on Thursday. Louie Eriksson, Andreas Jamtin and Elias | Forum

Michael Schumachers doctors have started the process of bringing the former Formula One champion out of the coma he has been in since a skiing accident a month ago, his manager said Thursday. Jay Prosch Texans Jersey . The 45-year-old Schumacher suffered serious head injuries when he fell and hit the right side of his helmet on a rock in the French resort of Meribel on Dec. 29. The seven-time F1 champion has been in an induced coma in Grenoble University Hospital since then, although his condition stabilized following surgery after initially being described as critical. And now doctors are slowly trying to wake him up. "Michaels sedation is being reduced in order to allow the start of the waking up process which may take a long time," Schumachers manager, Sabine Kehm, said in a statement. One reason for reducing the sedation is to see if the swelling has gone down in the patients brain and to assess what level of functions has been retained. Kehm said she was only providing an update now on Schumachers condition to clarify media leaks, and that no further details would be provided. French newspaper lEquipe first reported on Wednesday that doctors had started waking Schumacher. "The family of Michael Schumacher is again requesting to respect its privacy and the medical secret, and to not disturb the doctors treating Michael in their work," Kehm said. "At the same time, the family wishes to express sincere appreciation for the worldwide sympathy. ... For the protection of the family, it was originally agreed by the interested parties to communicate this information only once this process was consolidated. Please note that no further updates will be given." Schumacher was being kept artificially sedated and his body temperature was lowered to between 34 and 35 degrees Celsius (93.2 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit), to reduce swelling in the brain, reduce its energy consumption and allow it to rest. Schumacher earned universal acclaim for his uncommon and sometimes ruthless driving talent, which led to a record 91 race wins. He retired from Formula One in 2012 after garnering an unmatched seven world titles. Schumi, as his fans affectionately call him, was famously aggressive on the track and no less intense away from driving. In retirement, he remained an avid skydiver, horseback rider, and skier. The accident happened on a family vacation in the Alps as Schumacher was skiing with his 14-year-old son. Houston Texans Jersey . Terms of the deal were not immediately available. The 26-year-old finished last season with Clevelands Triple-A affiliate in Columbus after signing with the Indians in August. Johnathan Joseph Texans Jersey . Blackwood, 28, has played the last three seasons in the San Diego Padres system, including the past two summers with Class AA San Antonio of the Texas League. http:///...y-Jeff-Allen-Jersey/ . -- Anaheim Ducks captain and leading scorer Ryan Getzlaf has been scratched from Sunday nights game against the Vancouver Canucks because of an upper-body injury.HELSINKI, Finland -- Craig Smith had a hat trick and teenager John Gibson was stellar in net to lead the United States over host Finland 4-1 at the ice hockey world championship on Wednesday. Gibson, who finished with 31 saves, was a bold choice which paid off for the Americans, who moved above Finland in their group -- second to Russia. Though the 19-year-old has primarily played junior league hockey in Canada, hes a three-time world age-group champion. Hes won titles in the under-17 classification, under-18, and at this years juniors in Russia, where he was named the most valuable player and best goalie. In other matchups, Switzerland won its fourth straight game, beating Slovenia 7-1; Sweden stuffed Norway 5-1; and Germany posted its first win, 2-0 over Austria. Smiths first goal evened the score toward the end of the first period when he received a pinpoint pass to the far post from David Moss, who teams on the Americans first line with Paul Stastny. Moss and Stastny each had two assists. The U.S. was pinned in its own end for most of the period, and it looked as if it was still affected by a hard fought loss the night before to reigning champion Russia. But in the second period, the Americans continued to get their legs back and played more aggressively. Smith useed smart screening by Moss to make it 2-1 at 3:22 of the third period before Stephen Gionta added the third goal at 11:29, gathering the puck in the neutral zone as Juhamatti Aaltonen, the lively Finnish forward, turned it over. Cecil Shorts III Texans Jersey. Before that, Gibson made a save on a breakaway by Sakari Salminen. "He played an unbelievable game," said Smith said. "Gibson is quite mature for his age. He stepped up when he was needed, and took a big win. We are all happy for him." Smith took a pass from Stastny in the last minute and closed the scoring with an empty-netter. The Swiss made their point with three goals in each of the first two periods against Slovenia. Denis Hollenstein had two goals and two assists, Simon Bodenmann and Luca Cunti each added a goal and two assists, and Andres Ambuhl and Reto Suri had a goal and an assist apiece. Sweden started well in the third period, scoring three goals against Norway and outshooting its neighbour 48-21. Gabriel Landeskog scored twice for Sweden, which plays unbeaten Canada on Thursday. Louie Eriksson, Andreas Jamtin and Elias Falth also scored. Both of Germanys goals against Austria were by forward Markus Kink. Rob Zepp earned the shutout with 27 saves, 24 of them over the first two periods. Wholesale Jerseys China ' ' '