CLEVELAND -- Michael Brantley homered and drove in three runs, Carlos Santana also homered and the Cleveland Indians broke a six-game losing streak with a 12-5 win over the Chicago White Sox on Friday night. Clevelands struggling offence, which scored 13 runs on an 0-6 road trip, finally broke loose. Brantley hit a leadoff homer in the fifth and added a two-run single in the sixth. Santana hit a solo homer in the second and had an RBI single in a five-run first, while Ryan Raburn and Yan Gomes each drove in two runs. Danny Salazar (1-3) was charged with five runs, three earned, in five innings and earned his first win of the season. Jose Abreu hit his major-league leading 11th homer in the fifth, but the White Sox couldnt overcome a shaky start by John Danks (2-2), who allowed eight runs in five innings. The Indians placed All-Star second baseman Jason Kipnis on the 15-day disabled list prior to the game with a pulled muscle in his side. Cleveland pitchers Corey Kluber and Cody Allen wore chicken outfits during batting practice while standing in the outfield in an attempt to help the team out of its funk. The strategy apparently worked. Santanas RBI single, Raburns two-run double and Gomes two-run single highlighted Clevelands first inning. The fast start was enough to hold off the hard-hitting White Sox, who lead the AL in runs scored but have lost three in a row. Abreu struck out against Salazar in his first two at-bats, but homered to left on a 3-2 pitch in the fifth. The rookie sensation also leads the league with 33 RBIs. Salazar worked out of a bases-loaded, no-outs jam in the fourth. The right-hander struck out six and won for the first time since Sept. 25 of last season, also against Chicago. Kipnis absence hurt the Indians immediately as his replacement, Elliot Johnson, committed two errors. Both of the miscues came on dropped throws on potential force plays. The first came in Chicagos three-run second inning. The second helped the White Sox load the bases with nobody out in the fourth, but Salazar got out of the inning. The White Sox scored three times in the second on singles by Alejandro De Aza and Adrian Nieto and a passed ball by Gomes. Alexei Ramirez, the ALs leading hitter, was 2 for 4 and is batting .356. Dayan Viciedo, the third-leading hitter in the league, was hitless in three at-bats and is batting .337. Nieto got his first major league RBI in the second and had a career-high three hits. Chicago has lost seven straight at Progressive Field last season. The White Sox lost their final 14 games against the Indians in 2013 before taking three of four at home last month. NOTES: Kipnis is expected to miss three to five weeks. ... Adam Eaton left the game with a strained right hamstring in the fourth after hitting into the double play. ... White Sox LHP Chris Sale (left flexor strain) played catch before the game, but will not be activated off the 15-day disabled list when he becomes eligible Saturday. The two-time All-Star will play long toss Monday in Chicago. ... White Sox RHP Felipe Paulino (right rotator cuff irritation) will make a rehab start Saturday at Triple-A Charlotte. ... Indians RHP Justin Masterson (0-1) looks for his first win in his seventh start against RHP Scott Carroll (1-0) Saturday. Nouveau Vapormax 2020 . The international synchronized skating competition takes place from January 31 - February 1, 2014, and features 39 teams from 10 countries, in senior, junior, and novice. Vapormax Homme Solde . Left back Layvin Kurzawa put Monaco ahead in the 36th minute with a low shot after being set up by midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia, sweeping the ball in after running onto Kondogbias cross from the left. http://www.vapormaxpascher.be/ . - Steve Stricker usually doesnt show up at a tournament on Sunday. Vapormax 2019 Homme Pas Cher . on the 15-day disabled Monday list because of a strained right hamstring. Vapormax 2020 Pas Cher . The Detroit Tigers closer blew a three-run lead in the ninth inning Wednesday night against the Dodgers.The Big Nog vs Big Country bout is the talk of the MMA world right now but that is not the reason for this article. My seventh week of fight ready fitness had me arguing flexibility and conditioning with a few people. The comment that got me riled up was that Heavyweights run out of gas all the time. That turned into them also not being able to do jujitsu, they arent flexible or able to move. Well Ive been working on my conditioning, and I wont be testing it in the octagon any time soon but it did have me jump to the defense of Cain Velasquez, Junior Dos Santos, and Roy Nelson, all three high level athletes and all with enough gas in the tank to get some outstanding fights on their highlight reels. It wasnt just the decision that they werent fit. Thats a product of their training practices. Lots of heavyweights have a problem pushing themselves on conditioning because they dont have partners who can last in training. What got to me was the flexibility comment. There are a lot of jujitsu experts who are small, and flexible. They make it look easy to wrap people up, and bend in strange ways. Thats not usually the case with heavyweights. However, there are people who work at changing the paradigm. Frank Mir, and Big Nog are both prime examples.dddddddddddd Watch them move while they fight, it is impressive. To prove the flexibility issue, I posted a picture on my Instagram @fitcityjordan. Its me attempting the splits. Im actually not too far off. Im going to spend the last little bit of my training time here doing Yoga, specifically something called Joga. Its a newer form of Yoga focused at athletes. Ive done a few classes, and Im impressed at how much it focuses on an athletes need to move, and flush lactic acid post training. Im hoping the next picture I post on Instagram of me doing the splits will be right to the floor. Im 63 and right now between 218 and 220lbs. It depends on the meal the night before. Before you go judging an athlete, start giving the training some time. Get out and sign up for kickboxing. Spend a few evenings rolling on the jujitsu mats, and yes head to Yoga. I found Sandy Grewinski at Yoga Public in Winnipeg. Her coaching style and the Yoga Public facility are the best addition to my wellness and total fitness that Ive found in a long time. Go find your new best friends. They are probably Yoga people. Nicest people youll ever meet. Something to be said for trying to live stress free. ' ' '

LOS ANGELES -- After Patrick Marleaus fourth career playoff overtime goal silenced Staples Center for maybe the next-to-last time this season, the veteran San Jose Sharks forward attributed his knack for post-season heroics to one simple trait. "Well, you just try to shoot it on net," Marleau said. "This one was not a hard shot by any means, but you just get it to the net." Thats how good things happen for Marleau and the Sharks, who weathered the Los Angeles Kings best game of the series and emerged on the brink of advancement. Marleau scored 6:20 into overtime, and the Sharks beat the Kings 4-3 on Tuesday night to take a 3-0 first-round series lead. Rookie Tomas Hertl tied it with 10:43 left in regulation for the Sharks, who had to grind out a nail-biting victory after two blowout wins in San Jose. But the Sharks have won five straight overtime playoff games and 10 of their past 11, with Marleau repeatedly delivering the decisive blow. "For Patty Marleau to come up with that goal, its just huge for us," captain Joe Thornton said. "It was just going back and forth." The Kings largely controlled overtime until Marleaus shot banked off Kings defenceman Slava Voynovs stick on its way past Jonathan Quick, who made 36 saves in his third straight loss. Marleaus goal was his third of the series. "They had the bat in their hands, and they were going to swing it," San Jose coach Todd McLellan said. "They had us on our heels, but sometimes it goes that way. We will take that break." Matt Nieto got his first career playoff goal for the Sharks, and Brent Burns also scored. Antti Niemi stopped 28 shots for San Jose, winning three straight in the matchup of Stanley Cup-winning goalies. Game 4 is Thursday in Los Angeles. Los Angeles has slipped to the brink of first-round elimination just two years after its Stanley Cup title run. The Kings were the NHLs best defensive team during the regular season, but theyve allowed 17 goals in the first three games of this series. Only three teams have ever rallied to win a best-of-seven NHL playoff series after trailing 0-3. "It was a better effort," said leading scorer Anze Kopitar, who doesnt have a goal in the series. "We had some chances, but it wasnt enough. Were going to have to come back in a couple of days and throw everything at them." Jeff Carter tipped in a tiebreaking goal for Los Angeles on a power play early in the third period, but Hertl evened it right after a power play expired. San Jose dominated the third, but Quick made 23 saves to send the Kings into their first overtime playoff game at home in three years. Marian Gaborik scored and Jarret Stoll ended his 29-game playoff goal drought for the Kings, who stumbled back home after opening the series with two disastrous games at the Shark Tank. The Kings nervous fans got quiet early on when Burns partly whiffed on a wrist shot and produced a knuckling puck that sailed past Quick just 10 seconds into a Sharks power play. Stoll evened it with his first playoff goal in two years early in the second period. Stoll hadnt found the net in the post-season since his series-clinching overtime goal against Vancouver in 2012. Gaborik then put the Kings ahead all by himself, lugging the puck from the opposite blue line and beating Niemi with a vicious backhand. "I think our better players were better," Kings coach Darryl Sutter said. "That was noticeable. That will give us a chance next game." San Jose evened it 1:18 later when Nieto, from nearby Long Beach, scored into an open net. Quick had been knocked to the ice by Kings defenceman Robyn Regehr moments earlier. Carter capitalized in the waning seconds of a power play by tipping Anze Kopitars shot in front for his first playoff score since Game 2 of last seasons Western Conference finals, ending a personal 393:34 drought. Hertl converted his own rebound midway through the period to even it again, scoring on the rink where a knee-on-knee hit from Dustin Brown sidelined the Czech rookie for 45 games earlier this season. NOTES: The Kings scratched F Colin Fraser after recalling the two-time Stanley Cup champion from the AHL earlier in the day. Los Angeles also scratched F Kyle Clifford, who went scoreless with a minus-3 and 16 penalty minutes in the first two games, and D Matt Greene, a minus-4 in the series. ... The Kings dressed F Tanner Pearson, who made his NHL playoff debut last season before he had ever played in a regular-season NHL game. ... Los Angeles played its 41st playoff game in the past three seasons, the most by any NHL team in that span. Terrell Davis Jersey . The league-leading New York Rangers outhit and outmuscled the Maple Leafs during a 3-0 victory on Saturday. Backup goalie Martin Biron stopped all 20 shots he faced to complete a nice workmanlike effort by the visitors. John Elway Broncos Jersey .B. -- Canadas Rachel Homan opened the Ford Womens World Curling Championship with a 7-5 win over Russia on Saturday. http://www.broncosrookiestore.com/Broncos-Steve-Atwater-Jersey/ .com) - They didnt meet in the regular season, so Sam Houston State might be saying it won the de facto title game between the two Southland Conference co-champions Saturday. Tom Jackson Womens Jersey . And on Sunday against the Houston Astros they were pleased to see his work finally pay off with his first win since May 24. Royce Freeman Jersey .Then came December.Three straight losses, including a crushing 27-24 defeat to Washington (4-11) on Saturday, has the Eagles (9-6) on the brink of playoff elimination.BOSTON -- The Boston Bruins have signed veteran forward Simon Gagne to a one-year contract worth US$600,000. Gagne had been practising with the Bruins after attending the teams training camp on a tryout basis. He had a goal and an assist in five pre-season games. The 34-year-old last played in the 2012-13 season, when he split time between Los Angeles and Philadelphia and had five goals and 11 assists in 38 games. Gagne, a two-time all-star, last played a full season in 2008-09, scoring 34 goals and adding 40 assists in 79 games with the Flyers. He has battled nagging groin injuries through his career and suffered a serious concussion in the 2007-08 seaason.dddddddddddd Gagne was drafted by Philadelphia in the first round, 22nd overall, of the 1998 NHL draft. He has 288 goals and 309 assists in 799 games over 13 seasons with the Flyers, Tampa Bay and Los Angeles. In the post-season, Gagne has 37 goals and 22 assists in 109 games and won a Stanley Cup with the Kings in 2012. The native of Sainte-Foy, Que., was part of Canadas gold-medal team at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. He also helped Canada win the 2004 World Cup of Hockey title. The Bruins also waived forward Bobby Robins for purpose of assignment and sent forward Jordan Caron to Providence of the American Hockey League. ' ' '

INDIANAPOLIS -- Andrew Bynum provided the energy boost Indiana needed early. David West delivered all the big shots late. Together, the Pacers tag-team inside tandem simply overpowered the Celtics. West scored 24 points Tuesday while Bynum finished with eight points and 10 rebounds in 16 minutes, helping the Pacers pull away from Boston, 94-83. "He (West) is our backbone. Hes the one that lifts us and hes our best late-game playmaker and shot maker," Paul George said. "We always rely on David and he always digs us out of holes." The Pacers desperately needed Wests closing punch after losing a season high four straight. They also needed Bynums presence. Indiana played without backup centre Ian Mahinmi (bruised left rib) and backup point guard C.J. Watson (sprained right elbow), then lost George with two fouls just 7 minutes into the game. George wasnt the only having trouble Tuesday. Indianas other big perimeter shooter, Lance Stephenson, went 4 of 12 from the field and was shut out in the first half. Starting point guard George Hill appeared to hurt his right hand in the fourth quarter and All-Star centre Roy Hibbert finished the game despite a hard fourth-quarter fall. Yet the re-emerging West and Bynum, who played for the first time in almost 2 1/2 months, made up for those problems. "I felt great. I couldnt do anything wrong today," Bynum said. "All the rebounds came my way. I just grabbed them." The win gives Indiana a 1 1/2-game lead over Miami in the Eastern Conference standings. The Pacers also became the first team to win 30 home games and are still a league-best 30-4 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. While West stole the show on the court, Bynum created the most buzz off of it. For six weeks, Pacers fans waited to see No. 17 take the court. The 7-foot former All-Star drew a rousing ovation when he entered with 4:22 left in the first quarter and by the time the period ended, Bynum already had four points, five rebounds and one assist. Afterward, Bynum downplayed the impact he had. West, however, thought Bynums presence made a huge difference -- one that could help Indiana get back on track and stay on track through June. "He had an opportunity and he took advantage of it tonight," West said. "Hes going to make the game simple from my perspective when hes on the floor. Weve got to play through him offensively. Hes solid." Jared Sullinger led Boston with 17 points and nine rebounds, Kris Humphries added 15 points, but it wasnt enough to win a third straight as the Celtics lost more ground in their chase to make the playoffs. And even though the Celtics twice got within one point of the Pacers in the fourth quarter, first-year coach Brad Stevens contended the Pacers recent struggles were nothing compared to what most other NBA teams face on a nightly basis. "Theyre 47-17, right? They aint got no troubles," said Stevens, who left nearby Butler to take the Boston job last summer. "I know weve got to make a story out of something, but its really not. And Ive lived it on the other side where youre almost over cynical to a really good team and that becomes hard, too. The challenge becomes to continue on and not get too down or too high and theyre good at it." As well as Bynum and West played at times Tuesday, the Pacers still struggled to put this one away. Bynums first basket, a dunk, broke a 14-14 tie and the Pacers never trailed again. Indiana led by as much as 14 in the second quarter and was up 49-40 at the half. The Pacers rebuilt a 65-50 lead late in the third quarter before the Celtics rallied. They got to 69-61 after three, closed to 69-66 early in the fourth and then got as close as 77-76 when Sullinger scored with 6:44 left. "We finally got a couple of baskets without interference late in the game," Stevens said. "But those are hard to come by against these guys." West answered with a 21-foot jumper, Stephenson scored on a layup, Hibbert knocked down a 19-footer and the Celtics couldnt get closer than five. "Weve still got a lot of work to do," West said. "Weve got to get back to playing our style of basketball, being aggressive and playing with a little more confidence." NOTES: The Pacers pulled off their first four-game sweep of Boston since 1997-98.... The Celtics are now 2-14 on the first night of back-to-backs this season. ... Stephenson and George had a combined four points through the first 2 1/2 quarters. George finished with 12, Stephenson with nine. Francisco Lindor Indians Jersey .ca. Hi Kerry, Love reading your column and loved watching your analysis on the TSN broadcasts!And were now in Round 2! Bruins! Canadiens! We know all about the great games of the past from the players, the broadcasters and the writers. Manny Ramirez Indians Jersey . -- Thirty years ago, the Detroit Pistons beat the Denver Nuggets 186-184 in triple overtime, a game that remains the highest scoring in NBA history. http://www.indianssale.com/indians-jim-thome-jersey/ . The team announced the defensive coordinator will not be offered a contract extension. Danny Salazar Jersey . The star receiver certainly isnt celebrating it with the Texans mired in a franchise-record 13-game skid. Bob Feller Indians Jersey .ca contributor Grant McCagg provides a look at some risers and fallers on the prospect watch.NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee Titans emptied their headquarters of every available cooler and trash bucket so they could accept Tim Shaws Ice Bucket Challenge after practice. The former linebacker now battling ALS had a front row seat Wednesday for the mass dousing. Even coach Ken Whisenhunt, who didnt know Shaw, poured ice water on himself less than a day after the 30-year-old Shaw revealed Tuesday night that he had been diagnosed with ALS. Cornerback Jason McCourty challenged all Titans fans to take the challenge to help raise awareness, and a handful of Shaws former teammates talked or hugged him. Shaw was with the Titans this time last year before being released in the final roster cuts. He says he feels overwhelmed and humbled to see such a demonstration in his honour. End of update. Former NFL linebacker Tim Shaw has announced that he has ALS. In a 25-second video posted Tuesday on the Tennessee Titans website, the 30-year-old Shaw reveals he was recently diagnosed with ALS and pours a bucket of icee water on his head as part of the Ice Bucket Challenge to raise money and awareness to battle the disease.dddddddddddd. Shaw then challenges "the Tennessee Titans organization, James Franklin and the Penn State football team and my Clarenceville community" to do the same. "Im here today to stand up and fight with all of you against this disease," Shaw says in the video. Before entering the NFL, Shaw played at Penn State and Clarenceville High School in Livonia, Michigan. He started 32 games at Penn State, where he played running back, middle linebacker, outside linebacker and defensive end. Shaw was drafted in the fifth round by the Carolina Panthers in 2007. He spent his NFL career with the Panthers (2007), Jacksonville Jaguars (2008), Chicago Bears (2009) and Titans (2010-12). He played in 80 career games. The Titans named Shaw a special teams captain in 2011 and 2012. After getting cut by the Titans before the 2013 season, Shaw announced his retirement from football earlier this year. ' ' '

EASTBOURNE, England -- Top-seeded Richard Gasquet celebrated his 28th birthday on Wednesday by beating Bernard Tomic of Australia 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to reach the quarterfinals of the Aegon International. The Frenchman, who won the event in 2005 and 2006 when it was held in Nottingham, has struggled with a back injury and is playing only his third tournament since losing to Roger Federer in Miami in March. After missing the entire clay-court season leading into the French Open, he reached the third round in Paris before losing his opening match on grass last week in Halle. Tomic hit 16 aces, but he converted just one of 10 break points. Defending womens champion Elena Vesnina of Russia was beaten 7-5, 7-6 (9) by American Madison Keys, while defending mens champion Feliciano Lopez beat German qualifier Tobias Kamke 7-6 (10), 7-5. Second-seeded Petra Kvitova defeated American Varvara Lepchenko 6-4, 6-4, and sixth-seeded Flavia Pennetta of Italy fell to British wild-card entry Heather Watson 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-2. Former champion Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark eased into the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-3 win over American Sloane Stephens. "I played well out there," Wozniacki said. "Sloane, especially in the second set, played really, really well, and really went for her shots. Didnt make it easy for me to finish it off. I held my composure and I served well. I got a lot of returns deep." Fifth-seeded Angelique Kerber of Germany saved two match points to overcome Alize Cornet of France 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 (3) in 2 hours, 26 minutes, and Camila Giorgi of Italy struggled to follow up her defeat of former No. 1 Victoria Azarenka, taking just 10 minutes less and saving a match point to defeat British wild card Johanna Konta 1-6, 7-5, 7-5. Mens No. 4 seed Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain was defeated 6-2, 7-5 by Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan, and other winners included Martin Klizan of Slovakia and Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France. Ken Dryden Canadiens Jersey . -- The taxing preseason, which included two games in China, is finally over. Mats Naslund Canadiens Jersey . Russia has spent about $51 billion to deliver the Sochi Olympics, which run Feb. 7-23, making them the most expensive games ever, even though as a winter event it hosts many fewer athletes than summer games do. http://www.canadienssale.com/authentic-doug-harvey-canadiens-jersey/ .ca. Kerry, I hope you address Ron MacLeans comment during the second intermission of Game 4 in Montreal-Tampa series. Basically, he suggested that the NHL should not have used a referee from Quebec, following the Game 3 disputed non-goal, because the referee could be biased towards Montreal. Joel Armia Jersey . -- Cordell Cato scored his first goal of the season and the San Jose Earthquakes survived a full half playing a man down to beat FC Dallas 2-1 Saturday night. Howie Morenz Jersey .J. -- Kevin Gilbride retired Thursday as offensive co-ordinator for the New York Giants.BOCA RATON, Florida - NHL GMs took part of the final day of meetings in Boca Raton, Florida to discuss the annual combine that runs in late May prior to the NHL entry draft in June. The event puts invited prospects through a serious of fitness tests and allows teams to interview targeted prospects to gain a further understanding into their psychological makeup. But some teams have run team specific combines in the past to further evaluate prospects, which has been seen by several teams as an unfair competitive advantage. As a result, the NHL is contemplating placing limits and restrictions on the amount of players that teams can assemble for further testing. "There was a discussion about that," said Commissioner Gary Bettman. "A change like that would require Board of Governor approval but I think that there was a sense in the room that it might be a good idea." Buffalo Sabres GM Tim Murray was the loudest proponent against these limitations. For the past three years, the Sabres have held their own combine; this past year bringing in over 75 players for a four day period for interviews and on ice work. "I come from a scouting background," said Murray, who has held scouting positions with the Florida Panthers, Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers. "I dont want to criticize the combine we have but I want to be able to supplement that with what I want to do. Im looking for athletes and there are certain tests (that we feel are important) versus strength tests." But despite his instance, Murray had little success in persuading his colleagues. "Some of the veteran guys said you fought a great battle but it was a losing battle," said Murray, who is the shortest tenured GM in the NHL right now. "It looks like the majority want to streamline it to one combine and not allow us guys that feel that doing a little more is a benefit. MacT (Oilers GM Craig MacTavish) said to me, it was a great battle, but you couldnt win." The NHL intends to consider options now to enhance the league-run combine in May. Gary Bettman also suggested incorporating an on ice component to the combine in the future would be explored. Other News From Commissioner Gary Bettman - On the potential impact of a weaaker Canadian dollar (currently at .dddddddddddd90 cents US) on the 2014-15 salary cap. "Im not sure that its a concern, it is what it is. The system accounts for fluctuations in currency which is why we do everything with the computations in US dollars. If the Canadian dollar goes down, then the cap goes down a little bit but the system contemplates that. Its not an issue, its not a problem. It is what it is." - On the projected $71 million cap that was suggested to the Board of Governors in September. "A lot of people were talking about the number that we showed the board in September; that was an illustration because it wasnt based on anything, we didnt have any revenues yet. We said after we get to the end of the regular season, we may be able to better project what it looks like. With the Canadian dollar where it is, maybe youre looking at a million or two million difference in the cap and based on where the cap is likely to be, its not that big a deal." - On penalties for removing helmets priors to fights due to visors and whether an alteration would be made given that visors are now mandatory for all players entering the league. "Wasnt discussed and its not more a problem than youve either perceived it to be or not to be. It wasnt an issue." - On cracking down on fights involving goaltenders. "The rules are what they are and from a whole variety of constituencies including the players, there doesnt seem to be any change in the consensus right now. To effectuate a change thered have to be a change among the constituent groups. Ive been told that if you ask the players, it would be 99-1 that you leave it the way it is. Its something will continue to look at but there is nothing to report." - On potential expansion announcements before the end of the season. "If there would be? I doubt it. Its not anything were contemplating. We have no expansion process that were going through. Its not something that we envision happening anytime soon, if at all. I know theres a lot of speculation and yes, theres a lot of interest, were getting a lot of interest from multiple parties and multiple places but its not anything yet that were prepared to deal with on a formal basis." ' ' '

MINSK, Belarus -- Three-thousand kilometres from where he grew up in Toronto, Geoff Platt couldnt have felt more at home. Moments after scoring and setting off another wild celebration at Minsk arena, Platt leapt into the arms of Belarusian captain Alexei Kalyuzhny. Not long after, fans were chanting his name. "Its an emotion that Im not sure Ive achieved ever in my career, just because of the atmosphere and the electricity in the building," Platt said. "It just runs through your veins and grabs a hold of you." Along with goaltender Kevin Lalande, Platt is one of two Canadian-born players representing host Belarus at the world hockey championship and playing major roles in what might be the best international showing in the countrys history. Led by Canadian-born coach Glen Hanlon, Belarus is in the quarter-finals for just the third time and the first since 2009. This is the biggest event Belarus has ever hosted, so Minsk has been partying for two weeks. And this team is giving locals another reason to celebrate. "You have to understand the magnitude (of) what this means to them," Hanlon said. "Its bigger than just a game. This is their chance to show everybody." By show everybody, Hanlon means the city, which is decked out in IIHF signs welcoming the world and reminding them in the form of giant bison mascots that hockey is happening here. Inside the 15,000-seat Minsk Arena, home of the KHLs Dynamo Minsk, good hockey has been happening for Belarus. Lalande, a native of Ottawa who plays for Dynamo and gained citizenship, has been stellar and Platt has added timely offence. But the Canadian imports want the credit to go to leading scorers Mikhail Grabovski and Sergei Kostitsyn. "Players are playing for this symbol, and it means a lot more to them to represent their country than probably a National Hockey League team or any club team around the world," Platt said, pointing to the Belarusian coat of arms on his chest. "Youre seeing that with Sergei Kostitsyn, Mikhail Grabovski just really taking their game to a level Im sure theyve almost never played at." Grabovski beamed with pride when talking about what this tournament means to him. Hes showing that to Hanlon, who first coached him as a 21-year-old at the world championships in Vienna in 2005. The Grabovski at this tournament is an other-worldly player. "I dont even look at Mikhail anymore because I know hes going to play great," Hanlon said. "I never get tired of saying, Good game, Mikhail." Hanlon is limited in what he can say to some of his players because of the language barrier. He understands Russian and Belarusian and is trying to learn to speak both languages, even though he doesnt have to. The former Washington Capitals coach and longtime NHL goaltender, whos in his second stint as coach of the Belarusian national team, has someone with him at almost all times who speaks English. At his news conferences with local media, the Brandon, Man., native answers in English, occasionally splicing in Belarusian words and pausing to let the interpreter next to him do his work. "Ive taken lessons, Ive done all of it," Hanlon said. "I have a better handle on it. Ive gone home here after every friendly tournament, so I take all my books, put them in my backpack like the college student on spring break and I end up dealing with my 12-year-old son and my wife and I sort of break away from it for a couple weeks." Hanlons wife and son still live in Vancouver, and because shes a teacher and hes a skier and hockey player they dont accompany him to Europe. "Hed rather play his own hockey than watch me coach," Hanlon said. Everyone in Belarus is watching Hanlon coach with keen interest. In Minsk, televisions all over the city have tournament games on, whether Belarus is playing or not. Inside Minsk Arena, one section is full of fans jumping up and down and doing chants normally reserved for soccer matches. Others whistle and fill the building with the kind of noise Lalande and Platt have no comparison for and Hanlon can only relate to the old Chicago Stadium. "When you go into somewhere like Bell Centre or Madison Square Garden, its pretty loud but it dies off after a while," Hanlon said. "Here its sustained for the whole 2 1/2 hours of the game. Im not kidding: You cant hear a word down there. Im screaming and Im yelling at my players whos up and everything. "From before the game starts till after its over, its like a festival." Its a festival thats special to the Belarusian players, whether theyre from Novopolotsk in the north like Dmitry Korobov, or Ontario like Lalande and Platt. How they got here wasnt a matter of having Belarusian ancestry. Anyone who plays for Dynamo Minsk for two seasons is eligible for citizenship. "I got to keep my Canadian citizenship, so there wasnt really any downside," said Lalande, who began the tournament as a backup but has played too well for Hanlon not to start him. "At first it just made the travelling a lot easier in Russia, I didnt need a visa and saved a couple pages in my Canadian passport. But when Glen was named the head coach, we had a couple conversations together. He made it clear from the start that he wanted me to be a part of this." "Whether Id play or not he didnt know, but hes been very supportive. I owe everything to him for this chance." Lalande and Platt each praised the local players for accepting them while also noting theres a comfort level in having each other and an English-speaking coach around for this run. But Hanlon, who previously coached the Slovak national team, learned from his season with Jokerit in Finland that having Canadians on his team isnt easy. "Being an import coach you want to go out of your way so that the Canadians are respected," he said. "The last thing you want to do is look like youre favouring them." "So you want them to work for everything that they get, and I try to keep my space from them. I dont want to give anybody any reason to think that these players are going to get special treatment from me." No special treatment, but this experience has been special for Platt and Lalande, even though theyre not playing for their home country. Platt, who played 46 NHL games for the Columbus Blue Jackets and Anaheim Ducks, won a gold medal for Canada at the under-18 world championships in 2003. Platt hasnt represented Canada since and has moved on. "Not putting on the Canadian jersey now is just a chapter that sits in the past in my career," the 28-year-old said. "I was very fortunate to wear the Canadian jersey and win a gold medal at the under-18 level, and now this is a realistic goal to be playing with Belarus and to be competing at this level. Its really fun when were successful." Belarus was plenty successful in the preliminary round, going 4-3 to finish third in its group, ahead of Finland, Switzerland and Latvia and set up a quarter-final game against Sweden on Thursday night. Even if Sweden ends Belaruss run, the host teams performance wont be forgotten any time soon. When a victory over Latvia clinched a spot in the quarter-finals, Platt called it a "very rare opportunity for Belarusian ice hockey" that his teammates capitalized on. Lalande couldnt come up with words to describe his emotions. "We did it for ourselves because we believed," Lalande said, crediting fans who made a real impact on the team. "I think all of the Minsk and the whole countrys behind us right now. ... Were playing for us and were playing for them and its a tremendous feeling to be able to win in this fashion for them." Thats Hanlons priority, too. More than six years after being fired by the Capitals on U.S. Thanksgiving Day, he has no plans to return to coaching in the NHL and has invested a lot of time and energy on European hockey. Hanlon still keeps track of whats going on in North America and watches games because hes interested, but now the 57-year-old also checks on scores from leagues around Europe. Hes still a Canadian citizen, but the prospect of playing his native country doesnt mean anything to him anymore. "Whats special for me is winning for Belarus," Hanlon said. "Thats whats special." Emmitt Smith Womens Jersey . - Zac Leslie scored two goals and assisted on two more, and Justin Nichols made 34 saves as the Guelph Storm blanked the Kitchener Rangers 6-0 in Ontario Hockey League action on Sunday. Terrell Owens Cowboys Jersey . J.J. Hardy drove in a run for the Orioles, who bounced back from an 8-4 loss in the series opener on Friday. Fresh off the 15-day disabled list, Derrek Lee went 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Jake Arrieta (7-3) gave up three runs on five hits over six innings to pick up the win. http://www.cowboysrookieproshop.com/Cowboys-Tony-Dorsett-Jersey/ . Although the deal cannot be made official until the free agent moratorium period is lifted on July 10, Patterson has agreed to a three-year, $18 million extension to remain in Toronto, sources confirm to TSN. Troy Aikman Jersey . Now comes an off-season of questions about manager Matt Williams decisions and a handful of key roster choices, including what to do about Ryan Zimmerman, whether to sign Jordan Zimmermann and Ian Desmond to long-term deals, and how to upgrade an offence that fell flat in October. Chuck Howley Cowboys Jersey . Iwakuma pitched seven strong innings to stay unbeaten in road games since last July, leading the Seattle Mariners to a 5-2 win over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night.(SportsNetwork.com) - The New York Rangers have struggled to pick up wins over the St. Louis Blues in recent seasons. Playing without their captain on Monday night wont help either. The Rangers bring a banged-up defensive unit into this meeting with the red- hot St. Louis Blues at Madison Square Garden. The Blueshirts have gone 4-1-1 over their past six games and play the third contest of a four-game homestand tonight. Theyll do so without captain Ryan McDonagh and fellow defenseman Kevin Klein, further depleting the clubs blue line. McDonagh suffered a separated left shoulder in Saturdays 1-0 shootout loss to the Winnipeg Jets and is expected to miss 3-to-4 weeks. Klein also exited in the first period on Saturday with a bruised foot and will sit out tonight. New York already is missing free agent signee Dan Boyle due to a broken hand, while defenseman John Moore on Saturday served the first contest of his five- game ban for an illegal check last Monday versus Minnesota. Thanks to 25 saves by Henrik Lundqvist and lengthy gutsy efforts by defenseman Dan Girardi and Marc Staal, the Rangers kept the Jets off the board until the shootout. Lundqvist, though, was beaten by Evander Kane and Blake Wheeler in the tiebreaker, while Mats Zuccarello scored for the Rangers before Rick Nash, Dominic Moore and Martin St. Louis were all denied by Winnipeg goaltender Ondrej Pavelec. We played a real strong game, Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. (The loss) wasnt for lack of effort or execution. We played one of our best games of the year. Girardi logged 34 minutes and 50 secoonds of ice time, while Staal was credited with 29:33 of work.dddddddddddd The duo could be called again heavily tonight as the Rangers try to beat the Blues for just the third time in the past 10 meetings. They snapped a three- game series losing streak with a 3-2 win in St. Louis on Oct. 9, but have still lost three in a row and seven of eight at MSG in this series. Rick Nash scored twice and assisted on Chris Kreiders third-period tally when the clubs opened the season against each other, while Lundqvist had 23 saves. The Blues got 22 stops by Brian Elliott and goals from Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Tarasenko. Tarasenko has six goals on the season, with five coming in the past three games. He had a hat trick in a win over Dallas on Oct. 28, then scored twice in Saturdays 3-2 shootout win over the Colorado Avalanche that stretched St. Louis winning streak to four straight. Elliott made 27 saves, stopping Gabriel Landeskog, Matt Duchene and Ryan OReilly in the shootout, while Joakim Lindstroms goal in the second round of the tiebreaker was the winner. Lindstrom took a shot from the slot that beat Colorados Semyon Varlamov through the five hole. Ive been practicing quite a bit, Lindstrom said of being in the shootout. I was comfortable being in that position. The Blues were without T.J. Oshie (concussion) and former Avalanche center Paul Stastny (shoulder), but captain David Backes made a quick return after missing one game with a concussion. St. Louis is on its longest winning streak since taking five in a row from March 2-9 of last season. ' ' '

BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil -- Brazil advanced to the World Cup quarterfinals on Saturday with a 3-2 shootout win over Chile following a tense and thrilling battle that ended 1-1 after extra time. Neymar, David Luiz and Marcelo scored in the shootout, and Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar saved two penalties before watching Gonzalo Jaras final attempt hit the post. "My teammates are giving me a lot of strength on the field so I give my best," Cesar said. "Were just three steps away and I hope to give another interview with Brazil partying." Brazil, which extended its 39-year unbeaten streak in home competitive matches to 61, will next face either Colombia or Uruguay in the quarterfinals. Neither team managed to score at the Mineirao Stadium after first-half goals from Luiz and Sanchez, but Brazil came close to an early exit when Mauricio Pinillas shot hit the crossbar in the final moments of extra time. Chile also had the best chance in the second half, when Cesars spectacular save on Charles Aranguizs shot kept the score even. Brazil has reached the quarterfinals of each World Cup since Argentina eliminated it in the second round in 1990. Getting knocked out at that stage in its own World Cup would have been a disaster. But the Brazilians overcame their nerves in the shootout, with Neymar scoring the final penalty after Cesar stopped spot kicks from Pinilla and Sanchez. When Jara hit the post, some of Brazils players celebrated wildly while others fell to the ground, exhausted and emotionally drained. Willian, who missed a penalty for Brazil, sobbed uncontrollably, as Fred helped him to his feet. As the crowd roared, the Brazilian players joined hands in a human chain. The Chileans stood still, staring into the ground, wiping the sweat off their faces. "We tried to give everything, we tried to fight for a dream, and we didnt achieve it," Chile midfielder Arturo Vidal said. "But we gave all our effort on the pitch." Calling it a "harsh" loss, Chile coach Jorge Sampaoli said he had been convinced his team would come out the winner. "Do you think I can be satisfied with the result?" Sampaoli said. "Weve played a hard 120 minutes even if everybody was against us in the stadium." Brazil went ahead in the 18th minute after Thiago Silva deflected Neymars corner kick toward the far post. Luiz was given the goal but replays showed Chile defender Gonzalo Jara may have touched the ball before it went in. Brazil lost the lead when it failed to cope with Chiles aggressive pressure in a throw-in situation deep inside Brazils half of the field. Eduardo Vargas intercepted Hulks pass and found Sanchez on the right side of the area. The Barcelona striker scored easily with a shot toward the far post. Neymar, Fred and Dani Alves had chances in the first half while a second-half goal from Hulk was disallowed when referee Howard Webb ruled he handled the ball. Chile has never beaten Brazil in Brazil but was hoping for another upset after eliminating defending champion Spain in the group stage. "We played the toughest opponents in the tournament, Spain, Holland, Brazil, and we never played like a team that was weaker than anyone else," said Chile goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, who blocked Hulks attempt in the shootout and watched Willians shot go wide. "The truth is that we are very sad because we could have won the match before, we should have taken advantage of some good chances," Bravo said. "We felt we could win and we didnt." Bobby Okereke Colts Jersey . That assertion is getting harder and harder to make, especially given the way 23-year-old Danilo Gallinari has been playing this season. Devin Funchess Youth Jersey . It was the quickest three-goal sequence in Olympic history, with the latter two coming just eight seconds apart. Kessel, Lamoureux and Kendall Coyne all scored twice for the Americans, and Molly Schaus made 10 saves in her Sochi debut. http://www.coltsofficialstore.us/authentic-peyton-manning-colts-jersey/ . 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. Reggie Wayne Youth Jersey . The 24-year-old right winger has one assist in nine games this season with the Sabres. In his career, he has three goals and six assists in 43 NHL games. Marshall Faulk Womens Jersey .Y. -- Kristen Gillman rallied to win the U.COMMERCE CITY, Colo. -- Kevin Crowley scored five times as Canada fended off a late rally by the United States for an 8-5 victory on Saturday to win the world field lacrosse championships. Cameron Holding, Mark Matthews and Curtis Dickson also scored for the Canadians, who built a 7-2 lead after three quarters before the Americans scored three times in the fourth. Kevin Leveille led the United States with a hat trick, while Rob Pannell and Jesse Bernhardt also scored. Its only the third time Canada has won the field lacrosse world championship with the Americans winning nine since the tournaments inception in 1967. The United States went undefeated through round-robin play -- including a 10-7 win over Canada in the tournaments opening game -- to enter the playoffs as thhe top seed.dddddddddddd Earlier Saturday, Miles Thompson and Randy Staats had three goals each as the Iroquois Nationals downed Australia 16-5 in the bronze-medal game. Lyle Thompson, Zach Miller and Mike Lazore had two goals apiece for the Iroquois, who were playing in the world field lacrosse championships for the first time in eight years. The Iroquois were unable to participate in the 2010 tournament In Manchester, England, after the British government refused to recognize their travel documentation. Jerome Thompson, Vaughn Harris, Cody Jamieson and Roger Vyse also scored for the Iroquois, a team of First Nations players from the United States and Canada. Anson Carter had four goals for Australia, while Nigel Morton also found the back of the net. ' ' '

SEATTLE -- Texas manager Ron Washington is tired of talking about all of the Rangers injuries. The latest is to third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list Friday with a herniated disk in his lower back. Fortunately for the Rangers, Adrian Beltre was ready to return from his quadriceps injury and was activated from the DL before Texas played the Seattle Mariners. And the lingering question remains outfielder Shin-Soo Choo, who tested out his sore heel for the first time since getting injured earlier in the week. "Its a situation you just cant do anything about. Everyone around here knows that theyre trusted and you just keep going," Washington said. "Thats all you can do. Theyre not going to stop our schedule. Youve just got to keep going. At some point this testing that is happening to us will stop and well get healthy and we can go. But until then weve got to keep going with what weve got." Kouzmanoff left Tuesdays game in Oakland with back tightness. He had been outstanding in place of Beltre, hitting .362 with two homers, six doubles and 10 RBIs in 13 games since his contract was purchased from Triple-A Round Rock. Kouzmanoff was the American League player of the week April 14-20. Now theres uncertainty about when he might be able to return after he was examined by a back specialist in Texas earlier Friday. Beltre was placed on the disabled list April 13, retroactive to April 9, with a strained left quad. He was hitting .286 with four RBIs in eight games before getting injured. He was looking forward to getting back in time to face buddy Felix Hernandez on Saturday night. Beltre has learned how to manage issues with his hamstrings in the past and said he likely wouldnt push himself the first week back from the quad injury. Choo and the Rangers believe hell be able to avoid the disabled list. Choo got hurt Monday night in Oakland when he landed awkwardly while extending his leg to beat out an infield single. He hit in the indoor cage and did some running on the field Friday. Choo said there were no problems when he hit, but said he continued to feel pain in the heel when he ran. Still, Choo believes the progress hes made from when the injury first happened should keep him from needing to be out for 15 days. Washington said if Choo felt OK on Saturday he would go through batting practice on the field. "I dont want to go on the DL and Im positive before 15 days Ill feel better," Choo said. Brandon Kintzler Cubs Jersey . The same for both the Calgary Flames and the Edmonton Oilers. Jason Heyward Jersey . Coverage on TSN is underway now while action resumes on TSN2 at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. TSN GO also offers TSN subscribers bonus online coverage, with live streams of all four venues. http://www.thecubsteamshop.com/Cubs-Jose-Quintana-Kids-Jersey/ . "Its embarrassing what were doing here," leading scorer Phil Kessel said Wednesday. The most recent failed season came with even more pain than the six that preceded it. There was no hint of an impending implosion when the Leafs came roaring out of the all-star break with back-to-back games against Pittsburgh -- a 5-4 shootout loss followed by a 1-0 win the next night. Kendall Graveman 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. Brandon Morrow Jersey . After seven wins in a row, they have to do it one more time to get into the playoffs.GOFFSTOWN, N.H. -- Sadena Parks won for her second Symetra Tour title in three weeks, beating Jackie Stoelting on the second hole of a playoff Sunday in the New England Charity Classic. Parks, the 24-year-old former University of Washington player from Tacoma, won the SEFCU Championship two weeks ago in Albany, New York, to become the second black winner in Symetra Tour history. LaRee Sugg was the first black champion on the developmental tour, winning in 1998 in Pewaukee, Wisconsin. "This second win just shows how much Ive improved over the year," Parks said. "It not only means a lot to me, but I know it means a lot to my fans, supporters and my team." Parks earned $15,000 to jump from sixth to third on the money list with $51,615. The top 10 after the final four events will earn 2015 LPGA Tour cards. "I dont want to say that I have my LPGA Tour card yet, but its looking pretty good right now," Parks said. "Ever since I was 9 years old, the LPGA Tour was my goal and it has been a long journey and now I am almost there." Parks won with a par oon the second extra hole -- the par-4 17th at Stonebridge -- after both players opened the playoff with birdies on the par-5 18th.dddddddddddd Parks closed with a 5-under 67 to match Stoelting at 8-under 208. Both players played the back nine in 5-under 31, with Parks birdieing the final two holes in regulation and Stoelting birdieing No. 18 for a 66. Parks forced the playoff with her birdie on No. 18. "I hit my drive right into the bunker and didnt think I had a shot into the green," Parks said. "I knew if I hit a punch 4-iron fade I could get it out and leave myself a little short. It happened to roll on the green, which was awesome. I left my third putt a little short." She then made an 8-foot putt. "I drained the putt. It was clutch," Park said. "I think I threw a strong fist pump in there somewhere." The 28-year-old Stoelting, from Vero Beach, Florida, earned $9,007 to move from seventh to sixth on the money list at $44,787. Lacey Agnew and Lindy Duncan tied for third, a stroke back. Agnew shot 67, and Duncan had a 68. ' ' '

Baseball season is just around the corner and TSN.ca has you covered for whos in, whos out and what to expect from all 30 teams. Check in every day this week for two new division previews, finishing up with Scott MacArthurs look at the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday. Heres what to expect out of the National League West in 2014. NL WEST Arizona Diamondbacks GM: Kevin Towers Manager: Kirk Gibson 2013: 81-81, third in NL West. Did not qualify for playoffs. That was Then: Gibbys men were pretty much perfectly average in 2013. Apart from the unforgettable brawl that erupted in mid-June when Ian Kennedy plunked Zack Greinke (which, by the way, featured an incredible number of ex-MLB All-Stars on the coaching staffs - including the entire side of Montgomery Burns softball teams infield) the D-backs were 50/50 nearly the entire season. Never finishing a single month more than three games above or below .500 nor boasting a winning or losing streak of more than five games, the team was consistent from start to finish. The big story for the team was Paul Goldschmidts emergence as one of the games elite offensive weapons. Tops in homers and RBI, winning a Gold Glove and finishing second in MVP balloting, the third-year pro was a mammoth presence in the middle of an otherwise middling offence. They wound up second in the West in large part to the Giants drop-off, but clearly had it in mind to shake things up once the off-season kicked into gear. This is Now: There are a lot of intriguing names among the list of players that flew into or out of Arizona this off-season (see below). For the second straight year the D-backs dealt away a one-time blue chip arm. In 2013 it was Trevor Bauer that was Cleveland-bound and this past off-season it was Tyler Skaggs that was sacrificed in order to land Mark Trumbos streaky bat from the Los Angeles Angels. With last seasons mid-summer jettisoning of Ian Kennedy, one has to wonder what the end-game is with the D-backs pitching. That said, Trumbo put either directly in front of or behind Paul Goldschmidt gives Arizona one of the most fear-inducing power combos in all of baseball. That might have been the greater concern for Kevin Towers, considering his team tied for the fifth-least round-trippers in the bigs in 2013. Addison Reed is a nice pick-up for a team that featured a less-than-inspiring closer-by-committee approach last season and Bronson Arroyo will eat a large share of innings for the teams young-ish rotation. Whos In?: SP Bronson Arroyo (two-year contract), RP Addison Reed (trade with CHW), 1B Mark Trumbo (trade with LAA). Whos Out?: RP Heath Bell (trade with TB), IF Willie Bloomquist (signed with SEA), RP Shawn Camp (signed with PHI), 3B Matt Davidson (trade with CHW), OF Adam Eaton (trade with CHW), C Wil Nieves (signed with PHI), SP Tyler Skaggs (trade with LAA), SS Josh Wilson (singed with TEX). Colorado Rockies GM: Dan ODowd Manager: Walt Weiss 2013: 74-88, fifth in NL West. Did not qualify for playoffs. That was Then: The Rockies view didnt get any better in 2013, as they held down their place in the N.L. West cellar, albeit not finishing as miserably as they did the previous year. Injuries were once again a problem for the Rockies core, as Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez missed a combined 88 games due to injury. The pair can be one of the most dynamic pairings in all of baseball - but neither has played more than 145 games in any single season since 2009. Jorge de la Rosa and Jhoulys Chacin actually put up good win totals and decent numbers, especially considering they were on a last-place club, but the back end of the rotation was patchwork for much of the year. One of the games quietest All-Stars (and potential Hall-of-Famers) bid farewell to the Coors Field faithful, as Todd Helton hung up his spikes after 16 seasons in Denver. Helton retired the franchise leader in games played, hits, home runs, RBI, total bases and more and the team has already announced plans to retire his number 17. This is Now: A quick look at the transactions below will reveal the amount of upheaval theres been for the Rocks since October. Will all the changes turn the fortunes? Brett Anderson can be an impact arm, but hes a health risk. Drew Stubbs and Justin Morneau could help the offence, but Morneau, too, comes with injury baggage and is well removed from MVP or even All-Star form. Dealing Dexter Fowler, too, seems an odd move, considering he still had some contract control and plenty of speed to burn. But the key for the Rockies, like every year, will come down to the health of Tulo and CarGo. If both can find even moderate health, their career numbers suggest they will carry the Rockies offence. But thats a huge "if" and not one that the Rockies seem too intent to plan contingencies for. Whos In?: SP Brett Anderson (trade with OAK), OF Brandon Barnes (trade with HOU), RP Matt Belisle (mutual option exercised), RP LaTroy Hawkins (one-year contract), RP Boone Logan (three-year contract), SP Jordan Lyles (trade with HOU), C Michael McKenry (minor league contract), RP Franklin Morales (trade with BOS), 1B Justin Morneau (two-year contract), OF Drew Stubbs (trade with CLE). Whos Out?: RP Mitchell Boggs (signed with CHW), RP Edgmer Escalona (signed with BAL), OF Dexter Fowler (trade with HOU), SP Jeff Francis (signed with CIN), SP Jon Garland (released), 1B Todd Helton (retired), IF Jonathan Herrera (trade with BOS), SP Jeff Manship (signed with PHI), RP Josh Outman (trade with CLE), SP Drew Pomeranz (trade with OAK), C Yorvit Torrealba (signed with LAA). Los Angeles Dodgers GM: Ned Colletti Manager: Don Mattingly 2013: 92-70, first in NL West. Lost to St. Louis in National League Championship Series. That was Then: Having money certainly seems to suit the Dodgers fine. A year removed from bankruptcy, the Dodgers built on the momentum theyd established at the end of 2012. With millions in cast-offs from the Boston Red Sox still on the payroll, the Dodgers went out and spent even more, grabbing Zack Greinke, Hyun-Jin Ryu and re-upping Brandon League to build one of the majors truly frightening staffs. But the big shift came in June with the arrival of Cuban outfielder Yasiel Puig. Powerful, fast and electrifying, Puig shook up the N.L. West and added a needed boost to the Dodgers outfield that saw Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier and Carl Crawford all battle injuries. The Dodgers wound up running away with the N.L. West, winning by a comfortable 11 games and all but eliminating the shame of the Frank McCourt years. Post-season play would prove an up-and-down experience at Chavez Ravine. The Dodgers would put the sticks to the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS, winning their three games by a combined 13 runs, but their nemesis would rear its head in the form of unlikely rookie Michael Wacha in the NLCS. The 22-year-old held the Dodgers to just seven hits over two scoreless starts, beating Kershaw in a pivotal Game 2 and the decisive Game 6. This is Now: If you liked last year, you might love this year. The thought of an entire year with a Puig-Kemp-Ethier outfield â€" health-permitting â€" is enough to make Dodger fans eager for the 2014 season. The Dodgers rotation, already a thing of beauty, went and bettered itself by adding Paul Maholm and Dan Haren. The Dodgers also re-upped Brian Wilson, who looked very much his "Fear the Beard" self after being cut adrift by the Giants prior to 2013. The infield will take some re-shaping, with Mark Ellis moving to St. Louis and Michael Young calling it a career, but if Hanley Ramirez can stretch what he did in 2013 over a full season he might well have a career year. It would be a surprise if the Dodgers werent a playoff team. The only question heading into this year is: Are they a championship team? Whos In?: P Dan Haren, SP Paul Maholm (one-year contract), RP Chris Perez (one-year contract), IF Justin Turner (minor league contract), RP Jamey Wright (one-year contract). Whos Out?: RP Ronald Belisario (signed with CHW), 2B Mark Ellis (signed with STL), SP Ted Lilly (retired), RP Carlos Marmol (signed with MIA), RP Peter Moylan (signed with HOU), SP Ricky Nolasco (signed with MIN), IF Nick Punto (signed with OAK), IF Skip Schumaker (signed with CIN), SP Edinson Volquez (signed with PIT), IF Michael Young (retired). San Diego Padres GM: Josh Byrnes Manager: Bud Black 2013: 76-86, third in NL West. Did not qualify for playoffs. That was Then: All-in-all, you could probably say that the Padres 2013 campaign comes out as a positive, but there were plenty of ups and downs to be considered before reaching a final verdict. The good news is that the team finished third in the division, ahead (once the math got worked out) of the Giants. They were above .500 for a good chunk of June, which marked the first time the club had been in that position since the end of 2010 and they finished strong, going 16-11 in September including series wins over three divisional opponents. Jedd Gyorko was also a rookie standout, leading the team in dingers (23) and RBIs (63). The Bad news came from the Biogenesis verdict that saw shortstop Everth Cabrera slapped with a 50-game suspension. His ban, coupled with the one handed to catcher Yasmani Grandal at the end of the 2012 campaign hung a gigantic cloud over the teams core talent. Add in a host of injuries that limited first baseman Yonder Alonso to just 97 games in 2013 and it was really a year that a lot of Padres players would like to have buried in the past. It will be interesting to see how they follow it up. This is Now: The Padres took a chance with their off-season strategy, but if the gamble pays off San Diego could be poised to at least be respectable in the West. Joaquin Benoit will eat a whole bunch of innings out of the pen and provides a nice back-up plan should Huston Street falter or get hurt. He and Alex Torres should ease some of the sting of dealing away Luke Gregerson. Similarly, Seth Smith provides some pretty decent pop off the bench and is a nice addition as far as fourth outfielders go. Thats not the risky part. If the Padres signed pre-shoulder surgery, 2010 edition of Josh Johnson for $8 million, theyve added a big piece to their rotation. Hes a player that was once one of the NLs best arms and might be worth a one-year flier. That said, he was bad in 2013 with the Toronto Blue Jays. He missed all of May with a triceps injury and was shut down in August with forearm tightness. If it were just a season of injuries that would be problematic enough, but he logged just 81.1 innings, going 2-8 and posting a grotesque 1.66 WHIP. A one-year deal is never truly risky, but an $8 million investment is not exactly a low-risk proposition for a player that underwent off-season elbow surgery. Hes already expected to miss at least a month with a flexor strain. Whos In?: RP Joaquin Benoit (two-year contract), IF Ryan Jackson (trade with HOU), SP Josh Johnson (one-year contract), OF Seth Smith (trade with OAK), RP Alex Torres (trade with TB). Whos Out?: RP Anthony Bass (trade with HOU), RP Brad Boxberger (trade with TB), RP Brad Brach (trade with BAL), IF Logan Forsythe (trade with TB), RP Luke Gregerson (trade with OAK), 1B Jesus Guzman (trade with HOU), RP Colt Hynes (trade with CLE), OF Mark Kotsay (retired), RP Tommy Layne (signed with BOS). San Francisco Giants GM: Brian Sabean Manager: Bruce Bochy 2013: 76-86, fourth in NL West. Did not qualify for playoffs. That was Then: Its never easy defending a championship and Giants fans found that out once more in 2013. After locking Buster Posey down to a mammoth extension in March, the Giants actually got off to a pretty decent start last season, playing .650 baseball through the first 20 games of the season. But the summer would not be kind to San Fran, as the Giants would drop 19 of 24 games in late June and early July. Shortly after that horrible stretch Tim Lincecum would make history by throwing a 148-pitch no-hitter, the second-highest count in MLB history. Losing Matt Cain and Ryan Vogelsong for stretches didnt help their rotation any and by the time the dust settled the Giants were fourth in the West, posting their first sub-.500 season since 2009. This is Now: With the amount of talent the Giants have at their core, its hard to believe they cant contend, despite the disappointment that was 2013. After all, they missed the playoffs the year after their 2010 triumph and came right back to win another championship the next year. They went out and added a wealth of experience to their starting rotation by taking a two-year chance on right-hander Tim Hudson, whose 205 career wins are tops amongst active MLB pitchers. He should add some nice insulation at the back end of their rotation behind the likes of Cain, Lincecum and Madison Bumgarner. A suddenly-trim Pablo Sandoval will be an interesting sight for the Giants this season and the Panda has made spring training promises to lose even more weight. Meanwhile, the continued development of Brandon Belt could provide even more runs for the traditionally run-starved team. Whos In?: SP Tim Hudson (two-year contact), SP David Huff (minor league contract), OF Michael Morse (one-year contract). Whos Out?: RP Jose Mijares (signed with BOS), SP Chad Gaudin (signed with PHI), SP Guillermo Moscoso (signed in Japan), OF Francisco Peguero (signed with BAL), OF Kensuke Tanaka (signed with TEX). Marquise Blair Womens Jersey . Johan Franzen had two goals and two assists, Gustav Nyquist a goal and three assists and David Legwand a goal and two assists in the Red Wings 7-4 win over the New Jersey Devils. D.K. Metcalf Womens Jersey . Gustafsson controlled the first round after getting top position on a throw, and came out much more forcefully in the second, buckling Manuwa with a Muay Thai knee, and finishing him off with strikes on the ground. http://www.seahawksfansofficial.com/ugo-amadi-jersey/ . Striker Dario Mandzukic scored the opener in the 22nd minute but was given a red card nine minutes later for a reckless tackle and left Croatia with 10 men for the remainder of the match. Seattle Seahawks Jerseys . "Hopefully well get all this out of the way," he said, "and everyone will be healthy the rest of the year." Zimmerman was placed on the 15-day disabled list Sunday and is expected to miss between four to six weeks. Marquise Blair Youth Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla.RIMOUSKI, Que. -- Frederik Gauthier scored twice and tacked on an assist as the Rimouski Oceanic extended their win streak to 11 games by defeating the visiting Rouyn-Noranda Huskies 5-2 on Saturday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Sebastien Sylvestre scored once and set up three more for the Oceanic (40-15-7) while Peter Trainor and Alexis Loiseau each added a goal and an assist. Jean-Sebastien Dea and Mathieu Lemay supplied the scoring for the Huskies (33-24-5), who are on a three-game slide. Philippe Desrosiers made 38 saves for Rimouski as Rouyn-Norandas Alexandre Belanger stopped 20-of-24 shots in defeat. --- DRAKKAR 5 TIGRES 1 BAIE-COMEAU, Que. -- Jeremy Gregoire had two goals and an assist as the Drakkar toppled Victoriaville. Robbie Graham, Gabryel Paquin-Boudreau and Valentin Zykov also scored for Baie-Comeau (44-15-4). Drakkar netminder Philippe Cadorette made 29 saves for the win. Jean-Francois Plante scored the lone goal for the Tigres (31-24-7) while Francois Tremblay turned away 44 shots in a losing cause. --- TITAN 3 ISLANDERS 2 (SO) BATHURST, N.B. -- Christophe Boivin forced extra time with a goal at 19:57 of the third period and then scored the shootout winner as the Titan edged Charlottetown. Raphael Lafontaine also sscored for Acadie-Bathurst (19-37-6) and Scott Oke had two assists.dddddddddddd Alexandre Goulet and Anthony Cortese scored for the Islanders (19-36-7). Jacob Brennan made 28 saves for the Titan. Charlottetowns Mason McDonald stopped 27-of-29 shots in defeat. --- MOOSEHEADS 5 WILDCATS 2 MONCTON, N.B. -- Nikolaj ehlers registered a hat trick for the second straight game as Halifax beat the Wildcats for its seventh straight win. Philippe Gadoury and Matt Murphy also scored for the Mooseheads (41-18-3) while Jonathan Drouin and Brent Andrews each had three assists. Will Smith and Ivan Barbashev responded for Moncton (30-30-3), which is on a five-game skid. Zachary Fucale turned away 34 shots for Halifax as Alex Dubeau made 28 saves for the Wildcats. --- SEA DOGS 9 SCREAMING EAGLES 3 SAINT JOHN, N.B. -- Marcus Cuomo, Noah Zilbert and Oliver Cooper each scored twice as the Sea Dogs hammered Cape Breton. Jurij Repe had a goal and two assists for Saint John (19-37-5) and David Weckworth and Spencer Smallman added the others. The Screaming Eagles (33-25-4) got goals from Charles-Eric Legare, Maxim Lazarev and Julien Pelletier. Sebastien Auger made 37 saves for the Sea Dogs while Cape Bretons Alex Bureau gave up all nine goals on 27 shots. ' ' '

The 12-country field for the 2015 Ford World Men’s Curling Championship is now complete. The United States clinched the final berth into the Ford Worlds, March 28-April 6 at Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, on Saturday in Blaine, Minn., completing a three-game sweep of Brazil in the best-of-five Americas Zone Challenge. Sarnia, Ont., native and former Canadian mixed runner-up Heath McCormick skipped the U.S. team to three straight victories over Brazil’s Marcelo Mello, completing the sweep Saturday night with a 9-3 victory. Team Canada — the winner of the 2015 Tim Hortons Brier, presented by SecurTek Monitoring Solutions, Feb. 28-March 8 in Calgary — will open the 2015 Ford Worlds against the U.S. representative, which will be decided at that country’s national championships in Kalamazoo, Mich. The Canada-U.S. game is scheduled for Saturday, March 28, at 7:30 p.m. AST. The other qualified countries (representative teams will be named in the next few weeks) besides Canada and the U.S. are China, the Czech Republic, Finland, Italy, Japan, Norway, Russia, Scotland, Sweden and Switzerland. The top four teams following round-robin play in Halifax will advance to the Page playoffs, with the first- and second-place teams meeting for a berth in the gold-medal game, while the third- and fourth-place teams meet, with the winner advancing to the semifinal and the loser dropping to the bronze-medal game. TSN, the official broadcast partners of the Canadian Curling Association’s Season of Champions, will televise all of Team Canada’s games. Here is the remainder of Canada’s round-robin schedule, along with the playoff times, at the 2015 Ford Worlds: March 30, 9:30 a.m. — Canada vs. Czech Republic March 30, 7:30 p.m. — Canada vs. Russia March 31, 2:30 p.m. — Canada vs. Japan March 31, 7:30 p.m. — Canada vs. Norway April 1, 9:30 a.m. — Canada vs. Switzerland April 1, 7:30 p.m. — Canada vs. Scotland April 2, 9:30 a.m. — Canada vs. Finland April 2, 2:30 p.m. — Canada vs. Italy April 3, 9:30 a.m. — Tiebreaker, if necessary April 3, 2:30 p.m. — Tiebreaker, if necessary April 3, 7:30 p.m. — Page playoffs, 1 vs. 2, or 3 vs. 4 April 4, 2:30 p.m. — Page playoffs, 1 vs. 2, or 3 vs. 4 April 4, 7:30 p.m. — Semifinal April 5, 10 a.m. — Bronze-medal game April 5, 4 p.m. — Gold-medal game Rhian Brewster Liverpool Jersey . (AP) -- The head of the committee that developed Major League Baseballs plan to expand instant replay says he is optimistic the system will be in place this season, even though owners and unions for players and umpires have yet to approve. Pedro Chirivella Liverpool Jersey . Canada will host Japan in a World Group first-round match in 2015. It will be a rematch of their first-round clash last year when Japan defeated Canada 4-1 to reach the World Group quarter-finals for the first time in its history. http://www.liverpoolgear.us/Authentic-Pedro-Chirivella-Liverpool-Jersey/ . Nainggolan scored his first Italian league goal at Bologna, in October 2010, and he also opened his Roma account there following his January move from Cagliari. The Belgium midfielder volleyed home Miralem Pjanics cross from close range eight minutes from time. Danny Ings Jersey . Noah finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in 34 minutes. He was headed for his fourth triple-double of the season, but sat down with about three minutes left because of the lopsided score. Kirk Hinrich scored 19 points for Chicago, going 5 for 6 on 3-pointers, Carlos Boozer added 18 points, D. Caoimhin Kelleher Liverpool Jersey . Millsap will miss Wednesday nights game against the Chicago Bulls. The Hawks say Millsap also will be held out on Thursday at Boston. COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Cam Atkinson believes the Columbus Blue Jackets are getting better. But hes also realizes just how far they have to go. "We got a little taste of what we wanted in making the playoffs," the 24-year-old winger said the day after the Blue Jackets were eliminated in Game 6 of their wild first-round series with the Pittsburgh Penguins. "We just won two games. Its a stepping stone." For years an NHL doormat, the Blue Jackets are both inspired and also realistic after the best season in the franchises mostly rocky 13 seasons. "I heard on the radio the other day that Game 4 is one of the great sports moments in this city," forward Mark Letestu said, referring to a three-goal comeback at home that was capped by a last-minute tying goal in regulation and Nick Folignos overtime winner. "I think theres a lot more that we can give. We can give series victories and further cement the Blue Jackets in the hearts of people here. Thats whats on guys minds right now." It was a season of firsts for the Blue Jackets, who have spent much of their existence toward the bottom of the NHL standings. They set club records with 43 regular-season wins, 21 road victories, 93 points and 231 goals. They had made the playoffs just once previously and their stay lasted only four games, all losses. But one of the leagues youngest teams overcame a 5-10-0 start with a strong finish to clinch a playoff spot. Then, they won Games 2 and 4 against the Penguins with stirring comebacks. In Monday nights Game 6, they were outclassed early and trailed 4-0 heading into the final period before scoring three goals in a 4:52 span to energize a crowd of 19,189 that stood and roared throughout the final minutes. The 4-3 defeat left them disappointed, but most will likely only remember the Jackets scrambling at the finish for a possible tying goal while the Penguins struggled to hold them off. "The building was rocking," defenceman Jack Johnson said. "But theres going to be a lot more and better times ahead." Beyond everything else they accomplished, they gave ttheir patient followers some hope.dddddddddddd Over their past 111 games, the Blue Jackets are 62-37-12 -- far and away the best such span in the franchises history, and exceeded by only seven other teams in the league. "Its been great to see where we came from halfway through last season to where we are now and how excited the city gets," said fourth-line centre Derek MacKenzie, an unrestricted free agent this summer. "Weve already talked about that. What would it be like if we could have a great start? Is that arena going to be like that all season long? We sure hope so." The Blue Jackets poor history has become, well, old news. "Everybody hears about the past," said rookie defenceman Ryan Murray, taken No. 2 in the 2012 draft. "It hasnt been very good. Everybody thats here now just wants to change that, to change the culture and bring in more fans and change the city into a hockey town." Judging from the capacity crowds down the stretch and in the playoffs, and the excitement generated around this city of 787,000. For the past few weeks, the Blue Jackets have been the talk of the town, pulling off a rare coup by bumping Ohio State football off the front page of the local newspaper. Now that the Blue Jackets have stamped themselves as a good team, the hard part is getting better. "I dont think were going to catch anybody by surprise anymore," defenceman James Wisniewski said. "Everybody realizes the identity that weve created here, that its going to be a hard-fought game and that theyre going to have to bring their A game or were going to run them out of the building." Many of the Blue Jackets had already shaved off their playoff beards before meetings with the coaching staff on Tuesday morning. Several of the younger players were barely able to grow one. So now a team that didnt know what it was missing when it didnt make the playoffs is disappointed that it has been eliminated. "Ill be watching (the playoffs) for sure," Atkinson said. "What else is there to do now? You wish you could be playing." ' ' '

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Tom Brady walked off the field under his own power. Several teammates didnt think he was hurt badly when he grabbed his left knee after being knocked down. Yet the possibility that the New England Patriots might lose their star quarterback caused a scare at the teams joint practice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Wednesday. A person with knowledge of the injury said an MRI was negative and Brady was day-to-day with a left knee sprain. Asked if Brady might play Friday night in an exhibition game against the Buccaneers, the person said he didnt know. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Patriots didnt make an announcement. The two-time league MVP had a season-ending injury to the same knee in the 2008 opener. Brady was injured midway through practice Wednesday when left tackle Nate Solder was pushed into him by Tampa Bay defensive end Adrian Clayborn. Brady, entering his 14th NFL season, fell, rocked backward on the ground and held his left knee. He went to the sideline then returned for a few more plays before talking with coach Bill Belichick and leaving the field toward the teams indoor practice facility next to it. "Youve always got to stay away from the quarterback (in practice)," Clayborn said. "You got a guy on his heels and my instinct is to keep going, so thats what I did." The contact came just as Brady threw a long incompletion down the right sideline toward rookie Aaron Dobson. "Were always working to protect," Solder said. "Ill have to see what happened on the film. I screwed some things up here and there." In 2008, Brady tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. The Patriots missed the playoffs that season. He has played every game since then and the team reached the playoffs in all four seasons. New England is favoured to win the weak AFC East for the 10th time in 11 years. Losing Brady would have made that much tougher. After Brady left the field, third-year pro Ryan Mallett played with the first offensive unit and Tim Tebow, on his 26th birthday, played with the second team. Mallett threw an interception soon after taking over. "Im just trying to do my job," Mallett said. "Im sure Tom will be fine and well just go on." In his first series after Brady left, Tebow completed three of seven passes and looked fairly sharp. One of his passes was dropped. Tebow left practice without speaking with reporters. "Anytime anybody, especially a teammate, goes down its a dark cloud. Its unfortunate," Patriots running back Shane Vereen said. "He went back out there, but well see." Running back LaGarrette Blount was optimistic. "He walked off," Blount said. "Im sure hes cool. Im sure hes fine." But shortly before Blount spoke, a black helicopter landed on a field adjacent to the one where Brady was injured. Cameramen, apparently concerned that Brady might be airlifted to a hospital, rushed to record the landing. "The helicopter has nothing to do with Tom," Patriots owner Jonathan Kraft said on WBZ-FM. Tampa Bay coach Greg Schiano said he and Belichick stress to their players to rush the passer but let him throw the football and go past him. "I didnt get to see" the hit on Brady, Schiano said. "I saw him laying there afterward. ... I hope hes OK." Losing Brady would leave the Patriots without a proven starting quarterback. Mallett has thrown just four passes in his first two seasons and has been inconsistent during training camp. Tebow signed as a free agent on June 10 and has struggled with his throwing mechanics, a problem hes had since being drafted by the Denver Broncos in the first round in 2010. "The big thing is just his familiarity with the offence, the way we do things -- the play calling, the reads, formationing, just general things we do," Belichick said of Tebow. "The quarterback has to have a good understanding of all that. The more you do it, the more you get comfortable with it and the better you can execute it. I think thats no different, really, than any other young quarterback or quarterback coming into a new system." In the Patriots 31-22 exhibition win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday night, Mallett completed 9 of 18 passes for 97 yards. Tebow went 4 for 12 for 55 yards with three sacks and ran four times for 31 yards. Brady completed 7 of 8 passes for 65 yards and one touchdown and left after the first two series. Cheap Nike Shoes Australia . So heres what I do when I want to get into the baseball mood—I delve into "The Baseball Project". Wholesale Shoes Australia . Founding members of the Genie Army, a group of Eugenie Bouchard supporters who cheered for the rising tennis star during the Australian Open in January, will be in the city for the Rogers Cup, beginning this weekend. https://www.shoesaustraliaonline.com/ . Louis second-period goal increased the New York Rangers lead but Dustin Brown has countered for the Los Angeles Kings who now trail the New York Rangers 2-1 in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final at Madison Square Garden. Fake Shoes Australia . - While he appreciates suggestions from Packers fans of remedies for his sore left calf, Aaron Rodgers is not necessarily going to listen to the advice. Buy Shoes Australia . Bouchard went down to a 1-6, 6-1, 6-2 defeat at the hands of Svitolina in her opening match at the Sony Open on Friday. Bouchard got the rivalry going two years ago when she won the junior Wimbledon title over Svitolina.MINSK, Belarus -- Three-thousand kilometres from where he grew up in Toronto, Geoff Platt couldnt have felt more at home. Moments after scoring and setting off another wild celebration at Minsk arena, Platt leapt into the arms of Belarusian captain Alexei Kalyuzhny. Not long after, fans were chanting his name. "Its an emotion that Im not sure Ive achieved ever in my career, just because of the atmosphere and the electricity in the building," Platt said. "It just runs through your veins and grabs a hold of you." Along with goaltender Kevin Lalande, Platt is one of two Canadian-born players representing host Belarus at the world hockey championship and playing major roles in what might be the best international showing in the countrys history. Led by Canadian-born coach Glen Hanlon, Belarus is in the quarter-finals for just the third time and the first since 2009. This is the biggest event Belarus has ever hosted, so Minsk has been partying for two weeks. And this team is giving locals another reason to celebrate. "You have to understand the magnitude (of) what this means to them," Hanlon said. "Its bigger than just a game. This is their chance to show everybody." By show everybody, Hanlon means the city, which is decked out in IIHF signs welcoming the world and reminding them in the form of giant bison mascots that hockey is happening here. Inside the 15,000-seat Minsk Arena, home of the KHLs Dynamo Minsk, good hockey has been happening for Belarus. Lalande, a native of Ottawa who plays for Dynamo and gained citizenship, has been stellar and Platt has added timely offence. But the Canadian imports want the credit to go to leading scorers Mikhail Grabovski and Sergei Kostitsyn. "Players are playing for this symbol, and it means a lot more to them to represent their country than probably a National Hockey League team or any club team around the world," Platt said, pointing to the Belarusian coat of arms on his chest. "Youre seeing that with Sergei Kostitsyn, Mikhail Grabovski just really taking their game to a level Im sure theyve almost never played at." Grabovski beamed with pride when talking about what this tournament means to him. Hes showing that to Hanlon, who first coached him as a 21-year-old at the world championships in Vienna in 2005. The Grabovski at this tournament is an other-worldly player. "I dont even look at Mikhail anymore because I know hes going to play great," Hanlon said. "I never get tired of saying, Good game, Mikhail." Hanlon is limited in what he can say to some of his players because of the language barrier. He understands Russian and Belarusian and is trying to learn to speak both languages, even though he doesnt have to. The former Washington Capitals coach and longtime NHL goaltender, whos in his second stint as coach of the Belarusian national team, has someone with him at almost all times who speaks English. At his news conferences with local media, the Brandon, Man., native answers in English, occasionally splicing in Belarusian words and pausing to let the interpreter next to him do his work. "Ive taken lessons, Ive done all of it," Hanlon said. "I have a better handle on it. Ive gone home here after every friendly tournament, so I take all my books, put them in my backpack like the college student on spring break and I end up dealing with my 12-year-old son and my wife and I sort of break away from it for a couple weeks." Hanlons wife and son still live in Vancouver, and because shes a teacher and hes a skier and hockey player they dont accompany him to Europe. "Hed rather play his own hockey than watch me coach," Hanlon said. Everyone in Belarus is watching Hanlon coach with keen interest. In Minsk, televisions all over the city have tournament games on, whether Belarus is playing or not. Inside Minsk Arena, one section is full of fans jumping up and down and doing chants normally reserved for soccer matches. Others whistle and fill the building with the kind of noise Lalande and Platt have no comparison for and Hanlon can only relate to the old Chicago Stadium. "When you go into somewhere like Beell Centre or Madison Square Garden, its pretty loud but it dies off after a while," Hanlon said.dddddddddddd "Here its sustained for the whole 2 1/2 hours of the game. Im not kidding: You cant hear a word down there. Im screaming and Im yelling at my players whos up and everything. "From before the game starts till after its over, its like a festival." Its a festival thats special to the Belarusian players, whether theyre from Novopolotsk in the north like Dmitry Korobov, or Ontario like Lalande and Platt. How they got here wasnt a matter of having Belarusian ancestry. Anyone who plays for Dynamo Minsk for two seasons is eligible for citizenship. "I got to keep my Canadian citizenship, so there wasnt really any downside," said Lalande, who began the tournament as a backup but has played too well for Hanlon not to start him. "At first it just made the travelling a lot easier in Russia, I didnt need a visa and saved a couple pages in my Canadian passport. But when Glen was named the head coach, we had a couple conversations together. He made it clear from the start that he wanted me to be a part of this." "Whether Id play or not he didnt know, but hes been very supportive. I owe everything to him for this chance." Lalande and Platt each praised the local players for accepting them while also noting theres a comfort level in having each other and an English-speaking coach around for this run. But Hanlon, who previously coached the Slovak national team, learned from his season with Jokerit in Finland that having Canadians on his team isnt easy. "Being an import coach you want to go out of your way so that the Canadians are respected," he said. "The last thing you want to do is look like youre favouring them." "So you want them to work for everything that they get, and I try to keep my space from them. I dont want to give anybody any reason to think that these players are going to get special treatment from me." No special treatment, but this experience has been special for Platt and Lalande, even though theyre not playing for their home country. Platt, who played 46 NHL games for the Columbus Blue Jackets and Anaheim Ducks, won a gold medal for Canada at the under-18 world championships in 2003. Platt hasnt represented Canada since and has moved on. "Not putting on the Canadian jersey now is just a chapter that sits in the past in my career," the 28-year-old said. "I was very fortunate to wear the Canadian jersey and win a gold medal at the under-18 level, and now this is a realistic goal to be playing with Belarus and to be competing at this level. Its really fun when were successful." Belarus was plenty successful in the preliminary round, going 4-3 to finish third in its group, ahead of Finland, Switzerland and Latvia and set up a quarter-final game against Sweden on Thursday night. Even if Sweden ends Belaruss run, the host teams performance wont be forgotten any time soon. When a victory over Latvia clinched a spot in the quarter-finals, Platt called it a "very rare opportunity for Belarusian ice hockey" that his teammates capitalized on. Lalande couldnt come up with words to describe his emotions. "We did it for ourselves because we believed," Lalande said, crediting fans who made a real impact on the team. "I think all of the Minsk and the whole countrys behind us right now. ... Were playing for us and were playing for them and its a tremendous feeling to be able to win in this fashion for them." Thats Hanlons priority, too. More than six years after being fired by the Capitals on U.S. Thanksgiving Day, he has no plans to return to coaching in the NHL and has invested a lot of time and energy on European hockey. Hanlon still keeps track of whats going on in North America and watches games because hes interested, but now the 57-year-old also checks on scores from leagues around Europe. Hes still a Canadian citizen, but the prospect of playing his native country doesnt mean anything to him anymore. "Whats special for me is winning for Belarus," Hanlon said. "Thats whats special." ' ' '