nt it is to him.I do have, however, a respect for the anthem and a respect for this country and respect for our flag, he said. I have every right as a head coach and

TORONTO -- Eric Lindros had just received his Hockey Hall of Fame ring and was feeling particularly buoyant. Mike Miller Jersey .Check it out! he said, raising his left hand and shiny new ring to show to the television camera. Check it out!Lindros long Hall of Fame wait is over.Passed over six times for entry into the shrine, the now 43-year-old will finally get his plaque, honored along with Rogie Vachon, Sergei Makarov and the late Pat Quinn.Its just an honor, Lindros said Friday. Look at the names on the plaques. Just being in here. Jeez, its the cream of the crop. Its a real honor to be part of this.Living in the Toronto area with his wife and three kids, Lindros said hed driven by the Hall numerous times and visited occasionally for charity events. But hed yet to take a serious walk through the place. He will now, and what hell see is his face right there among the greats.For years after his career ended in 2007, the argument against Lindros entering the Hall was two-fold. For one, he played only 760 regular- season games in a career cut short from concussions. He also failed to win a Stanley Cup, swept in the 1997 final by the Detroit Red Wings while still a member of the Philadelphia Flyers.When healthy he was a truly dominant force, a rare combination of size, skill, and power. He was the kind of player the game had never seen and probably hasnt since. Lindros finished with 372 goals and 865 points, tucked inside the top 20 in points per-game (1.14). He also was a six-time All-Star and won the Hart Trophy as league MVP as a 22-year-old in 1995 after posting 29 goals and 70 points in 46 games.Lindros was the No. 1 overall pick of the Quebec Nordiques in 1991, but refused to play there. He was eventually dealt to the Flyers in a swap that included another future Hall of Famer, Peter Forsberg.Lindros said he was well aware of the Hall of Fames annual summer selection date for inductees, each year passing by without entry. Earlier this past summer he heard from a former New York Rangers staffer who wondered whether hed heard anything yet from the Hall about the class of 2016.No, Lindros replied.He did get the call from Hall chairman Lanny McDonald a short while later while driving north on Highway 11 in Ontario with his family.It truly is an honor, he said.It also took a while for Vachon, Makarov and Quinn to take their places in the Hall.A three-time Cup-winning goalie with the Montreal Canadiens who later starred for Los Angeles, Vachon last played in the NHL in 1982. Makarovs last NHL game came with the San Jose Sharks in 1997. He enjoyed his best years in Russia, leading the Soviet league in scoring for nine seasons.Quinn, who died two years ago, last coached in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers in 2010, one of his five stints as an NHL head coach. Perhaps his most notable hockey achievement came outside the league, guiding Canadas mens hockey team in 2002 to their first Olympic gold medal in 50 years.When McDonald called Vachon to tell him was finally in this past summer, Vachon replied: Im in what?It doesnt get any better than this, Vachon said Friday.The long wait was over for all.Take whatever path you want, Lindros said. Were here forever. All of us. Mike Bibby Jersey . -- Canadian Andrew Wiggins got the ball on the wing, made a nifty spin move and then let go with a soft floater from about 10 feet that swished through the net in Allen Fieldhouse. Darko Milicic Jersey . He says so-called TRT is only one problem and he wants to go even further than the ban. "Its about time," St-Pierre told reporters at a promotional event in Montreal on Friday. "I think its a good thing. https://www.cheapgrizzlies.com/ . Cote was eligible to become a free agent Feb. 15. Cote helped running back Jon Cornish run for a league-high 1,813 rushing yards en route to being named the leagues most outstanding player. SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- When Colin Kaepernicks national anthem protest initially went public, talk immediately turned to whether it would lead to a distraction that would divide the San Francisco 49ers locker room.Two weeks later, as the Niners prepare for their opener Monday night against the Los Angeles Rams, the opposite has been the case, in fact, as the team has only gotten closer as players have had in-depth talks that have helped them learn more about one another.It leads to deeper conversations that need to be talked about, not just in our locker room, not just in barber shops around the country but everywhere, receiver Torrey Smith said. There are really issues. People get caught up in what Kap did by sitting down and not by the message that hes trying to send. I think thats the most important thing, to get people talking, and its worked.Kaepernicks protest became public after he sat during the anthem before a home game against Green Bay on Aug. 26. He later explained his reasoning, saying he was protesting the oppression of minorities and police brutality in the United States.That created a media maelstrom that the team had to handle. The Niners immediately put out a statement supporting Kaepernicks right to protest, and the players held a private meeting to allow Kaepernick to explain his reasoning and his teammates to ask questions.Thats really been the last that as a team that we talked about the situation, coach Chip Kelly said. We recognize and respect Kaps decision and his constitutional rights to do what hes doing and it sounds like its been a positive change. Theres been a lot of positive things that have come out of it. So, we havent had any meetings since.Safety Eric Reid joined Kaepernick in the protest in the final exhibition game in San Diego -- with the two kneeling instead of sitting, in a move meant to show more respect to veterans.Even the front office joined in despite a sometimes rocky relationship with Kaepernick that almost led to an offseason trade. Owner Jed York pledged $1 million to the cause of improving racial and economic inequality and starting ccollaboration between Bay Area law enforcement and the community. Pau Gasol Jersey. I think theres been a lot of open conversations, a lot more conversations going on in general, Kaepernick said. I think ultimately this team and this locker room have gotten a lot closer because of the gaining and understanding of individuals.Kaepernick and Reid plan to continue their protest before the opener and Smith said more teammates might join in. While Seattles Jeremy Lane also has joined the protest and others could as well, dont expect any Rams to do it.Coach Jeff Fisher made his stance clear at a team meeting at the start of training camp. In a message replayed on the HBO show Hard Knocks, Fisher spelled out how his players should approach the anthem: defensive players on the sideline to the left, offensive players to the right, helmets held under the left arm.Fisher said he does not demand that his players follow his rules but stressed how important it is to him.I do have, however, a respect for the anthem and a respect for this country and respect for our flag, he said. I have every right as a head coach and we have the right as an organization to express our feelings from that standpoint.The Rams have had other potential distractions to deal with this offseason as they have dealt with moving the franchise from St. Louis to Los Angeles. The team held offseason workouts in Oxnard, before holding training camp in Irvine and then setting up shop before the regular season in Thousand Oaks, all while moving the entire franchise halfway across the country.They will play their games at the L.A. Coliseum starting with the home opener next week against Seattle.There are just inconveniences, not problems -- little things, quarterback Case Keenum said. The team and organization have done a great job keeping us as comfortable as we can. Just trying to get in the regular routine and play in a regular season game.---Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '