Alles Andere » seven-game road trip for the Vancouver Canucks

MONTREAL - It was a tough two-week, seven-game road trip for the Vancouver Canucks, but a special moment awaited at the end.The Canucks got to take part in remembrance ceremonies honouring Canadiens great and hockey legend Jean Beliveau, who died last week at 83.The team attended Beliveaus public visitation at Bell Centre on Monday, and there was a pre-game ceremony planned for their road trip-ending game on Tuesday night.Theres been so many ceremonies over the years that I dont get personally affected by them, but this will be a pretty special one, said defenceman Kevin Bieksa. Throughout the course of my career there are a few special ceremonies that I think Ill remember when I retire.Im sure this will be one of them. Having a chance to walk down the rink and pay respects to the family was a pretty special moment. Itll be sad in some respects, but also its a celebration of his life. He was obviously a pretty tremendous man. Ive got to know a lot more about him in the last couple of days just from hearing stories and reading about him.Forward Daniel Sedin agreed it was not like most pre-game ceremonies.This is special because of the man he was, how big he was in this community and for this organization, said Sedin. As a player, you go through ceremonies pretty much every time you play in Canada, but nothing like this.The Canucks left home on Nov. 28 on their longest trip of the season, which included wins in Columbus, Washington and Pittsburgh, losses in Detroit and Toronto and an overtime defeat in Ottawa on Sunday.Its a difficult road trip, added Bieksa. Its good from a perspective of getting together with the guys, bonding, having some team dinners.Wins can be galvanizing, moreso on the road, but its also been a long trek.The Canucks (18-6-5) have been one of the surprise teams in the early part of the NHL schedule. And once the road trip is out of the way, they can look forward to a break. They begin a four-game homestand Saturday night against the New York Rangers and play nine of their next 11 at home, where they are 7-3-1 this season.Coach Willie Desjardins said an extended trip can be good for the team in the long run.You get these stretches, well get another (five-game trip) in March, and if youre ever fortunate enough to get to the playoffs, you get it again, said Desjardins. Its a good way for your team to learn and be prepared for that, because in the end youve got to find a way to win every night. It doesnt matter what the situation is.Asked to assess the trip, Desjardins said: Parts of it have been good. The Toronto game (a 5-2 loss on Saturday night) I thought we played hard. We didnt play good in the Ottawa game, but the Toronto game we played hard. I thought we played hard in the Detroit game (a 5-3 loss). Youre not happy about losing, but at least we had good effort in those games.The trip has been memorable for rookie Bo Horvat, who found it longer than any he went on in junior hockey with the London Knights. Its awesome, he said. I only got to see three or four NHL rinks over the past years, so to be playing in all these rinks and seeing the different cities, its pretty special.To visit all these cities and to come close to home and have all the family there, its pretty cool.The 19-year-old Horvat said he has been given no indication whether he will be loaned to Team Canada for the world junior championship in Montreal and Toronto. NHL teams have until the Dec. 19 roster freeze to decide whether to loan out junior-age players. He hopes to stay with the Canucks.The low point of the Canucks trip came in Toronto, when centre Shawn Matthias left the game in the second period after taking an elbow to the head from Maple Leafs defenceman Stephane Robidas.Matthias, who missed the next game in Ottawa, took some line rushes in the game-day skate in Montreal but was uncertain to play.Im just kind of being cautious, said Matthias, who was not pleased that Robidas was not disciplined by the NHL for the hit. It was a pretty vicious hit to the head.The point of contact was my head. But I dont want to be looked upon as a complainer, so Im not going to complain about the hit. Im going to move on from it. Im not happy about not hearing anything about it, but my main focus now is to get ready to get back into the lineup and try and get to 100 per cent.He added that he felt good after the session.I thought I had a good skate, he said. I have to do some more testing and see how it goes. Im not sure when I’ll be back in. Ive got to pass the tests. JJ Redick Jersey . Bring on Freddy Garcia. The well-travelled 36-year-old right-hander earned his second NL victory since 2007, and his first since he joined the Atlanta Braves last month, pitching six innings to help beat Miami 6-1 Thursday. Wholesale 76ers Jerseys .Patterson marked his anniversary by proving his worth — once again.Lou Williams poured in 26 points, and Patterson drained two huge three-pointers late in the fourth quarter, as the Raptors topped the Denver Nuggets 112-107 in overtime Monday. http://www.cheap76ersjerseys.com/ .com) - On the bright side, either the Minnesota Wild or Buffalo Sabres will end their losing streak on Thursday night. Robert Covington Jersey .C. -- Theyll remember the OT from the first Syracuse-Duke game -- and the Ts that decided Round 2. Zhaire Smith Jersey .Y. - Everyone expected Clayton Kershaw to pitch a shutout, and he did — a unanimous choice for the NL Cy Young Award.SAN FRANCISCO - Free agent reliever Sergio Romo is closing in on a $15 million, two-year contract with the San Francisco Giants, a person with knowledge of the negotiations said Wednesday.The person spoke on condition of anonymity because a final detail remained to be worked out and the agreement was subject to a physical scheduled for Thursday. Romo could earn an additional $500,000 annually in performance bonuses based on games finished.The 31-year-old right-hander has spent all seven of his big league seasons with San Francisco, helping the Giants win three World Series championships in the past five years. He went 6-4 with a 3.72 ERA with 23 saves in 64 outings last season as San Francisco earned the wild card and went on to win it all againsst Kansas City.ddddddddddddRomo and Santiago Casilla have shared the closer job in recent years, with Casilla again taking over ninth-inning duties in 2014 after Romo blew three saves in June — a move by manager Bruce Bochy that paid off down the stretch.Giants general manager Brian Sabean had a strict to-do list in what has been a quiet off-season so far for the reigning champions. It all began with trying to re-sign third baseman Pablo Sandoval, who received a $95 million, five-year deal from Boston last month, saying he needed a new challenge.San Francisco was in the running for left-hander Jon Lester at the winter meetings earlier this month, but the pitcher opted to join the Chicago Cubs on a $155 million, six-year contract. Cheap Buffalo Sabres Gear Wholesale Calgary Flames Jerseys Cheap Adidas Colorado Avalanche Jerseys Montreal Canadiens Outlet Store Wholesale New Jersey Devils Jerseys Adidas Arizona Coyotes Jerseys Cheap Adidas Boston Bruins Jerseys Cheap Adidas Carolina Hurricanes Jerseys Chicago Blackhawks Shop Free Shipping Wholesale Columbus Blue Jackets Jerseys Dallas Stars Shop Free Shipping Cheap Adidas Detroit Red Wings Jerseys Anaheim Ducks Jerseys China Wholesale Edmonton Oilers Jerseys Florida Panthers Shop Free Shipping Wholesale Los Angeles Kings Jerseys Minnesota Wild Outlet Store Cheap Adidas Nashville Predators Jerseys Cheap Adidas New York Islanders Jerseys New York Rangers Winter Classic Jerseys Cheap Adidas Ottawa Senators Jerseys Cheap Adidas Philadelphia Flyers Jerseys Wholesale Pittsburgh Penguins Jerseys Cheap Adidas San Jose Sharks Jerseys St. Louis Blues Winter Classic Jerseys Wholesale Tampa Bay Lightning Jerseys Toronto Maple Leafs Outlet Store Vancouver Canucks Outlet Store Cheap Adidas Vegas Golden Knights Jerseys Cheap Adidas Washington Capitals Jerseys Cheap Adidas Winnipeg Jets Jerseys ' ' '