Drake Bell » New Hampshire but never in the NHL, van Riemsdyk m

CALGARY -- Jamie Gregg went blade-to-blade with the reigning world and Olympic champion at the opening World Cup speedskating event of the season. And while the Edmonton skater earned bronze in the mens 500 metres, he was agonizingly close to standing higher on the podium. Gregg was paired with Tae-Bum Mo of South Korea, this years world champion in the distance. The two men played cat-and-mouse to start the race. Mos opening strides were quicker, but Gregg caught him at 100 metres. Their finish seemed a dead heat, but Mo actually edged Gregg by three thousandths of a second. Ronald Mulder of the Netherlands knocked Mo out of gold-medal position two pairings later in a time of 34.41 seconds. Mos time was 34.52.3 ahead of Greggs 34.52.6. Gregg will race another 500 on Sunday at the Oval and aims for a medal upgrade. "Every World Cup, including this one, in Calgary Ive won a medal so Im happy with that," Gregg said. "Theyve all been bronze so I want to make it a little better than that. Im always getting beat out by the thousandths in Calgary." Greggs bronze was Canadas lone medal on the first day of racing. He lost speed to the South Korean on the turn coming into the home stretch at the Olympic Oval. "You go into the year not really knowing who is going to go fast," Gregg said. "You see some times, but now everyone is at the World Cup and everyone has peaked, so you get to see where you are in the world a little bit. "To know that Im up there with even a less-than-ideal race, it gives me lots of confidence going forward." Sang-Hwa Lee of South Korea won the womens 500 in 39.91 seconds, which was .11 off her world record. Claudia Pechstein of Germany was the winner of the womens 3,000 metres in three minutes 59.04. Koen Verweij of the Netherlands took the mens 1,500 metres in one minute 42.78 seconds ahead of runner-up and world-record holder Shani Davis of the U.S. in 1:43.11. Denny Morrison of Fort St. John, B.C., was the world champion in the 1,500 two years ago, but broke his leg cross-country skiing midway through last season. Morrison says his leg his fully healed, but hes race rusty and finished 11th in a time of 1:44.42. "If you would have talked to me after a race like this in 2009, I would probably hardly have talked to you guys and probably would be freaking out throwing things around the change room," Morrison told reporters. "That doesnt help anything. All I can do is be motivated by what happened and use that to help me focus on what I need to do next. I dont think its discouraging. I know I have a few things to work on. Im pretty sure I can identify what they are already." The Essent ISU World Cup continues Saturday with another womens 500 metres, the mens 1,000 metres and the womens 1,500 metres. Olympic 1,000-metre champion Christine Nesbitt of London, Ont., will race that distance Sunday. The speedskaters can gain Olympic berths for their countries at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, during the first four World Cups of the 2013-14 season. Canada could take a maximum of 20 skaters to Sochi in February, but has to earn those spots through World Cup results. Nesbitt was 13th and Marsha Hudey of Regina 19th in the womens 500. Winnipegs Brittany Schussler and Ottawas Ivanie Blondin finished 13th and 16th respectively in the womens 3,000. Saskatoons Lucas Makowsky was 17th in the mens 1,500. William Dutton of Regina was 15th in the mens 500. Gregg is the son of former Edmonton Oilers defenceman Randy Gregg and two-time Olympic speed skater Kathy (Vogt) Gregg. His sister Jessica is a short-track speedskater who won Olympic silver in the relay in 2010. Jamie Gregg was eighth in the 500 in 2010. The 28-year-old captured his first World Cup gold medal in 2012 in Berlin. Hes Canadas heir-apparent to Jeremy Wotherspoon in the 500 metres, although Wotherspoon is attempting a comeback and intends to race at Olympic trials this winter. "Ill step into that role," Gregg said. "We have a lot of young guys coming up and Jeremy is also coming back to try and take it back from me so Ive got to fight him off as well. I love the competition. We have some really fast guys." Wotherspoon and Gregg are in-laws, as Gregg is married to Jeremys sister Danielle Wotherspoon. Speed Skating Canada will hold Olympic trials in late December and early January in Calgary, but some countries will choose their Olympic speedskaters based on their results at World Cups. Pechstein says shes qualified for her sixth Winter Games because of her victory in the 3,000. The 41-year-old wants a 10th Olympic medal in Sochi. Shes won five gold, two silver and a pair of bronze in an Olympic career that started in 1992 in Albertville, France. Pechstein did not race in Vancouver. The International Skating Union banned her for two years in 2009 based on irregularities in her blood, although she hadnt tested positive for illegal substances. The most successful German Olympian fought her sanction in both the Court of Arbitration for Sport and in Swiss federal court, but was not allowed to race in Vancouver. Pechstein was the 5,000 metre champion in 2002 and would have competed against Canadas Clara Hughes, the 2006 Olympic champion. Hughes won bronze in Vancouver. Pechstein resumed winning world championship medals in 2011 after serving her suspension. She is currently suing the ISU for loss of income. "When I get a victory, its good for me and I think the ISU doesnt like it," Pechstein said. "Its also good motivation for me. "For me, I can go so relaxed. I never used doping, never used any illegal things. This I know. This is a nice comeback with this today and last season and two years ago too. For me, I can stand up every morning and look in the mirror and Im clear. This is the important thing." Josh Archibald Jersey . It led to his downfall on Tuesday. The Major League Soccer club fired Rennie after a second straight up-and-down season that saw the Whitecaps start strong before limping across the finish line. Christian Dvorak Jersey . LOUIS -- The St. http://www.officialcoyotesfanstore.com/a...coyotes-jersey/. Dwyane Wade took over in the fourth quarter. Nick Cousins Jersey . The Toronto Maple Leafs were holding a news conference, so they got curious. It didnt take long for them to find out via social media that coach Randy Carlyle was coming back — with a two-year extension — and assistants Greg Cronin, Scott Gordon and Dave Farrish were being let go. Darcy Kuemper Jersey . The Rays hope to stay alive for the postseason and salvage the finale of this series Sunday at Rogers Centre, where they dropped a 7-2 decision Saturday. Chris Archer lasted 2 1/3 innings in the no-decision, charged with a run and five hits, and Alex Torres suffered the loss in relief.VANCOUVER – A day that began dark, gloomy and full of rain finished that same way for the Leafs. Not only did they suffer their worst defeat of the year -- shutout for the first time this season as a three-game winning streak came to an end -- they also lost Dave Bolland to a scary injury that will severely hamper the club at centre moving forward. "Terrible game for us," said Randy Carlyle, outwardly peeved at his teams performance in a 4-0 loss to the Canucks on Saturday evening. "Probably the worst game weve played this year." "Thats probably not too far off of an assessment," James van Riemsdyk agreed, the dreadful effort coming exactly one week after the Leafs beat Pittsburgh in arguably their best game of the season. Pounded in more ways than one early, often and throughout a dreary affair at Rogers Arena – they took 11 minor penalties – the Leafs were ultimately outshot 47-21. The third consecutive game theyve yielded more than 40 and the 13th time in 15 games this season where theyve managed fewer than their opponent. "Thats a theme and were not happy about it," said Carlyle with frustration. James Reimer was sharp early and kept the game close throughout, but even he could not withstand the constant barrage of Vancouver shots. The Canucks fired 18 in the first, 12 in the second and another 17 in the third. Reimer made 44 saves, following up a 43-save shutout in Edmonton earlier in the week. "Weve got to find a way to play better for these goalies," David Clarkson said of Reimer and Jonathan Bernier. "Both these two have stood on their head for us and been unbelievable all season." It took eight minutes for the Leafs to land their first shot on goal – the shot clock at that point favouring the Canucks by an 11-0 margin and 1-0 lead. After some pushback late in the opening frame, the Leafs unraveled when Bolland went down on the second shift of middle period. The 27-year-old was cut by the left skate of Zack Kassian deep in the defensive zone, left hobbling on the ice as the Vancouver forward scored his teams second goal. The Canucks would add a third marker just a short while later burying the Leafs for good in the third. It was just three nights earlier, during the second leg of a three-game swing through western Canada, that the Leafs played poorly – outshot 43-22 – and yet managed a 4-2 victory, their third straight despite some underlying flaws. A concerning theme throughout an ultimately successful start, which has seen the club outshot and often outplayed but held up by terrific goaltending, special teams and accurate shooting, Saturdays lopsided defeat was probably overdue. "I dont know if I necessarily buy that," van Riemsdyk said. "Each game is a little bit different. Obviously you dont want to get outshot like that every game. Weve got to find ways to improve upon that." The wound is likely to sting for the next six days. The Leafs dont play again until Friday when they host the New Jersey Devils at the ACC. Five Points 1. Bolland injured It was the left skate of Kassian that forced Bolland from Saturdays action and damaged the Leafs further down the middle. Kassian strode in to finish a check on the Leafs centre deep in the Toronto zone, his left skate rising to slice the left leg of his opponent. Helped off the ice, Bolland eventually departed the arena on a stretcher and was due for immediate surgery to repair the laceration. Acquired from Chicago in the offseason, Bolland had been one of the teams better players to date this season, a jack of all trades for Carlyle. The Mimico, Ontario native had totaled six goals, ten points and was averaging 16-plus minutes per game in his first season in Toronto. "Obviously its a blow for us," said Jay McClement, who replaced Bolland alongside Clarkson and Mason Raymond. "Hes been really good for us in all situations." As noted further below, moving forward without Bolland will be a challenge, a further bit of adversity to a club thats faced a slew of injuries, in addition to a 10-game suspension for Clarkson, and yet managed to win. "Thats what good teams do," said Clarkson. "I think its something you can weather," Reimer added. "Winning in this league is all about competing and competing honestly. If you do those two things anybody can beat anyone. You look at some teams in the playoffs who are clearly not nearly as skilled as other teams and yet they find ways to win, why? Because they outwork them; they do little things right.dddddddddddd. Its a stupid cliché, but thats the way it is." The Maple Leaf starters combined have already missed 43 games due to injury. They missed 91 all of last season (48 game-campaign). 2. Centre ice issues Increasingly thin at centre, the Leafs move forward without their top two at the position. Sidelined the past four games with a lower-body injury, Tyler Bozak was placed on long-term injured reserve Saturday (lower-body) and wont be eligible to return until Nov. 21. That leaves the club with Nazem Kadri, Jay McClement and Trevor Smith. "I might start stretching," Nonis said with a laugh. Experience at the position within the system is sparse. Signed to a professional tryout last month, the only Marlie with NHL experience is 34-year-old Jerred Smithson (588 games). Smithson spent most of his career with Nashville, playing 35 games with the Panthers last season and 10 more with the Oilers. Playing centre at the University of New Hampshire but never in the NHL, van Riemsdyk manned the position at times in Saturdays loss. "Whatever they need me to do Im more than willing to try," he said. Though a move is highly unlikely, Phil Kessel too spent a brief game or two down the middle under Ron Wilson. 3. Accidental injury The Bolland incident mirrored a similar collision last season between Senators defender Erik Karlsson and then-Penguins forward Matt Cooke. Unlike Ottawa owner Eugene Melnyk, Leafs general manager Dave Nonis refused to point a finger at Kassian. "It would be hard for me to imagine how that was on purpose," Nonis said shortly after the game. "I guess its possible, but I dont believe it. I dont think a player would try to do that." His Achilles tendon partly sliced, Karlsson would miss ten weeks for the Senators. "I dont know the degree of severity or which tendon, but he did suffer a cut to that area," said Carlyle, recalling the Karlsson incident. Back in Nov. 2011, the Leafs endured a similar injury to Dion Phaneuf. Weeks into his first season as captain, Phaneuf was cut by the skate of then-Senators forward Peter Regin. He would miss 16 games with a left leg laceration. 4. Reimers fight Under siege all night, Reimer managed to keep his team alive until the final hammer from Dan Hamhuis late in the third period. His efforts were most impressive during a furious Vancouver start. Having already turned down Mike Santorelli and Christopher Higgins on an odd-man rush, Reimer made the best save of the Leafs season. Moving left to right as the play developed, the 25-year-old extended his right leg out, his right skate keeping an Alex Burrows shot from crossing the goal-line. "He had four feet to shoot at," said Reimer with some degree of pride. "Luckily he put it back and it got my skate. Youve got to do that as a goaltender; youve got to compete, youve got to battle and youve got to try and stop the puck. Nine times out of ten youre not going to make that save, but today was the tenth one." Making his first career start in the month of November (odd, but true), Reimer dropped his first decision of the season, now 4-1-0 on the year. He holds a .942 save percentage, good for third overall at the position. 5. Kessel Scrap It was nearly four years ago that Phil Kessel last fought in the NHL. Kessel scrapped for the second time in his NHL career against the Canucks, trading attempted punches with Alex Burrows in the opening period. The 26-year-old fought Kris Russell in Columbus on Dec. 3, 2009. Stat-Pack 47 – Shots for the Canucks, the most the Leafs have allowed all season. 54-27 – Shot attempt advantage for the Canucks at even-strength on Saturday. 36.8 – Average shots against the Leafs this season. 75- Minor penalties for the Leafs this season, most in the league. They took 11 on Saturday. -10.7 – Shot differential between the Leafs and their opponents this season. 1st – NHL game for James Reimer in the month of November. 87.1 – Leaf penalty kill this season, good for fourth-best overall. Special Teams Capsule PP: 0-4 PK: 8-9 Quote of the Night "Terrible game for us. Probably the worst game weve played this year." -Randy Carlyle on his teams performance against Vancouver. Up Next The Leafs wait six days before finally hosting the Devils on Friday. ' ' '