Dein erstes Forum » World Cup berth since 2002. T

PHILADELPHIA - Ron Hextall got his "dream job." Hextall was promoted to general manager by the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday to replace Paul Holmgren, who was elevated to president. Hextall is Philadelphias all-time winningest goalie and served as assistant GM last year. "When I was done playing 15 years ago, my next goal was to become a general manager," Hextall said. "Ive been very fortunate to work under Bobby Clarke, Paul Holmgren, and Dean Lombardi out in Los Angeles - three very good people but also three very astute people who I took a lot of lessons from the last 15 years. Holmgren replaced Clarke as GM during the 2006-07 season and led the Flyers to within two games of the Stanley Cup title in 2010. He played for the Flyers from 1975-84 and coached them from 1988-92. "Im excited about whats ahead for me," Holmgren said. The Flyers were eliminated by the New York Rangers in seven games in the first round of the playoffs. They havent won a Cup since 1975, but have reached the Finals and lost six times. Despite heavy criticism in Philadelphia for failing to win it all, the Flyers have long been considered one of the top NHL franchises. Theyve earned a playoff berth in 39 of their 46 seasons. "The culture of winning is nothing to be embarrassed about," said Hextall, adding the Flyers are a "model" organization. "We should all be proud of this organization and what theyve done. Short of winning the Stanley Cup, this organization has done everything. Theres nothing anyone here wont do to win a Stanley Cup." Hextall previously spent seven seasons as vice-president and assistant GM with the Los Angeles Kings. The 50-year-old Hextall played 13 seasons in the NHL and had two stints covering 11 years with the Flyers. He burst on the scene in 1986, won the Vezina Trophy and helped the Flyers get within one win of the Stanley Cup before losing to Wayne Gretzky and the Edmonton Oilers on the road in Game 7 in 1987. Hextall was the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as MVP of the playoffs that year. Hextall had 296 career wins in the regular season, including 240 for the Flyers. He retired in 1999 and joined the Flyers front office. He spent three years as a pro scout and four as director of pro player personnel before joining the Kings in 2006. "Ron is one of the leagues bright young stars on the management side, and were very fortunate to have him," Flyers chairman Ed Snider said. "Hes had success in Los Angeles and will now put that experience to work for us as general manager. We all remember the enthusiasm, work ethic and personality he had as a player, and were excited to watch him bring those qualities to building a team that will contend for the Stanley Cup." Hextall became the first NHL goalie to score a goal by shooting the puck into the opponents empty net. He also became the first goalie to score a goal in the playoffs. Hextall was known for his fiery temper as a player. His attacked Montreals Chris Chelios during the 1989 playoffs, sparking a brawl. "There is an on-ice guy and an off-ice guy," Holmgren said. "What I see now is an off-ice guy who is very intelligent, very articulate and knows the game inside and out. It has been growing over the last 15 years so hes obviously learned from that." Hextall has a strong core of players, including Hart Trophy finalist Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek and Wayne Simmonds. After years of searching for a true No. 1 goalie, it seems they have one now in Steve Mason. "The thing I really like about our team is everybody talks about our forwards, and thats a good group, but its a young group as well. And thats important," Hextall said. "A lot of these guys are going to get better, and weve got to take it upon ourselves to help them get better every day." Air Max 1 Canada . Louis Cardinals are one of Major League Baseballs model franchises. Cheap Air Max 1 Canada . "He came up to me and said, I want to train," said Toronto coach Ryan Nelsen. The 26-year-old midfielder is expected to play Saturday night when Toronto hosts D.C. United, returning to his Major League Soccer squad with mixed feelings about the Americans World Cup run -- sad that it ended when it did but proud of his teams performance. http://www.airmax1canada.com/ . -- Arizona coach Sean Miller rose from his seat every time Roberto Nelson touched the ball and yelled "Shooter!" He could have been talking about his own team, too. Air Max 1 Online Shop . -- Chris Crawford hit a 3-pointer with 1:36 left to put Memphis ahead to stay, and the 21st-ranked Tigers beat seventh-ranked Louisville 72-66 Saturday, sweeping the season series from the Cardinals. Air Max 1 Sale Canada .C. United on Wednesday night. Forward Bright Dike scored the games only goal in the 85th minute on a foggy night in Bradenton, Fla.Adnan Januzaj is sticking to stick to his roots. Belgium coach Marc Wilmots says the young Manchester United winger has chosen to represent Belgium as a senior international. Januzajs addition offers yet another attacking option to an already-deep Belgian team ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. The Belgians offer an excellent blend of skill and experience ahead of their first World Cup berth since 2002. Their World Cup squad is likely to include Januzajs United teammate Marouane Fellaini, cross-town rival Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany, Chelsea midfielder Eden Hazard and Everton striker Romelu Lukaku. Belgium is currently ranked 12th in the FIFA rankings and was one of the top eight teams at the time the official seedings were done for the World Cup Draw. The Belgians were drawn together in Group H alongside Algeria, Russia and Korea Republic.dddddddddddd In an October interview with KTV, a Kosovo-based television station, Januzaj outlined his many international options. He is eligible to play for Belgium by birth and through his passport. However, being from a family of Albanian heritage, he is also eligible to represent them. His parents are actually Kosovar, but Kosovo does not have a FIFA-sanctioned senior team. There had been some speculation that the Brussels-born Januzaj might choose to represent England on the international stage, with manager Roy Hodgson stating in October that the FA was monitoring the 19-year-old. Januzaj is actually ineligible to represent under the FIFA Home Nations Agreement. ' ' '