Die Macht » bought out of the final six years and US$27 million left on his

Gordie Howe scored 801 NHL goals and they called him Mr. Hockey. Wayne Gretzky came along and scored 894 NHL goals and they called him The Great One. John Tavares, a superstar in Canadas other officially designated national sport, joined them in an elite echelon of athletic achievement by scoring his 800th pro indoor goal on Saturday. "Hes the epitome of lacrosse as a player and as a person," says Buffalo Bandits teammate Anthony Cosmo, who has been reunited with Tavares after sharing Mann Cup triumphs while keeping in shape with him in summer amateur play. "Hes Mr. Lacrosse to me. Hes an amazing leader, an amazing lacrosse player. Its been an absolute pleasure playing with him." Tavares is 45 and in his 23rd season with the Bandits of the National Lacrosse League. Hes originally from Toronto, hes in a classroom weekdays teaching high school math in Mississauga, and he is an uncle of the NHL player of the same name. He scored his 800th goal in Buffalo on Saturday at 13:49 of the third quarter. Tavares scored his 800th on a power play at the 13:49 mark of the third quarter in Buffalos 16-13 loss to Calgary on Saturday. He had the ball to the left of Roughnecks goalie Mike Poulin, stepped towards the middle of the floor, and bounced a ball into the net from just outside the crease late in the third quarter, lifting most of the 16,606 spectators out of their First Niagara Center seats. "The nice thing about scoring the 800th is that theres no pressure for the next 99," he quipped afterwards. Hes also amassed in excess of 1,700 points. All of his numbers are NLL career scoring records. "I really dont care for milestones but, obviously, its a huge achievement to score 800 in the league for the number of games (293) that Ive played," he says. Buffalos Memorial Auditorium, where he scored his first two goals in a 1992 game against the defunct New York Saints, was razed long ago but Tavares is playing as if he could be around for a while yet. His 2014 season has been inspiring to everybody who has watched. Hes scoring as frequently as he was 10 years ago. "Im not trying to beat Gordie Howes record," he replies when asked if he could play until hes 52, like Howe. "No way. I have to run. Im not wearing skates out there." Tavares has been a key contributor this season. The Bandits are 8-6 so far in their 18-game schedule. "It makes it a lot more fun when youre winning," he says. Edmonton GM-coach Derek Keenan was a teammate of Tavares on that first-year Bandits outfit back in 92. Tavares showed exceptional talent right from the start of his rookie season as he was helped along by veteran teammates such as Kevin Alexander. "It was jaw-dropping how talented he was," says Keenan. Still is. The other night, he leapt with one hand on his stick in an attempt to score from behind the net and just missed. "John always morphed his game to suit his age or injuries," says Keenan. "He was an exciting inside player who dove the crease 10 times a game and played in the dirty areas. He rarely missed around the net when he had a chance in tight. He did that for a long time. Now his outside shooting is just unbelievable. "Thats been going on for 10 years. That started in his late 20s." The intensity level has never diminished. "Hes a competitor," says Keenan. "He can be nasty. Hes as tough as nails, and fearless. You wont come across a tougher competitor." Tavares pondered quitting after the disappointments of 2013 but opted to forge ahead. "My kids are always telling me, Daddy, one more year, one more year," he explains. The brass urged him to continue, too. "People like (GM) Steve Dietrich still felt I had something left in me so I came back." New coach Troy Cordingley gives him plenty of minutes on the green carpets of the NLL. "Hes the ultimate team player," says Cordingley. "Hes not worried about his goals or assists, hes worried about wins. "Hes unbelievable. Hes a great leader in our dressing room. He is not one bit worried about any individual stats. Hes just concerned about wins and thats the best kind of leader to have on your team." Cordingley was an assistant coach with the Bandits when they last won the NLL championship in 2008, he was a defenceman in Buffalo during his playing days, and he coached against him when he stood behind benches in Calgary and Toronto, so he knows Tavares well. "Hes a smart player," says Cordingley. "You have to try to outsmart him, which is pretty difficult. He knows where to go in open spaces. Hes a little bit slower than he was but hes so smart. He does other things off ball, too, to create space for other guys." Jim Veltman was a pro teammate of Tavares from 1992 through 1996, when they won a third title together. Veltman then captained the Toronto Rock to five championships in seven years through 2005. Meanwhile, they were summer teammates winning Canadian amateur titles with teams in Brampton, Ont., and in Victoria, when they last played together in 2003. "It was a thrill Ill never forget," Veltman says of hoisting the Mann Cup with Tavares in 03. "Just to be able to play with John again was a big reason why I played that year in Victoria." They shared a lot of laughs. "He makes the game fun," says Veltman, who retired in 2008. "He sees the game in a whole different light than most players. "Hes one of those guys you play with and you see him do something special and you think, Wow, Ive never seen anything like that before. Hes like a kid in a playground. Most guys never tried some of the stuff he tried because theyd be afraid the coach would yell at you, but not John." Veltman recalled a trick Tavares used early in his career. A teammate would carry the ball behind the opposing teams net. Tavares would manoeuvre to the front of the crease and fall to his knees as if hed been hit. Hed hold his stick up in front of his chest. The teammate behind the net would hit the target with a pass and Tavares would score from his knees. Some of his antics off the floor were hilarious. During that 03 Mann Cup series, "Wed lost one of the games and everybody was feeling the pressure," Veltman recalls. "Guys were saying, Weve got to win, weve got to win and John came to the rink in womens underwear or whatever it was to loosen things up." It worked. Longtime NLL coach Bob Hamley was another 92 teammate. "He has been able to do what he has done because of his lacrosse IQ and his compete level," says Hamley. "I consider lacrosse players to be competitive people but John was and is at another level when it comes to competing. You combine this with his on-floor intelligence and it made him what he is today. His drive and intelligence are unmatched." Paul Day was on that 92 Buffalo team too. Day grew up in Peterborough and played against Tavares in his youth. "John already had an unbelievable stick when he was 12 years old," recalls Day, who is an assistant coach with the Rochester Knighthawks. "I remember slashing him a few times in junior, trying to get under his skin, and he wouldnt even look at you because you couldnt rattle him." There is much more to Tavares game than piling up scoring points. Day remembers a game when they had just turned pro in which Tavares laid out an opponent. "He hit a guy at centre, an open-floor hit that was one of the best ones Ive ever seen in lacrosse," he recalls. "What can you say about him now? Hes the best of all time, the best Ive ever seen." Carnell Lake Youth Jersey . Mika Zibanejad and Jason Spezza scored in the shootout to lead the Ottawa Senators to a 2-1 victory over Nashville on Saturday night. John Stallworth Steelers Jersey .Mallais and his team out of Saint John defeated James Grattan 5-4 in Fredericton.The 2015 Tim Hortons Brier from Feb. http://www.steelersrookiestore.com/Steelers-Juju-Smith-Schuster-Jersey/ . They know how difficult it is to beat the San Antonio Spurs. George scored 28 points and Indiana defeated San Antonio 111-100 on Saturday night, snapping an 11-game skid against the Spurs. Jerome Bettis Womens Jersey . -- Oakland Athletics third baseman Scott Sizemore has undergone surgery on his left knee to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Jack Lambert Jersey . The 18-time champions, who havent won the title since 1990, moved two points behind Arsenal after the leaders were stunned 6-3 at Manchester City on Saturday. Defending champion Manchester United trails Arsenal by 10 points after winning 3-0 at Aston Villa to avoid a third successive league loss.Brad Richards looked to be on his way out of New York in 2013, when former Rangers coach John Tortorella not only demoted the veteran centre but scratched him in the playoffs. A year later, coach Alain Vigneault started down the same path by putting the 34-year-old on left wing of the Rangers fourth line in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup final. Richards played just nine minutes 22 seconds at even strength and a total of 13:20 including power-play time. Vigneault said he met with his lines individually, including Richards, Brian Boyle and Derek Dorsett. He wanted to spell out his reasoning and assignments. "I talked to Brads line. I talked to Brad about the decision I made," Vigneault said Wednesday night after the Rangers 2-1 victory that staved off elimination. "I mean, at this time of the year its only about one thing: Its about the team. You guys know how Richards has been this year, the ultimate pro. Hes fine with whatever I do." Richards, a strong candidate to be bought out of the final six years and US$27 million left on his contract, has no points in the Cup final annd just four goals and four assists in 23 games since a strong opener against the Philadelphia Flyers.dddddddddddd Vigneault said his line shuffling had to do with giving forward Dominic Moore a bigger role. As a result, though, he put Richards in a tough spot to be effective on a checking fourth line. Richards skated just 13 shifts. The 34-year-old managed a couple of quality scoring chances on the power play and was on the ice for a strong five-on-five shift that ended with a Kings penalty. Still, though, longtime friend Martin St. Louis knows what a demotion can mean to any star players ego. Richards was once a Canadian Olympian and 90-point scorer in the NHL. "Richies a pro and a tremendous leader," St. Louis said. "Im sure its tough for him. Hes a pro and a great teammate." Richards isnt expected to be a teammate of St. Louis for much longer. The Rangers have one more compliance buyout to use and just one more off-season window in which to use it, and these playoffs have done little to dispel the notion that hell be playing elsewhere next season. ' ' '