Two weeks of the NHLs regular season

The real losses have begun. Marshawn Lynch Youth Jersey. Two weeks of the NHLs regular season was wiped off the calendar Thursday and it appears almost certain those wont be the only meaningful games sacrificed during the lockout. Its an all-too familiar position for the league, which attempted to strike a conciliatory tone in announcing the cancellation of the opening 82 games of the 2012-13 season. "The game deserves better, the fans deserve better and the people who derive income from their connection to the NHL deserve better," said deputy commissioner Bill Daly. "We remain committed to doing everything in our power to forge an agreement that is fair to the players, fair to the teams and good for our fans." The sport has simply been unable to break free from its recent history of labour unrest. It lost 468 games during the lockout-shortened 1994-95 season and all 1,320 regular-season games that were scheduled in 2004-05, which was wiped out in its entirety by another work stoppage. The earliest this season could start is Oct. 25. While it remains possible some of Thursdays cancelled games could still be tacked on to the schedule, it would require a major change in the direction of talks -- not to mention a quick solution. That seemed extremely unlikely with no bargaining sessions scheduled and the lockout about to enter its fourth week. The sides really havent got down to meaningful negotiations despite meeting regularly since the end of June. Donald Fehr, the NHLPAs executive director, once again criticized owners for enacting the lockout last month. He also questioned their motives in light of the cancellations. "If the owners truly cared about the game and the fans, they would lift the lockout and allow the season to begin on time while negotiations continue," said Fehr. "A lockout should be the last resort in bargaining, not the strategy of first resort. For nearly 20 years, the owners have elected to lock-out the players in an effort to secure massive concessions." The sides havent been able to find agreement on how best to split up the US$3.3 billion the NHL took in revenues last season. The league is looking for an immediate rollback on salaries while the players are pushing to have all current contracts honoured. Against that backdrop, Daly claimed earlier this week that the lockout had already cost the league almost $100 million in lost revenue. "That is not going to be recouped and thats going to cost both sides," he said after talks broke off Tuesday in New York. "Thats unfortunate but its a reality of where we are." Its only going to get worse now. The delayed start to the season will ensure players miss the first of 13 paycheques, which were scheduled to go out on Oct. 15. Owners are facing the prospect of empty buildings, missed gates and, in some cases, refunds to ticket-holders. With the industry bracing for another long work stoppage, players have scattered around the globe. More than 100 have already found jobs in Europe -- roughly 15 per cent of the unions total membership -- and that number is expected to climb now that meaningful games are gone. Some were quick to vent their frustration on Twitter after news of the cancellations was released, including reigning Vezina Trophy winner Henrik Lundqvist. The New York Rangers goalie called on Bettman and Fehr to return to the bargaining table. "Feels like Im going to practice without a purpose, and I hate it! Don and Gary, lets figure this one out! .NHLHockey .theplayers .thefans," Lundqvist wrote. Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews also spoke out about the decision. "Its another disappointing but expected move from the league," Toews told the Chicago Tribune via text from Phoenix, where he is working with his personal trainer. "This seems to be our commissioners bread and butter; its almost like he is excited to take away hockey from the fans and the players just because he can." Doom and gloom has enveloped the talks in recent weeks and fears seem to be on the rise that another full season could be lost. As recently as the Stanley Cup final in June, that notion seemed unimaginable with the league trumpeting yet another season of record revenues. However, both sides insist that all is not lost. They have maintained a regular dialogue and kept the process from getting personal, which is a notable change from 2004-05, and neither seems particularly willing to see the mistakes of the past repeated. "This is not about winning or losing a negotiation," said Daly. "This is about finding a solution that preserves the long-term health and stability of the league and the game. "We are committed to getting this done." Fehr shares that sentiment. "Its going to require sitting there and staying with it -- even if its unpleasant, even if people arent saying anything new right away, even if youd rather be doing something else -- until you find a way to do it," he said. Russell Wilson Youth Jersey. -- Alan Gordon scored in the 90th minute to give the San Jose Earthquakes a 1-1 tie with the Columbus Crew on Saturday night. Steve Largent Jersey. Rousey submitted Kaufman in just 54 seconds Saturday at "Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman" with the same move shes used to finish every opponent in her career -- an armbar -- to defend the Strikeforce womens bantamweight title. http://www.officialseattleseahawksgear.com/russell-wilson-jerseys. Financial details were not known, but the deal is still pending a physical. Rauch will likely assume the closers role for the Mets, who have been seeking someone to fill that vacancy since dealing Francisco Rodriguez to Milwaukee at last years All-Star break. Bobby Wagner Jersey. The disgruntled and injured cornerback still hasnt practiced. After skipping voluntary workouts while rehabilitating from shoulder surgery, and after the Cowboys added two prominent cornerbacks this off-season, Jenkins was at Valley Ranch on Tuesday for the start of a mandatory veteran minicamp. 12th Fan Jersey. It boils down to a risk assessment of the five cities in contention -- Istanbul, Madrid, Tokyo, Doha and Baku, Azerbaijan. The IOC executive board likely will reduce the field to three, possibly four, finalists. Tokyo, Istanbul and Madrid look certain to make the cut, with Baku a longshot and Doha the big question mark. All five contenders are previous bidders: Madrid is back for a third consecutive time, Tokyo a second time in a row and Istanbul a fifth time overall; Doha and Baku both failed to make the shortlist last time for the 2016 Games.TORONTO - The Toronto Raptors breathed a collective sigh of relief Friday. Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani poured in 19 points apiece to lead the Raptors to a 94-73 win over the Houston Rockets, snapping a four-game losing streak at the Air Canada Centre and giving Toronto just their fifth victory in their last 18 outings. "We needed that," Bosh said afterward. "Everybody was thinking about the whole New Year thing and how to start off fresh, and just get a change of momentum, and that was a good win for us. We were about overdue for it." The unlikely victory to tip off 2009 came with point guard Jose Calderon sidelined for all but the first quarter with a hamstring injury, and with Jermaine ONeal on the bench in street clothes. But the Raptors got a balanced effort in their absence, with all 12 players scoring, and for the first time in a long time stayed focused offensively and defensively for all four quarters. "I think we showed how good we can be tonight," Bosh said. "Everybody didnt really expect much out of us, no J.O., no Jose, J.K. (Jason Kapono) being nicked up a little bit - nobody expected us to win tonight. But not only did we win, we won in a convincing fashion. We have to demand that out of everybody every night." Joey Graham added 10 points, while Anthony Parker and Jake Voskuhl led Toronto in rebounding with eight apiece. Von Wafer topped the Rockets (21-13) with 18 points, all in the fourth quarter. Yao Ming added 14, while Luis Scola had 13 rebounds. The Raptors struggled mightily in December, toppling to the bottom of the Atlantic Division, and the sense of desperation around the locker-room was palpable. They finally showed a decent dose of confidence, especially during the dreaded fourth quarter, which has been their undoing this season. The Raptors led for most of the night, and took a 66-49 lead into the fourth in front of a capacity crowd of 19,800 fans at the Air Canada Centre. With the second unit on the floor for much of the final 12 minutes, Kris Humphries converted a three-point play, his basket coming from a behind-the-back pass from Roko Ukic that brought the fans to their feet and gave the Raptors a 25-point lead. Ukic then scored on a driving layup that put Toronto up 86-59 with 5:25 to go, a lead Toronto wasnt giving up on this night. The closest the Rockets would come again was 21 points, as the crowd ushered the team off the court with a standing ovation. "Im really proud of the way we continued to play the same way throughout the game," Bosh said. The win was No. 5 out of 16 for head coach Jay Triano, who succeeded Sam Mitchell a month ago. "I was pleased with the way we played defence, we held a team that has 21 wins to 34 per cent shooting," Triano said. "Off night for them maybe, but we were gritty tonight. I think every possession there was real focus. We had a good practice defensively (Thursday) and I think that translated into the effort on the floor tonight." Calderon strained his right hamstring - the same injury that keptt him out of two games in November - just before the end of the first quarter when he was lunging for the ball. Sidney Rice Jersey He tried to return in the second, but lasted less than a minute before leaving for good with 8:07 left in the first half, finishing with five points but zero assists. "We will wait until (Saturday)," Calderon said on his injury status. "Right now, I dont have much to say. Im happy we won and theres nothing else to say." Will Solomon filled in with one of his better nights, finishing with eight points and seven assists. "Will played a great game, hes good," Bosh said. "We believe in Will and Roko and their abilities. Things like that happen during the course of the season and when that does happen we have to reach into that bench and ask them to play and those two guys, they stay ready." ONeal missed his second straight game with a sore right knee, leaving Bosh and Bargnani to battle behemoth Yao all night long. Yao shot just 5-for-12 from the floor, and the Raptors had him on his heels on the defensive end, outscoring the Rockets 11-4 on fast-break points. "We know that when hes stationary, hes probably one of the best centres in the league, but in the open court in transition, its another story, thats not to his advantage," Bosh said. "So we wanted to play a different kind of basketball." Bargnani was also a force on the offensive end, shooting 8-for-12 from the field. The Raptors shot 48 per cent on the night. "Its funny, we werent really thinking about Andrea being a big scorer tonight," Triano said. "He had a tough task guarding Yao Ming, but I thought he played him physical early. Our goal was to wear (Yao) down as the game went on." Former Raptors guard Rafer Alston called Houstons performance "ugly." "For us it was a lack of passion," Alston said. "I think that for us they need to start handing out pink slips and fines the way we have been approaching our games." Asked if he felt the Rockets were on the same page, he replied, "Not at all, not one bit. . . It is sad and unfortunate." The Raptors got out to a strong start, shooting 50 per cent in the first quarter while holding Houston to just seven baskets. The Rockets led briefly midway through the frame but the Raptors ended the quarter with a 14-2 run to take a 25-14 advantage into the second. With Calderon out of the game, the Rockets pulled to within a point early in the second, but a dunk by Graham sparked a 17-6 Raptors run that put Toronto up 12 points en route to a 48-38 lead at halftime. NOTES: Former football star Doug Flutie and Jesse Palmer, former NFL quarterback and star of The Bachelor, were at the game. . . The Raptors host the Orlando Magic on Sunday before heading to Milwaukee to face the Bucks on Monday, the first of two on the road. They play at Washington on Wednesday. . . Fridays game featured three Olympic medallists in Bosh (gold, US), Calderon (silver, Spain), and Scola, who won bronze with Argentina. ' ' '