ove their new school and new home. And while last year was a grind, hes had nothing but support from his wife.Im sure shes had her moments, too, he said. Its tough when you make such a change, moving overseas, leaving your family and fri

The Colorado Avalanche were rather quiet on the player front this offseason, but made major headlines with a late coaching change.Patrick Roys unexpected resignation in August forced the Avs into the kind of coaching search no team should ever desire -- the one that comes after most of the top names had been hired.But GM Joe Sakic took a gamble he believes will pay off in elevating unheralded Jared Bednar from the minors, where he led his teams to championships both in the AHL and ECHL.The most constant and stinging criticism of Roys coaching style was that the Avs bucked the trend of puck-possession systems that have garnered much success around the league, instead playing a counterattack game that was exciting at times, but also in the long run led to too much time without the puck. Bednar promises to address that this season and change the way the Avs play with the puck.Colorado was in the playoff race last season until fading late, losing eight of its last 10 games, missing the postseason for the second straight year after the surprising Central Division title win in 2013-14, Roys first season behind the bench.The Avs return with largely the same core of players. Theyve got high-end offensive talent led by Matt Duchene and Nathan MacKinnon, but have struggled mightily defensively. Theyve got to be better there.Best new facesThe Avs acquired defensemen Fedor Tyutin and Patrick Wiercioch to help bolster the blue line, also adding forwards Joe Colborne, Rocco Grimaldi and Ben Smith. Gabriel Bourque and Rene Bourque were signed to tryout contracts.The 6-foot-5, 202-pound Wiercioch gets a second lease on life in Colorado after wearing out the patience of the Ottawa Senators. He had promising moments during his first few years but frustrated the Sens with his lack of consistency. Does a fresh start in Colorado help the 26-year-old meet his potential?Colborne, also 26, put up career highs of 19 goals and 44 points last season. The 6-foot-5 center, however, was let go by the Calgary Flames, who had to preserve salary-cap space. Perhaps a sneaky signing here by the Avs.All in all, though, nothing earth-shattering as far as player additions.As far as a newcomer to the NHL lineup, however, exciting things are ahead from forward Mikko Rantanen, the 10th overall pick in the 2015 draft. He has the potential to get into the Calder Trophy conversation.The most important new face, though, is behind the bench in Bednar, who makes his NHL debut after cutting his teeth for years in the minors.Biggest unknownsHow will Bednar fare? He wants to play a puck-pressure game and obviously tighten up defensively, all the things you want to hear if youre an Avs fan. But how will the players respond to a largely unknown coach?Is Nikita Zadorov ready to make a step this season? That would be a boon to the blue-line if the 6-foot-5 Russian turned in an impact season. Hes got the talent to be a two-way guy, but needs to show more consistency.Which Semyon Varlamov shows up this season? The Russian goalie has regressed two straight years since putting up a career-best .927 save percentage in 2013-14 in helping lead the Avs to that Central title. He brilliantly masked a lot of Colorados defensive issues that season. But since then, that save percentage has dipped to .921 in 2014-15 and then just .914 last season (to go along with a 2.81 goals-against average). Now, Varlamov could certainly use better defensive play in front of him, no question. But its the chicken and the egg here. If hes better this season, everything else flows from there.His backup, Calvin Pickard, has potential to be a No. 1. So the Avs look pretty darn solid in goal if Varlamov bounces back.Sure thingsDuchene, MacKinnon and defenseman Tyson Barrie are the offensive dynamos, while captain Gabriel Landeskogs consistent two-way game forms the core of Colorados go-to arsenal. Landeskog and Swedish countryman Carl Soderberg formed a steady pairing up front last season.MacKinnon was outstanding in the World Cup of Hockey for Team North America, while Duchene shined in a Team Canada win over Team USA. Look for both offensive stars to carry that over into strong starts. It should be noted that Duchene played through a separated shoulder, which he suffered before the tournament officially started but he didnt miss a game and the worse of it is behind him, he said.PredictionI think the Avs will do a better job of protecting the puck with Bednar, but some of the same concerns remain on defense. How Varlamov bounces back will have a huge bearing on things. Theyre in a crazy division, where a team such as the Winnipeg Jets is going to be better while contenders the Dallas Stars, Chicago Blackhawks, St. Louis Blues and improved Nashville Predators arent going away. I just cant see Colorado being any better than those teams. They will be competitive but miss out by a few points. Seventh in the Central. NHL Winter Classic Jerseys .Y. -- Jayna Hefford scored the winning goal Friday as Canada survived a scare with a 4-3 win over Sweden at the Four Nations womens hockey tournament. Authentic NHL Winter Classic Jerseys . -- In a span of seven Washington Redskins offensive plays, Justin Tuck sacked Robert Griffin III four times. http://www.cheapwinterclassicjerseys.com/ . Mitch Holmberg added a goal and three assists. Connor Chartier also scored for the Chiefs (3-0-0). Luke Harrison spoiled Garrett Hughsons shutout bid with a power-play goal at 13:17 of the third period. The Spokane goaltender finished with 28 saves, including a Brandon Fushimi penalty shot in the second period that would have tied the game 1-1. Rangers NHL Winter Classic Jerseys . LOUIS -- Lance Lynn was one of the more enthusiastic participants as the St. Throwback NHL Winter Classic Jerseys . Louis Cardinals. Victorino is batting sixth and playing right field after missing two games because of back tightness. NAPA, Calif. -- The easy road back for Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano would have been to return to the comfort of Spain.He chose Newburgh, Indiana.There was another stop in Wichita, Kansas. He made his first trip to Beachwood, Ohio.This is the travel schedule on the Web.com Tour, looked upon as the primary path for young players to reach the PGA Tour. The average purse is about $625,000, which isnt even second-place money on the PGA Tour.Its not a place Fernandez-Castano, a seven-time winner on the European Tour who once was No. 27 in the world, ever expected to be. The reason he uprooted his wife and three young children in Spain and moved to Miami was to fulfill his goal of playing against the best in the world on the PGA Tour.Two years later, he lost his card and considered only one option.He packed his bags, including his ego, and headed off to the minor leagues for the first time in his career.It was hard when it happened, but I had to stick to the plan, he said. The easiest decision would have been to pack up and go to Europe. My dream was always to play on the PGA Tour, and I couldnt give up on my dreams. I knew I had to work hard. I knew it wasnt going to be easy. The Web.com is tough. Theres a lot of good players. And things werent going my way. But losing my tour card, sticking to the Web.com Tour for a year and getting back here, it feels pretty darn good.Its one of the proudest moments of my golf career.He has had more than a few good moments.A childhood friend of Sergio Garcia, the 36-year-old Spaniard made it through European Tour qualifying in his first attempt and won as a rookie at the KLM Open. He kept winning, each of the next three years, in the Asian Open, Italian Open and British Masters. His world ranking kept rising, giving him access to the majors and the World Golf Championships.He was at Doral in 2013 when Fernandez-Castano and his wife, Alicia, were invited to dinner one night at Key Biscayne.As soon as I drove onto the island I said, `If we ever move to the U.S., its going to be right here, he said.Two weeks later, Tiger Woods won at Bay Hill to return to No. 1 in the world. Fernandez-Castano tied for third, and with a tie for 10th that summer in the U.S. Open at Merion, he had enough money to get a PGA Tour card. His wife started looking for houses in Key Biscayne.And then the American dream took a detour.The Spaniard, so congenial and considerate that he once was referred to as the Steve Stricker of the European Tour, narrowly kept his card his first season.dddddddddddd He wasnt so fortunate the next year.And that wasnt even the low point. Earlier this year on the Web.com Tour, he went two months without playing because he couldnt get in tournaments. He tried Monday qualifying for PGA Tour events, and that didnt work, either.The turning point came at his worst moment. He missed qualifying for the Puerto Rico Open in a playoff, and sought help with a sports psychologist.The way I was treating myself on the course, the things I was saying to myself on the course, Id had enough, Fernandez-Castano said. I remember thinking on the plane to Miami, this has to change. You get down on yourself. This is a tough game. Theres a lot of time between shots, and a lot of thinking between shots. And when things arent going your way, its tough.That became the norm. Going into the final month, he wasnt even eligible for the Web.com Tour Finals until a couple of good finishes. In the finals, he started with a tie for 16th and a tie for ninth, and he was on his way.Fernandez-Castano missed the cut by two shots in his return at the Safeway Open. This was no time to panic. Its only the start of this second chance. He hopes the rough patch is behind him. His three children -- Gonzalo (7), Lola (6) and Alicia (4) -- love their new school and new home. And while last year was a grind, hes had nothing but support from his wife.Im sure shes had her moments, too, he said. Its tough when you make such a change, moving overseas, leaving your family and friends behind. It hasnt been easy for any of us. When things are going great, it helps. When youre on the other side, its hard. If shes ever been down, she never showed it to me.He plans to play a full fall schedule, but he wont fall into the trap of playing so much golf that his mind gets stale. He realizes everyone needs a break. He had a brief one this summer, when the kids stayed in Spain and he took his wife to Pebble Beach between Web.com Tour stops.Can you imagine? Ive never been to Pebble Beach before, he said. We just walked around. I didnt play golf. But let me tell you something, thats one tournament Im never going to miss. What an amazing part of the world.He has seen more of the world than he intended when he came over to America. All because he wasnt ready to leave. Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale Black NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping China NFL Gear Youth NFL Jerseys Wholesale Discount Jerseys Jerseys From China ' ' '