2009-10 PREVIEW: PENGUINS Nashville youth movement Rocky Bonanno - NHL. Authentic Green Bay Packers Jersey .com Staff Writer The Predators are depending on a few of their younger players to step into key roles this season. READ MORE ›   RELATED STORIES:   Predators penalty kill needs to improve Weber, Predators defensemen proving their worth Preds facing challenge of returning to postseason  COMPLETE SEASON PREVIEW PACKAGE ›   |   SCHEDULE › On Jan., 10, 2009, the Predators hosted Chicago in the last game a five-game homestand. The Predators were languishing under .500 at the time (18-20-3) but were able to knock off the powerful Blackhawks, 4-1. The highlight of the contest, however, happened long before the first goal was scored. One minute and 30 seconds into the game, heart-and-soul winger Steve Sullivan leaped off the Nashville bench to take his first shift of the contest, and the fans left their seats to chant "Sully, Sully." The season debut of the veteran, sidelined for nearly two full years with a back injury, was as huge boost to the Predators for the immediate and long-term future. Sullivan went on to score 11 goals and 32 points in 41 games and the Predators climbed back into playoff contention by going 22-14-5 down the stretch -- though they fell three points short of the postseason, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2002-03. Having a healthy Sullivan for a full season is seen as the biggest addition to the Predators, and he re-signed for two more years on July 1. He is slated to be a first-liner with fellow veterans Jason Arnott and J.P. Dumont. Since joining Nashville halfway through the 2003-04 season following a trade from Chicago, Sullivan has scored 73 goals and 190 points in 191 games. "Hes a big piece to our team," Assistant General Manager Paul Fenton told NHL.com. "But Im not going to say hes the end-all, be-all for our planning purposes. We did delve into the free-agent market, but because something didnt fit doesnt mean were done. "To keep Steve Sullivan in the fold was a top priority for us. He has good chemistry with Arnott and Dumont." Sullivans worth to the Predators is measured not only by his stats, but also by his perseverance. He was sidelined for 687 days following a back injury suffered in February 2007. Sullivan missed the entire 2007-08 season and has had two back operations to repair a fragmented disc. "Im not waking up and wondering what that first step is going to feel like. Those thoughts are all gone now. Its the right frame of mind and well keep working on getting stronger, not doing rehab" -- Steve Sullivan "Ive had no setbacks, no nothing," Sullivan told the Tennessean in July. "Im back to being normal, which is great. Its fun to go into my workout sessions concentrating on getting stronger, not concentrating on how Im going to feel the next day. "Im not waking up and wondering what that first step is going to feel like. Those thoughts are all gone now. Its the right frame of mind and well keep working on getting stronger, not doing rehab." When Sullivan returned to the lineup on Jan. 10, he joined Mario Lemieux and Jim Peplinski as the only players since World War II to play 150 games with a team, then miss at least 600 consecutive days before returning to the same team. For his effort, Sullivan was the recipient of the 2009 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, awarded annually to the player who "best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey." Sullivan became the first major NHL award winner in Nashvilles history. "Steve Sullivan epitomizes all the qualities that the Masterton Trophy stands for and we are thrilled that he has been recognized for all of the hard work and dedication he has shown to both our team, and the sport of hockey," GM David Poile said. "Not only did he serve as an inspiration for our team and community off the ice, but was a significant contributor to the club as he regained his form." The Predators are looking forward to 82 games worth of Sullivan this season. Contact Rocky Bonanno at rbonanno@nhl.com Pro Bowl Cowboys Jersey . The baby wriggled in his cot, smiled and held up his arms. When the father didnt touch him, the baby started to cry and kick his legs. Authentic Steelers Jerseys . .player_position { float: left; margin: 0 10px; width: 5px; } .player_name { float: left; margin: 0 10px; width: 130px; } USA 2010 OLYMPIC ROSTER P. Player Name Domestic Club G Ryan Miller   (NHL) G Tim Thomas   (NHL) G Jonathan Quick   (NHL) D Brian Rafalski   (NHL) D Ryan Suter   (NHL) D Paul Martin   (NHL) D Jack Johnson   (NHL) D Erik Johnson   (NHL) D Brooks Orpik   (NHL) D Mike Komisarek   (NHL) F Joe Pavelski   (NHL) F Zach Parise   (NHL) F Phil Kessel   (NHL) F Jamie Langenbrunner   (NHL) F Paul Stastny   (NHL) F Patrick Kane   (NHL) F Dustin Brown   (NHL) F Bobby Ryan   (NHL) F Ryan Malone   (NHL) F Ryan Kesler   (NHL) F Ryan Callahan   (NHL) F Chris Drury   (NHL) F David Backes   (NHL) ALL 2010 OLYMPICS STORIES ›   |   OFFICIAL ROSTERS › Joining NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman for Thursday nights NHL Hour, the General Manager of Team USA and the Toronto Maple Leafs was asked how tough it was to pass on some of the standouts of past years. Vikings Adrian Peterson Jersey .  * "This must be what hockey heaven is like," writes Michael Russo in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, echoing the thoughts of millions who marveled at Sundays thrilling action from Vancouver. "In what was being billed as the biggest day in international hockey history, Super Sunday included a three-course meal of the last three Olympic finalists. Eagles Jay Cutler Jersey . On Tuesday night, the Avs first-round pick in last Junes Entry Draft shot them right into the playoffs. Duchene scored in the third round of the shootout to give Colorado a 4-3 victory over Vancouver. Rocky Bleier Jerseys . But when youre not part of it you dont enjoy it as much. Hopefully, this time I can experience the whole tournament and just have fun with the guys. San Diego, CA (Sports Network) - Brendan Ryan finished with a season-high four hits, including a home run, as the St. Louis Cardinals avoided getting swept by the San Diego Padres with an 8-3 win. Padres pitching had held the Cardinals to one run over the first two games of this three-game series, but St. Louis broke out Thursday, totaling 15 hits. Ryan Ludwick finished 3-for-5 with two runs batted in, while Albert Pujols homered for the first time since May 14 and drove in three. St. Louis starter P.J. Walters (1-0) got the win after holding San Diego without a run over five innings. He gave up four hits, walked two and struck out four to get his first career victory. As the game went on, my location got better, Walters said. I was able to get ahead of guys and not fall behind. Wade LeBlanc (2-3) gave up four runs on nine hits in 5 2/3 innings to take the loss, which snapped the Padres four-game win streak. Pujols run-scoring groundout in the third got St. Louis on the board, and the Cardinals made it a 3-0 game in the fifth on homers by Ryan and Pujols. LeBlanc worked around the edges of the zone against Ryan, who eventually hit the sixth pitch, a fastball up, to left for his first homer of the season. Following a Ludwick groundout, Pujols homered to left on a fastball that LeBlanc put down the middle of the plate. It was just the second homer of the month for Pujols. In the sixth, David Freese led off with a single and later scored on Skip Schumakers two-out triple, making it a 4-0 game. Schumaker was the last batter LeBlanc faced, and Joe Thatcher came in to get the final out. Adam Russell took over for Thatcher in the seventh, but the game quickly appeared like it might get out of hand for San Diego. A Ryan single and Ludwick double put runners in scoring position for Pujols, who lofted a sacrifice fly to center. Matt Holliday followed with a run-scoring single to make it a 6-0 contest, and a base hit by Freese put runners on thhe corners. Walter Payton Jersey. However, Russell got outs in the next two at-bats to escape the jam, and the Padres rallied for three runs in the bottom half against Blake Hawksworth. Hawksworth had thrown a scoreless sixth for St. Louis, but gave up consecutive singles to Luis Durango, Will Venable and David Eckstein to begin the seventh before being pulled. Ecksteins hit deflected off Freese and plated a run as Ryan committed a throwing error. Venable moved to third on the play and Hawksworth was pulled for Trever Miller, who got consecutive groundouts back to the mound. The second, off the bat of Chase Headley, scored another run. Miller was pulled after walking Nick Hundley. St. Louis manager Tony La Russa brought in Mitchell Boggs, who surrendered an RBI single to Jerry Hairston Jr. before getting out of the inning. The rally had the Padres within 6-3, but the Cardinals got two more runs off Russell in the eighth. With two on and no out, Ryan bunted to move the runners into scoring position, and Ludwick drove them in with a single to right. Dennys Reyes threw a scoreless eighth after Boggs gave up a leadoff single, and Jason Motte worked a 1-2-3 ninth to end the game. We have an exciting team, Padres manager Bud Black said despite the loss. I think our team is fun to watch...Were doing what we need to do to win games in a lot of areas. GAME NOTES:LeBlanc struck out two to set a career high in strikeouts in a season (31)...The Cardinals snapped a four-game road losing streak...Walters was making the second start of his career...Ryans four hits also tied a career high...St. Louis on Thursday placed pitcher Kyle Lohse on the 15-day disabled list with exertional compartment syndrome in his right forearm. He will have surgery Friday in Los Angeles, and a return timetable has not been determined. The move is retroactive to May 23. To take Lohses place on the roster, the Cardinals purchased the contract of pitcher Fernando Salas from Triple-A Memphis. ' ' '