VANCOUVER - Roberto Luongo says if things had played out differently at last seasons Heritage Classic he might still be a member

VANCOUVER - Roberto Luongo says if things had played out differently at last seasons Heritage Classic he might still be a member of the Vancouver Canucks. Wilt Chamberlain Jersey .Former head coach John Tortorella started backup Eddie Lack over the veteran goaltender in the Canucks outdoor showcase game at B.C. Place Stadium against the Ottawa Senators on March 2, a game that Vancouver subsequently lost 4-2.Luongo was traded to the Florida Panthers two days later in a move that was widely speculated to have been precipitated by the snub, and the 35-year-old all but confirmed that to be the case on Tuesday at Rogers Arena ahead of Thursdays homecoming against the Canucks.Theres no hiding it. I did want to play that game, Luongo told reporters. I mean that goes without saying, and if I would have played I probably would maybe still be here. Who knows?Chants of Loo rang out around B.C. Place back in March to protest the decision to start Lack, but Luongo said he didnt feel disrespected by the organization or Tortorella — who was fired following one disastrous season that saw Vancouver miss the playoffs for the first time in six years.I feel like whatever the hand youre dealt you have to deal with it the best that you can, said Luongo. Maybe earlier in my career I would have used those terms, but I dont think its appropriate.I dont think Im owed anything.Thursdays game will be Luongos first in Vancouver since the trade and he touched on a number of memorable moments at his press conference, including winning gold for Canada at the 2010 Olympics and the run to Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup.I enjoyed my time here. It was great, said Luongo. Im just disappointed I wasnt able to bring a Cup here. I think this market wants one more than anything, and if anything thats the main thing that Im disappointed about.He later added: The positives definitely outweigh the few negative things that happened.Most of those negatives occurred after the Cup final and included a goalie circus with Cory Schneider, demanding a trade, stating that his US$64-million, 12-year contract sucks and seeing Schneider dealt away. Then there was his perhaps ill-advised and short-lived captaincy that lasted from 2008 until 2010.Luongo went 19-16-6 with a 2.38 goals-against average and .917 save percentage in his final season with Vancouver and won at least 30 games in six of his eight campaigns here, including two of more than 40 wins. Although he came across as aloof in the media and fans often criticized his play on the ice and demeanour off it, teammates loved his passion and drive.I think he was maybe misunderstood a little bit for a lot of people. He just wanted to win, said Canucks forward Alexandre Burrows. Thats the most important thing. For him to prepare and wanting to win, sometimes he might have done things that media didnt like or fans didnt like.But at the end of the day he wanted to be a real pro and win every game that he played. As a teammate he was great.Luongo — who doesnt blame former Canucks president and general manager Mike Gillis for how things unfolded — said he could have dealt with the spotlight better early in his Vancouver tenure after he was originally acquired from Florida back in 2006.I think sometimes you have to go through some adversity to realize and understand and do the right things, he said. Just my whole perspective on a lot of stuff has changed over the last couple of years, the way I handle things. (I) just try and have as much fun as I can out there realizing that Im 35 now.I just want to have fun playing the game and play hard and do the best I can.For all the heat directed his way, Luongo left Vancouver as a popular player in the city and the feeling is that sentiment remains.Theres a few things, the way I handled certain situations, that I wasnt happy with, said Luongo. Im happy that people were able to see who I really am and the way I am away from the cameras and around the guys and all that kind of stuff. It did feel good for people to see what kind of person I am.He added that there was a period before last seasons stunning trade that brought forward Shawn Matthias and minor-league goalie Jacob Markstrom to Vancouver where he was resigned to the fact that he wouldnt be moved because of his contract.I was just trying to focus on playing here and see what came up as far as teams and trades, said Luongo. At the end of the day everything happens for a reason and I guess thats just the way it had to work out.Luongo has the young Panthers in a hunt for the playoffs in the Eastern Conference and sports a 15-7-7 record to go along with a .924 save percentage, a 2.28 goals-against average and two shutouts so far this season.Im just trying to be in the moment. Were doing pretty well as a team, said Luongo, who dropped a 4-3 shootout decision to Vancouver in Sunrise, Fla., a few weeks after the trade. It was a little bit unknown with all the new faces coming into the season. We had a lot of young guys, new coach.Were really close to being a really good team. Thats what my focus is on.Luongo said he isnt sure what kind of reception to expect from fans on Thursday night in his old stomping grounds, but joked that both will be familiar.Loos and boos, they all sound the same so I wont be able to tell the difference, he said with a smile. Hopefully a good (reaction) but thats not up to me. Either way I just want to enjoy the game.___Follow @JClipperton_CP on Twitter JaVale McGee Jersey .Mack, a reserve guard who came in averaging 3.8 points, made all six of his 3-pointers as the Hawks went 16 for 28 from behind the arc.Trailing 50-38 midway through the second quarter, Atlanta outscored Cleveland 89-48 the rest of the way and sent the Cavaliers to their largest loss of the season. Andre Iguodala Jersey . Canadas 5-1 loss to Finland in the semifinal ranks as the tournaments most-watched game with a record 2.7 million viewers, the largest ever for a World Juniors game played outside of North America, and winning Saturday as the most-watched program on Canadian television. http://www.nbawarriorsauthority.com/stephen-curry-warriors-jersey-c-5/ . Villarreals victory in Valencia kept it in fourth place and in control of Spains last Champions League spot. Uche broke free in the area in the 10th minute and was brought down by goalkeeper Keylor Navas, who was shown a direct red card. TORONTO -- When Blue Jays starter Brandon Morrow is on his game, his stuff can be electric and will often leave opposing hitters handcuffed. He displayed that dominant form in a solid six-inning performance Wednesday night as Toronto defeated the Houston Astros 7-3 at Rogers Centre. Morrow struck out nine batters as the Blue Jays (5-4) locked up their first series win of the young season and moved over the .500 mark in the process. The veteran right-hander was hitting the high 90s with his fastball and retired the first nine batters in order, fanning six along the way. "He was throwing the crap out of the ball ... he was using all of his pitches really (well) and he gave us a real shot to win the game," said Toronto catcher Dioner Navarro. The Blue Jays staked Morrow to an early two-run lead and gave him a 5-0 cushion after five innings. The Astros battled back with three runs in the sixth before Brett Lawrie of Langley, B.C., provided some insurance with a two-run shot an inning later for his first homer of the season. "They stung us there and battled back and got within reaching distance there, so it was good to put us back on top and put it out of reach later in the game," Lawrie said. Melky Cabrera, Maicer Izturis and Navarro had two hits apiece as Toronto outhit the Astros 10-6. Morrow (1-1) struck out the side in the first inning. The Astros didnt put a man on base until the fourth, when leadoff man Dexter Fowler walked and moved to third on Jason Castros one-out single. That didnt faze Morrow -- he struck out cleanup man Jose Altuve and fanned Chris Carter to get out of the jam. "He was throwing a lot of split-fingers and sliders and we were kind of fishing at them," said Astros outfielder Alex Presley. Morrow allowed five hits and three earned runs in his first quality start since May 5th, 2013. It was the first time he had struck out at least nine batters in a game since an 11-strikeout performance against the Minnesota Twins on Oct. 3, 2012. "I thought he was very aggressive tonight and he had that look about him too," said Toronto manager John Gibbons. "I mean he was confident, but thats what hes capable of doing ... its something to build off of." Torontos timely hitting and some poor defensive play by the Astros hellped the Blue Jays score three runs in the fifth. Nate Thurmond Jersey. Cabrera singled, stole second and scored on a single by Izturis. Jose Bautista walked and the runners advanced when Edwin Encarnacion grounded out weakly to the first-base side. After Adam Lind was intentionally walked to load the bases, Navarro hit a tailor-made double play ball to Matt Dominguez but the third baseman made an errant throw that allowed two runs to score. The Astros did all of their damage in the sixth inning. Fowler singled to centre and Presley followed with a two-run homer to deep right-centre field. Altuve tripled and scored when Carter grounded out. Encarnacion made a nice play at first base by short-hopping a chopper from Marc Krauss and stepping on the bag for the third out. In the bottom of the sixth, Ryan Goins reached on a walk but was later picked off by Williams. Gibbons came out to talk to the umpire but didnt challenge the call as the replays the Blue Jays saw were inconclusive. Triple-A callup Neil Wagner came on in the seventh inning and retired the Astros in order. Lawrie turned on a 2-1 pitch from Josh Zeid, who relieved Williams after he left the game due to a right groin strain. Toronto reliever Steve Delabar recorded one out in the ninth before taking a liner off his lower right leg. He limped off the field and was replaced by Esmil Rogers, who got the final two outs. Announced attendance was 13,569 and the game took three hours nine minutes to play. The Blue Jays will go for a sweep of the three-game series on Thursday night. Notes: Toronto ace R.A. Dickey (1-1) is scheduled to face Houston left-hander Dallas Keuchel (0-1) in the series finale. ... Before the game, the Blue Jays recalled Wagner from the Buffalo Bisons and optioned fellow right-hander Marcus Walden to the triple-A club. ... Izturis was moved from the No. 8 spot to the second position in the batting order. He went 2-for-3 to improve his batting average to .459. ... Toronto split a four-game series at Tampa Bay to open the season before dropping a weekend set to the New York Yankees. ... Delabar said he iced his leg after the game and would probably get the day off Thursday. ... Navarro stole a base in the seventh inning. It was his first steal since a game on Sept. 7, 2009 against the Yankees. Cheap NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys China NFL Jerseys From China Wholesale Jerseys 2018 Cheap Jerseys From China Wholesale Jerseys 2020 Wholesale Jerseys 2019 ' ' '