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Geregistreerd op: 11 Apr 2017
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| LOS ANGELES, Calif. Isaiah Crowell Browns Jersey . - Rob Blake stood under a spotlight Saturday night and recalled his NHL debut in 1990. He remembered pulling on his first Los Angeles Kings jersey and skating out onto the Forum ice, dreaming of hanging his name and number high overhead.From Day One, I wanted to be up there one day, Blake said.A quarter-century later, the bruising defenceman made it.The Kings retired Blakes No. 4 jersey in a warm pregame ceremony, raising a banner honouring the Hockey Hall of Famer who delivered huge hits and scored big goals on their blue line for parts of 14 seasons.The Kings recognized Blake during a ceremony before the defending Stanley Cup champions game against the Anaheim Ducks at Staples Center. Roughly 40 former teammates and family members took the ice to recognize the versatile defenceman who served as Los Angeles captain for six seasons.In my wildest dreams, I didnt think it would feel this good, said Blake, now an assistant general manager for the franchise.Blake is the sixth player whose jersey has been retired by the Kings, a Second Six franchise that joined the NHL in 1967. Los Angeles also has retired the numbers of Marcel Dionne, Rogie Vachon, Dave Taylor, Wayne Gretzky and Luc Robitaille.I knew back then that we would stand here one day, from that first game I played with him, Robitaille said.The honour caused Blake to reflect on hockeys proliferation in Southern California in the past 25 years. The Kings and Ducks have combined to win three Stanley Cup titles in the past eight years, and youth hockey is positively booming in the Southland, sending numerous players to the games highest levels.The Kings recent success is particularly sweet to Blake — and not just because he works for the team again.The way the franchise has gone, believe me, with the team thats on the ice tonight with two Cups in the last three years, youre going to see a lot of those jerseys up there, Blake said.Blake leads the franchise in points, goals and assists by a defenceman, and he won the Kings first Norris Trophy in 1998. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame last year.Not bad for a fourth-round pick from Simcoe, Ontario, who played at Bowling Green with slow-developing dreams of NHL stardom.Blake developed into an elite defenceman in the early 1990s during the Kings best previous run of team success before the current club, which has won two Stanley Cup titles in the last three years. Current Kings captain Dustin Brown played alongside Blake before the defenceman notoriously left for San Jose for his final two NHL seasons.We feel that youre finally back where you belong, where it all started, as a member of the L.A. Kings family, a visibly emotional Brown said during the ceremony. You taught us what it was to be a pro, and you showed us what it really meant to be a teammate.The Kings reached the 1993 Stanley Cup finals and lost, but Blake treasured the chance to play alongside Gretzky, Taylor and Larry Robinson, his childhood idol.I remember walking into the Forum for the first time and seeing him coming up and introducing himself to me, like, Hi, Im Larry, Blake said. Well, I knew that for the past 15 years. So it was special, for sure.The seven-time NHL All-Star and Olympic gold medallist was a vicious hitter and an opportunistic scorer, leading the Kings through several mediocre seasons. When Staples Center opened in 1999, Blake bought a luxury suite for Kings games and donated the tickets to charities.No person has meant more to me and my career than Rob, and no player benefited more from playing with Rob than me, said Mattias Norstrom, Blakes defence partner and successor as Kings captain.When the white banner was raised, Blake invited Norstrom to stand on his left side — their familiar alignment for all those years on the ice.Blake won the Stanley Cup with Colorado in 2001, highlighting a productive five-year tenure with the Avalanche. Blake returned to the Kings amid much fanfare in 2006, only to leave the struggling club again in 2008 to play his final two seasons with the Sharks.Many Kings fans expressed bitterness about Blakes two departures from Los Angeles, booing him regularly in his returns. But in July 2013, Kings general manager Dean Lombardi hired Blake as a vice-president and assistant GM, bringing him back to the franchise.Blake realizes some Kings fans still havent forgiven him, and thats fine with him.The good thing about fans in general — if youre not wearing their jersey, theyre not going to be happy, Blake said. And thats the way they should be. They back their team and look after it. Im on their team now, but at least Im out of shouting distance. Gary Barnidge Womens Jersey . -- Arizona came out of its last meeting with California a bit discombobulated, hurting from its first loss and the loss of forward Brandon Ashley for the rest of the season. Duke Johnson Browns Jersey . Howard hit a three-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the Philadelphia Phillies to a 6-3 win over the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday night. http://www.nflbrownsgearofficial.com/isaiah-crowell-jersey/ . Arsenal had already scored its goals in the third round fixture when the fierce rivalry turned ugly in the final ten minutes as Walcott was being carried off on a stretcher. GUADALAJARA, Mexico -- Lexi Thompson won the Lorena Ochoa Invitational on Sunday for her second victory in her last four starts, birdieing the final hole to beat Stacy Lewis by a stroke. The 18-year-old Thompson made a 5-foot putt on the par-5 18th, then won when Lewis missed her 5-foot try. "First off, I had like a 50- to 60-footer for the first one, which was interesting getting up there within a few feet," Thompson said. "You know on the second putt, thats what it all came down to thinking I can make it and went up to it confidently. Just knock it in." The third-ranked Lewis, a three-time winner this year, had a 68. "I knew I had to make it," Lewis said about her birdie try on the final hole. "I had a good line on it, just with these greens, those downhill putts are the hardest ones to make. I hit a good putt. I hit it where I wanted to. It just didnt go in." Thompson closed with a 3-under 69 to finish at 16-under 272 at Guadalajara Country Club. She won the 2011 LPGA Navistar Classiic at 16, and took the LPGA Malaysia last month for her second tour title. Browns Hoodie. So Yeon Ryu was third at 13 under after a 69. Top-ranked Inbee Park finished fourth at 11 under to wrap up the points-based player of the year award with one event left. She is the first South Korean player to win the award. "I said all year, there should have been at least two or three girls that already won the award, but nobody really did it," said Park, who shot 69. "Its just really hard to believe and Im just very lucky I won." Lewis birdied Nos. 12-14 to take a one-stroke lead, but dropped into a tie with Thompson with a bogey on the par-3 17th. "Stacy is an amazing player," Thompson said. "I knew she could make a run at me any time during that round. When she made the two-shot swing on me, I think on No. 12, it brought it back to all squared. I knew I had to make birdies on top of her because she gets on a roll and she doesnt stop. Shes an amazing player and played great today." Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' ' |
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