and the Marlies defeated the Texas Stars 5-1 in Game 1 of the American

PORTLAND, Ore. - With no picks in this years NBA draft, the Portland Trail Blazers still made news in offering All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge a maximum contract extension. The offer was confirmed Thursday by a person close to the negotiations who could not comment publicly because the team had not formally announced it. The offer, made to Aldridges representatives last week, was first reported by Yahoo! Sports. Aldridge, in the fifth and final year of a $65 million contract, is set to become a free agent next summer. The Blazers hope to lure him to stay with a five-year, $108 million extension. Aldridge averaged a career-best 23.2 points and 11.1 rebounds last season for the Blazers, who went 54-28 and advanced to the Western Conference semifinals before losing to eventual NBA champion San Antonio. The move does not come as a surprise after general manager Neil Olshey emphasized the importance of getting the deal with Aldridge done. "The most important thing is everybody, including LaMarcus, knows hes the number one priority in the organization right now," Olshey said when the season ended. There was talk last summer that Aldridge was interested in entertaining other offers, but as the season drew to a close he said several times that he was happy in Portland. The Blazers have been known in recent years to pull off draft night surprises, but the team was quiet with no picks this season. It was the third time that the Blazers had gone without a selection, but first since 1999. The team surrendered its picks in this years draft because of earlier trades. The No. 24 overall pick went to the Charlotte Hornets as part of a 2011 trade that brought Gerald Wallace to Portland. The No. 56 pick went to the Denver Nuggets in the 2011 trade that sent Andre Miller to the Nuggets. Jason Vargas Jersey . -- The NFL Players Association wants to determine if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers leaked information about quarterback Josh Freeman being in the NFLs substance abuse program. Devin Mesoraco Jersey . MacIntyre stopped 49 shots and the Marlies defeated the Texas Stars 5-1 in Game 1 of the American Hockey Leagues Western Conference final. "I felt in control, so that was nice," MacIntyre said. http://www.metsrookiestore.com/Mets-Tug-Mcgraw-Kids-Jersey/ . -- The Val-dOr Foreurs made it to the Memorial Cup semifinal thanks to their workhorse goaltender and their ability to hang around like a bad cold. Asdrubal Cabrera Jersey . - A lot of scenarios ran through Terrell Suggs head when the Baltimore linebacker prepared to face the Pittsburgh Steelers. Yoenis Cespedes Jersey .com) - Semyon Varlamov more than earned his third shutout of the season as he made a career-high 54 saves to lift the Colorado Avalanche to a 2-0 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday.The Florida Panthers have found their man. The team has named former Montreal Canadiens assistant coach Gerard Gallant as new head coach, confirming the news via Twitter on Saturday. Gallant becomes the third Panthers bench boss in the last 12 months. Kevin Dineen began 2013-14 as the teams coach, but was fired on Nov. 8. Peter Horachek was named interim head coach upon Dineens dismissal, but was unable to turn the teams fortunes around. The Panthers went 26-36-4 under Horachek and finished the season with a 29-45-8 record, the second-worst in the Eastern Conference. “He is an individual with tremendous character, integrity and a strong passion for the game and has experience as an NHL head coach," Panthers general manager Dalle Tallon said Saturday. "Gerard is an excellent teacher and motivator who possesses the leadership qualities and hockey knowledge that are necessary to lead our team.” Gallant has worked the last two sseasons with head coach Michel Therrien behind the bench, after coaching in the QMJHL with the Saint John Sea Dogs.dddddddddddd. He led Saint John to to the Memorial Cup in 2011 and coached them back to the tournament in 2012. Prior to joining the Sea Dogs, Gallant served as an NHL assistant coach with the New York Islanders during the 2007-08 season. He also spent seven years on the coaching staff of the Columbus Blue Jackets, serving as the teams head coach from 2004 to 2006. He was also behind the bench as an assistant coach with Team Canada at the 2007 IIHF World Championship in Russia, capturing gold at the tournament. Before joining the Blue Jackets, Gerard was an assistant coach with the American Hockey Leagues Louisville Panthers and led the Summerside Western Capitals to a Kent Cup Championship in 1997 as the MJAHL teams head coach. Gallant appeared in 615 games in the NHL as a member of the Detroit Red Wings and Tampa Bay Lightning. 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