high schools, in the recruiting process and keep the emphasis on high school coaches.The reforms are also supposed to alleviate what can seem like nonstop recruiting

CHICAGO - In the hours before a must-have Game 4 at the Garden in Boston, a struggling Jonathan Toews was approached in conversation at the team hotel by his senior teammate, 28-year-old Brent Seabrook. "I answered it wrong one time because he just asked me What are you thinking about? and I was like Nothing, what are you thinking about?" Toews recalled of a discussion which would later prove significant. "And he looked at me and I realized what he wanted me to say and I snapped back and I said Scoring goals. And he was like There you go." Tied for the team lead with 23 goals during the regular season, Toews would go on to do just that Wednesday night, erasing a frustrating 10-game spell with just his second goal of the playoffs, the second marker of a wild 6-5 overtime victory. The moment uplifted not only the Chicago captain, but his teammates. They knew the weight of the burden he carried on those 25-year-old shoulders and in spite of the many intangibles he continued to bring, there was something about scoring they knew would ease the increasing pressure and most of all, help the team out from a growing offensive rut. And so it was that Seabrook, who would later blast his second overtime winner of the playoffs, would so bluntly express to Toews what needed to happen. "To be completely honest I was sick and tired hearing about everything that Johnnys doing right," Seabrook declared with refreshing honesty. "Hes a great player; hes one of the best in the league. [But] I just told him that hes got to stop thinking about that too. Hes got to stop thinking about everything that hes doing right and stop worrying about not scoring goals. "Hes got to score goals for us," the veteran defender continued. "It wasnt about the little things that he does. It wasnt about his leadership that he brings. I just thought that maybe he needed to start thinking about scoring goals." Harassed by the forces of Milan Lucic as he drove wide to the net in the second frame of Game 4, Toews flung the puck threw the blue paint and off the side wall where it caromed to the tape of Michal Rozsival at the right point. Instinctively, Toews would plant himself to the left of Tuukka Rask, getting just a piece of a blast that would beat the Bruins netminder, one of an improbable six to do so. "It doesnt make much sense when you say that a puck going off your stick from the point…can liberate you as a player and help you play the rest of the game with less pressure," he said, "but it does. Thats the difference it makes for you. I think anyone will tell you the same thing." When he lifted the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2010, Toews had tallied seven goals and an impressive 22 assists en route to a long-awaited Cup. Entering Game 4 of the Final in 2013, hed amassed just the single marker along with eight helpers. The stiff defensive work opposite the once scorching David Krejci trio couldnt be discounted, nor could the tireless efforts on the draw or killing penalties or even the unique traits that define him as a leader. He knew he needed to score. "You play hard, you try and do the little things right, but at a certain point its not enough," Toews offered of the budding pressure to score. "Youre considered an offensive player, a key player on your team; youve got to find a way to do something." The difference, he detailed, is imbued in confidence and a subsequent shift in the split-second decision-making process. "It just comes down to having that killer instinct when youre around the net," he continued with hearty insight, "to take the puck to the net or hang onto it that extra second instead of just making a safe play and cycling it down behind their net … Its just having that confidence that Hey you can go out there, youve got the puck, dont be afraid, take a chance, throw it on net or take it to the net…" Known as one of the more vocal Hawks, for his fiery preparations before and in the midst of games, Seabrook was trying to stoke that "confidence" from his beleaguered captain, drive it forth from the depths of the dry spell. "He wasnt trying to get on me I dont think; he was definitely just trying to spark me a little bit," said Toews, rooming with Seabrook as a rookie in 2007-2008. "Hes always kind of looked after me that way. He cares about his teammates and he wants guys to have success. And just as much or more than anybody he wants to win this thing. He did what he had to do." Without a goal in the first nine games of the postseason this spring, Toews finally broke under such weight in Game 4 of the Hawks second round series with Detroit. He was hauled off to the box on three consecutive shifts in the second frame, the frustration bubbling over as Chicago went down 3-1 before rallying to top the Wings in seven games. Faced with similar circumstance in Game 4 of the Finals - down 2-1 with the Bruins stifling the Hawks defensively - Toews did not buckle. Instead, he found a spark and made an impact. And with a best-of-three looming and the Cup on the line, Chicago has its leader feeling good once more. "He knows what winnings all about," said Chicago coach Joel Quenneville, "and thats his focus and thats his motivation."Wholesale Timberwolves Jerseys . Halifax beat the Saint John Sea Dogs 7-5 on the strength of two goals apiece from Nikolaj Ehlers, Matt Murphy and Brent Andrews. Jonathan Drouin also scored and had three assists while Zachary Fucale made 17 saves for the Mooseheads (16-8-0), who led 6-1 after two periods. Karl-Anthony Towns Jersey . That left plenty of energy for pitching books and swatting away free agency questions. Anthony had 24 points and nine rebounds, and the Knicks avenged an embarrassing home loss with a rout of their own, beating the Boston Celtics 114-88 on Wednesday night for their third straight victory. http://www.cheaptimberwolvesjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-amile-jefferson-jersey .1 million pounds ($61.2 million) on Saturday, giving the beleaguered English Premier League champions a major lift. Justin Patton Jersey . Listen to the game live on TSN Radio 1050 at 7pm et. The Raptors traded Rudy Gay, Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray to the Sacramento Kings on Monday, in exchange for Greivis Vasquez, John Salmons, Patrick Patterson and Chuck Hayes. Gorgui Dieng Jersey . - Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie never doubted he would bring back coach Dennis Allen for a third year despite back-to-back 4-12 records.The NCAA committee that proposed football recruiting reforms, which include the addition of early signing periods, wants to create more transparency and access for coaches and players in a process that has been accelerated in recent years, said a key member of the group.Nebraska athletic director Shawn Eichorst told The Associated Press the football oversight committee created an interconnected and comprehensive package of reforms while acknowledging the new realities of recruiting.I think you need to think about it in that more broad context, Eichorst said in a phone interview Monday. I know people want to pull pieces and talk about the pieces, but really I think to understand and explain the rationale appropriately, youve got to understand the whole process.The proposal would change when and where summer camps and clinics can be held and limit so-called satellite camps. High school players would be allowed to take official recruiting visits in the summer before their senior years, conceivably creating opportunities for visits to be paired with attending a camp. The proposed changes, which could go into effect next year, would also allow a 10th assistant football coach and set a hard cap of 25 signees per year.The piece of the proposal that has drawn the most debate is the creation of two early signing periods in June and December. The June period would allow prospects to sign binding national letters of intent before their senior years of high school. The Collegiate Commissioners Association, which administers the NLI, must approve and implement the new signing periods.I hear the reasoning is because theres so many de-commitments, Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said in September about early signing periods before the Division I Council passed the oversight committees proposal in early October. So because 17-year-olds are de-commiting, lets give them a legal document so they cant de-commit. Thats not very smart. Young people have a right to choose where they want to go to school. Period. Let them de-commit 100 times.Alabama coach Nick Saban said he was against early signing because it could put players who take big steps forward in their development as seniors at a disadvantage after early signees scoop up scholarships.But there is no consensus among coaches. Michigans Jim Harbaugh is in favor of an early signing period. Clemsons Dabo Swinney liked the idea, but prefers the period be in Auggust.ddddddddddddArizona coach Rich Rodriguez has endorsed eliminating signing periods altogether, instead allowing schools and prospects to sign whenever both agree.Mississippi coach Hugh Freeze said the proposals make the recruiting process seem rushed.Eichorst, who was chairman of the subcommittee that worked on the satellite camps issue, said the NCAAs research indicates the process already is moving faster than ever.A recent survey showed 30 percent of more than 1,400 football players who signed a national letter of intent gave verbal commitments during their junior years or during the summer before their senior years.We wanted to get more transparency there, Eichorst said. In order to do that you had to reorder things a little bit because what we know is there are a number of kids who are being identified, evaluated, offered and commit before they start their senior year. And theyre doing that without the benefit of official visits. And theyre doing that without the benefit of permissible off-campus contact.De-commitments and flip-flopping by highly touted recruits gets a lot of attention, but it is still relatively uncommon. The survey showed 82 percent of football signees verbally committed prior to signing. Of those, 90 percent signed where they committed.The NCAA also wants to better regulate so-called third parties, such as seven-on-seven coaches who are often not affiliated with high schools, in the recruiting process and keep the emphasis on high school coaches.The reforms are also supposed to alleviate what can seem like nonstop recruiting for coaches.What we wanted to see was greater balance with our coaches and our current students, Eichorst said. And what we constantly hear from our coaches and others is often times I spend more time recruiting my next class than coaching my current.Of 55 NCAA sports, football is one of four that does not have an early signing period.According to the NCAA, 25,316 Division I student-athletes signed a national letter of intent in 2015-16. Of those, 18,103 had the opportunity to sign early and about 66 percent did.Why are we treating football players different from all the other students that come to us? Eichorst said. Theres no good answer for that.---The APs college football site at http://collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '