period.Calgary remains two points back of the final Western Conference wild card spot with 69.”That was frustrating [url=http://www.officialmapleleafsproshop.com/authentic-adidas-hoodie]To ronto Maple Le

John Ziegler Jr.’s tumultuous 15 years as NHL president began with the league ushering in the Wayne Gretzky era and ended with labor unrest and a players strike in 1992.The NHL on Friday confirmed Ziegler’s death Tampa Bay Lightning Hoodies Authentic , although the cause was not immediately known. He was 84 and living in Florida.“His positive imprint on the game of hockey cannot ever be overstated,” Chicago Blackhawks chairman Rocky Wirtz said. “While he will be missed, his legacy and contributions to our sport will carry on forever.”Ziegler was the first American to run the league and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1987.He was credited for helping the NHL become an international league by increasing the number of European players and opening the door for Russians to compete in North America.Ziegler was the NHL’s fourth president, succeeding Clarence Campbell in 1977. Two years later, he played a key role in brokering a merger with the World Hockey Association in which the NHL added four teams from the upstart league — the Edmonton Oilers, Winnipeg Jets, Quebec Nordiques and Hartford Whalers.While the Jets, Nordiques and Whalers eventually relocated, the Gretzky-led Oilers quickly succeeded, winning four Stanley Cups between 1984 and 1988. The Oilers posted a picture of Ziegler handing the Stanley Cup to a beaming Gretzky on the team’s Twitter feed.The NHL eventually grew to 24 teams under Ziegler by expanding into San Jose in 1991. In 1978, the NHL had dropped to 17 franchises when the Cleveland Barons ceased operations after merging with the Minnesota North Stars.Just as important Tampa Bay Lightning Hats Authentic , NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman credited Ziegler for attracting talent from across the Atlantic. The share of NHL players not born in North America grew from 2 percent to 11 percent on Ziegler’s watch, Bettman said.It was a period that introduced the NHL to its first wave of Russian-born stars such as Viacheslav Fetisov, Igor Larionov, Alexander Mogilny and Pavel Bure.Contentious labor talks between the NHL and the NHL Players’ Association over playoff bonuses, free agency and pension funds led to the players voting to strike in the final weeks of the 1991-92 season. The strike lasted 10 days.League owners unhappy with the labor agreement ousted Ziegler two months later. He was replaced on an interim basis by Gil Stein. The NHL hired Bettman the following year and appointed him the league’s first commissioner.“John provided invaluable counsel during my early days as commissioner and was always generous with his time,” Bettman said.Ziegler was from Grosse Pointe, Michigan, and broke into the NHL serving as legal counsel for the Red Wings and their arena Olympia Stadium in 1960. He worked his way up the ranks to eventually represent the Red Wings on the NHL’s board of governors.During Ziegler’s time as league president the Red Wings were sold to the late Mike Ilitch, whose family still owns the team.“We are extremely grateful for the guidance and support John provided as president of the NHL when our family purchased the Red Wings in 1982,” Red Wings governor Christopher Ilitch said. “John left an immeasurable mark on both the Red Wings organization and the sport of hockey worldwide.”After leaving the NHL, Ziegler worked at a Detroit law firm and served as an alternate governor for the Chicago Blackhawks. LAS VEGAS (AP) Another game Custom Tampa Bay Lightning Jerseys , another record for the Vegas Golden Knights.Alex Tuch scored the tiebreaking goal in the second period and the Vegas Golden Knights pulled away for a 7-3 victory over the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night.The win moved the Golden Knights back atop the NHL standings with 84 points – a record for an expansion team in its inaugural season – one point ahead of Eastern Conference-leading Tampa Bay.Ryan Carpenter, William Karlsson, Reilly Smith, Luca Sbisa, Erik Haula and Cody Eakin also scored for Vegas, which improved to 23-4-2 at home to also set the record for home wins by a team in its inaugural season. It topped the previous mark set by the Gordie Howe-lead 1979-80 Whalers (22-12-6).Tuch also had an assist and his first fight of the season, giving him the so-called Gordie Howe hat trick.”I thought our whole team played really hard, we got production from all our lines and it was really good to see,” Tuch said. ”I just try to come in here and play hard … it was good to get my first fight. I wasn’t even thinking about the Gordie Howe part of it. We were all pretty high on emotions and everyone was going back and forth. I was getting a little physical and I think (Travis) Hamonic saw that, so we got into each other’s faces and he asked me if I wanted to fight.”Marc-Andre Fleury, starting his ninth straight game www.officialmapleleafsproshop.com , made 28 saves for the Golden Knights, who rebounded from a loss on Monday to Pacific Division-rival Anaheim.”That’s what makes good teams, to be able to bounce back from bad games,” Fleury said. ”It’s good that we’re finding ways to put it behind us quickly and move on quickly and get ready for the next one.”Vegas is now 14-6 following a loss this season, outscoring teams 74-54 in those games.TJ Brodie, Dougie Hamilton and Matthew Tkachuk scored for Calgary, which was 8-2-1 in its previous 11 road games. David Rittich finished with 19 saves.With the score tied 3-3 in the second, David Perron found a streaking Tuch, who beat Rittich from a nice angle and went top shelf to give the Golden Knights the lead for good with 6:02 remaining in the period.Early in the third, the Flames thought they had tied the game, but a challenge overturned Sean Monahan’s goal when Calgary was ruled offside.”It’s definitely a momentum swing when you think you tied the game up Toronto Maple Leafs T-Shirts Authentic , and we scored shortly after that to go up by two goals, it’s a big difference in a hockey game,” Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said.Sbisa took Tuch’s pass and launched a one-timer past Rittich to make it 5-3 at 3:17. It was Sbisa’s 100th career point.Haula tipped in Sbisa’s slap shot from the point for his 23rd of the season with 8:45 remaining, and Eakin’s seventh made it 7-3 about three minutes later.”We just got outbattled in areas,” Calgary coach Glen Gulutzan said. ”We didn’t create as much offense, and in a game like this on the road you’ve got have a little bit more. We’ve a got a few guys that were cruising, and it’s not a time to cruise, it’s a time to push.”Carpenter gave Vegas a 1-0 lead 2 1/2 minutes in with his sixth goal in nine games, but Brodie’s fourth goal of the season tied it with 3:15 left in the first.Karlsson redirected Reilly Smith’s wrist shot to give the Golden Knights a 2-1 lead in the final minute, giving Vegas a power-play goal in 13 of its last 15 games.Hamilton tied it for Calgary just 20 seconds into the second period, but Smith put Vegas back ahead 3-2 about a minute later with his 20th.Tkachuk was credited with his 23rd when Vegas center Cody Eakin lost his stick and attempted to deflect a shot with his skate but tapped it past Fleury to tie the score with just under nine minutes left in the middle period.Calgary remains two points back of the final Western Conference wild card spot with 69.”That was frustrating Toronto Maple Leafs Hoodies Authentic , that loss, that’s a bad one that loss,” Tkachuk said. ”Definitely not coming at a good time, 21 games left.”NOTES: The seven goals tied the Golden Knights’ season high. … Vegas improved to 25-3-0 record when scoring the first goal of the game. Its .893 win percentage when scoring the opening goal leads the NHL. … Veteran forward James Neal, whose 24 goals rank second on the Golden Knights, missed his second consecutive game due to an illness he’s been battling for more than a week. … Calgary coach Glen Gulutzan coached the Las Vegas Wranglers for six years when they first joined the ECHL, leading them to five playoff berths, two division titles and one Kelly Cup final appearance. …UP NEXTCalgary: At Arizona on Thursday night.Vegas: Hosts Vancouver on Friday night.