Papierkorb » Sacramento mayor and former NBA player who is advising the u

Three weeks have passed since Hockey Canada announced its 25-player mens roster for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. And in that time span, the Tampa Bay Lightning have remained near the top of the Eastern Conference without star forward Steven Stamkos. Playing a key role in the Lightnings recent success has been the play of veteran forward Martin St. Louis, who was passed over by his own general manager Steve Yzerman for a spot on the Canadian Olympic team. The veteran winger and team captain has been on a tear since the Olympic team announcement, racking up 14 points in 10 games since Jan. 7. "I dont think its motivation to be honest," said St. Louis, whose Lightning were set to face the Maple Leafs on Tuesday. "I feel like I played some good hockey this year - Ive had some good bounces - but I dont think (being left off the Olympic team) is motivation. "I mean, Im motivated for Game 1 or Game 10. To play in this league and be successful you need to be motivated. Its been like that my whole career. I dont think these last 10 games Ive been more motivated." St. Louis, who captured his second career Art Ross Trophy last season as the league leader in scoring, also grabbed the spotlight with the first four-goal game of his career against San Jose on Jan. 18. And while hes taken much of the offensive workload in Stamkoss absence, he believes its been a team effort. "At first it was a little shock, obviously, to loose Stammer," he said. "But once the dust settled, we realized were where were at without him. "You have to juggle some lines and find a little bit of an identity. I think we settled down and played some pretty good hockey. We have a lot of young guys that have accelerated in terms of their progress with the amount of ice time theyre getting (and) theyve done well." A lot of credit also goes to great chemistry with his teammates. Summer signing Valtteri Filppula is second in team scoring, while forwards Tyler Johnson, Alex Killorn and Ondrej Palat are making big contributions at both ends of the ice. "If you told us before the season started where wed be after Game 53 knowing all the adversity - not that I didnt believe wed be there - I would think a lot of things would have to go right for us to be here," said St. Louis. "Things have gone well considering all the adversity weve gone through." And at age 38, St. Louis himself is still going strong at a point-a-game pace. "Id like to think that Ive been pretty consistent the past few years," he said. "I expect myself to play like I have, so I dont think this year is better than others. "Obviously I had to adjust a little bit not playing with Stammer and I kind of had to re-invent myself a little with shooting the puck a little bit more. Its hard to shoot as much as I have when you play with a 60-goal guy." Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Jersey . With the suspension, Nigeria is unable to take part in any kind of international fixtures. FIFA had issued a warning to the NFF last week after the federation was served with court proceedings from the government that prevented the NFFs president from running the NFFs day-to-day affairs. D. J. Wilson Jersey . Roma has a game in hand but now second place is even at risk for the capital side as Napoli moved to within three points with the win. "The result is not always fair," Roma coach Rudi Garcia said. "If we play like this until the end we will win many matches. http://www.nbabucksproshop.com/Authentic-John-Henson-Bucks-Jersey/ .J. - Trying to learn and absorb the new West Coast offence being installed by new offensive co-ordinator Ben McAdoo, the New York Giants wrapped their final organized team activity Thursday before a three-day mini-camp next week. Thon Maker Jersey . Barnard, 28, was 1-0 with a 0.53 ERA in three appearances, including two starts, with San Angel o this season. He struck out 19 batters and walked just one in 17 innings pitched. He has previous American Association experience with the Lincoln Saltdogs, El Paso Diablos and Amarillo Sox. Vin Baker Jersey . The result was a game-winning, power-play goal. Chiasson snapped a third-period tie and lifted the Dallas Stars to a 3-2 victory on Monday night. LOS ANGELES -- NBA players strongly considered boycotting playoff games if Commissioner Adam Silver hadnt ruled harshly against Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling. Players union Vice-President Roger Mason Jr. said Tuesday he spoke to representatives from every playoff team about the possibility of boycotting the upcoming post-season games in solidarity against any ruling that didnt include a mandate for Sterling to sell the Clippers. "We didnt want to jump to conclusions, but we were prepared that if this decision came down, we were prepared to move forward that way," Mason said. "We didnt think that this was just a Clippers issue, so we didnt want to put the pressure on Chris Paul and Blake Griffin and that team. We wanted to band behind our brothers to do the right thing." The Clippers host the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night, one of three playoff games on the NBA schedule. Three more are scheduled for Wednesday. Before Game 5 on Tuesday night, Clippers coach Doc Rivers said he wasnt certain his players had formally discussed a boycott. He thought the Clippers instead were just hoping for a suitable response from Silver. "I think they had the trust that there would be," Rivers said. "Im glad we dont have to find out." The Clippers and Warriors wwerent made available to reporters before Game 5.dddddddddddd. Mason believes every team would have embraced a boycott, and the veteran guard said Silver was made aware of the possibility of the unprecedented move by Kevin Johnson, the Sacramento mayor and former NBA player who is advising the union on the issue. "I spoke to (Warriors forward) Jermaine ONeal, and he pretty much said that their team would be on board," Mason said. During a news conference at Los Angeles City Hall, several current and former players proclaimed their support for Silvers decision. Sterling was fined $2.5 million and banned from the NBA for life for racist comments made in a recorded conversation. Silver also said he will urge the NBAs board of governors to compel Sterling to sell the Clippers. "We were very clear that anything other than Sterling selling his team was not going to be enough for us," Mason said. Mason said the players arent yet completely satisfied. They want a concrete timetable for the board governors vote necessary to force Sterling to sell his team. But Mason is confident the other NBA owners will vote to force Sterling to sell. "I know a lot of the owners personally from spending time in negotiations, and I would be shocked if it wasnt unanimous," Mason said. ' ' '