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 three goals as the New York Rangers beat Philadelphia 5-2 on Saturday for their seventh straight win over the Flyers.
Jeremy Lin hit a free throw with 4.9 seconds left to overcome a dreadful second half and lift the New York Knicks to their fifth straight victory, 100-98, over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night.
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.
CFT: Jordan Jefferson makes it clear he wasn't happy with LSU's game plan in the Tigers' BCS Championship Game loss to Alabama.
Move over, Hollywood and NFL types, golf's two real A-listers take center stage Sunday at Pebble Beach, both in need of a win.
The United States swept favored Switzerland out of the Davis Cup on Saturday when Mardy Fish and Mike Bryan beat Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.
Luis Suarez's refusal to shake hands with Patrice Evra overshadowed Manchester United's 2-1 win over rival Liverpool that lifted the defending champions to first place in the Premier League on Saturday.
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.
APVincent Lecavalier is the best player in the National Hockey League.
No offense to Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby, who has captured imaginations with his youth and dynamic skills. But Lecavalier's skills are dazzling, too, and he is bigger, stronger and more experienced and probably plays harder minutes given his physical style and the way he is defended.
He also can take over a game like -- well, as former Devils coach Pat Burns said -- Mario Lemieux.
"I hate to make comparisons because sometimes it's not fair to the player," Burns said during a Lightning game at St. Pete Times Forum. "But the only guy that comes to mind is Mario Lemieux. He can change a whole game and take control of it."
Coaching legend Scotty Bowman, who like Burns lives in the Tampa area, also is on a growing bandwagon.
So is Hockey Night in Canada analyst and former coach Don Cherry.
Fame has taken a while for Lecavalier, who at 16 was tagged as Canada's No. 1 junior prospect. At 18, the talented center became the No. 1 overall pick of the 1998 draft, and he was playing in the NHL that fall.
Expectations for Lecavalier were huge, but so was the learning curve. He especially struggled when John Tortorella replaced Steve Ludzik as Lightning coach midway through the 2000-01 season.
Lacavalier and Tortorella butted heads. Tortorella demanded that the 6-4, 219-pound Lecavalier play a complete game, which included forechecking, backchecking, defending the puck and creating time and space by continually moving his feet.
After Lecavalier played the 2004-05 lockout season in Russia, he couldn't wait to get back and play in Tortorella's system.
Mentally, at last, he was ready to shine.
Lecavalier had a breakout season in 2006-07, when he led the NHL with 52 goals and scored a career-high 108 points. Many credit that to linemate Martin St. Louis, who Lecavalier says forced him to skate harder and faster to keep up.
The league's leading scorer (22 goals, 29 assists and 51 points) protects the puck with uncommon strength and a backside he sticks out like a road block. His shot is underrated, he can fight, and he plays in all situations, including on the first penalty-killing unit.
Lecavalier's streak of eight consecutive multipoint games earlier this season was the longest since Jaromir Jagr's 10-game streak in 1996.
And his desire matches his skills. As Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur says, "You don't get too many guys who are so mobile, who are so physical and want to be so good."
For Burns, nobody matches Lecavalier in the way he imposes his will on a game. After the 27-year-old Quebec native had four points in one period against the Hurricanes, Burns said: "If I was to start a hockey franchise and I had the first pick overall, I'd take Vinny."
"That's really nice," Lecavalier says, "but I have to say there are many good players."
Lecavalier, though, is the best.
Ryan Callahan scored three goals as the New York Rangers beat Philadelphia 5-2 on Saturday for their seventh straight win over the Flyers.
ProHockeyTalk headlines |
 | Video: NHL from NBC Sports |
 Gretzky says Cup race is wide open In the latest NHL Network news update, Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky talks about the division races and how 22 teams have a shot to win it all this year. |
 | Slideshow |
 | NHL All-Stars Take a look at the players who competed in Team Chara's 12-9 victory over Team Alfredsson. more photos |
| Slideshow |
 | more photos |
| Slideshow |
 | more photos |
| Slideshow |
 |
| Slideshow |
 | more photos |
 | Slideshow |
 |
The Week in Sports Pictures The Giants on top of the football world, getting ready for the London Olympics and more. more photos |
Jeremy Lin hit a free throw with 4.9 seconds left to overcome a dreadful second half and lift the New York Knicks to their fifth straight victory, 100-98, over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night.
Doron Lamb hit a 3-pointer with 3:18 left to put No. 1 Kentucky ahead to stay, and the Wildcats took a big step toward a Southeastern Conference regular-season title by beating Vanderbilt 69-63 Saturday night for their 17th straight win.
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.
