both the Memorial Cup and in the QMJHL, you | Forum

MONTREAL -- While the Montreal Impact practiced ahead of a key match in the MLS playoff race, scoring leader Marco Di Vaio pedalled a stationary bike on the sidelines. Justin Turner Jersey . Midfielders Patrice Bernier and Justin Mapp and forward Daniele Paponi also werent on the field Thursday due to minor injuries. Some of them, maybe even all of them, will be ready when the Impact play host to the New England Revolution on Saturday afternoon, but how much they can play might only be determined on the day of the game. "Right now I cant say," said coach Marco Schallibaum. "But we have a couple of days. "The good news is that Alessandro (Nesta) can play. As for Marco, Patrice and Justin, well know after practice (on Friday), but Im confident to have at least two out of three of them. But even if we dont have this player or that player I think we have enough talent to win the match." The club will also be without its two workhorse fullbacks. Jeb Brovsky, who has played all 30 games this season, is expected to miss the next three with a broken toe, while Hassoun Camara will serve a one-game suspension for accumulating five yellow cards. Schallibaum hopes Brovsky can return for the final regular-season game Oct. 26 in Toronto and be ready for the playoffs. On the plus side, Nesta is due to return after missing two games with a groin problem, and midfielder Hernan Bernardello is also back after missing more than a month with a sprained ankle. Di Vaio, who leads MLS with 19 goals, had to leave a 1-0 loss in Houston on Friday night, but hopes to be ready to face the Revolution. "It started in the warmup," the 37-year-old said. "I played because I wanted to help the team, but it was difficult and I wasnt able to continue. "But I did the physiotherapy and now I feel a lot better and Im confident I can play Saturday." Bernier sat out for the first time this season in Houston with a hip problem, but he is also looking to play. "I feel good," he said. "Im training to be ready. "I didnt play last Friday so that I would be able to play this game. Whether I come off the bench or Im (starting), I dont know. Its not my decision. But my main goal is to at least be ready mentally and physically." Bernier took the field near the end of the practice to kick the ball with for a few minutes with his teammates, but Mapp only ran laps. The injuries have the club limping into a match that could have big playoff implications. The Impact (13-10-7) are fourth in the Eastern conference with 46 points, seven points behind New York, six behind Kansas City and two behind Houston, but with two games in hand on all three rivals. But they are only one point ahead of Philadelphia and three ahead of sixth-place Chicago. The three points for a win wouldnt clinch anything, but it would put them ahead of Houston and keep their pursuers at bay. They travel to Los Angeles on Wednesday, then return home to face Philadelphia on Oct. 19. In MLS, the top three teams in each conference go directly to the conference semifinals, while the fourth and fifth-place teams face each other for the right to face the first-place team. With Brovsky out, Maxim Tissot is expected to start at left back. Captain Davy Arnaud, normally a midfielder, will likely fill in for Camara on the right side. Arnaud played some right back last season. Central defender Nelson Rivas, who has yet to play this season due to a knee injury, has finally resumed practising with the team, but is not expected to suit up. Arnaud was in the spotlight this week after the Nederland, Texas, native gave his first television interview in French. He did well, too. The 33-year-old has been studying the language since joining the Impact last season. Arnauds ancestors spoke the Cajun French of Louisiana, but he said his great-grandmother was the last in the family to speak it. Yasmani Grandal Dodgers Jersey . After Mondays hard-fought loss, the wait seemed longer than usual. Getting set to go their separate ways for a short Christmas break, the Raptors coach credited his team for their effort on a seemingly impossible three-game road trip, urging them to build on that success when they get back to work at the end of the week. Andre Ethier Dodgers Jersey . MORITZ, Switzerland -- Fog prevented downhill racers from getting their Olympic dress rehearsal. http:///...nsen-dodgers-jersey/ .J. -- Josh Cribbs was in the Pro Bowl in February and out of a job six months later.As 2013 winds to a close, TSN.ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. TSN.cas writing staff reflects on the best hockey moments from the past 12 months including Alfie going to Detroit, Ovi finding another gear, Patrick Roy losing his cool and more. Daniel Alfredssons Motown Revue By: Shane McNeil Hockey fans had seen it before. The hero leaves the city where hes enjoyed years, sometimes decades of memories and successes in search of one or two years worth of hunting down a Championship ring. Ray Bourque, Mats Sundin, Jarome Iginla - It happens. Its no slight on the player and more often than not, the organization and the fans do nothing but wish them the best. But, Daniel Alfredsson? Did anyone see that coming? Here is the man that took a pay cut to keep the team afloat amidst bankruptcy. Alfie is a man who ascended to nearly religious standards in the Nations Capital after years of battling the Toronto Maple Leafs and getting the team to its only Stanley Cup Final. In the days (hours?) that followed Alfredssons signing in Motown, the Senators brass tried to foist the breakdown on their long-time captain and his agent J.P. Barry. The lines of communication, they believed, went silent at the most crucial time. Alfredssons decision to sign in Detroit appeared to be based on a player not being willing to settle for another discount deal. But whats more surprising than Alfredsson leaving Ottawa is that the Senators let it happen. Ovechkin makes fast work post-lockout By: Ken Rodney Nobody embodied the sprint mentality of the lockout-shortened 2012-13 NHL regular season quite like the Washington Capitals and more specifically their superstar Alexander Ovechkin. After not scoring in the first four games of the season, Ovechkin finished the first month of the schedule with only two goals and in those seven games, his team had only managed to pick up three points. However as their captain and leader caught fire so did the team Capitals, who rely on him for both an offensive and emotional boost. When the dust settled at the end of the 48 game regular season, Ovechkin had 32 goals, including 24 in the final 23 games and the Capitals had captured the Southeast Division and were the third seed heading into the playoffs. The Moscow native won the scoring race by three goals to earn his third Maurice Richard Trophy as the leagues top goal scorer, the only player to win as many since it was first awarded in 1998. Proving three is a charm for the man they call The Great Eight, he was also awarded with his third Hart Trophy as league MVP for his spectacular season. Patrick Roy blows up on his first night as Avalanche head coach By: Ryan Horne It didnt take long for Patrick Roy to make his mark as an NHL head coach. In fact, it only took one game. Roys Colorado Avalanche were pummeling the visiting Anaheim Ducks on the inaugural night of the regular season. When the first-year coach witnessed what he viewed as a cheap shot against his star rookie Nathan MacKinnon, he didnt hold back. Roy cursed and hollered at Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau and even pushed the plexiglass separating the two teams, almost knocking it down. He was hit with a game misconduct and fined $10, 000 for the incident. Not bad for your first night as a professional bench boss. A lot of people speculated this could happen with the fiery former goalie, but probably not this quickly. Regardless, the Avalanche players seem to be cool with it as they hold one of the better records in the Western Conference after being forecast as a non-playoff team before the season. Its yet to be seen whether Roys actions will get him into any further trouble, but theres a good chance hes not going to change for anybody. If the Quebec City native feels a certain way, he has no problem with expressing it. Just ask Ronald Corey. Martin St. Louis: One for the Ages By: Mike Beauvais There are a lot of things Martiin St. Sandy Koufax Jersey. . Louis probably shouldnt have been. Undrafted, the diminutive native of Laval, Quebecs stay in the NHL probably shouldnt have lasted for much longer than the cup of coffee he had with the Calgary Flames in the late 90s. Conventional wisdom also didnt see St. Louis developing into the offensive juggernaut, six-time All-Star, Hart Trophy-winning, Stanley Cup champion that St. Louis blossomed into while a member of the Lightning. With the list of things Martin St. Louis probably shouldnt have been already lengthy, he added yet another to the list in 2013. Alongside young sniper Steven Stamkos, the 37-year-old St. Louis was the Batman to his Robin in 2013. The cagey veteran partnered with the Boy Wonder. The NHL was their Gotham City in 2013 and they were the premier Dynamic Duo of offence. In the Lightnings April 27 season-ending 5-3 win over the Florida Panthers, St. Louis had a goal and assist to bring him to the 60-point plateau in the shortened 48-game season. That was three points more than Stamkos haul for the year and the most in the NHL, handing St. Louis his second Art Ross Trophy. When he did it before in 2003-2004, it was improbable, but when he did it again in 2013, he did it as the oldest player in NHL history. There are a lot of things Martin St. Louis probably shouldnt have been, but it should surprise nobody at all when he decides to add something else to that list. The Lockout ends, the fans flock back By: Barry Riz The NHLs arenas were empty. The lockout had dragged on some 100 days. The first week of 2013 saw some headway in negotiations but no deal yet. As fans described it, billionaire owners and millionaire players just couldnt figure out how to divide up $3.3 billion in revenue. And the fans had seen more than enough through a battle that dragged on through the fall and early winter. Fans were going to protest by returning season tickets. They were going to boycott games if any were ever played. They were going to stop buying NHL-branded merchandise. They were going to stop watching on television. But things turned quickly in the early days of 2013. A deal was struck Jan. 6, and after a speedy training camp the season opened Jan. 19. And the fans came back. Oh, did they ever. League attendance and TV numbers returned stronger than before. The 48-game season was fast-paced and quickly consumed, with a Bruins-Blackhawks Stanley Cup Final topping off the leagues return. Forgiven? Probably not. Forgotten, absolutely. And as someone tweeted on opening night: "Somewhere Gary Bettman is watching all this hoopla and making a note to himself, and is putting it in a file marked "NHL LOCKOUT 2020." MacKinnon lights it up at Memorial Cup, locks in at first overall By: Ryan Horne Saying Nathan MacKinnon earned the right to be drafted first overall in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft would be an understatement. In the finals of the Memorial Cup against Seth Jones, the other first overall hopeful, and the Portland Winterhawks, MacKinnon netted a hat-trick, added a couple assists and helped the Halifax Mooseheads win their first national championship in team history. He was named tournament MVP, scoring seven goals and six assists in just four games after a spectacular regular season tallying 75 points in 44 games. Going into the tournament, many thought the smooth skating Jones would be the man the Colorado Avalanche would end up taking with their No.1 selection, especially considering their lack of depth on defence. But on June 24, 2013, Joe Sakic stepped up to the podium in New Jersey and took the 18-year-old from Halifax. And with MacKinnons stellar play at both the Memorial Cup and in the QMJHL, you cant blame them. Jones, on the other hand, fell to the Nashville Predators at number four. Both are having solid rookie seasons, but it will be interesting to see if Colorado still likes their decision a few years down the road. Wholesale Jerseys China ' ' '