Silva: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for NFC teams.
SportsTalk: Albert Pujols signs with the Angels and Prince Fielder joins the Tigers. Which team is better now?
Ryan Callahan scored for the fifth time in four days and defenseman Ryan McDonagh snapped a second-period tie to lift the New York Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Sunday.
Kobe Bryant hit a baseline jump shot with 4.2 seconds left and the Los Angeles Lakers wrapped up a six-game road trip by holding on to beat the Raptors 94-92 on Sunday, their eighth victory in nine meetings with Toronto
Arc's five up, five down: After No. 11 Michigan State's 58-48 upset of No. 3 Ohio State, you'd be a fool to discount the Spartans' national title chances now.
Miami coach Al Golden says the worst is behind him, but his headaches figure to continue now that former booster Nevin Shapiro, now in jail, says his involvement with the Hurricanes program will result in stiff penalties.
Golf's dream pairing - Woods and Mickelson - is on the course in the final round at Pebble Beach. Jason Sobel has hole-by-hole reports.
The United States completed a 5-0 rout of Switzerland in the Davis Cup on Sunday, with 19-year-old Ryan Harrison and John Isner winning closing singles matches.
Euro Roundup: First-place Manchester City won 1-0 at Aston Villa on Sunday on Joleon Lescott's goal in the 63rd minute, maintaining its two-point lead over Manchester United in the Premier League.
Tessa Worley of France fought off gusting winds to win a second consecutive World Cup giant slalom Sunday in the Andorran Pyrenees. Overall leader Lindsey Vonn was more than a second behind and finished eighth.
Robins: It’s the Year of the Dragon on the Lunar calendar, and this Chinese influence could extend to it also being the year of the Pekingese on the green carpet at the 136th Westminster Dog Show on Tuesday.
APThe first generation of hockey masks were nothing like the complete protection today's masks offer. They were protection against something catastrophic, but a puck off the mask still did damage.
Esposito described the feeling as a suckerpunch.
It was typical to get serious cuts anywhere bone pressed against the mask, like above the eyebrows. But it was a smooth cut, and that was better than the alternative.
"If you had a good surgeon, he could sew you up and you didn't notice anything," Esposito said.
It was an improvement and the goalies of that era appreciated it.
"It took a special person in Plante," Hodge said. "I don't know how long it would have taken to bring the mask in had it not been for him."
Timeline of the goalie mask
February 20, 1930: Clint Benedict of the Montreal Maroons wears a flat, leather mask used by boxers in sparring. He used the contraption for five games, but said it obscured his vision. Later he tried a wire cage-style protector, but said it distracted him.
November 1, 1959: Jacques Plante is generally considered to be the first goalie to wear a modern style, fiberglass mask in an NHL game.
1968-69 season: Boston Bruins goaltender Gerry Cheevers became the first goaltender to decorate his mask. Cheevers was struck in the mask during practice and had trainer John Forristall draw stitches on his mask with a black marker.
October 31, 1972: Doug Favell of the Philadelphia Flyers had his mask painted orange, resembling a pumpkin for a Halloween game against Los Angeles.
April 7, 1974: Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Andy Brown was the last goaltender to appear without a mask, playing with his face unprotected in a 6-3 loss to Atlanta.
1976-77 season: Glenn "Chico" Resch of the New York Islanders is credited as the first goaltender to have an artistic design cover his full mask. Resch's design had the Islanders' logo at the top and it now resides in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Ryan Callahan scored for the fifth time in four days and defenseman Ryan McDonagh snapped a second-period tie to lift the New York Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Sunday.
Check out highlights from the Rangers 3-2 win over the Capitals.
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Wesseling: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for AFC teams.
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Silva: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for NFC teams.