Thursday, January 2, 2014 SPORTS COLUMBIA-GREENE MEDIA B3 NHL NFL Hurricanes trade Gleason to Maple Leafs for Liles Source: Dolphins owner mulls shakeup RALEIGH, N.C. — The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired veteran defenseman Tim Gleason from the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday in exchange for defenseman John-Michael Liles. The Hurricanes also received the rights to college defenseman Dennis Robertson in the trade announced during the Maple Leafs’ game against Detroit in the Winter Classic. The 30-year-old Gleason was the Hurricanes’ most physical forward and one of the longesttenured players on the team. Only captain Eric Staal and 2006 Conn Smythe Trophy-winning goalie Cam Ward have been with the franchise longer. The 33-year-old Liles has 15 hits and averaged 17 minutes of ice time in six games this season with the Maple Leafs. He was scratched from the Winter Classic. The Hurricanes acquired Gleason in a trade with Los Angeles in September 2006, three months after they won their only Stanley Cup. He missed 21 games this season due to injury, including the first 10 with a concussion, and has one assist while playing at a minus-7 rating with 10 penalty minutes. Gleason played in 491 career games with the Hurricanes — the third-highest total of any defenseman since the club moved from Hartford in 1997 — and his 495 penalty minutes are the most of any Carolina defenseman since the move. He was a healthy scratch for Tuesday night’s overtime win against Montreal that snapped a five-game losing streak. The Hurricanes are sixth in the Metropolitan Division, 20 points behind division leader Pittsburgh and three behind the New York Rangers. Gleason played for the silvermedal-winning United States team at the 2010 Winter Olympics, and twice in the past three years his teammates selected him as the club’s Steve Chiasson Award winner for determination and dedication. He’s under contract through the 2015-16 season, having signed a four-year extension in July 2012 that will pay him $4.5 million both this season and next, and $3.5 million in the final year of the deal. Liles also is under contract through 2015-16 at an average of $3.875 million per year. By Steven Wine The Associated Press MIAMI — In the wake of the Miami Dolphins’ late-season collapse, owner Stephen Ross immediately began contemplating a possible organizational shakeup. Ross has been meeting with his top advisers before deciding whether to fire anyone, two people familiar with the situation said. One of the people said the meetings began Sunday night and will resume Thursday, and a decision could come then. That per- son said that during the Dolphins’ loss Sunday to the New York Jets, Ross became so upset he turned away at one point because he could no longer watch. Both people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because discussions regarding a possible organizational shake-up have been private. Second-year offensive coordinator Mike Sherman is considered the most likely to be fired, and sixthyear general manager Jeff Ireland’s job is also in serious jeopardy. Coach Joe Philbin is likely to return for a third season, the two people familiar with the situation said, but that’s not a certainty. The Dolphins, who finished 8-8, were on the verge of earning the final AFC wild-card berth before being outscored 39-7 while losing their last two games to the Buffalo Bills and Jets, two non-playoff teams. If the Dolphins had won either game, they would have made the postseason for the first time since 2008. Miami had four victories over teams that made the playoffs, but also lost three games to last-place teams. In addition to inconsistency on the field, Miami had its season nearly derailed by a locker-room bullying scandal that drew national scrutiny and remains under NFL investigation. Ross is concerned about the impact of the late collapse on attendance, which has sagged during the playoff drought. On Monday, Philbin said his team is close to contending for titles. The Dolphins have improved from 6-10 in 2011 and 7-9 in 2012, but Ross expected a playoff berth after spending more than $100 million in guaranteed money last offseason to upgrade the roster. Ireland, a protege of Bill Parcells, was hired as general manager in 2008, and the Dolphins won the AFC East in his first season. But they haven’t been above .500 since, the longest such stretch in franchise history, and fans have vented about him for several seasons. Sherman’s unit ranked 27th in the NFL in yards, allowed a franchise-record 58 sacks and scored once in its final 24 possessions. NHL Standings Boston Tampa Bay Montreal Toronto Detroit Ottawa Florida Buffalo GP 40 39 41 42 42 42 41 40 W 26 23 23 21 18 17 15 11 Pittsburgh Washington Philadelphia New Jersey N.Y. Rangers Carolina Columbus N.Y. Islanders GP 42 40 40 41 41 40 40 41 W 29 20 20 17 20 15 17 13 Chicago St. Louis Colorado Dallas Minnesota Winnipeg Nashville GP 42 39 39 39 42 42 40 W 28 27 24 20 20 19 18 Anaheim San Jose Los Angeles Vancouver Phoenix Calgary Edmonton GP 42 40 41 41 39 40 42 W 29 25 25 23 20 14 13 EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic Division L OT Pts GF 12 2 54 117 12 4 50 110 14 4 50 103 16 5 47 118 14 10 46 109 18 7 41 118 20 6 36 96 25 4 26 71 Metropolitan Division L OT Pts GF 12 1 59 131 15 5 45 122 16 4 44 105 16 8 42 97 19 2 42 96 16 9 39 96 19 4 38 109 21 7 33 107 WESTERN CONFERENCE Central Division L OT Pts GF 7 7 63 158 7 5 59 139 11 4 52 114 12 7 47 115 17 5 45 97 18 5 43 114 18 4 40 95 Pacific Division L OT Pts GF 8 5 63 137 9 6 56 131 12 4 54 110 11 7 53 111 10 9 49 120 20 6 34 96 24 5 31 109 GA 86 93 94 120 120 135 130 113 GA 96 119 111 103 109 118 117 138 GA 115 93 100 113 109 121 119 GA 106 104 83 97 120 126 143 Recap/Schedule Tuesday’s Late Games New Jersey 2, Pittsburgh 1 St. Louis 2, Minnesota 1 N.Y. Islanders 5, Boston 3 Carolina 5, Montreal 4, OT Winnipeg 3, Buffalo 0 Anaheim 6, San Jose 3 Dallas 3, Los Angeles 2 Colorado 5, Columbus 3 Philadelphia 4, Calgary 1 Phoenix 4, Edmonton 3, OT Wednesday’s Games Toronto 3, Detroit 2, SO Tampa Bay at Vancouver, late. Thursday’s Games Nashville at Boston, 7 p.m. Chicago at N.Y. Islanders, 7 p.m. Carolina at Washington, 7 p.m. Winnipeg at Ottawa, 7:30 p.m. Los Angeles at St. Louis, 8 p.m. Buffalo at Minnesota, 8 p.m. Montreal at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. Philadelphia at Colorado, 9 p.m. Columbus at Phoenix, 9 p.m. Edmonton at San Jose, 10:30 p.m. Maple Leafs-Red Wings Sum Toronto 0 1 1 0 — 3 Detroit 0 1 1 0 — 2 Toronto won shootout 2-1 First Period—None. Second Period—1, Detroit, Alfredsson 11 (Zetterberg, B.Smith), 13:14. 2, Toronto, van Riemsdyk 15 (Kessel, Phaneuf), 19:23. Third Period—3, Toronto, Bozak 5 (Phaneuf), 4:41. 4, Detroit, Abdelkader 5 (B.Smith), 14:28. Overtime—None. Shootout—Toronto 2 (van Riemsdyk NG, Lupul G, Bozak G), Detroit 1 (Alfredsson NG, Datsyuk G, Tatar NG). Shots on Goal—Toronto 5-13-6-2—26. Detroit 1314-14-2—43. Goalies—Toronto, Bernier. Detroit, Howard. A— 105,491 (107,501). T—3:19. I predict the U.S. Senate — using the so-called “nuclear option” implemented in November by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid — will push through stricter gun controls bills, some of which will be approved by Congress. The nuclear option allows the senate majority to pass legislation without the needed 60 votes. I predict protest rallies against the SAFE Act will be better organized, but attendance will fall short of expectations. I predict a proposed indoor shooting range at the former American Candle factory building in Saugerties will be shot down. I predict the new Department of Environmental Conservation computerized sporting license issuance and game harvest reporting system will crash. I predict the DEC will begin efforts to expand antler restriction to other wildlife management units. I predict a cutback in the pheasant program. I predict an angler will catch a fish not usually found in area waters. I predict Assemblyman Steve McLaughlin will not run for governor. I predict gun owners will be the deciding factor on Nov. 4 as more of them take part in state and national elections. I predict Republican George Amedore will run and regain his 46th Senate District seat. I predict the makeup of the state Senate will change and once again Republicans will have a true majority. I predict hunting licenses will fall below 500,000. I predict a change in turkey hunting seasons. I predict the DEC will begin gathering information as it considers establishing a modest moose hunt in the Adirondacks. I predict a prominent politician will be hospitalized with a serious illness. News and Notes: The 109th edition of the New York National Boat Show sailed into the Jacob Javits Center today, bringing with it hundreds of vessels of every make, model and size, as well as a variety of the latest gadgets and marine technology. Show hours are noon to 9 p.m. today and Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $15 for sailors age 16 and older and free to young salts 15 and under when accompanied by an adult. The Javits Center is located at 655 West 34th St., Manhattan. Dropping anchor ’til next time. [email protected] in the community service project. lege are eligible to apply for the scholarship, and applications — which must be submitted by Jan. 15 — are available from high school guidance counselors or www.seansrun.com/. Applicants are required to submit a short essay describing how running and participation on their high school teams has prepared them for the challenges of college. Applications are reviewed and ranked by an independent selection committee. Maple Leafs 3, Red Wings 2 Paul Sancya/AP The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings face off during the first period of the Winter Classic outdoor NHL hockey game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich., Wednesday. Classic Continued from page B1 stop play at the 2:30 mark of the extra period so that both teams played into a 10 mph wind for an equal amount of time. The game also was halted midway through the third period so that the teams could switch sides. In the shootout, skaters for both teams attempted shots with the wind in their face toward the same net — or end zone. The game-time temperate was 13 degrees with a wind chill of zero. The average temperature of the previous five Winter Classics was 39 degrees, and the average attendance was 53,045. A slew of skaters with shovels cleared significant amounts of snow during early stoppages in play, but players still had a tough time pushing the puck through piles of the white stuff. The struggling yet storied franchises did their best to put on show in the league’s annual showcase in awful conditions. Joffrey Lupul, who might face discipline from the NHL for a cross-check that knocked Patrick Eaves out of the game in the first period, scored the first of two goals for the Maple Leafs in the shootout. Pavel Datsyuk scored Detroit’s only goal in the shootout and teammate Tomas Tatar was foiled on his team’s third attempt because he struggled to control the puck on the snow-covered surface and didn’t even get a shot off. Bernier, with a knit hat over his helmet, made 41 saves. Jimmy Howard had 24 saves for Detroit. After leaving the ice and the snow-covered football field, he returned minutes later when he was introduced as one of the members of the U.S. Olympic team that will go for gold next month in Sochi. Detroit’s Justin Abdelkader tied it 2 with 5:32 left in regulation after Bozak scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period. Daniel Alfredsson opened the scoring for the Red Wings at 13:14 of the second and James van Riemsdyk tied in on a power play with 37 seconds left in the period. Nelson Continued from page B1 Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have been harassing licensed gun dealers — Shooters Sports in Valatie one of them. The store had its FFL suspended on a technicality and as far as I know, it still hasn’t been restored. As predicted, a couple of well-known sportsmen didn’t make it to the end of the year, including professional bass fisherman Jimmy Johnson of Ganado, Texas. Johnson, 56, was shot to death in Mississippi as he tried to stop someone from burglarizing his boat. Another was Lanyard “Larry” Benoit of Duxbury, Vt., patriarch of the famed family of deer hunters, who died of cancer. He was 89. As for 2014, gun legislation, fracking and land access will remain hot button issues throughout the year as lawyers representing plaintiffs on both sides of those conflicts initiate legal action. As far as my predictions go: I predict Gov. Cuomo, in his Jan. 8 State of the State address, will reinforce his position on the NY SAFE Act. I predict legal action to overturn the SAFE Act will continue as current initiatives become stalled. I predict shooting noise and safety issues will become an issue for an area rod and gun club. Briefs Continued from page B1 Church. The dates for the food drive are: Jan. 14, 2014 at 5:30 p.m. against Hunter-Tannersville; Jan. 17 at 5:30 p.m. against Gilboa-Conesville, and Jan. 24 at 5:30 p.m. against South Kortright. Spectators are asked to bring a canned food item or a nonperishable good to the games for admittance. With help from WAJ fans, the teams hope to get a sizable amount of food to donate to the church and food pantry. The WAJ basketball teams and WAJ Booster Club send their gratitude in advance for all who help High School Runners Invited to Apply for Scholarship High school seniors living in Columbia County who compete in cross-country or track and field are invited to apply for the Sean Patrick French Love of Running Scholarship, a fund of Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, according to a release from the foundation. Students who anticipate attending col- Danny Moloshok/AP Michigan State wide receiver Tony Lippett scores a touchdown against Stanford's Wayne Lyons during the second half of the Rose Bowl NCAA college football game Wednesday in Pasadena, Calif. Bowl Continued from page B1 along the way. Along with his costly interception to Anderson, he also threw two passes that went through the hands of Cardinal defenders, and an interception in the third quarter was wiped out by a defensive holding call. But when the Spartans needed big plays in the second half, Cook repeatedly delivered, finishing 22 for 36. Kevin Hogan beat Wisconsin in last year’s Rose Bowl, but he couldn’t match Cook, going 10 for 18 for 143 yards and a key interception for Stanford. A mere 112 years after the game considered the first Rose Bowl was played in a park elsewhere in Pasadena, Stanford and Michigan State engaged in an old-fashioned slugfest in the venerable stadium that will host the BCS title game Monday night. Michigan State fans dominated the Rose Bowl grounds and stands, with about 70 per- cent wearing green in the crowd of 95,173 — the game’s largest turnout since 1998. After Tournament of Roses Parade grand marshal Vin Scully flipped the coin, Stanford started with a 77-yard drive culminating in Gaffney’s 16-yard TD run. Michigan State had never trailed by double digits all season long until Jordan Williamson’s field goal put Stanford up 10-0 late in the first quarter, but the Spartans finally connected with a 13play, 75-yard drive culminating in Langford’s bounce outside for a 2-yard TD. The Spartans dominated the second quarter, but Cook handed seven points to the Cardinal shortly before halftime. With Usua Amanam bearing down on him unblocked, Cook inexplicably threw a soft looping pass directly to Anderson, who returned his first career inter- ception untouched for a score — the first defensive touchdown allowed by Michigan State all season. A hush fell over the partisan crowd, but Cook responded with a stellar drive in the waning minutes, moving Michigan State 75 yards in 99 seconds and evading pursuit to deliver Pendleton’s 2-yard TD catch 28 seconds before halftime. The Spartans had every bit of momentum after Michael Geiger hit a tying field goal, Trae Waynes made a diving interception and the Michigan State defense stuffed Gaffney on a big fourth down. Stanford’s Shayne Skov forced a fumble by Langford inside the Cardinal 10 late in the third quarter, but Cook connected down the middle with Lippett for the go-ahead score early in the fourth. Stanford kicked a field goal with 5:05 left.