BUFFALO, N. Jeremy Mathieu Jersey .Y. - Dominik Hasek has come to realize how much easier it was turning aside pucks than it is accepting honours.Hasek, after all, never had to give any speeches patrolling the crease during a 16-season NHL career.To play hockey was much easier, Hasek said Tuesday. Any time Im standing in front of so many people, not as a hockey player, but as a person, its definitely much more difficult.The player nicknamed The Dominator is getting accustomed to public speaking three years into his retirement.After having his No. 9 retired in his Czech Republic hometown of Pardubice last year, followed by a Hockey Hall of Fame induction in November, Hasek was back in Buffalo to take part in his latest honour.The Sabres paid tribute to their star goalie by retiring his No. 39 in a banner-raising ceremony before their home game against the Detroit Red Wings.Hasek played for both teams, and won Stanley Cups with Detroit in 2002 and 2008.Buffalo, however, holds a special spot in his heart. It was during a nine-season stint with the Sabres when Hasek established his reputation as one of the NHLs best, and revolutionized the art of goaltending with an unorthodox flopping style.I dont think Ill ever get tired of hearing the sound of Sabres fans cheering, Hasek said in opening a 4-1/2 minute speech from a podium at centre ice. Sabres fans are one of a kind and having your support means as much to me as any trophy that I have won.One fan yelled out: We love you! Another yelled: We need you back!The banner hung above the Sabres zone, and will eventually join the six others honouring team greats in the northwest end of the arena. The Sabres also honoured Hasek by having his number painted behind both nets.Before the ceremony, Hasek reminisced about his career and playing days in Buffalo.One of his fondest memories was in 1998, after leading the Czech Republic to the gold medal at the Nagano Winter Games. Returning to Buffalo, Hasek was amazed at being greeted at the airport by thousands of cheering Sabres fans.It was something that I will never forget, he said. And thats why I feel like a big part of Buffalo.Hasek forced his trade to Detroit in July 2001 because he wanted a shot to win a championship at a time when the Sabres were entering a rebuilding stage.Hasek began his career in Chicago, before being traded to Buffalo in August 1992. He also spent the 2005-06 season with Ottawa. After winning his second Stanley Cup with the Red Wings, Hasek spent two seasons playing professionally in Europe before formally announcing his retirement in 2012.He was a two-time NHL MVP, six-time Vezina Trophy-winner and six-time all-star. Statistically, Hasek ranks first on the NHL career list with a 92.2 save percentage, is sixth with 81 shutouts, seventh with a 2.2 goals-against average and 12th with 389 wins.He was one of the greatest players to ever play the game, said Red Wings coach Mike Babcock, who coached Hasek in Detroit. He gave Buffalo an opportunity to win every night. He was an absolutely star, and did it his own way.Haseks competitive intensity set him apart. And that included practice, where Hasek hated giving up a goal.He never wanted to be scored on. It didnt matter if it was the pre-game skate or practice and obviously not in a game, Red Wings forward and former teammate Henrik Zetterberg said. For me, as a younger player coming in, to see the battle he put in practice helped me to go even harder.Haseks influence particularly resonated back home, where he inspired numerous Czech Republic youngsters to play goal. That includes Buffalos Michal Neuvirth and Detroits Petr Mrazek, who started Tuesday night.He was my idol. I always wanted to be like him, Neuvirth said.Hasek never envisioned the dominant stamp he would eventually place on the game.It was unclear. I wasnt confident, Hasek said, recalling his arrival in Buffalo. It took me a few years. But after a while, you feel more confident.He then paused, and broke into a smile.What can I say? Hasek added. What a great nine years I spent in Buffalo. Mathieu Valbuena Jersey . Freddie Roach said if the Rios fight "does not go well, we will seriously talk about his retirement," but that Pacquiao was training as well as ever for the Nov. Paul Pogba Jersey .Y. -- Defenceman Ryan Murphy had a goal and an assist and Drew MacIntyre made 24 saves to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the New York Islanders 4-2 in an exhibition game Wednesday night. http://www.soccerfrancenationalshop.us/Steve-Mandanda-France-Jersey/ . Louis Cardinals are one of Major League Baseballs model franchises.Stefan (Skyscraper) Struve showed early on in his UFC career that he should never be counted out. At UFC 99 in Cologne, Germany, in June 2009, the six-foot-11 Dutch heavyweight was gushing blood out of his forehead after taking a string of hammer blows from Denis Stojnic while on his back in the first round. Stojnics forearm looked as if it had been dipped in blood. But a bloody Struve rallied in the second round to take Stojnics back and choke him out. The German crowd roared as Struve, his face a crimson mask and long torso tinged red from blood, rose in victory. "Thats one hell of a Band-Aid," UFC president Dana White said dryly, referring to a plaster the size of a cigarette package on Struves forehead at the post-fight news conference. Struves size -- he is the tallest fighter in UFC history and is tied for longest reach with light-heavyweight champ Jon Jones -- combined with slick kickboxing and submission skills have helped him rise up the heavyweight ranks while compiling a 9-4 record in the UFC. But his career appeared over last year when he was diagnosed with a rare heart condition. Given the OK to resume fighting by his doctors in the Netherlands and the UFCs cardiologist, Struve (29-6) returns to the cage Saturday when he takes on Matt Mitrione at UFC 175 in Las Vegas. "It looks good," Struve, who divides his training between the Netherlands and Los Angeles. "I just need to do checkups two times a year with my doctors in Holland and two times a year with my doctors in LA. "Thats no problem for me. I actually like that I know for sure that my heart is healthy." Mitrione (7-3) is a former NFL defensive lineman who switched to MMA via Season 10 of "The Ultimate Fighter" reality TV show in 2009. Struve, ranked 12th among heavyweight contenders, last fought in March 2013 when he suffered a broken jaw in a knockout loss to hard-hitting Mark Hunt in Japan. Struve says he had been sick for six weeks before the bout and was still under the weather during the fight. "I felt horrible." And he just couldnt recover after. "I just couldnt get over the jet lag. I couldnt sleep at night," he said. "I just didnt feel good and I didnt have any energy." He returned to full training some three months after the loss. Then one day at his parents house, he got dizzy standing up after working at the computer. He sat down and blacked out briefly, "which scared me because I had nevver had that. Anthony Martial Jersey. " He went to the hospital, which couldnt find anything but asked him to come back for a stress ultrasound test which uses high frequency sound waves to examine the hearts anatomy and function. "Thats where they found it," he said. Struve was diagnosed with a leaking aortic valve, as well an enlarged heart. It meant that his heart was only pumping 60 per cent of his blood into the aorta and then the rest of his body. The remaining 40 per cent was ending up back in the heart chamber. Doctors used medication to control his blood pressure and the demands on his heart. Struve says he will probably have to undergo surgery at some point but hopes to do it after his fighting career. "As it is right now, its getting better every day," he said. He kept training throughout, raising his regimen as his health improved. He also taught MMA, which he said he enjoyed immensely. "I just enjoy being healthy and living a good life," he said. "I love this sport." MMA takes a toll, however. While Struve puts on exciting fights, he has endured punishing knockouts losses at the hands of Junior Dos Santos, Roy (Big Country) Nelson, Travis Browne and Hunt. The big Dutchman says he feels a lot more energy these days. "And a lot more joy in life, if you want to say so, because if you feel tied all day long, youre just miserable." But Struve says he may have taken time off from fighting even if it hadnt had the heart scare. He had plenty on his mind. "This was by far the hardest year of my life," he added. "Not only because of this but my father passed away in October after being sick for a year and a half. And then there were some other things that happened close to me that really impacted me." Back training, his performance in the gym gives him confidence that ring rust wont be an issue Saturday night. While Struve says he has got on well with Mitrione in the past, he says its a "little strange" the American asked for the fight before he was cleared to compete again. Middleweight champion Chris Weidman defends his title against former light-heavyweight champion Lyoto (The Dragon) Machida -- ranked No. 3 among 185-pound contenders -- in the main event at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Womens bantamweight title-holder (Rowdy) Ronda Rousey takes on No. 2 Alexis Davis, a native of Port Colborne, Ont., who fights out of San Jose, in the co-main event. Cheap NFL Jerseys Camo Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys Throwback Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping Black China NFL Jerseys ' ' '