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ST. PAUL, Minn. - When the Minnesota Wild hired Mike Yeo as a first-time NHL head coach, he fit their criteria for a bench boss who could develop several top, young players. Yeo has undergone his own growth in that time, too, and the Wild were satisfied enough with the results on both fronts to make another commitment to him. After his three-year contract extension was finalized last weekend, Yeo appeared with general manager Chuck Fletcher at a news conference Friday to discuss the deal and the teams future. The Wild advanced to the second round of the playoffs for only the second time in franchise history, and Fletcher praised Yeos ability to help keep the players on an even keel during some challenging stretches as injuries piled up. "He improved by leaps and bounds, and its not just understanding that you have to make those adjustments. Its the confidence to make them, and the confidence to sell them to your team," Fletcher said, recalling their conversation from last summer about areas where both the Wild and Yeo could improve. In the final year of his contract, Yeo was in a precarious place after a six-game losing streak to finish 2013. But despite notable absences by Mikko Koivu, Zach Parise and the top two goalies, Yeo and his staff not only held together the group but guided a resurgence that transcended the regular season. "Id be hard-pressed to sit here and name one player that wasnt better now than what he was at the beginning of the year," Fletcher said, adding: "The funny thing: At the exact point in the year when you thought wed fall apart, we actually became a team. And theres a lot of work that went into that, and again Mike and his staff deserve a lot of that." Yeo, who will turn 41 next month, has a career record of 104-82-26, plus 7-11 in the playoffs. Though Fletcher waited until June to address his status, Yeo said there was never a point at which he became nervous. Thats a hallmark of his, actually, as evidenced by his demeanour through and triumph over the losing streaks and fluke injuries of the 2013-14 season. Yeo gave four different goalies 10 or more starts each, and the carousel didnt stop spinning once the playoffs came. Darcy Kuemper and Ilya Bryzgalov both took turns, due to injury and performance, but the Wild beat Colorado 4-3 in a first-round thriller and gave Chicago fits until falling 4-2. "The team took on Mikes demeanour, and I think that helped us get through," Fletcher said. "Hey, were down 2-0. No big deal. They come back late and score? No big deal. We just kept finding a way to hang around and hang around until we could put the last shot in the net." Yeo showed a knack as a tactician during those series, too, making plenty of adjustments to his front lines that paid off against a pair of opponents in the Avalanche and Blackhawks that boast a lot of fast, skilled forwards. "The line switches, thats something I tried to make a conscious effort of at the start of the year, not only for me to grow as a coach but also for our team to get more used to it," Yeo said, adding: "But its always the players that make you look smart." Yeo said he didnt feel any more pressure to win this season than in his first one. He also pondered a question about when he felt the Wild truly clicked in the last few months before punting on the answer. "It never really gets to that point," he said, laughing. "I wish it did." John Franklin-Myers Rams Jersey . Goins is the early favourite to win the starting job at second base. Pillar is an outsider to secure a role off the bench, which becomes an even more difficult spot to win if the number of back up jobs is reduced by one. That happens if the Blue Jays decide to start the season with an eight man bullpen. John Kelly Rams Jersey . Follow all the action live on TSN Radio 1050 in Toronto, TSN Radio 690 in Montreal, TSN Radio 1260 in Edmonton and TEAM 1410 on Friday at 3pm et/Noon pt. http://www.footballramsshop.us/ . Both sides of the deal have formally announced acquisitions: TFC introduced Jozy Altidore as a designated player on Friday, while their counterparts announced a three-and-a-half-year deal with Jermain Defoe. Custom Los Angeles Rams Jerseys . Off-season additions Jermain Defoe and Michael Bradley did not train with the club today, prompting Nelsen to declare its too early to tell if either will be ready for Saturday. Ndamukong Suh Jersey . - Connor Brown and Dane Fox both scored in regulation and in the shootout, as the Erie Otters extended their win streak to 10 games by defeating the London Knights 4-3 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action.CALGARY - Sam Edney will wear a helmet that makes him feel unstoppable in his first international luge race since the Winter Olympics.The three-time Olympian will don a helmet designed especially for him by Richard Flamenco when he races at a World Cup event Saturday at his home track in Calgary.Flamenco has spent much of his 19 years in the Alberta Childrens Hospital with an incurable skin disease called Epidermolysis Bullosa. Its a condition that causes painful blistering of fragile skin.Unable to participate in sports, Flamenco discovered and developed his artistic talents during his time receiving treatments in hospital. He presented Edney with a helmet adorned with a ferocious bear and claws raking the sides of the helmet on Friday.The inspiration this helmet is going to be give me on my runs this weekend, I cant explain, Edney said. I put the helmet on and I immediately feel this power that overcomes me and its going to be really cool.I was actually at his house and watching him meticulously paint this helmet stroke by stroke. It filled me with something I cant describe. Its going to be an emotional weekend, but its going to be a very powerful weekend where Im going to feel unstoppable when I have this helmet on.Flamenco knew Edney liked bears and sea otters, so he started his creative process from those concepts.I think I had seven different ideas for this helmet. To really focus and pick one was really hard, Flamenco said.The one that really caught my eye — I was at home doing sketches on paper just to see how it might turn out — the one that really caught my eye was the bear kind of chomping on the top and scratching the sides of the helmet.Edney will wear the helmet in Saturdays race only. It will then be auctioned off on www.helmets4heroes.ca with the proceeds going to the Alberta Childrens Hospital.The foundation is the brainchild of alpine skier Brad Spence, who retired earlier this year after competing for Canada in both the 2010 and 2014 Winter Games.The 30-year-old raced in Sochi, Russia, in February wearing a helmet designed by Gillian OBlenes-Kaufman. Spence met the teenager just over a year ago when she was hospitalized with osteosarcoma, which is bone cancer.When I wore it in Sochi, it was so much more powerful than the Olympic message itself, Spence said. I was able to bring her along the journey with me.OBlenes-Kaufman died Monday in Calgary at the age of 18. Spence will attend her funeral Saturday. He had gifted the helmet back to OBlenes-Kaufman as a weddingg present before her death.dddddddddddd He began thinking he could turn their experience into something more.Her smile is something Ill never forget, Spence said. I realized this is a unique opportunity for me to give back to the community around me beyond sport.It was an opportunity to connect athletes to the community on such a personal level and create strong bonds between the athlete and the child battling something.For me the focus was on the children and providing them a long-term positive goal to look forward to and hopefully give them a little hope during a tremendously difficult period of their life.Spence is in the middle of an intensive year-long Bachelor of Commerce program at Royal Roads University, but felt he couldnt wait to launch the project.In addition to individual causes like the childrens hospital, hed like to see money raised by Helmets For Heroes to eventually tie into helmet safety and concussion awareness.By the 2018 Olympics, Id love to see an athlete from every helmet-wearing sport have a Canadian representative for Helmets For Heroes, Spence said.Ive love to grow this thing internationally and start looking at other sports and even tying in the military. Theres lots of helmets there. I see some really unique parallels between a project like Helmets Four Heroes and the heroes are the Canadian military.Edney and his Canadian teammates finished agonizingly close to an Olympic medal in the new relay event in Sochi, but settled for fourth. The 30-year-old Calgarian placed 11th in mens singles.A sports hernia kept Edney out of the first two World Cup races this season, so his first will be Saturday at Canada Olympic Park.The helmet was unveiled and Helmets Four Heroes was launched by Flamenco, Edney and Spence at an outdoor news conference beside the gourmet grocery store where Edney works in the summer.Flamenco intends to be at Saturdays race. Hell looked forward to feeling part of an international sports event.When I was young, I always watched baseball games and hockey games and all my friends at school would always go out after school and play soccer in the field or even during recess. I would never be able to play those games, he said. When I was in the hospital . . . the thing I always ended up doing was doodling, drawing, sketching and I always just found that was my happy place when I was in the hospital.When I found out these guys wanted me to design something for a sport, yes definitely, I guess I am part of a sport in a certain way. Blackhawks Jerseys Store Cheap Wild Jerseys Cheap Red Wings Jerseys Cheap Maple Leafs Jerseys Penguins Jerseys Store Capitals Jerseys For Sale Blues Jerseys Store Cheap Kings Jerseys Adidas Lightning Jerseys Stars Jerseys For Sale Cheap Predators Jerseys Ducks Store Sharks Jerseys For Sale Cheap Sabres Jerseys Rangers Jerseys For Sale ' ' '