|
Vinny Prospal officially announced his retirement from the NHL on Tuesday after 1,108 NHL games, 255 goals and 765 points. Coby Fleener Jersey . A veteran of 16 NHL seasons, Prospals career was highlighted by him ranking fourth in points scored, third in assists and sixth in games played among all Czech Republic born players in NHL history. "I want to thank my teammates and coaches who helped me enjoy a 20-year professional hockey career when very few thought I would play even one NHL game," said Prospal. "I sincerely want to thank the fans who have been so good to me, treating me with such kindness and respect, for the 20 years I have played here in North America in both the NHL and the AHL. Playing in the NHL was a dream. To play at the highest level for 16 years, with the best players in the world is something I will cherish for the rest of my life." Prospal played for seven NHL teams - the Anaheim (Mighty) Ducks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Florida Panthers, New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, Philadelphia Flyers, Tampa Bay Lightning - with three stints in Tampa Bay and two in Philadelphia. The Vancouver Canucks were looking to sign the 38-year-old winger to an American Hockey League tryout with the Canucks affiliate, the Utica Comets last week. However, Prospal informed the team Friday he has decided to retire instead. "I loved playing hockey, I loved scoring goals and I loved being a part of the NHL for so many years. That said, within minutes of me stepping on the ice for practice last week in Abbotsford, I knew that I wanted to focus on something that was more important than hockey, my family. I love my wife and I love my children. Having spent much of the last 10 months with them waiting for a call to return to the ice, I know now that I would rather be with them at home helping and supporting my wife and being with my kids than playing the game I love so much. When I got on the ice with the Abbotsford Heat last Thursday, it was clear to me that I did not have the desire to play at the level I have come to expect of myself anymore. And to not be able to give everything needed would be to disrespect the game that has been so good to me. I am going to focus all my time and attention now on being a good father and a husband. Because, in the end, my family is and will always be my greatest accomplishment. "I want to thank all of the teams I have played with for having the faith in me they did. I especially want to thank the Vancouver Canucks, with whom I have never played a game for, and my coach and friend, John Tortorella, for helping me have closure that would not have occurred had they not extended to me the opportunity they did last week. I appreciate Torts and the Canucks for their faith in me and am sorry I will not be reunited with one of the most influential people in my life in Torts as we had planned." Prospal was drafted 71st overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft. Jonathan Newsome Elite Jersey . Pelfrey hit a tiebreaking two-run double and limited the Rockies to three solo homers, helping the New York Mets to a 4-3 win over Colorado on Tuesday night. Andrew Luck Elite Jersey . - Once Gerald Green gets going, he doesnt think he can be stopped. TORONTO -- With his team looking to escape the eighth inning with a slim lead, Toronto Blue Jays manager John Farrell thought he had the matchup he wanted to get the third out. Wilson Betemit proved him wrong. Betemit hit a two-out, two-run single in the eighth inning off left-handed reliever Darren Oliver as the Baltimore Orioles overcame four solo home runs by the Blue Jays in a 7-5 victory on Friday. "I had a good pitch to hit," Betemit said. "He threw me a fastball right down the middle." With runners at first and third and two out, left-handed reliever Oliver (0-1) pitched carefully to Baltimore Orioles catcher Matt Wieters, who entered the game batting .364, and walked him. That brought switch-hitter Betemit to the plate, who usually hits better left-handed. But his time the Orioles third baseman came through batting right, hitting a first-pitch fastball up the middle for a single that scored two runs. It was the match-up Farrell wanted and it was the one that beat him. "The match-up ended up being Betemit." Farrell said. "We wanted him batting right-handed. As well as Wieters came into the series swinging the bat we were okay with somewhat pitching around him with second base being open. We wanted Betemit hitting right-handed in that situation." In his career, Betemit has hit .245 against left-handed pitchers as a right-handed batter and .276 as a left-handed hitter against right-handed pitchers. "Wilson has had a couple of big hits for us right-handed," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. "I know exactly what (Farrell) is thinking. Id have done the same thing. His better side is left-handed." Right-hander Darren ODay (1-0) picked up the win for Baltimore for one inning in relief. Jim Johnson pitched the ninth for his third save despite giving up an infield single to Brett Lawrie and hitting J.P. Arencibia with a pitch. Kelly Johnson, Colby Rasmus, Yunel Escobar and Edwin Encarnacion each hit solo home runs for Toronto against Baltimore starter Tommy Hunter. Robert Andino and Adam Jones hit solo home runs for Baltimore against Blue Jays starter Brandon Morrow, who allowed six hits, one walk and four runs while striking out four in seven innings. "It was home run derby out there tonight," said Jones who was 3-for-4. "A lot of balls left the ballpark." Nolan Reimold, who was 3-for-5 with two doubles, hit his first homer of the season off Casey Janssen in the ninth to bump Baltimores lead to two. The four homers Hunter surrendered equalled his career high. He allowed five runs, four earned, on six hits and two walks in six-plus innings. Reimolds leadoff double, a groundout and a sacrifice fly to left by Nick Markakis, put the Orioles (4-3) into a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Trent Richardson Jersey. Johnson homered to left in the bottom of the first, his second of the season. Johnson has hit in six of Torontos seven games this season and has reached base in each of them. Markakis sliced a double to left to lead off the fourth and scored on a single to centre by Jones. The next two outs were deep flies -- to the right-field wall Matt Wieters and to the warning track in centre by Betemit -- but Morrow survived. The Blue Jays (4-3) tied the score in the bottom of fourth when Reimold was charged with an error on Adam Linds sinking drive to left. Jose Bautista scored from first, avoiding Wieters tag at the plate. He sprawled past the plate and then came back to touch it with his hand while diving. The Orioles regained the lead in the fifth on Andinos first homer of the season, a one-out drive to centre. The Blue Jays took a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the fifth on solo home runs by Rasmus and Escobar. They were the first homers of the season for both. It was Escobars fifth homer in 32 career games against the Orioles. Jones hit his second homer of the season to centre field with one out in the sixth for a 4-4 tie. But the Blue Jays went ahead again by one run in the bottom of the sixth when Encarnacion hit his second homer of the season, a one-out drive to left centre. Hunter was removed from the game after walking Rasmus to lead off the home seventh. Jason Frasor replaced Morrow in the eighth and allowed Reimolds single and had a strike out before Oliver replaced him. Reimold stole second and took third on an infield single to second by Markakis. Then after Oliver struck out Jones for the second out, Wieters walked to load the bases and Betemit drove in two runs with a single up the middle. "Wieters is one of the hottest hitters right now so obviously we go after the next guy whos not swinging as hot a bat," Oliver said. "But it seemed like everybody was kind of swinging a hot bat tonight so we probably should have faced Wieters instead of Betemit maybe I might have had better luck." Betemit also started a double play on Encarnacions hard grounder to end the bottom of the eighth. Notes: Attendance at Rogers Centre was 21,988. ....Blue Jays closer Sergio Santos was put on paternity leave after he travelled to California to be with his wife for the birth of their third child. He can be on the list for one to three days. ...Outfielder Travis Snider hit his second homer of the season for triple-A Las Vegas in an 8-5 loss to Fresno on Thursday and was batting .370 (10-for-27) after six games. ...Left-hander Evan Crawford was called up from double-A New Hampshire to take the place of Santos. ...Right-hander Henderson Alvarez (1-0, 1.50 ERA) will start today against Jason Hammel (1-0, 1.13 ERA). cheap jerseys cheap jerseys from china ' ' ' |
