitis scare this year and has just returned to the ice. He scored 105 goals in three WHL seasons and while he likely needs time to get back up to speed and strength, hell be intriguing to follow. A second-round pick in 2012, Dalton Thrower isnt the biggest defenceman, but plays an aggressive game and has some puck skills that will give him a chance to develop into an asset on the Habs blueline. An offensive defenceman that returned to Sweden after starting the year (1 G, 7 A, -9, 16 GP) in Hamilton, Magnus Nygren is a 24-year-old who has 52 points (25 G, 27 A) in 76 games in Sweden over the past couple seasons. Daniel Carr, a free agent signed out of Union College after scoring 157 points in 160 points over four seasons with the Skating Dutchmen, is also worth keeping an eye on. Canadiens advanced stats and player usage chart from Extra Skater DRAFT 26th - Travis Sanheim, Nickolay Goldobin, Nick Schmaltz, Connor Bleackley. FREE AGENCY According to www.capgeek.com, the Canadiens have approximately $42.9M committed to the 2014-2015 salary cap for 14 players. Check out my possible Canadiens lineup for next season on Cap Geek here. Needs: One top six forward, one top four defencemen, three more defencemen. What I said the Canadiens needed last year: One top nine forward, depth forwards. They added: Daniel Briere, George Parros, Douglas Murray. TRADE MARKET Lars Eller, Travis Moen, Magnus Nygren. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. Hugo Ayala Mexico Jersey .Y. -- That hangover from the Big East tournament is gone for Villanova. Rafael Marquez Jersey . The Twins announced Thursday the 28-year-old Albers cleared waivers. He will join the Hanwha Eagles of the Korea Baseball Organization. http://www.nationalsoccermexico.com/giov...-mexico-jersey/. Jurrjens signed a minor league contract with Cincinnati in May, and was 2-3 with a 4.46 ERA at Triple-A Louisville. He has a 53-37 record with a 3.63 ERA in seven major league seasons, including five with Atlanta. Jonathan dos Santos Jersey .com) - Ryan Johansens creative moves and hometown appeal highlighted Team Folignos successful night at the NHL All- Star Skills Competition. Javier Aquino Mexico Jersey .ca. Hi Kerry, Welcome back! Im sure you heard Peter Forsbergs comments last week regarding Canadian referees in the gold medal game. Seems to me that he was questioning the integrity and impartiality.OKLAHOMA CITY -- NBA scoring leader Kevin Durant marveled at what Jamal Crawford did to his team. Crawford scored 36 points to help the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 125-117 on Sunday afternoon. Durant scored 42 points, but such performances are almost expected from him. Crawford, on the other hand, averages about 19 points. Hes known to be streaky, and in this game, he was on. He made 5 of 8 three-pointers, many of which were launched from well beyond the line. "Jamal Crawford comes across halfcourt shooting," Durant said. "Youve got confidence once you start seeing the ball go in the rim." Matt Barnes scored 24 points, Chris Paul had 18 points, 12 assists and eight rebounds, Blake Griffin scored 20 points and DeAndre Jordan added 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Clippers, who snapped a two-game skid and beat the team with the leagues best record. "We were on the plane yesterday flying here and we were just talking about how we hadnt beaten any good teams on the road, any really good teams, and this would be a perfect time to start," Paul said. "Doc (Clippers coach Doc Rivers) was on us, telling us that in the playoffs, youre going to lose a home game at some point and youve got to be able to win on the road. Hopefully this is a win for us that gets us moving." Durant also had 10 assists, and Serge Ibaka added 20 points for the Thunder, who lost their second straight. It was the most points the Thunder have allowed this season, and it came on the heels of a 103-81 home loss to Miami on Thursday. "Weve just got to get over this little slow stretch that were in," Durant said. "Wed better. Weve got to play defence. Thats the thing. We cant just let teams come in here and do whatever they want offensively." Oklahoma City overcame a 15-point deficit late in the third quarter to take a 115-112 lead on a three-pointer by Durant with 2:43 to play, but the Clippers controlled the game from there. A three-pointer by Crawford with 1:30 remaining gave Los Angeles a 119-115 lead. Crawford scored again on a floating jumper in the final minute to push the lead to 121-117. "Jamal made timely shots," Paul said. "Every time they made a run and we just needed a bucket, Jamal was our guy." Oklahoma Citys Russell Westbrook missed a three-pointer on the other end, and Paul made two free throws to extend the Clippers lead to six. Paul sprained his right thumb against Memphis on Friday, and he wasnt surre hed play.dddddddddddd "I think the credit goes to our training staff," he said. "I came here to the arena thinking that I wasnt playing, but they found a way." The Clippers shot 66 per cent in the first half to take a 72-66 lead at the break. Barnes made a three-pointer with 9.8 seconds left in the first half, and a loose ball foul was called on Ibaka away from the shot. Griffin made the free throw to give the Clippers a 72-64 lead. Durant closed the half with a long two-pointer. The Clippers scored 44 points in the second quarter, just short of their season high of 46 in a period. The Clippers had 27 fast-break points at halftime. "We really couldnt get ourselves in front of them, and they were beating us down the floor early, and it gave them some confidence and led them to winning the game," Westbrook said. Griffin hit a three-pointer to push the Clippers lead to 91-79 with 3:26 left in the third quarter. Darren Collisons layup pushed the lead to 95-80 late in the third quarter, but Oklahoma City outscored the Clippers 13-4 in the final two minutes of the period to cut its deficit to 99-93. Derek Fisher hit two 3-pointers to start the rally, and then Durant made a 3 with 1.6 seconds left in the quarter. The Thunder trimmed the Clippers edge to a point on a pair of free throws by Jeremy Lamb, and Fisher tied it at 107 on a 3-pointer with just over six minutes to play. The Clippers kept the offence working from there, holding on for a win that they hope launches their playoff push. "Its very important," Crawford said. "Coming down the stretch, we just want to continue to do our game, every single night, no matter who were playing. It doesnt matter. As long as we keep getting better down the stretch, I think well be in good shape." NOTES: The Clippers made their first five shots. ... Thunder centre Kendrick Perkins missed Sundays game against the Los Angeles Clippers with a strained left groin. He was injured during the third quarter of Oklahoma Citys loss to Miami on Thursday night. Steven Adams, a rookie, got his third career start in Perkins place. ... Rivers and Crawford were issued technical fouls in the first quarter. Paul was given one in the second quarter. ... Clippers guard J.J. Redick sat out with a bulging disc in his lower back. He had missed the previous six games. He has played in just 30 games this season while dealing with wrist, hip and back injuries. He averages 15.7 points and 2.2 assists per game. ' ' '

LONG POND, Pa. -- Denny Hamlin won the pole the first time he ever raced at Pocono Raceway. Eight years later, Hamlin still had the speed in the No. 11 Toyota to take the top spot at the triangle track. Hamlin turned a track record-lap of 181.415 mph Friday to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup pole, a throwback to the times he dominated qualifying at one of his best tracks. Hamlin is a four-time winner at Pocono, matching his Martinsville mark for most career wins at a track. He swept two Pocono races on its former rugged surface from the pole in 2006. He also won races on the 2 1/2-mile track in 2009 and 2010. "I hope this track has aged a little bit," he said, "because when it was old and worn out was when I was really good at the track." With blistering speeds, Hamlin zipped his way to his second track record and pole of the season after topping the field at Bristol. Hamlin has 19 poles in 304 career Cup starts. Hamlin hasnt had much success with Joe Gibbs Racing at Pocono since 2010, finishing in the top 10 onlt twice and crashing out twice -- including a 43rd-place run last August. "We havent been that strong here since the repave," he said. "Its just a handful of things that make you off here and there. These tracks are almost like superspeedways now in the sense that youve got to have the fastest car in the right position to win them. Back when I was winning in 06 on the old track, you could make up tons of position. That would never happen today because the cars are running so fast and so equal." Kurt Busch starts second for a needed lift for his Stewart-Haas Racing team. Busch has otherwise struggled outside of the one win that all but locked him into the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. "We came here with a new approach to try to get our front ends to settle into the track a little better," Busch said. "I was really surprised that we had the speed for the pole today in our first attempt to try something a little different. Its great to cash in." Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick and Jeff Gordon completed the top five. Coming off wins in the Coca-Cola 600 and at Dover, Jimmie Johnson will start 20th in his bid for a third straight victory. "I just got too greedy down in two and lost the nose in the corner exit," Johnson said. "I feel bad for my guys, but this ones on me." Keselowski continued his run of qualifying success. Last weeks pole winner at Dover, Keselowski has started third or better in the No. 2 Ford a whopping 10 times in 13 races this season. "Im not sure why, but Im not going to complain about it either," he said. "It does seem qualifying day has been the highlight of our week, for sure." Michael Jordan Jersey . Louis, MO (SportsNetwork. Ryan Finley Jersey . Eller scored the midway through the third period after Dallas scored twice to tie it, leading Canadiens to a 6-4 win over the Stars on Thursday night. http://www.bengalsrookiestore.com/Bengal...ll-Wren-Jersey/. Granlund scored 2:04 into the first period. Max Reinhart, on his first NHL shift of the season, neatly stripped the puck from Zack Smith at the Senators blue-line. As he moved in, his attempted shot deflected into the slot where Granlund buried a shot past Craig Anderson. Jonah Williams Jersey . LeBron James leads the Miami Heat in a quest for three consecutive championship titles, while Tim Duncan looks to add his fifth ring with the San Antonio Spurs when the series tips off with Game 1: Miami @ San Antonio on Thursday, June 5 at 9 p. Andy Dalton Bengals Jersey . However, it wasnt a problem on Monday night. Evgeni Nabokov made 23 saves for his 56th career shutout in the New York Islanders 3-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Monday night.BOGOTA - Colombia star Radamel Falcao, who missed the World Cup after surgery on an injured left knee, will play for his country against Brazil next week in an international friendly match in Miami. Colombia coach Jose Pekerman included Falcao on a list of 24 players, which also included new Real Madrid signing James Rodriguez. Rodriguez received the goldeen boot award as the top scorer of the World Cup with six goals.dddddddddddd The match on Friday is a chance for revenge for Colombia, which lost to Brazil 2-1 in the World Cup quarterfinals. It will be the first match for Pekerman — an Argentine — since signing a contract extension that will keep him with the team until 2018. ' ' '