Silva: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for NFC teams.
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
Ryan Callahan scored for the fifth time in four days and defenseman Ryan McDonagh snapped a second-period tie to lift the New York Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Sunday.
Kobe Bryant hit a baseline jump shot with 4.2 seconds left and the Los Angeles Lakers wrapped up a six-game road trip by holding on to beat the Raptors 94-92 on Sunday, their eighth victory in nine meetings with Toronto
Arc's five up, five down: After No. 11 Michigan State's 58-48 upset of No. 3 Ohio State, you'd be a fool to discount the Spartans' national title chances now.
Miami coach Al Golden says the worst is behind him, but his headaches figure to continue now that former booster Nevin Shapiro, now in jail, says his involvement with the Hurricanes program will result in stiff penalties.
Golf's dream pairing - Woods and Mickelson - is on the course in the final round at Pebble Beach. Jason Sobel has hole-by-hole reports.
The United States completed a 5-0 rout of Switzerland in the Davis Cup on Sunday, with 19-year-old Ryan Harrison and John Isner winning closing singles matches.
Euro Roundup: First-place Manchester City won 1-0 at Aston Villa on Sunday on Joleon Lescott's goal in the 63rd minute, maintaining its two-point lead over Manchester United in the Premier League.
Tessa Worley of France fought off gusting winds to win a second consecutive World Cup giant slalom Sunday in the Andorran Pyrenees. Overall leader Lindsey Vonn was more than a second behind and finished eighth.
Robins: It’s the Year of the Dragon on the Lunar calendar, and this Chinese influence could extend to it also being the year of the Pekingese on the green carpet at the 136th Westminster Dog Show on Tuesday.
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NEW YORK - One can excuse the Anaheim Ducks if they look at Big Ben a bit differently.
Regardless of what time London’s 316-foot clock-tower displays, the calendar will read September 29, marking the earliest start to a National Hockey League season.
The Stanley Cup champion Ducks will open the league’s 90th anniversary season with a two-game series against the Los Angeles Kings at the O2 Arena in London. It marks the first time the NHL will hold a regular-season game in Europe.
The Ducks will return to North America and play three road contests before hoisting the Stanley Cup banner in their home opener against the Boston Bruins on October 10.
Anaheim also will host the Ottawa Senators in a Stanley Cup Finals rematch on March 3. Ironically, the teams did not meet in the regular season in 2006-07.
The Ducks are in great demand, serving as the opening-night opponents for three teams - the Detroit Red Wings on October 3, the Columbus Blue Jackets on October 5 and the Pittsburgh Penguins a day later. October 6 serves as the busiest day of the season, with all but two of the NHL’s 30 clubs in action.
Speaking of strange bedfellows, the Buffalo Sabres will “welcome” the return of Daniel Briere and his new team, the Philadelphia Flyers, when the clubs play a home-and-home series beginning at HSBC Arena on December 21.
The Flyers inked Briere to an eight-year contract reportedly worth $52 million on July 1, the first day of the NHL’s free-agent signing period.
Buffalo also will receive its first look at its other former co-captain in center Chris Drury when it visits the New York Rangers on January 16. Drury signed a five-year deal with the Rangers reportedly worth $35.25 million.
Speaking of the Rangers, they will reintroduce center Scott Gomez to the New Jersey Devils on October 25. After spending his first seven seasons with the Devils, Gomez joined Drury on the Rangers on July 1, inking a seven-year deal reportedly worth $51.5 million.
Gomez’s first game against his former club marks the finale of the Devils’ nine-game road trip to start the season.
Two nights later, the Devils will open the new Prudential Center in Newark against the Eastern Conference champion Senators, the same team that ended New Jersey’s tenure at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford in the conference semifinals.
The New York Islanders will not have to wait long to pay Jason Blake a visit. The Isles face their leading scorer from 2006-07 when they meet his Toronto Maple Leafs on October 11.
Toronto signed the coveted All-Star center to a five-year contract worth reportedly $20 million on July 1.
The Islanders will see former left wing Ryan Smyth when they travel to Denver to face the Colorado Avalanche on January 6. The man known as “Captain Canada”, who will return to Edmonton to face the Oilers on October 23, signed a five-year deal with Colorado worth reportedly $31 million on July 2.
Edmonton, meanwhile, may wish to circle January 17 on its calendar. That’s the date the Oilers will travel to Washington to meet and greet Michael Nylander and the Capitals.
The Capitals reeled in the veteran center with a four-year contract on July 2, a day after the Oilers believed they had agreed to a deal with the Swede.
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The Rangers visit the Maple Leafs on November 10 in the annual “Hall of Fame” game. Two nights later, the Hall officially will welcome Mark Messier, Ron Francis, Al MacInnis and Scott Stevens in the players category, while Jim Gregory will be added in the builders category.
The Atlanta Thrashers and Philips Arena will host the All-Star Weekend on January 26-27. All-Star Saturday, including the YoungStars Game and SuperSkills competition, will be followed by the 56th All-Star Game on Sunday.
The NHL schedule emphasizes divisional play, with each team playing eight games against its four division rivals, while playing four games against each of the 10 non-division clubs in its respective conference.
The Stanley Cup playoffs will begin on April 9 and conclude no later than June 9.
Ryan Callahan scored for the fifth time in four days and defenseman Ryan McDonagh snapped a second-period tie to lift the New York Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Sunday.
Check out highlights from the Rangers 3-2 win over the Capitals.
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Wesseling: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for AFC teams.
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Silva: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for NFC teams.
