Schwarzesbrett » Niederreiter, Justin Fontaine and Jason Zucker a

4) Another sad note, on a more personal side, if you dont mind? Condolences to the family of former NHLer Murray Oliver, who also died on Sunday. And thanks to "Muzz" for great memories of fun times in the Twin Cities, too long ago. (Incidentally--Jan. 7, 1980. The Minnesota North Stars, whose assistant coach was Murray Oliver, snapped the 35-game streak of Pat Quinns Flyers with a 7-1 victory.)5) If you think legendary Russian hockey coach Viktor Tikhonov belongs in the Hockey Hall of Fame, you are allowed to ask: Will his death at the age of 84 change the obvious lack of support for his enshrinement? The way it works--probably.6) Can the Montreal Canadiens really be the best team in the NHL? True, theyre in first place and only six of their 23 games have been losses in regulation time, but in those six losses, they have been outscored 30-3.7) Did Odell Beckham Junior make the greatest catch in football history? If I hadnt seen him do it like that while warming up (and kudos to ESPN for capturing that and showing it in timely fashion), I would say "yes". But I did see the pre-game acrobatics, and while it didnt make the touchdown catch routine, it left me thinking that Beckhams catch wasnt one of a kind. David Tyrees balancing act that helped the New York Giants beat New England in the Super Bowl was obviously more meaningful and will never be duplicated.8) In the Grey Cup, will the Calgary Stampeders punt the football to Brandon Banks? I suppose the obvious answer is that they shouldnt. The Montreal Alouettes might well be in the Grey Cup if they hadnt. But the Stampeders are favoured to beat Hamilton, and favourites dont like to concede anything. It will certainly be a "game within the game" whenever Calgary punts.9) Do you miss the TSN Turning Point? Im not sure what happened to it, and lets face it, not every game has one, but Banks 93-yard punt return in the final minute of the first half to give Hamilton a 20-14 lead over Montreal was a TSN Turning Point if Ive ever seen one.10) The latest sensation in Raptorland is Sweet Lou Williams. Does everybody named Lou assume the "Sweet Lou" moniker? Well, we remember Sweet Lou Piniella, Sweet Lou Whitaker, and Lou Nanne is "Sweet Lou from the Sault (Soo?)", but have you ever heard the New Jersey Devils general manager called "Sweet Lou" Lamoriello?11) Where or how in the world did "Sweet Lou" start? You can find references to a 1930s song called "Sweet Lou", a horse named "Sweet Lou" that ran in the 1960s, a mention of "Sweet Lou" in a 19th century poem, for goodness sake.12) Even if you hate them, dont you love the New England Patriots? Jonas Gray rushes for a whopping 201 yards against Indianapolis, shows up late for practice in advance of Sundays clash with the Detroit Lions and is sent home by coach Bill Belichick. Gray was in uniform on game day, but he neednt have bothered with the equipment. The Patriots preferred to hand the ball to LaGarrette Blount, fresh from the street after Pittsburgh had banished him for pouting.13) Jay Bouwmeesters NHL ironman streak was stopped at 737 games, which begs the question: Is it likely that the record of 964 games held by Doug Jarvis will last forever? Likely? Yes. But its not the safest NHL record. Because well never again see a goalie play every game of one NHL season, it is ridiculous to contemplate a goalie playing every game of six straight seasons. And then a few more. Glenn Hall played 502 games in a row. His record is safe.14) The winner of the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canadas athlete of the year will be chosen and announced in a couple of weeks. Would a Genie Bouchard-Milos Raonic tie vote be popular, or, if Canadas accomplishments on the tennis tour are to be recognized, must the winner be one or the either?15) And if the previous answer is "yes", how do you decide which one?16) Do you consider yourself a "baseball geek"? Well, youre not if you cant explain what the Pittsburgh Pirates received from the Oakland As when they traded first baseman Ike Davis. They received "international slot money value".17) Should the NFL allow a team with a losing record to make the playoffs, and furthermore, to host a playoff game? Following the New Orleans Saints Monday night loss to the Baltimore Ravens, the NFC South division is led by the Atlanta Falcons with a 4-7 record. A drastic change would be to demand that a division winner have more wins than losses, but more sensibly and more easily, a team with more losses than wins should have to open the playoffs on the road as a bottom seed.18) Fresh from two wins over Pittsburgh and Mondays 1-0 shootout victory over Philadelphia, the New York Islanders are tied for first place in the Metropolitan Division. If youre making a list of the top five NHL teams, are the Islanders on that list? (Two acceptable answers--"yes" or "almost").19) Whats worse for the Carolina Hurricanes--seeing Alexander Semin in the lineup without a goal or seeing him in the press box as a healthy scratch? Either way, theyre paying him $7,000,000.20) How do you think the New York Yankees will react to the headline-grabbing signings of Pablo (Panda) Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez by the Boston Red Sox? (Probably by hoping that Bostons spending spree leaves the Red Sox right where the Yankees were after landing Masahiro Tanaka, Jacoby Ellsbury, Brian McCann and Carlos Beltran--out of the playoffs.) Cheap Nike Shoes .C. - Nick Merkley and Damon Severson each had a goal and two assists as the Kelowna Rockets downed the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds 6-3 on Saturday in Western Hockey League playoff action. Fake Nike Shoes From China . Before that, Rousey needed a total 23 minutes and 26 seconds to take care of her last eight opponents - and one of those fights lasted 10 minutes and 58 seconds. https://www.fakenikeshoeswholesale.com/ .Y. -- Dwane Casey admitted hed been concerned about his young Raptors team who had zero experience playing in close-out games -- what awaited them with the vastly-experienced Brooklyn Nets, and how theyd react. Wholesale Nike Shoes . Off-Season Game Plan looks at what the Blue Jackets may do to build upon last seasons success to return to the playoffs again next year. Fake Nike Shoes . Austin Watson, Scott Ford, Filip Forsberg and Mark Van Guilder had the other goals for the Admirals (30-21-12). Scott Darling made 30 saves for his 10th win of the season. ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Minnesota Wild put a lot of work into summer projects the past two years. This time, theyre on track for a little less activity. Some key restricted free agents need new contracts to be retained. Another scorer would be a big help for the forward lines. The goalie situation, of course, remains in flux. Following the franchises deepest advancement in the playoffs in more than a decade, though, there are fewer holes. In 2012, the Wild were the stars of the NHL off-season by signing Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. In 2013, they had to shed several high-salaried veterans to create more space under the cap and on the roster for ready-to-contribute prospects. This time? "I just feel that this year theres not the sense of urgency that we have had in past seasons, that we have to add certain pieces in order to be more competitive," general manager Chuck Fletcher said Monday. He added: "This year I think we can be a little bit more patient." With the draft set for Friday and Saturday in Philadelphia and unrestricted free agency starting three days later, the NHL marketplace is set up for the flurry. "I think youll see a lot of movement this year. Its not a particularly strong free-agent class. I think teams will look to potentially fill their needs via the trade route," Fletcher said. Whether that includes the Wild, well, thats difficult to predict at this point. Fletcher said hes been fielding more calls than hes been making. "We either have players right in their prime that are key contributors on our team, or young players that are just starting their career that were really not that excited about moving. We dont have a lot of players in that 25 to 29-year-old age class that seem to be the prime trade candidates in a lot of cases," Fletcher said. That doesnt mean goalie Niklas Backstrom or centre Kyle Brodziak, for example, wouldnt be dealt if the Wild were to find a partner.dddddddddddd Backstrom is on track to be ready for training camp Sept. 18 after his latest midsection surgery. He has two more years left on his contract, and Brodziak has one. Dumping some salary would give the Wild more flexibility to pursue a high-priced unrestricted free agent, with Thomas Vanek the primary focus of outside speculation. The former University of Minnesota standout played for three teams in 2013-14, lastly with Montreal. Darcy Kuemper played his way into the starting goalie spot and is one of four restricted free agents the Wild will probably re-sign. Forwards Nino Niederreiter, Justin Fontaine and Jason Zucker are the others. Most of the unrestricted free agents will probably be let go, including goalie Ilya Bryzgalov, forwards Dany Heatley and Matt Moulson. Forward Cody McCormick and defencemen Clayton Stoner and Nate Prosser are also in this category, without any guarantee the Wild would be their highest or favourite bidder. Fletcher declined to speak about any interest or not in any of them specifically. "I think some of those guys will move on at this point. Theyre aware of where were at," Fletcher said. Fletcher traded Cal Clutterbuck for Niederreiter the day of the draft last year. He dealt Brent Burns for Devin Setoguchi and Charlie Coyle on draft day 2011. He acquired Brodziak in that scenario in 2009. This time, the Wild dont have a second-round pick, due to the trade for Moulson, so theyd be less interested in parting with their first-round pick, 18th overall. "Historically we havent been a team thats ever been confused with the Edmonton Oilers circa 83-85," Fletcher said. "If we could add a little bit more offence without sacrificing our defensive structure wed like to do that." ' ' '