MONTRÉAL (December 20, 2013) – RDS and the Montreal Canadiens announced today they have reached a new 12-year regional broadcast rights agreement that will make RDS the official broadcaster of the Montreal Canadiens through the 2025-2026 season. As part of the agreement, RDS parent company Bell also retains naming rights to the Bell Centre through 2028. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The new agreement includes broadcast rights for 60 regular-season games as well as additional pre-season games each season in the teams designated broadcast region. "Montreal Canadiens games have been a cornerstone of RDS programming for the past two decades and our commitment to covering the team and the league has never been stronger," said Gerry Frappier, President of RDS. "This agreement with the Canadiens is a testament to the great spirit of partnership we have built with the team over the years, and to the industry-leading coverage our world-class broadcast team delivers on a daily basis." "We are very proud to extend our long time partnership with RDS and Bell Media for the forthcoming future. For many years the Canadiens, Bell, and RDS have enjoyed a successful working relationship and we definitely feel that it will continue to be beneficial to all parties involved and to all Montreal Canadiens fans. Le Réseau des Sports (RDS) is a broadcasting leader in sports television in the province of Québec and we are convinced that this agreement will further strengthen its position. We are also pleased to announce that the buildings naming rights has also been re-conducted and the home of the Montreal Canadiens will continue to be known as the Bell Centre for years to come," said Kevin Gilmore, COO of the Montreal Canadiens. "As a proud partner of the Bell Centre since 2002, Bell is delighted to move forward today as sponsor of Montréals hockey shrine for at least the next 15 years," said Martine Turcotte, Bells Vice Chair, Québec. "The Bell Centre is a highly visible symbol of our commitment both to the city that has been Bells home since our founding 133 years ago and to the legendary Montreal Canadiens hockey club." RDS has been broadcasting Montreal Canadiens games since 1992, and became the official broadcaster in 2002. Tim Frazier Jersey .A. remained bitter for Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers on the long flight back home to New York. Stanley Johnson Pistons Jersey . There are some early surprises in the race for the Hart Trophy, but two of the contenders are the leagues biggest stars over the past decade. 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Dennis Rodman Jersey .com) - Its fair to call Mike McCarthy one of the best coaches in the NFL but its also more than objective to point out that the veteran mentor bookended the Green Bay Packers season with two, truly awful game plans in Seattle.TORONTO -- Already exhausted following a long road trip and playing the second half of back-to-back games, the last thing the Toronto Maple Leafs was another emotional pitfall. Coach Randy Carlyle had already caused a stir in Detroit a night earlier by calling James Reimers play in a loss "just OK," and then the goaltender gave up a goal on the first shot he faced Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Unfortunately for the Leafs, that was just the beginning of a long game as defenceman Paul Ranger was injured and Steven Stamkos rang up a hat trick to hand them a 5-3 loss at Air Canada Centre, their third in a row. Even after the club released an update saying Ranger was "stable, conscious and alert" after his head hit the glass on a hit from Alex Killorn and he was taken to a local hospital, there were plenty of worried teammates in the home locker-room after a defeat that dropped the Leafs three points behind the Lightning in the Atlantic Division. With that came a notion of missing an opportunity to make something out of the impossibly difficult situation of seeing Ranger go down. "You try to use that as motivation to go out there and give yourself the best opportunity to get a chance and try to use the player, Range, get it for him," Carlyle said. "And we fell short, for sure." Against the Lightning (38-24-7), falling short meant starting terribly with a goal against 59 seconds in, taking too many penalties and giving Stamkos far too much room to operate. But Killorns hit on Ranger understandably took the lions share of the attention. Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper called it "probably the turning point in the game" as his team killed off the five-minute major, while the Leafs (36-27-8) just struggled to pick their game up after watching him get wheeled off the ice on a stretcher. "We say our jobs to get ready and prepare for the next period, but thats scary," winger Joffrey Lupul said. "He obviously didnt look great when he was leaving the ice. So youre trying to clear your head and focus on the next period. But you cant lie -- obviously part of you is wondering whats going on with him." When Ranger went down, the Leafs were trailing 3-2 after Radko Gudas beat Reimer in the games first minute with a seemingly innocent shot from just inside the blue-line. Reimer didnt see the shot, and long after his Leafs came back to take the lead on goals by Phil Kessel and Nikolai Kulemin, Carlyle didnt blame his goalie for that one. "The first goals kind of (a) fluke," Carlyle said. "What do you do? Its a seeing-eye shot, theres a screen, it hits a post and goes in. So you cant get too unravelled by that." Reimer, who gave up five goals on 30 shots, didnt unravel, but a lack of discipline and the Leafs defence was to blame for Stamkos scoring twice in the first period and then completing the hat trick early in the second. An interference penalty on David Clarkson led to the first goal, and there were missed assignments on all three. For Stamkos, who was playing in just his seventh game since returning from a four-month absence after breaking his right leg, called getting the natural hat trick in front of family and friends the highlight of his season. "I was a little disappointed there was no hats on the ice," the Markham, Ont., native said. "I guess Ill take it anyway." Though he couldnt be blamed for any of the three goals Stamkos scored, Reimer couldnt take many positives out of his performance. Because Jonathan Bernier remains out with a groin injury, Reimer became the first Toronto goalie to start on back-to-back days this season, and this wasnt the result he wanted when thrust into that situation. "I just want to come out and play well and kind of be a difference-maker, and unfortunately it wasnt the case," Reimer said.dddddddddddd"I thought I made some good saves, but it definitely wasnt the performance I was looking for. I wanted to come out and be big and keep your team in it, and that didnt happen tonight." Reimers failings, notably on the first goal, paled in comparison to the other drama and blunders that tormented the Leafs against the Lightning. Six minor penalties led to two power-play goals by the Lightning -- the first by Stamkos and the second one in the third from linemate Tyler Johnson -- which wound up being enough to make the difference. "A lot of things come down to special teams," Cooper said. "Weve had our ups and downs all year. For us to kill off all those penalties, especially the five minutes and then get two power-play goals. Thats how youre going to win. Thats how youre going to win down the stretch and get into the playoffs." With the victory, the Lightning, who got 36 saves on 39 shots from Vezina Trophy candidate Ben Bishop, moved ahead of the Montreal Canadiens for second place in the Atlantic Division. The Leafs, who at 71 games have played the most of any team in the Eastern Conference, held onto the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference but lost a major opportunity to pick up points. Reimer lamented not doing that more than being unable to cover up the fire storm that surrounded him. "It doesnt really matter how you play or how people talk about how you play as long as you get points," he said. "As tough as things go or as good as things go, you can play a great game and still lose. The big thing is points, so as far as statement games or whatnot, I think really at this time of year its just about your team and about getting your team points, not necessarily about you making a statement." Stamkos, who scored his three goals on his only three shots of the night, made a statement that hes back and capable of carrying the Lightning. Cooper was looking forward to seeing how the 24-year-old would fare in his "backyard," and he didnt disappoint. "Theres special players out there that find a way, they have that innate ability to rise to the occasion," Cooper said. "For Stammer to come back in here to his hometown and do what he did tonight, basically put the team on his shoulders, I cant say enough about (him)." And the Leafs couldnt say enough about how things went wrong, especially when it came to not containing one of the leagues best in Stamkos. "We were getting exposed," Lupul said. "There were times today where we were good, other times we made some errors getting the puck out of our zone, once by me and then a couple times we let their best player get the puck in an area where we cant do that." And then there was a lack of desperation early on that only came in the second half of the game and showed up when Jake Gardiner cut the deficit to one with 12:40 left. Giving half of what was necessary was not enough. "I felt that our desperation level went up for the last 30 minutes of the game," Carlyle said. "Weve got to do a better job than that." NOTES -- Kessels goal was his 35th of the season, two short of his career high. ... Gardiners goal was his fifth in the past seven games and 10th of the season. ... Killorn was given a game misconduct along with the five-minute major for boarding Ranger, whom the Leafs said was taken to a hospital for a "precautionarySAN ANTONIO -- Predictably, the first question LeBron James got after walking into the San Antonio Spurs practice facility on Saturday was about the state of his health. "Feeling really good," James said. The Miami Heat surely liked that answer. James returned to the practice floor with the Heat on Saturday, two days after he was forced to leave Game 1 of the NBA Finals because of cramps. He will be in the lineup for Game 2 against the Spurs on Sunday night, when sports safest bet will be that the temperature inside San Antonios AT&T Center will be several degrees lower than it was for the series opener. "Im doing well, doing a lot better," James said before Saturdays workout. "The soreness is starting to get out. Im feeling better than I did yesterday and with another day, I should feel much better tomorrow." James wasnt going to go crazy on the conditioning front Saturday. The Heat were planning a glorified walkthrough for their practice, and the four-time NBA MVP expected to get some cardio work done by biking and running. Hell also continue getting treatment as part of a recovery regimen that will stretch into Sunday -- plus, as one would expect, as many fluids into his system as he can handle. "Hes feeling better, moving around," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "Yesterday was all about rest and hydration and building his body back up. Thankfully we had that extra day." James left with 3:59 remaining in Game 1 after his body shut down because of the cramps. The Heat trailed by two at that point and wound up losing by 15. James told teammates before Game 1 that they needed to have a Game 7 approach -- and with the Heat down 1-0 in the series, hell underscore that point again Sunday. "I want to be able to finish the game but you have to have that mindset, there is no tomorrow," James said. "Its challenging, but for a championship you dont want it easy." Devonte Graham Jersey . Jamies number grades given are out of five, with five being the best mark. Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins (5) – He had a brilliant game; it was a huge response for his average games before. Bismack Biyombo Hornets Jersey . Off-Season Game Plan examines a team facing some challenging times as GM Bryan Murray tries to put together a roster for next season. Perhaps the first challenge facing Murray is that its expected he will be moving out Jason Spezza, a premier point producer who is about to enter the final year of his contract. https://www.hornetslockerroom.com/Percy-Miller-City-Edition-Jersey/ . Greece was on the wrong end of a 3-0 rout to Colombia in its first game of the tournament. They surrendered a goal in just the sixth minute of the contest, and despite some promising attacking play, failed to crawl back into the match. Japan, on the other hand, struck first in its match with Ivory Coast, with Keisuke Honda putting his side into the lead in the 16th minute. Glen Rice Hornets Jersey . -- Billy Donovans bench came up big, bailing out top-seeded Florida in a tight game against what was supposed to be an overmatched opponent. Bismack Biyombo Jersey . Playing in his fourth major league game, Polanco broke a tie in the 13th inning with his first homer, helping Pittsburgh to an 8-6 victory over the Miami Marlins after the Pirates had a ninth-inning meltdown.RENTON, Wash. - As is usually the case with Richard Sherman, the politicking on behalf of Seattle teammate Bobby Wagner came completely unscripted.Hopefully, this year will be the year that Bobby gets his Pro Bowl. Bobby Wagner, Pro Bowl, a lot of tackles, Sherman said recently. Were going to get Bobby in the game this year.Between Shermans campaign strategy and the colorful description San Francisco running back Frank Gore used this week to describe Wagners skill, the Seahawks middle linebacker is receiving plenty of attention and praise.It seems completely justified. After two solid seasons in the middle of Seattles defence, Wagner is playing at an elite level in his third year. If not for a painful toe injury suffered in Week 6 against Dallas that caused him to miss five games, Wagner would likely be in the discussion among defensive player of the year candidates.Or as Gore said on a conference call this week, using some choice language, That No. 54, Bobby, man, hes ... fast as ... man.The impact Wagner was making on Seattles defence wasnt fully recognized until he was sidelined after tearing the tendon that connects his big toe to the bottom of his foot. He suffered the injury in the first half of Seattles loss to Dallas, but returned to play in the second half.It was the only game hes played this season where Wagner did not lead or was tied for the team lead in tackles.I wouldnt say it matters, but I definitely appreciate it a lot, because its people recognizing you for your talents, Wagner said of getting recognition from others. But to say Im driven by that, I wouldnt say that. Id rather win like 30 Super Bowls.More than any other attribute, Wagners speed in recognizing plays is showing up more this season. His pure speed was one of the skills that made Wagner stand out when he was coming out of Utah State and made Seattle comfortable putting him in the starting lineup as a rookie. That speed his first season made up for what Wagner did not know yet about the NFL.At this point, Wagner has found the right mix between his pure speed and the quickness in recognizing what the offence is doing.ddddddddddddI think my rookie year I was just out there, I just wanted to be out there and have fun. Maybe my sophomore year I was thinking a little too much because I wanted to be perfect, but I think everybody goes through that stretch, Wagner said. Rookie year you get out there and want to make as many plays as possible, then second year you want to be perfect, and then you kind of find a combination between the two — making a lot of plays and trying to be as perfect as possible.Not surprisingly, Wagners return has coincided with Seattles stretch of stout defence thats among the best the league has seen in recent seasons. Wagner returned three weeks ago when Seattle beat Arizona at home 19-3 and limited the Cardinals to 204 total yards. Five days later on Thanksgiving night against San Francisco, Wagner had 10 tackles in the Seahawks 19-3 victory.And last week in Philadelphia, the Seahawks held the Eagles to 139 total yards and just 18:04 time of possession in Seattles 24-14 win. Again, Wagner was at the top of the stat sheet with seven tackles.Wagners return allowed Seattle to move K.J. Wright back to outside linebacker and, combined with the returns of safety Kam Chancellor and cornerback Byron Maxwell, finally put the Seahawks defence back in order.If there is anything that you should have witnessed here in the last month is that our team speed picked up, Seattle coach Pete Carroll said. You can see us playing faster as were going and thats in the continuity, thats in the communication, thats in the confidence from being together and being out there. Were hoping it can happen again one more time this week.NOTES: Seattle signed DL David King off Cincinnatis practice squad and released LB Allen Bradford on Thursday. King has spent parts of the past two seasons on the Bengals practice squad. ... C Max Unger (ankle/knee) and TE Cooper Helfet (ankle) were both limited in practice after sitting out Wednesdays practice.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL ' ' ' assessment." ... Toronto goaltender Jonathan Bernier skated Wednesday morning for the first time since suffering a groin injury almost a week earlier in Los Angeles. Carlyle said Bernier was "coming along" and he expected the injured netminder to take shots during practice Friday. ' ' '