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  • The London Knights will host the 2014 Memorial Cup after falling short twice as the OHL champion (The Canadian Press)

    SASKATOON, Sask. — The London Knights, for myriad reasons, have the same powers of regeneration as the title character in Doctor Who.

    They will play in a third successive MasterCard Memorial Cup next season, with one picturing the fans of 19 other Ontario Hockey League teams chilling the champagne, 1972 Miami Dolphins-style. Indulging in some sparkling glass of schadenfreude is fine — Tall Poppy syndrome, eh — so long as it's chased with the acknowledgement of how tough the Knights are to get rid off. Led by Pittsburgh Penguins defence prospect Scott Harrington, they fought off elimination four times this spring before finally falling 2-1 to the Portland Winterhawks. Prior to Friday's semi, teams playing the second leg of back-to-back games this week in Saskatoon had been outscored by an aggregate 19-5. Conversely, the Knights took it right down to the triple zeroes against the high-skilled Winterhawks before running out of chances.

    For the second year in a row, Harrington was the first Knight out of the room to speak to reporters after a season-ending 2-1 loss. In 2012, after the overtime loss to Shawinigan in the Memorial Cup final, it symbolized that the captaincy would be handed from Montreal Canadiens prospect Jarred Tinordi to his defence partner. Friday, it was a reminder that while the Knights are a perennial power, some players leave an irreplaceable legacy.

    Read More »from 2013 Memorial Cup: Scott Harrington, London Knights leave it on the ice in prologue to bid to win on home ice in 2014
  • As the old, unfortunately fitting cliche goes, Curtis Granderson and the New York Yankees can't catch a break when it comes to injuries this season.

    In Granderson's case, that's because he's found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time on two different occasions, and has been unable to avoid the two stray pitches that immediately sent him to the x-ray table.

    The first came on Feb, 24 when Granderson was struck on the right forearm by Toronto Blue Jays hurler J.A. Happ. That ended up costing him all of spring training and the first 38 games of the regular season before his return on May 14. Now, just ten short days later, Granderson is headed right back to the disabled list after being hit on the left hand by Cesar Ramos during Friday night's 9-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.

    Much like the first injury, it was a pitch from a left-hander that rode in on the lefty swinging Granderson. He committed early, and got clipped right on the bottom side of the hand before he could pull back. The result this time was a broken knuckle on his left pinkie finger that will cost him at least four weeks. That's the early estimation anyway, and that doesn't seem all that likely to come down.

    Read More »from It continues: Yankees lose Curtis Granderson (again) to broken knuckle on left hand
  • Roy Hibbert is playing the best basketball of his career (Getty Images)

    The Indiana Pacers knew during Friday’s Game 2 that LeBron James would probably be the reason for any close defeat. What they probably didn’t guess is that LeBron James beating himself would end up being the reason for the change in tone and outlook of this Eastern Conference final.

    For most of Game 2, there was absolutely nothing the Indiana Pacers could do about James. The team guarded him smartly, with tough and athletic All-Star Paul George ignoring foul trouble and an embarrassing end to Game 1 to stick with James throughout. Indiana’s league-best defense funneled him to uncomfortable spots on the wing and minded him expertly in transition. By the time the end of the fourth quarter hit, James (who finished with 36 points while hitting 70 percent of his shots) had dragged his Heat to what seemed like was going to be a 2-0 series lead.

    Instead of the full drag, though, James played the goat. Two last minute passes were deflected by Pacer forward David West, giving Indiana the extra possessions it needed to pull out an inspired 97-93 win. The Pacers did not doubt themselves in the wake of what could have been a mood-altering overtime loss in Game 1, rallying behind coach Frank Vogel on the way to a tough win over a team that they now have downed in three out of five regular and postseason contests.

    And although the headlines will center on some flashy dunks or James’ late game gaffes, the Pacers won because of the dominant play of big man Roy Hibbert. Yes, “dominant.”

    Read More »from Indiana ties the Eastern Conference finals behind Roy Hibbert’s dominance and LeBron James’ miscues
  • No. 1 Star: James Neal, Pittsburgh Penguins

    It was epic Neal time in Pittsburgh as the winger scored thrice in the Penguins' 6-2 rout of the Senators, leading his club into the third round of the 2013 postseason. Enjoy this clip of all three goals, unless you're a Senators fan, in which case, maybe just skip ahead:

    No. 2 Star: Kris Letang, Pittsburgh Penguins

    Letang was all over the ice, setting up the Penguins' second goal from behind the net, scoring the eventual game-winner, and adding another assist on Neal's hat trick goal. With three points on the night, Letang finished the series with 10 points. He's a defenceman.

    Read More »from NHL Three Stars: James Neal’s hat trick leads Penguins to victory
  • Three months after coming out as gay and stepping away from the game, midfielder Robbie Rogers has signed with the LA Galaxy according to multiple reports. MLS rights to Rogers, who previously played in the league for Columbus Crew from 2007 to 2011, were owned by the Chicago Fire, but Rogers didn't want to play for them. So after casually training with the Galaxy over the last several weeks, a trade was finally worked out, sending midfielder Mike Magee to Chicago in exchange for Rogers, who is now the first openly gay player in MLS. And according to ESPN, he is also "the first active openly gay male athlete to compete in an American professional team sport."

    Rogers came out in February with a moving post on his personal blog, saying "Secrets can cause so much internal damage. People love to preach about honesty, how honesty is so plain and simple. Try explaining to your loved ones after 25 years you are gay." At the end of March, he told the Guardian that it was "impossible" to be

    Read More »from Robbie Rogers signs with LA Galaxy, becomes first openly gay player in MLS
  • Canada, you may want to sit down.

    The Pittsburgh Penguins advanced to the Eastern Conference finals Friday, eliminating the Ottawa Senators -- the last remaining Canadian team -- with a decisive 6-2 victory in Game 5.

    With that, an American club will win the Stanley Cup for the 19th straight season. Now comes the annual Canadian tradition where the country shifts from counting Canadian teams in contention to Canadian players on American teams.

    The Senators made a slight improvement in Game 5, holding the Penguins to fewer goals than in their previous game. Unfortunately, it was just one fewer, and that's not nearly enough when they allowed 7 the last time around.

    This game was a lot like Game 4, come to think of it: All Pittsburgh, and not all that close.

    Read More »from Penguins blow out Senators again, advance to Eastern Conference finals
  • With just under 14 seconds left in the third quarter of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals between the Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat, Indiana All-Star Paul George isolated up top against Heat star LeBron James. He then promptly left the reigning MVP in the dust with a slick hesitation and quick left-hand dribble, gained the paint, gathered, rose and viciously clipped the wings of "The Birdman," Chris Andersen:

    Just one problem, Paul: You left a little too much time on the clock before the end of the quarter.

    Read More »from Paul George blows by LeBron James to posterize Birdman, LeBron answers with buzzer-beater 3
  • Portland edged the London Knights in the semifinal (CP Images)

    A game that began slowly picked up in the second and had its defining moment in the third period when St. Louis Blues prospect Ty Rattie ripped a wrist shot that gave the Portland Winterhawks a 2-1 lead that they would not relenquish. The win will put the Winterhawks into the MasterCard Memorial Cup final game on Sunday against the Halifax Mooseheads.

    Final score, 2-1. After two seasons of losing in the WHL Championship series, the Winterhawks have done good on their Memorial Cup bid, going 3-1 in the tournament and land a spot in the final. That's all Travis Green could have asked from his squad: one shot to win.

    Portland goaltender Mac Carruth had to make a couple of big saves late, his most noteworthy being a glove stop off of an Olli Määttä backhander with two minutes to play, and was strong in the final seconds as time ticked off the clock and ends another season for back-to-back OHL Champion London, who will get an automatic entry next season as the host.

    No. 1 Star - Ty Rattie, Portland Winterhawks

    Did Portland Winterhawks play-by-play man Andy Kemper ever copyright the term "Airdrie Assassin"? Ty Rattie has lived up to his billing so far this tournament. He scored his fourth goal in four games Friday night in Saskatoon with a perfect wrist shot midway through the third period. The shot not only flummoxed London goaltender Jake Patterson, but left another victim—we understand that the Saskatoon R.C.M.P. dispatch has been taking calls all week regarding the mysterious disappearance of several water bottles on the top of hockey nets.

    Read More »from 2013 Memorial Cup: Knights fall to Portland and the Airdrie Assassin – Semi-final 3 Stars
  • Miami Heat uber-star LeBron James is widely acknowledged as the best player in the NBA, but merely calling him such doesn't communicate just how amazing he is to watch on a daily basis. In seemingly every game, LeBron does something no other player in the league can do, turning a creative idea into an incredible play with astonishing regularity.

    In Friday night's Eastern Conference Finals Game 2 against the Indiana Pacers, James had one of these moments right before halftime. With the Heat down 53-44 and mere seconds on the clock, LeBron attacked the basket and drew three defenders near him to challenge a likely shot attempt. However, James changed course in midair, switching the ball to his right hand and firing a shot to Mike Miller in the right corner for a buzzer-beating three. In real time, it looked like a smart, creative move by James to get his teammate an open look and cut the lead to six points.

    Replays show much more. Because of the angle of his drive, LeBron could only get

    Read More »from LeBron James fires a ridiculous pass to Mike Miller for a 3 at the halftime buzzer (Video)
  • "Come on, Ray. Hit that." (Getty Images)

    In his final two games against the Indiana Pacers as a member of the Boston Celtics, Ray Allen combined to shoot 10-27 from the field. In the 2012-13 regular season, against Indiana, Allen missed 13 of 16 shots, and made just one three-pointer in nine attempts. Allen, an 88 percent free throw shooter on the year, did make 4-5 from the line.

    Over the first six quarters of Indiana’s pairing with Allen’s Heat in the Eastern Conference finals, the bad luck streak in dancing school has continued, with the sharpshooter hitting for just eight attempts in 10 tries off the Miami bench. Weirder, he’s missed three of his six free throw attempts, including the infamous clang that allowed the Pacers to tie Game 1 at the end of regulation, and a technical foul miss that led to a mention that we very much appreciated.

    This could be the tipping off point. A post like this could serve as a lowest dip for Allen and the Heat, especially if they find away to stop what should be a lacking Pacers offense (scored 50 points in the second half in game one, and 53 in Friday evening’s first half) and dash into the open court. The long arms of Paul George, Lance Stephenson, and George Hill aren’t as effective when Allen is spotting up in the corner in transition, with LeBron whipping away pass after pass.

    Read More »from Ray Allen’s shooting struggles against the Indiana Pacers continue

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