Off Topic » sustaining a lower-body injury against Carolina

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Montreal left wing Max Pacioretty was confident he can play for the U.S. in the Olympics after sustaining a lower-body injury against Carolina on Saturday night. Pacioretty collided with the goal with 7:30 left in the first period after being checked by Carolinas Brett Bellemore in the teams final game before the Olympic break. After the game, Pacioretty said it was precautionary for him not to return. "I went in pretty hard and I got the wind knocked out of me," said Pacioretty. " I think the team wanted to play it safe and I think it was a good decision." A native of New Canaan, Conn., Pacioretty will leave for Sochi, Russia, on Sunday to join the American team, which opens play Thursday against Slovakia. The 25-year-old Pacioretty has played 49 games this season. He has 26 goals and 11 assists. Pacioretty had his second hat trick of the season Thursday in a 5-2 win over Vancouver. Adrian Wilson Jersey . Dragic was a game-time decision because of a sore right ankle that had kept him out of Wednesdays loss at Utah, but played all but the last 10 seconds of the second half in the first 40-point game for a Phoenix player since Amare Stoudemires 44 on March 19, 2010. Haason Reddick Jersey . - Suspended Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Justin Blackmon has voluntarily checked into a treatment facility and seems to be doing well. http://www.officialarizonacardinalspro.com/Christian-kirk-cardinals-jersey/ . Globo TV and other news outlets said early Monday that Scolari will not remain as coach after the national teams failure to win the World Cup at home. Kurt Warner Jersey .C. -- North Carolina State coach Mark Gottfried said his team had a "golden" opportunity to help its NCAA tournament chances. Custom Arizona Cardinals Jerseys .Y. - The New York Rangers have reached a one-year contract extension with goalie Cam Talbot, keeping Henrik Lundqvists backup away from unrestricted free agency.Penn States football program got out from under the most severe on-field sanctions imposed on it two years ago over the Jerry Sandusky child abuse scandal, learning the NCAA will allow it to compete in this years post-season and that all scholarships will return in 2015. The surprise announcement, linked to progress the school has made reforming its athletics programs, moved the university a step farther away from the fallout from Sandusky, the former assistant coach convicted of sexual abuse of 10 boys, including acts inside university facilities. The scandal badly tarnished what had been one of college sports most respected programs and led to charges of a criminal coverup against former university administrators Graham Spanier, Gary Schultz and Tim Curley, whose cases are still pending, and the firing of Hall of Fame coach Joe Paterno. Penn State had been halfway through a four-year post-season ban handed down during the summer of 2012. Some of the scholarships were restored earlier than expected a year ago. The university still must pay a $60 million fine, vacate 111 wins that came under Paterno, plus another under interim coach Tom Bradley, and the school will remain under monitoring. The decision by the NCAAs Executive Committee followed a recommendation by former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell, whose second annual report as Penn States athletics integrity monitor concluded the university was in compliance with a 2012 agreement and consent decree. "Senator Mitchells report and recommendations, along with the actions taken by the NCAA today, are a recognition of the hard work of many over the past two years to make Penn State a stronger institution," Penn State President Eric Barron, who took over in February. Mitchell said the school had made progress toward implementing a new human resources system, "fostering an ethical culture" and improving security at its sports facilities. His own five-year oversight role, scheduled to continue to 2017, may end earlier as a result of the progress that has been made, he said. Mitchell said his recommendation was focused on aspects of the penalties that affect student-athletes, many of whom stayed at Penn State despite the ability to transfer without penalty. "In light of Penn States responsiveness to its obligations and the many improvements it has instituted, I believe these student-athletes should have the opportunity to play in the post-season should they earn it on the field this year," Mitchell wrote. His 58-page report said incidents involving the football team this year included only minor infractions. In State College, junior kinesiology major Daniel Zambanini said seeing the news on television gave him a moment of shock. "The sanctions kind of held the Sandusky scandal like it was a big black cloud that hung over the university because every year, every time they mentioned Penn State, they mentioned the sanctions," Zambanini said. He said removal of the post-season ban "just takes that weightt off our shoulders and you can kind of just be Penn State once more.dddddddddddd." The penalties against Penn State were unprecedented in many ways and, because of that, not well-received by many in college sports. While the NCAA cited lack of institutional control, Penn States missteps had nothing to do with competition and the areas that usually fall under the NCAAs jurisdiction. "The biggest problem I had was the effect on the student athletes in the program," said former Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe, who worked in NCAA enforcement during the 1980s, including on the SMU football death penalty case. "They (Penn States players) werent involved in a program that was cheating against their rivals and now all of sudden theyre not able to participate in post-season." The NCAA cutting the penalties down is also unusual. Beebe and Mike Gilleran, a sports law and ethics professor at Santa Clara University who worked in NCAA enforcement during the 1970s and 80s, said they were concerned the latest move would set another precedent. "So what happens now when one of your old schools," Gilleran said, referring to Beebes time in the Big 12, "gets whacked? OK, well take that penalty with the understanding that we will be model citizens and we will expect the treatment that Penn State got." Beebe said rolling back the sanctions gives the appearance of the NCAA acknowledging it might have overreached by getting involved with the Sandusky scandal. "My first blush is I dont know how it could be perceived differently," he said. "Id be very curious to dive into (the NCAAs) rationale." On Friday, the NCAA said in a Pennsylvania state court filing it is willing to let the state government control the $60 million fine Penn State is paying under the consent decree. The NCAA wants the judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed by state officials seeking to enforce a 2013 state law that requires the money remain in the state. If the judge agrees, the NCAA said it also will move to end a federal lawsuit against Gov. Tom Corbett and others that challenges that same law. Penn State went 15-9 during the first two seasons of the sanctions under coach Bill OBrien, who was hired to replace Paterno. Paterno was the winningest coach in major college football history when he was fired not long after Sandusky, his former defensive co-ordinator, was charged November 2011. Paterno died in January 2012 and lost his record when the NCAA vacated those 111 victories OBrien left for the Houston Texans of the NFL after last season and James Franklin was hired away from Vanderbilt to take his place. Penn State is 2-0 this season. If the Nittany Lions win the East division, they will be eligible to play in the Big Ten championship game. Franklin said in a statement the team appreciates the opportunity. "This team plays for each other. We play for Penn State, our families, the former players, our students, alumni, fans and the community," he said. 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