Erschienene Romane » one on Hamiltons Brandon Stewart. Mont

Sam Gagner had heard his name in trade talk for quite some time, but even he couldnt have expected this. Gagner was traded twice Sunday, first from the Edmonton Oilers to Tampa Bay and then from the Lightning to the Arizona Coyotes. Edmonton got Teddy Purcell, the Lightning got a sixth-round pick and salary-cap space and the 24-year-old centre got to experience a "roller-coaster of emotions." "I was talking to my agent, and he had said when Tampa traded for me that there might be something else going on," Gagner said. "So it was something I was prepared for. I wasnt really expecting to be traded (again) today. But its one of those things that happens in sports, and I guess youve got to be ready for it at all times." Trading Gagner, who has two years left on his contract at a cap hit of $4.8 million, now was important to Edmonton because his no-trade clause was set to kick in July 1. Coyotes general manager Don Maloney said he got a call from Oilers counterpart Craig MacTavish early Sunday, but by the time he called back to discuss Gagner there was already a verbal agreement with Steve Yzerman on a trade to Tampa Bay. By sending Purcell, a 28-year-old winger, to the Oilers, the Lightning shed themselves of his $4.5 million cap hit over the next two seasons. The St. Johns, N.L., native has 228 points in 401 regular-season games and 18 in 22 playoff games. The Lightning were prepared to buy out Gagners contract, but that plan was put on hold when Maloney expressed interest in the London, Ont., native whom the Coyotes coveted for some time but saw his salary as a bit too rich for their blood. Still, they wanted to get something done. "(The Lightning) were trying to free up some cap space to do some other things, which obviously they did when they traded Teddy Purcell," Maloney said on a conference call late Sunday night. "Basically we hung up the phone, I said (to Yzerman), Im going to have a beer, you go have a glass of wine and if you can come up with an idea, call me back." Maloney and his staff came up with the idea of putting gritty winger B.J. Crombeen and his $1.15-million cap hit in the trade, and it got done once Tampa Bay agreed to retain one-third of Gagners salary and cap hit, which would have been the price had he been bought out. The Coyotes could have waited for Tuesdays start of the free-agent signing period to take a run at Gagner, but that wasnt a risk Maloney was willing to take. "That concerned me," he said. "As were looking and exploring how we help our centre ice and whats happening right now, it scared me to death." So the Coyotes paid a small price in the form of a sixth-rounder in next years draft to make it happen and not worry about paying a free-agent premium or losing Gagner to another team. "It came together in a hurry," Maloney said. "I think theres three of us that feel pretty good about our day so far." None of the three general managers involved in Gagners moves Sunday are finished. MacTavish shipping Gagner out of Edmonton, though, was no small step forward in his retooling effort. Gagner, the sixth overall pick in 2007, seemed to be just outside the Oilers core, which includes Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jordan Eberle. He has 295 points in 481 games, all with the Oilers, including 10 goals and 27 assists last season. That kind of production isnt something Gagner is proud of and is hoping for a bounce-back season. The setting for that will now be the Arizona desert. Edmonton moving on from Gagner wasnt terribly surprising to him, given the franchises playoff drought that pre-dates his entering the league. "You have to expect things to happen when the team hasnt done well," Gagner said on a conference call. "Theres going to be change when things dont go well. I expected that at some point I might be part of it." Drafting big German centre Leon Draisaitl third overall Friday night might have been enough to convince MacTavish it was time to move Gagner. "I think (Draisaitl) helps us fill a need, gives us an opportunity to have a strong centreman with some size that can play ahead of or behind the Nuge, whatever way it works, and well give him that opportunity," director of amateur scouting Stu MacGregor said Saturday in Philadelphia. In Arizona, Gagner will get the opportunity to replace Mike Ribeiro, who was bought out of the final four seasons of his contract for what Maloney called "behavioural issues." Gagner should get power-play time and a chance to provide the hard-working, well-coached Coyotes with an offensive spark. "We got him for his offensive instincts and creativity," Maloney said. "Players can learn to play better defence. Its very difficult to learn to be more intelligent and more creative." At 24, Gagner could still have room to grow. Maloney hopes he can become more than just a 40-to-50-point player along the way. Thats what Gagner was with the Oilers, who did not make the playoffs in any of his seven NHL seasons. He would have liked things to work out in Edmonton but understood something had to give when they didnt. "We didnt have much success as a team and theres going to be a lot of changes that comes from that," he said. "It doesnt work out everywhere all the time." It wasnt going to work out in Tampa, where the Lightning were manoeuvring for free agency with a series of moves Sunday. In addition to sending Purcell to Edmonton and Gagner and Crombeen to Arizona, they traded forward Nate Thompson and his $1.6-million cap hit to the Anaheim Ducks for fourth- and seventh-round picks in next years draft. All told and including retaining a portion of Gagners salary, Tampa Bay cleared $5.65 million in cap space. Its believed that Yzerman is looking for a right-handed-shooting defenceman and could also be targeting a winger to play alongside Steven Stamkos. That will have to wait until Tuesday when teams are able to sign free agents. By the time Sunday was over, three teams got to be satisfied with their respective hauls. "Obviously Edmonton got what they needed, what they wanted and a real talented player in Teddy Purcell," Maloney said. "Tampa received what they needed to free up a lot of cap space, they get a draft asset and we got what we wanted, and were searching for is a young, skilled centre-iceman in Sam Gagner and really a guy weve coveted for a while in B.J. Crombeen." Mark Barberio Avalanche Jersey . Minutes after the previously winless Colts got their first win, 27-13 over Tennessee, team vice chairman Bill Polian said the four-time league MVP will not play this season though he has begun throwing to teammates at the team complex. Tyson Jost Avalanche Jersey . Brad Malone had the other goal for the Monsters (1-1-0), while Elliott chipped in an assist for a three-point night and the games first star. Bryan Lerg also had two assists. Corban Knight and Max Reinhart scored for the Heat (1-1-0), who opened their season Friday with a 5-2 win over the Monsters in Cleveland. http://www.hockeyavalanche.com/authentic-matt-nieto-avalanche-jersey/ . "Win basketball games," Collins said. He will get at least a few more chances. Collins played the final minutes of a winning home debut with the Brooklyn Nets, who cooled off the Chicago Bulls with a 96-80 victory Monday night. Matt Calvert Jersey . Nathan Beaulieu, Tomas Jurco, Danick Gauthier and Jonathan Huberdeau had a goal and an assist each as the Sea Dogs extended the longest streak in the Canadian Hockey League this season. Ian Cole Jersey . The group of Slava Fetisov, Igor Larionov, Vladimir Konstantinov, Sergei Fedorov, & Slava Kozlov were a dominant force for The Wings at one point in the 90s.HAMILTON, Ont. -- Jeremiah Masoli threw three second-half touchdown passes as the Hamilton Tiger-Cats beat the Montreal Alouettes 28-23 in the CFL exhibition opener for both teams Saturday. Masoli, entering his second CFL season, put Hamilton ahead 28-23 with a 16-yard TD pass to Sam Giguere at 9:21 of the fourth quarter at McMaster Universitys Ron Joyce Stadium. Montreal led 23-21 on Delbert Alvarados 26-yard field goal at 2:27. Masoli gave Hamilton a 21-20 advantage with two third-quarter TD strikes. He hit C.J. Gable on a six-yard pass at 6:32, then capped a 105-yard, six-play march with a 20-yard toss to Luke Tasker at 12:31. Alvarados 43-yard field goal had put Montreal ahead 20-7. Zach Collaros, Hamiltons top off-season acquisition, played the opening quarter and finished 5-of-8 passing for 52 yards and had a 13-yard run. Tyrell Sutton and Kyle Graves had the Montreal touchdowns. Sean Whyte added the converts and a field goal while Alvarado booted two. Dan LeFevour scored Hamiltons other touchdown. Brett Lauther had two converts while Justin Medlock added one. Alex Brinks nine-yard TD strike to Graves at 13:38 of the second staked Montreal to a 17-7 half-time lead. Graves, the former Acadia quarterback trying to make the Alouettes as a receiverr, scored after Whyte connected from 43 yards at 10:20 to break a 7-7 tie.dddddddddddd Sutton opened the scoring with a one-yard TD run at 9:33 of the first, set up by a pass interference call in the end zone on Hamiltons Brandon Stewart. Montreal took over at the Ticats 25-yard line after Medlock was tackled recovering an errant third-down snap resulting in a 40-yard loss on the play. LeFevour tied it with a one-yard TD run on third down on the final play of the first. It was set up by a pass interference call on Montreals Michael Carter in the end zone after Hamiltons Eric Norwood forced and recovered a fumble on a punt return. NOTES -- Former NFL star receiver Chad Johnson didnt dress for Montreal due to an ankle injury. Quarterback Troy Smith and linebackers Chip Cox -- CFLs top defensive player last year -- and Kyries Hebert also didnt suit up for the Alouettes . . . Hamilton finishes its exhibition schedule visiting the Toronto Argonauts on Thursday night at Varsity Stadium. Montreal hosts the expansion Ottawa Redblacks on Friday night . . . CFL teams must reduce their training camp rosters to 65 players by 11:59 ET on Sunday . . . Hamilton is scheduled to play its first game at the new Tim Hortons Field on July 26 hosting Ottawa. ' ' '