Super Bowl XLVI
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.
Adreian Payne scored 15 points, Draymond Green added 12 and No. 11 Michigan State beat No. 3 Ohio State 58-48 Saturday night, ending the Buckeyes' 39-game home winning streak.
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.
Marlies Schild of Austria won her sixth World Cup slalom of the season Saturday after overall leader Lindsey Vonn and defending champion Maria Hoefl-Riesch crashed out in the opening run on the windy Pyrenees course.
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.
AP
Stanley Cups: 11
2008-'09 record: 51-21-10, 112 points (1st in Central, 3rd in West)
2008-'09 playoffs: Def. Columbus Blue Jackets 4-0, def. Anaheim Ducks 4-3, def. Chicago Blackhawks 4-1, lost to Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3
General manager: Ken Holland (544-232-126, 12th NHL year, 1st team)
Coach: Mike Babcock (282-153-57, 7th NHL year, 2nd team)
Captain: Nicklas Lidstrom
Top returning scorer: C Pavel Datsyuk (32 goals, 65 assists, 97 points)
Top returning goalie: Chris Osgood (26-9-8, 3.09, .887)
Key additions: RW Patrick Eaves; RW Jeremy Williams; RW Todd Bertuzzi.
Key subtractions: G Ty Conklin; RW Marian Hossa; RW Tomas Kopecky; RW Mikael Samuelsson; RW Jiri Hudler; D Chris Chelios; RW Darren McCarty; RW Aaron Downey.
Top line: LW Johan Franzen; C Henrik Zetterberg; RW Dan Cleary
Top defensive pairing: Nicklas Lidstrom, Brain Rafalski
Goaltending: Osgood endured the worst regular season of his career, then rebounded to play so well in the playoffs and would have won the Conn Smythe Trophy had the Wings captured the Stanley Cup. Solid positional netminder with quick reflexes joined Terry Sawchuk as only goalies to win 300 games as a Red Wing.
Player to watch: RW Ville Leino. Finnish Elite League MVP in 2007-08 will be counted on to replace the combined 82 goals lost via the departure of free agents Marian Hossa, Mikael Samuelsson and Jiri Hudler. Posted 5-4-9 numbers during brief 13-game stint with Wings last season. Creative with puck and a deadly finisher around the net.
Icing: Lidstrom had his run of three straight Norris Torphy wins snapped by Boston's Zdeno Chara, but was a finalist for the 10th time in 11 seasons with six trophy wins. Lidstrom, the only European captain of a Cup champion, was third among NHL defenseman with 59 points — including 16 goals. He needs three points to become the eighth NHL defenseman with 1,000. Datsyuk, fourth in league scoring last season, won multiple awards for the second straight year, taking the Lady Byng and Selke. He is the first player to win both in consecutive seasons.
Outlook: The Wings lost a lot of offense, but should still have enough to hold off Chicago and win the Central title again. But don’t expect another long playoff run out of them this spring.
Prediction: 103 points (1st in Central, 2nd seed in West)
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Ryan Callahan scored three goals as the New York Rangers beat Philadelphia 5-2 on Saturday for their seventh straight win over the Flyers.
Mike Smith stopped 38 shots for his third shutout this season and the Phoenix Coyotes beat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-0 Saturday night.
 | 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. |
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Adreian Payne scored 15 points, Draymond Green added 12 and defense-minded No. 11 Michigan State beat No. 3 Ohio State 58-48 Saturday night, ending the Buckeyes' 39-game home winning streak.
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.
Trae Golden scored 17 points, Jeronne Maymon added 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Tennessee upset No. 8 Florida 75-70 Saturday, ending the Gators' home-winning streak at 19.
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