Plauderwelten » was recently recalled from the American Hockey League

RENTON, Wash. - Every now and then, even during games sometimes, Bruce Irvin will be overwhelmed by gratitude.Hell remember the two weeks he spent in an Atlanta jail as a teenager. Hell think about turning his life around and becoming a junior college football standout, only to lack the money to continue in school.And, of course, Irvin will remember all the criticism that was directed toward the Seattle Seahawks when they decided to make him the No. 15 pick of the 2012 draft.Sometimes Ill be in a game during a timeout break looking at the crowd and think, Dang, a lot of people said I wouldnt be here. Sometimes I thought about myself I wouldnt be more than what I was, Irvin said. Its a blessing. I thank God every day. ... Lord knows I was supposed to be in jail or dead. Just for me to be able to practice every day and come out here and watch film is a blessing. I try and make the most of letting the guys know it aint guaranteed.Once considered to be a risky draft choice who could only be a pass rusher in the NFL, Irvin has developed into an every down linebacker who rarely leaves the field. On first and second downs, Irvin is a strongside linebacker who plays on the line of scrimmage.During passing situations, Irvin gets to put his hand on the ground and do his favourite thing in football, rush the quarterback.Its a scenario that works for the Seahawks and one no one could have anticipated when Irvin entered the NFL.It makes me happy. That was the biggest knock on me that I was situational and I couldnt play the run, Irvin said. These coaches, Pete (Carroll) and (general manager) John (Schneider), they never wavered, they never pulled the plug on me and they kept believing in me. ... I cant ask for a better supporting cast and a better situation than the one Im in right now. I just have to continue to keep getting better and not let those guys down.Irvin is at the end of his third season, but early in Year 2 his future seemed in question. He had played mostly as an undersized pass-rushing defensive end his rookie season and while he was successful at getting to the quarterback, he also got pushed around in run defence. Seattles coaches wanted to keep it simple for him at first and not push him to learn multiple positions.When we went after him, we thought he would be a very special pass rusher because of his terrific speed, Carroll said. We thought he would have the ability to do other things beyond that and in time, it took us a little while, we tried to make it easy for him at first and left him at the Leo spot. As we grew with him, we expanded with him.Seattle started transitioning Irvin to linebacker at the start of his second season. He was suspended four games for using performance-enhancing substances, but Seattle stuck with its plan. The Seahawks were convinced their best defensive alignment was with K.J. Wright at weakside linebacker and Irvin as their future on the strongside.Irvin believes that if he was with any other team, hed still just be a situational player.Irvin is far from a finished product as a linebacker, but hes managed to retain his pass-rush ability. Irvin finished second in the regular season with seven sacks for Seattle, and hell likely be getting plenty of opportunities to try to get to Tom Brady against New England in the Super Bowl. When the teams played during the 2012 season in Seattle, the Patriots put the ball in the air 58 times, although their run game is more consistent now.Ken Norton Jr., making the decision to make me a linebacker, that probably saved my career, Irvin said. I always would have been an undersized defensive end. I would rather be a big linebacker than a small defensive end. I think the transition was smart.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/ap_nfl Nike Roshe Wholesale . With newly minted president of hockey operations Trevor Linden looking on from above one day after being handed the keys to the franchise, it was more of the same on Thursday night. Cheap Nike Roshe Shoes . -- Adam Tambellini scored three times and set up one more as the Calgary Hitmen won their sixth in a row by crushing the host Lethbridge Hurricanes 8-1 on Saturday in Western Hockey League play. http://www.cheapnikeroshe.net/ . "This isnt really the week you want to lose Chris Greaves," fellow lineman Glenn January said Wednesday after practice. Greaves is expected to miss several weeks after suffering a knee injury in last weeks 36-28 win over the Ottawa Redblacks. Nike Roshe Clearance . - Houston defensive end J. Nike Roshe Discount . The $145.7-million Tim Hortons Field was slated to open this month, a year before it was to host all 32 mens and womens soccer competitions. The delay has forced the Hamilton Tiger-Cats football team to use a smaller facility for the first two home games of the season.ANAHEIM - The Los Angeles Kings were seconds away from falling behind 1-0 in the Western Conference second round until Marian Gaborik altered their fate. After a comeback victory in Game 1, Gaborik and the Kings will shoot for a 2-0 lead when they visit the Anaheim Ducks for Mondays Game 2 battle at Honda Center. You can see all the action on TSN beginning at 9:30pm et/6:30pm pt. Gaborik tied the game late in regulation and scored the winner 12:07 into overtime to help Los Angeles rally for a 3-2 win in Game 1 on Saturday. It was the first-ever playoff meeting between the longtime Pacific Division rivals, who are battling for Southern California supremacy and a right to play in the Western Conference finals. The Kings acquired Gaborik from Columbus for forward Matt Frattin and two draft picks at the trade deadline, and the move has paid off big so far in the postseason. With his two-goal effort on Saturday, the Slovakian sniper now has five tallies in the 2014 playoffs, placing him in a four-way tie for the league lead. The Kings were trailing 2-1 after Teemu Selanne scored earlier in the third period, and they pulled goaltender Jonathan Quick for an extra attacker. It appeared the Ducks were poised to win this one in regulation after Ducks goalie Jonas Hiller made stops on Anze Kopitar and a rebound chance by Justin Williams inside the final minute. However, Mike Richards threw the puck on net from the left boards in the dying seconds, and Gaborik was able to knock the rebound out of the air and between the pads of Hiller with just seven ticks showing to force overtime. "Its a playoff game so youre never going to see teams lay down," said Los Angeles head coach Darryl Sutter. "We were just working hard to tie the game." On the winning goal, Kopitar received the puck in the high slot and threw a hard pass to the left side for Gaborik, who tipped the puck on net where it went off the post and in for the winner and a 1-0 lead in this best-of-seven set. "We werent sharp in some parts of the game, we gave them some odd-man rushes and turned the puck over," said Gaborik. "But we came back and got a very important win for us.dddddddddddd" Gaborik, owner of 347 regular-season markers, now has 21 goals over 61 career playoff games. Kopitar had three assists and Alec Martinez scored the other goal for the Kings, who became the fourth team in NHL history to rally from a 3-0 hole as they defeated the San Jose Sharks in a seven-game matchup in the opening round. Kopitar leads all skaters in the playoffs with 13 points on four goals and nine assists. Quick made 33 saves in Saturdays victory, as the 2012 Conn Smythe Trophy winner improved to 34-24 in his playoff career. Saturdays win did come at a cost for L.A., which lost defenseman Robyn Regehr to an undisclosed injury. Regehr left the game midway through the first period and did not return. He is questionable for Mondays contest. The Kings are already without defenseman Willie Mitchell, who sat out Game 7 of the first round and the opener of this set with an undisclosed injury. Matt Greene has replaced Mitchell in the lineup and defenseman Jeff Schultz, who was recently recalled from the American Hockey League, could join the roster if both Mitchell and Regehr sit out Game 2. Selanne and Matt Beleskey scored for the Ducks, who took out the Dallas Stars in six games to advance to the semifinals. Hiller had 33 saves in the loss, while Anaheim captain Ryan Getzlaf had two assists. "Youre looking at a 3-2 overtime loss where both teams played evenly," said Anaheim head coach Bruce Boudreau. "It wasnt the other, its what two good hockey teams do, one wins and the other doesnt. like one team was dominant over. Maybe on Monday it will be reversed." Although the Ducks won all three of their games in Los Angeles this season, the club would like to even this series before it shifts to Staples Center for Games 3 and 4. The third tilt is set for Thursday in L.A. and will be followed with Game 4 on Saturday. Anaheim, the top seed in the West, finished 16 points ahead of Los Angeles in the Pacific Division standings and went 4-0-1 against the Kings during the regular-season series. However, a 3-0 win by Anaheim in L.A. on Jan. 25 marked the only encounter that was decided by more than one goal. ' ' '