he visiting clubhouse at Natio
he visiting clubhouse at Natio
WASHINGTON - Its impossible for the Chicago Blackhawks not to think about Clint Reif. In the visiting clubhouse at Nationals Park, theres a jersey hanging from a locker stall bearing the name of the assistant equipment manager who was found dead at his home Dec. 21.He passed away, but its not like were going to forget about him, Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane said. Hes still in our hearts and hes still, I guess you can say, in this locker-room. If we can do something little like credit a stall in his name or wear a CR on the back of our helmet and things like that, I think it goes a long way just for his remembrance.Remembering Reif is a big part of the 2015 Winter Classic, as the Washington Capitals will join the Blackhawks in wearing a decal bearing his initials on the backs of their helmets.That is a pretty cool gesture, Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews said. Weve heard over the last couple weeks the influence and the effect that Clints had, not only on the guys in this locker-room, but guys that hes worked with or gotten to know in the past with other teams.Former Blackhawks right-winger Troy Brouwer initiated the move, talking to Capitals equipment manager Brock Myles, who got in touch with his colleagues in Chicago. Brouwer was hoping to wear CR on his helmet regardless.Myles talked to Washington coach Barry Trotz, who called Joel Quenneville to get that organizations blessing. Quenneville appreciated the kind thought.We didnt want to take anything away from what Chicago was doing and representing, but we do, our trainers wanted to do it, so we reached out to Chicago and asked them, Trotz said. And they were gracious enough to do it.Emotions are still raw around the Blackhawks less than two weeks after Reifs death. The 34-year-old was in his ninth season with the team, and one player declined to even discuss the situation.Winger Bryan Bickell said he thought about Reif on Wednesday when members of the USA Warriors program took the ice with the Blackhawks. Reif was responsible for getting the wounded veterans new equipment when they skated with the Blackhawks at the Stadium Series last season at Soldier Field in Chicago.He was part of our family, Bickell said. Hes always going to be in our hearts and with his family. Were playing for him for this year and probably for a long time. Its definitely tough.Reifs death resonated beyond the Blackhawks in part because hockey players consider trainers and equipment managers almost like teammates. Theyre around all the time and do a lot of the dirty work behind the scenes to make hockey happen.A lot of people say that theyre an extended part of our team and they are part of our team, said Brouwer, who knew Reif and his family well from his time with Chicago. Everything that we do, we cant get done without them. A lot of things that dont get seen is when we get off the plane at 1, 2 in the morning we get to go into our beds. They got to go unpack our gear, which is something that goes overlooked a lot of the time. The guys in here love them for it, thank them for it.Myles is joined on the Caps equipment staff by Craig Woody Leydig and Dave Marin. Troy Parchman is the Blackhawks head equipment manager, and hes assisted by Jim Heintzelman and Jeff Uyeno.Those people are very important within locker-rooms.I dont think people realize that much how hard our trainers do work and what they do on a daily basis, Toews said. You come back to the rink and you expect things to be a certain way so that you can resume your routine and just focus on playing hockey. Theyre making sure you can do that. Theyre there with you every step of the way.Players remember Reif fondly. Toews called him sociable, happy and a connector of people, and Brouwer referred to him as outgoing, upbeat and smart.Clint was an awesome guy, Brouwer said. He always made us laugh, he always had fun with us. He loved what he did. Hes really going to be missed.The Capitals tribute means Reif could be enough of a part of the Winter Classic that viewers hear his story, about how he grew up in Illinois and worked as a stick boy for the International Hockey Leagues Fort Wayne Komets and as an equipment manager for the ECHLs Orlando Solar Bears and AHLs Chicago Wolves.One of the pictures that surfaced after Reifs death was from one of his two days with the Cup. Brouwer remembers the big party Reif and his young family had in the summer of 2010 and knows full well trainers deserve to celebrate like players.Theyre a large part of that accomplishment, Brouwer said.---Follow @SWhyno on Twitter Erick Aybar Jersey . The third-seeded Bouchard, from Westmount, Que., was coming off a semifinal appearance at the French Open. She took the opening set before the unseeded American came back for the 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory. Glen Perkins Jersey . Hall joined Bengals teammates for a voluntary workout on Monday. Hes got his mobility back and is on schedule to be ready for the season. CINCINNATI - Bengals cornerback Leon Hall is happy with his recovery from a torn Achilles tendon and expects to be ready for the start of training camp in July. http://www.twinsrookiestore.com/Twins-R ... ds-Jersey/. The motion to expand the stadiums capacity passed through by a count of 39-3, with Toronto mayor Rob Ford being among those in opposition. Kennys Vargas Jersey . Less than 24 hours later, in the same arena, he tried to recreate the magic of his all-time favourite player. Hilliard scored a career-high 26 points and No. Addison Reed Jersey . - Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson sat on the scorers table at Oracle Arena on Wednesday morning.LONDON -- England secured its place in a three-way fight for the Six Nations title next weekend by blowing away Wales in a 29-18 win at Twickenham on Sunday, delivering a potent mix of clinical finishing, flawless place-kicking and non-stop intensity to capture the Triple Crown. Welsh hopes of landing an unprecedented third straight championship outright were ended thanks to first-half tries by Danny Care and Luther Burrell and seven successful kicks - five penalties and two conversions from flyhalf Owen Farrell. England banished the painful memories of a 30-3 loss to Wales in last seasons Six Nations title decider by dominating almost every facet of a game played at a searing pace. The visitors scrum was demolished, their tackling and handling was sloppy and they only stayed in contention because of fullback Leigh Halfpennys own blemish-free record of six penalties. "Weve tried to remove the fear of playing, and when youve got the courage of your convictions, it generally pays off," England coach Stuart Lancaster said. "Its nice to put last years result in Cardiff to bed. We lost fair and square on that day, but today was our day." England joined France and Ireland on six points from four matches, setting up a thrilling last round of matches. Owning a far superior points difference of +81, Ireland will win the title - and seal a perfect international sendoff for retiring centre Brian ODriscoll with a victory over the French in Paris in the last of the three games. England simply has to beat Italy in Rome, which should be a given on this performance, and hope Ireland lose. If that happens, Lancasters side should lift the trophy for only the second time since winning the World Cup in 2003. The English just keep raising the bar under Lancaster, who has changed the teams mentality and approach in his two years in charge. He claimed that the toughed-out 13-10 win over Ireland two weeks ago was the highlight of a reign that includes a record victory over New Zealand, but this success will take some beating. It clinched the Triple Crown - a sweep of wins over the home unions for the first time since 2003 and was the perfect answer to a midweek taunt from Wales coach Warren Gatland - who challenged whether the English had turned frrom boys to men in the last 12 months.dddddddddddd This Wales side contained 12 players that featured in the British Lions series-clinching win in the third test against Australia last July. Wales had more than double the amount of caps as England here. "We didnt keep the ball well enough today, there were too many turnovers and we were hammered at the scrum very disappointing," Gatland said. A bad day for the Welsh became even worse with the news that Halfpenny will miss the rest of this season after dislocating his right shoulder toward the end of the match. On a red-hot day in southwest London, England brought a scorching intensity that the Welsh couldnt live with. At scrumhalf, Care was the conductor-in-chief and from one of his trademark quick taps, England went in front after just five minutes. Care noticed Wales defenders had turned their backs after referee Romain Poite awarded a penalty following a long advantage, and Care darted past Poite and into a gap to dive over the line. It was Englands first try against Wales in 282 minutes. Wales often had no answer to its opponents line breaks and hard running, but with the adrenalin flowing England gave away some soft penalties at the fiercely contested breakdown that Halfpenny punished in the ninth, 23rd and 31st minutes. Two of those came from near halfway. With Farrell booting two penalties of his own, England held a 13-9 lead just after the half hour but that lead turned to 11 points when Wales over-threw a lineout and the ball was recycled out to the English left wing, where Jonny May cut inside. Play was set up for Billy Twelvetrees to slither a grubber kick into the left corner where Burrell collected on the dive for a try, converted from out wide. England was much the better side yet two more well-struck penalties by Halfpenny in the final three minutes saw Wales somehow jog back to the dressing rooms just five points behind. However, Welsh errors - both handling and tactical, continued after halftime and Farrell was unforgiving from the kicking tee. England was never in danger of blowing its lead. "We grew a lot as a team over the last year," England lock Courtney Lawes said, "and a performance like that has been a long time coming." ' ' '