TORONTO -- When Gary Bettman approached Ray Emery during the Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup celebration at the White House, everyone around wondered what was going to happen.
[b]Wholesale Penguins Jerseys[/b] . The Philadelphia Flyers goaltender had drawn league-wide attention just a few days earlier for skating the length of the ice to fight an unwilling combatant in Braden Holtby. Naturally, that came up. "I said: Oh, Ray. Its good to see you. Ive been thinking about you. We had a nice chat," the commissioner said. "And I said, So just hypothetically, if there was a rule that said if you cross the red line to get into a fight with the other goaltender and you get a 10-game suspension, would you have done it? He goes, What? Are you crazy?" It might not be a 10-game suspension, but NHL general managers will discuss potential changes to fighting rules Tuesday at their annual meeting following Hall of Fame induction weekend. Bettman acknowledged that incidents like George Parros being concussed after falling during a fight with Colton Orr and what Emery did sparked plenty of debate, but he made it clear its just one of many topics on the agenda. "I think the level of dialogue gets sparked by an occasional incident, and an incident of this nature when you look at everything else that is going on in the season was really a small pebble relative to a beach full of sand, which is seeing an incredibly entertaining season," Bettman said Monday. "I think sometimes an incident, as rare as it might be, tends to get focused on disproportionately." During his remarks at the Prime Time Sports Management conference in Toronto, Bettman called fighting a "thermostat" in hockey that helps cool things down when tensions run high. "When Vinny Lecavalier was in a fight with (Jarome) Iginla ... they got mad at each other," he said during his question-and-answer session. "Id rather them be punching each other than swinging sticks at each other." One of the arguments against the abolition of fighting, or even making the punishment a game misconduct or suspension, is that it would cause more high-sticks and cheap shots. Bettman did not overtly reveal his opinion one way or the other but said that feelings on both sides of the fighting debate are "really dug in." "To say youre getting rid of fighting, Im not even sure what that means because you can change the penalty and make it more severe," he said. "That doesnt mean if somebodys sufficiently motivated, theyre not going to fight. So well take the hypothetical. You get thrown out of the game if you fight. OK, I think guys will still fight if they feel the need." A 2011 poll conducted by the NHLPA and CBC found that 98 per cent of players would not support the total elimination of fighting. Bettman wants to take the pulse of GMs at Tuesdays meeting. That includes feelings about goaltenders fighting and other topics. Emery was not suspended for pummelling Holtby because there is nothing in the rule book to use as precedent. Bettman expects a "general discussion" but does not think any rule changes will come about just yet. Bettman said the current rules, which include a five-minute major for fighting and extra penalties stemming from the instigator and third-man-in rules, represent the consensus among GMs. "If somebody wants to change it, there needs to be a new consensus," he said. "Thats why the discussions ongoing. Having said that, it continues to evolve as the game does. Four years ago a shoulder hit to the head was not penalized. Now itll get you suspended. Were going to continue to look at what we can do to keep the game physical but safe as possible." Senior vice president of player safety Brendan Shanahan, whos being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame Monday night, is expected to address the GMs and give his usual update. Hybrid icing will also be on the docket, as Bettman said the adjustment is ongoing for players and officials. While the Parros and Emery incidents stoked the fire about fightings place in the NHL, Bettman doesnt want them to overshadow other things that are going on, like the Colorado Avalanches hot start, strong television ratings and arenas being filled to 95 per cent of capacity. "We probably wouldnt even be having the fighting discussion right now if there wasnt a freak play with George Parros losing his balance and falling," Bettman said. "Like the Emery-Holtby incident, those things dont define the season were having. Theyre important, we look at them, we discuss them, but they get more attention than they probably warrant in any particular case because were constantly monitoring the game." Bettman said the NHL does fan research on a constant basis and not specifically when incidents are in the news. Hes also aware of the opinions expressed by league executives, like when Brian Burke wrote an editorial for USA Today in support of fighting. Tuesday provides a chance for "to see if anybody has an appetite for pursuing" any rule changes, Bettman said. "Ultimately if theres going to be a change, there needs to be a new consensus (among) all parties who have to make a decision," he said. "We try to do whats in the best interest of the game, and that includes our fans, that includes our clubs and that includes our players. There are lots of views on lots of subjects. This happens to be one which probably gets a disproportionate amount of attention." Another topic that has gotten a lot of attention is NHL expansion, especially considering unbalanced divisions created by realignment. Having 32 teams would even out the divisions, but Bettman said there were no formal plans to expand. "I dont envision right now going through a formal expansion process," Bettman said in an interview after speaking at the conference. "We get expressions of interest all the time. Those are informal conversations that we have, but in terms of a formal bid process, Im not focused on doing anything like that right now." The league and NHLPA have discussed reviving the World Cup of Hockey, which Bettman said hed prefer over the Olympics, but the commissioner did not provide an update on those talks. He did confirm that NHL Premiere games in Europe that happened from 2007 through 2011 will not come back at the start of the 2014-15 season. "Thats something that we and the Players Association have agreed on," Bettman said. "We think its too late, all of us. We had a meeting a month ago and we jointly reached that conclusion."
[b]Cheap Penguins Jerseys[/b] . They have homered once every 27.3 at bats, which just happens to be the third best mark in the American League, albeit just 10 games into the season.
[b]Fake Penguins Jerseys[/b] . Top-seeded Djokovic swept to a 6-1, 6-3 win over 51st-ranked Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain in just 57 minutes, but fourth-seeded Federer had to see off a serious challenge from 48th-ranked Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic before coming through 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-3.College Park, MD (SportsNetwork.com) - The 12th-ranked Maryland Terrapins survived a double-overtime battle with Michigan State on Tuesday, and will now go for their seventh straight victory as they host the Minnesota Golden Gophers in a Big Ten Conference clash at the Xfinity Center. Minnesota took on Purdue in the teams conference opener Wednesday, and watched as an eight-game win streak came screeching to a halt with a 72-68 defeat at the hands of the Boilermakers. The Gophers are 11-3 this season, as two of those three losses have come on the road. Maryland has won six consecutive games, which includes a double-overtime contest against Michigan State on the road on Tuesday. The Terrapins survived the Spartans in their Big Ten Conference debut, 68-66. Maryland is 9-1 at home this season. This meeting between Minnesota and Maryland will mark just the fifth all-time contest for the programs. Maryland has won all four previous matchups in the series, which includes two wins at home. Minnesota held an 11-point lead over Purdue on Wednesday when the two teams broke for halftime, but the Gophers were sloppy defensively in the second period. They allowed Purdue to shoot 53.6 percent from the floor and hit 14- of-16 from the free-throw line to make a comeback for the win. Maurice Walker and Joey King each scored 13 points to lead the charge for the Golden Gophers, while Nate Mason added 12 points. DeAndre Mathieu chipped in with 11 points and Carlos Morris added 10 with five assists and five rebounds in the losing effort. Andre Hollins, whoo netted just seven points in the teams loss to Purdue, still maintains the team lead in scoring entering this matchup with Maryland, as the guard is averaging 13.
[b]Pittsburgh Penguins Store[/b]. .2 ppg on 46.1 percent shooting. Morris checks in behind Hollins in the category at 12.8 ppg, and Walker comes in with 12.0 ppg and a team-leading mark in rebounding at 5.6 boards per outing. Mason (10.8 ppg) and King (10.1 ppg) round out the teams double-digit scorers for Minnesota. Mathieu tops the squad with 87 assists and 37 steals coming into the clash with the Terps. Maryland managed to survive against Michigan State in a tight double-overtime battle despite turning the ball over 21 times in the contest. The Terps won the battle from the free-throw line by outscoring the Spartans from the charity stripe, 26-19. Melo Trimble scored 17 points to lead the scoring charge, and Dez Wells chipped in with 16 points and seven rebounds, although he did turn the ball over seven times in the win. Maryland held Michigan State to 32.3 percent shooting in the Big Ten clash. The Terrapins have played consistent basketball on both ends of the court. Maryland enters this clash netting 74.4 ppg on 46.5 percent shooting from the floor, and is also holding opponents to just 61.5 ppg this season. Trimble has overtaken Wells as the teams leading scorer, averaging 15.9 ppg to Wellss 15.3 ppg mark, although Wells has missed half of Marylands games this season. Jake Layman rounds out a trio of double-digit scorers with 14.9 ppg, adding in a team-leading 6.4 rpg as well. ' ' '
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