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Damian Lillard Jersey .Y. - Peter Mrazek idolized Dominik Hasek while he was growing up in the Czech Republic.Mrazek made sure to shake his boyhood idols hand Tuesday night, then pocketed a puck commemorating the Hall of Fame goaltender after he made 25 saves in the Detroit Red Wings 3-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres.Its something special for me to remember the rest of my life, said Mrazek, who started in place of injured goaltender Jimmy Howard. Its nice to meet the legend and the goalie who did so much stuff for our country and for himself.Darren Helm, Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar scored for the Red Wings, who won three of four. Kyle Quincey had two assists.Mike Weber scored for the Sabres, who have lost eight straight. Michal Neuvirth had 27 saves.The Sabres honoured Hasek by retiring his No. 39 in a pregame ceremony. Hasek starred for Buffalo from 1992-01, winning six Vezina Trophies and consecutive Hart Memorial Trophies in 1997 and 1998, before being traded to Detroit, where he won Stanley Cups in 2002 and 2008.Haseks number was painted behind both nets, and the goaltender matchup between Mrazek and Neuvirth featured two natives of the Czech Republic. Hasek led the Czech Republic to a gold medal at the Nagano Winter Games in 1998 and last year had his No. 9 retired in his Czech Republic hometown of Pardubice.It was a great honour for Dom and for us to be here was a special, special thing, Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said.Babcock encouraged Mrazek to greet Hasek coming off the ice following the pregame ceremony.Dom has had a significant impact on the game, especially in his country, so I thought it would be a real thrill for Pete to make that happen, Babcock said.The Red Wings played for the first time since Howard injured his groin early in Saturdays loss at Washington. Howard is the Red Wings second injured goalie. Jonas Gustavsson was placed on injured reserve Nov. 6 with a separated shoulder.We cant be happier with the way (Mrazek) is playing, Quincey said. Were confident going forward that he can play well for us.Detroit scored first after giving up the opening goal in its seven previous games. Helms wrist shot from the right circle gave the Red Wings their first short-handed goal of the season and a 1-0 lead midway through the first period.That was important for us to get a good start, get the first one, and definitely after that ceremony, get the legs going, Quincey said.The Sabres have given up a league-high seven short-handed goals this season, one of the reasons they have fallen into last place in the Eastern Conference.The power play should give you some momentum, Sabres coach Ted Nolan said. Unfortunately, the way we are, its taking momentum away.The Red Wings scored their second goal in a power play 8 minutes into the second period when Nyquist backhanded a rebound past Neuvirth.The special teams was the difference tonight, Neuvirth said.Buffalo got on the board later in the period when Drew Stafford fed Weber in front of the net for his first goal of the season.Detroit went up 3-1 less than 2 minutes later when Tatar knocked in a rebound.NOTES: Red Wings GM Ken Holland said Howard is expected to miss two to four weeks after an ultrasound confirmed an MRIs finding that Howard has a slightly torn groin muscle. ... Buffalo recalled F Matt Ellis from Rochester on Tuesday to replace Chris Stewart, who is out with the flu. ... Detroit called up G Tom McCollum from Grand Rapids to back up Mrazek. ... Sabres F Torrey Mitchell (foot) returned after missing 12 games. ... New Buffalo Bills coach Rex Ryan attended the game.
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Clyde Drexler Jersey . -- Damian Lillard couldnt believe when he got a clear look at the rim.NEW YORK -- It took a few hours on the final day of the NFL draft for A.J. McCarron, Aaron Murray and Zach Mettenberger to finally hear their names called. It took much longer, but Missouri defensive end Michael Sam, the first openly gay player to enter the draft, heard his in the seventh and final round. Sam was taken 249th out of 256 picks, by St. Louis. There was applause at Radio City Music Hall from the slim crowd on hand. Scouts had pegged him to be a mid- to late-round selection, but he didnt perform well at the combine; some questioned whether he would be drafted at all. The star quarterbacks of the SEC went earlier, but will be long shots to become early starters in the pros. McCarron led Alabama to two national titles, but had to wait until the 164th overall spot to be selected by Cincinnati. Georgias Murray went one pick earlier Saturday to Kansas City. LSUs Mettenberger didnt go until the sixth round, to Tennessee. Virginia Techs Logan Thomas, not nearly as accomplished as the SEC passers, was the first QB chosen on the last day, by Arizona in the fourth round. Murray had a penchant for big plays with the Bulldogs, but the SECs career passing leader tore his ACL on Nov. 8 and did not work out during the NFL combine. He figures to compete for a third-string job this year. "Theres no restrictions, no second thought when Im running, cutting," Murray said. "Its full-speed, full-go ahead." McCarron expects to learn behind Andy Dalton, who led the Bengals to three straight playoff berths for the first time in franchise history. "Im confident in myself, but at the same time, I know Andys the QB out there and I respect that," McCarron said. "All I want to do is go in and help us in whatever way I can. If that means me holding the clipboard for a couple of years and giving Andy reports during the week and watching film with him and helping him in any way I can, Im just ready to do it." Thomas comes out of school healthy, but the inconsistency that plagued his career hurt his draft stock. Thomas never really improved to the level expected with the Hokies after a strong debut. Hes big, with a strong arm, but is turnover prone. "Ive grown as a quarterback in this off-season," Thomas said. "Everybodys basing it off the season, which I understand. Thats whats on film. But this off-season was a chance I was able to really go refine some things." In all, 14 quarterbacks were selected. Early Saturday, many picks had ties to Clemson star receiver Sammy Watkins. Watkins, the fourth overall selection in the first round by Buffalo, saw his older brother, Florida cornerback Jaylen Watkins, taken by Philadelphia to open the fourth round.
Terry Porter Jersey. Philadelphia acquired the selection the previous day from Houston, trading its third-round pick (No. 83) for the Texans fourth- and fifth-round spots. "Today is a very big day for our family," Jaylen said. "I texted him (Thursday) before he went on stage and he just texted me ... were both excited for each other. We cant complain about anything that happened this year for us." The next pick, by Washington, was Sammy Watkins college teammate, cornerback Bashaud Breeland, who went up against the nations top wideout in practice for several years at Clemson. Watkins fellow receiver with the Tigers, Martavis Bryant, also went in the fourth round, to Pittsburgh. Andre Williams of Boston College, the nations leading rusher, went to the New York Giants, whose backfield has been plagued by injuries. Williams rushed for 2,177 yards and won the Doak Walker Award as Americas top running back in 2013, but he is considered a weak receiver. "Patience is a really valuable thing," Williams said. "It worked out the best possible way it could, no matter what round it ended up being." Arizonas KaDeem Carey, like Williams, an All-American runner, was taken four spots later by Chicago. Oregons DeAnthony Thomas went to Kansas City, ostensibly to replace departed Dexter McCluster. National champion Florida State had two players go in the first five picks Saturday: running back Devonta Freeman to Atlanta, and centre Bryan Stork, another All-American, to New England. Big 12 power Oklahoma, which was blanked in the first three rounds, broke through when the New York Jets drafted receiver Jalen Saunders. Another powerhouse program, Texas, did not have anyone taken, although its former quarterback, Garrett Gilbert, who transferred to SMU, was chosen at the end of the sixth round. While the Longhorns were looking for someone to be picked, Duke had a drafted player. When Buffalo made cornerback Ross Cockrell the 109th overall selection, it was the highest a Blue Devil had gone since offensive lineman Lennie Friedman went to Denver in the second round in 1999. Cockrell thought Duke making the Chick-Fil-A bowl helped his stock. "I think it opened a lot of eyes that this guy from Duke can actually play a little ball and will be able to compete at the next level," he said. The final player chosen, dubbed "Mr. Irrelevant," was Memphis safety Lonnie Ballentine. He was taken by the Texans. There were a record 102 early entrants into this draft, and 61 were selected. AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi, College Football Writer Ralph D. Russo, and Sports Writers Will Graves, Joe Kay and Dave Skretta contributed to this story.
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