He’s in Florida now. With the exception of a one-game cameo in 2007 that gave him an even 1,500 games as coach of the New York Islanders, he hasn’t been behind the bench since the spring of 1994.

But as he turns 80 on Thursday,Bobby Clarke Jersey
Al Arbour’s place as one of the great coaches in NHL history is more than secure.

Arbour did his coaching apprenticeship in St. Louis, where he went from a glasses-wearing thirty-something defenseman to a rookie coach with a team that had been swept in three straight Stanley Cup Finals. After 107 games over parts of three seasons, the Blues let him go — but he wasn’t out of work long.

The 1972-73 New York Islanders set NHL records for futility in their first season, with first-time coaches Earl Ingarfield and Phil Goyette behind the bench. That summer, GM Bill Torrey turned to Arbour to get the Islanders on the right track.

But after visiting Long Island for the first time — and finding out it wasn’t like New York City — Arbour changed his mind and took the job.

The turnaround didn’t happen right away.Bobby Clarke Jersey
Arbour’s team finished last in the overall standings again in 1973-74 — but the Isles gave up 100 fewer goals and earned 56 points, up from 30 in their first season. All-Star defenseman Brad Park of the Rangers noted after the Isles finally beat their big-city rivals that, “They have a system. They look like a hockey team.”

One year later, the Arbour-coached Islanders made their first playoff appearance – and promptly upset the Rangers, winning the deciding game in overtime. They went on to become only the second team in NHL history to rally from a 3-0 series deficit when they beat Pittsburgh in seven games in the Quarterfinals, and nearly did it again against Philadelphia, forcing a seventh game in the Semifinals before losing.

The Oakland Raiders have no choice but to lean on running back Taiwan Jones this week with Darren McFadden and Mike Goodson both recovering from high ankle sprains. (They both missed practice again Thursday.)

In the immortal words of Dick Vermeil,
it’s time to take the diapers off.

“I’m definitely excited. There’s an opportunity for me to extend my role on the team,” Jones said Thursday, via the Oakland Tribune. “I’m getting the opportunity, so I want to make the most of it.”

Jones looked like he could be an explosive third-down back in the mold of a young Darren Sproles early last season, but he has faded into Bolivian. He wound up only getting 18 touches last season and has just two this year.

“He’s been a little up and down and a little injury-plagued,Bill Barber Jersey
so it’s been kind of tough to evaluate because he’s missed some time,” Raiders coach Dennis Allen said.

The Raiders should be able to evaluate him plenty Sunday.
While the Raiders hasn’t ruled out McFadden or Goodson against the Baltimore Ravens, they are expected to sit. Jones is expected to get the majority of the workload, with fullback Marcel Reece also playing a dominant role on passing downs.

Then again, maybe the Raiders will just let Carson Palmer throw it 50 times in Baltimore.Bill Barber Jersey

The Raiders haven’t been able to run even with McFadden; five times this season, they have rushed for 70 yards.

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In the opening video before introducing the first inductee, Pat Quinn compared Pavel Bure’s yearning to be the best to that of Bobby Orr.

Pretty high praise for the first inductee in the Class of 2012, but certainly hard to argue against it considering the career that Bure had on both the international and National Hockey League level.

The Russian Rocket scored 437 goals and 779 points in an injury-shortened 702-game NHL career. He got up to 60 twice and scored in the 50s three more times. His hands were remarkable and his skating was, well, untouchable.

“Pretty rocket like,” Quinn said.Bobby Clarke Jersey
“He was a scoring machine.”

Bure, wearing a bow tie, received his plaque from Hall of Fame Chairman and CEO Bill Hay and stepped to the podium.

He said he was “honored to be here and truly humbled to be in the company of such an elite group of individuals.”

Bure thanked the Selection Committee, Bobby Clarke Jersey
congratulated his fellow inductees, and went into his speech.

He mentioned how sometimes he plays on the same line as Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is just getting into the game.

There were two races that fans were keeping an eye on in the final weeks of the 1983-84 regular season. First and foremost, the chase for playoff positioning kept everyone on edge; but fans in Pittsburgh and New Jersey were focused on a different competition.

During that season, the Penguins and Devils were the worst two teams in the League.Bill Barber Jersey
The team that finished last would get the first pick and the right to select much-hyped junior star Mario Lemieux. (At that time, the League had yet to institute the draft lottery.)

The Devils finished the season with an eight-game losing streak, but that run of futility wasn’t enough to sink below the Patrick Division rival Penguins in the standings. In the end, the Pens finished with just 38 points — three fewer than the Devils. A few short months later, they changed the course of their franchise dramatically by selecting Lemieux.

At the other end of the League,Bill Barber Jersey
the Oilers racked up 119 points during the regular season and they were primed to begin a Stanley Cup run that would keep them at or near the top of the hockey world for the rest of the decade.

In our fifth installment on the NHL in the 1980s, I’ll look at the powerful Oilers as well as the many stories that kept fans attention during the ’83-84 season.
HRADEK ON ’82-83 SEASON
Connect Four
By E.J. Hradek – NHL.com Analyst
E.J. Hradek continued his look back at the high-scoring decade of the 1980s with the ’82-83 season, which featured the Islanders’ fourth straight Stanley Cup championship. READ MORE ?

Cleveland Browns running back Trent Richardson has played the last three games despite a rib cartilage problem. Coach Pat Shurmur pulled the rookie after a season-low eight carries against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 7.

Richardson responded by running for a combined 227 yards on 49 carries the following two weeks.

The rookie told The Plain Dealer to wait until he’s healthy.

“I haven’t been at 100 percent yet, Bernie Parent Jersey
so I’m waiting for that moment,” Richardson said. “Whenever my ribs do heal, it’s going to make a big difference having this bye week. When they heal 100 percent … it’s going to be a whole other Trent.”

Richardson spent the entire preseason healing from arthroscopic knee surgery. That didn’t stop him from playing Week 1. Richardson has rushed for 575 yards and five touchdowns and has not missed a game. He’s caught a team-high 31 balls for 240 yards and a touchdown. Richardson is basically the entire offense.

“I’m very excited about these last seven games,” Richardson said. “We can make a big difference, especially (with) what people think about the Cleveland Browns. We can write our own story right here, write a big chapter right here about the men on this team and what we want our season to end like.”

You’ve got to love Richardson’s optimism. You already should love his game. Bernie Parent Jersey
Unfortunately for Browns fans, I count a maximum of three wins after the bye regardless of how well Richardson feels. The Browns just aren’t a very good team right now. But with Richardson, Joe Thomas, Joe Haden, Josh Cribbs and (maybe) Brandon Weeden, Cleveland has solid pieces to build around.

The Green Bay Packers should have wide receiver Jordy Nelson back after their Week 10 bye. The same cannot be expected for linebacker Clay Matthews.

Nelson and Matthews left Sunday’s 31-17 win over the Arizona Cardinals with injuries. Kimmo Timonen Jersey
Nelson is dealing with a sprained ankle, but Packers coach Mike McCarthy said he believes the receiver will be “fine,” according to the team’s official website.

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Matthews has a pulled hamstring. Kimmo Timonen Jersey
He doesn’t believe it’s as serious as past issues he’s had with hamstrings. Still, the Packers could opt to take a more conservative approach with their sack leader.

Things are less clear regarding right tackle Bryan Bulaga, who suffered a hip injury Sunday. McCarthy is “concerned” because Bulaga’s body wasn’t in a normal position when he went down. McCarthy said the Packers still are in the evaluation process.

The Packers’ bye week represents a gift from the football gods.

Just one day after being added to the SUBWAY Super Series,Jeff Carter Jersey
McDavid was named the OHL’s Rookie of the Month for October on Thursday. The Toronto native had six goals and six assists in 10 contests.

The third player to receive exceptional player status by Hockey Canada for early entry into the OHL, McDavid has a league-leading 14-game point-scoring streak and leads all OHL rookies with 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists). He notched at least a point in each of the 10 games he played in October.

On Wednesday, McDavid was selected to represent the OHL at the 2012 SUBWAY Super Series, which will take place next Thursday against Team Russia in Guelph, Ontario. McDavid will be the youngest player ever to play in that event, which helps determine Team Canada’s roster at the World Junior Championships.

CBC’s iconic weekly hockey program, “Hockey Night In Canada,”Jeff Carter Jersey
is celebrating a special birthday with the release of the book “Hockey Night In Canada: 60 Seasons,” a retrospective written by Michael McKinley and published by Penguin Books.

“Hockey Night In Canada: 60 Seasons,” examines the history of the program through interviews and stories from the people most involved with the program, from its early days to its current incarnation, from the personalities that made the show memorable to the behind-the-scenes stories. The book also highlights the numerous technological advancements and broadcasting innovations that have been part of the show’s growth.

CBC will celebrate the release of the book with a special episode of the show “George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight,” on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET, which will include a special interview with “Hockey Night” icon Don Cherry.

In the opening video before introducing the first inductee, Pat Quinn compared Pavel Bure’s yearning to be the best to that of Bobby Orr.

Pretty high praise for the first inductee in the Class of 2012, but certainly hard to argue against it considering the career that Bure had on both the international and National Hockey League level.

The Russian Rocket scored 437 goals and 779 points in an injury-shortened 702-game NHL career. He got up to 60 twice and scored in the 50s three more times. His hands were remarkable and his skating was, well, untouchable.

“Pretty rocket like,” Quinn said. Jaromir Jagr Jersey
“He was a scoring machine.”

Bure, wearing a bow tie, received his plaque from Hall of Fame Chairman and CEO Bill Hay and stepped to the podium.

He said he was “honored to be here and truly humbled to be in the company of such an elite group of individuals.”

Bure thanked the Selection Committee, Jaromir Jagr Jersey
congratulated his fellow inductees, and went into his speech.

He mentioned how sometimes he plays on the same line as Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is just getting into the game.

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6. Indianapolis Colts running back Donald Brown is questionable for Thursday night’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars after missing another practice Wednesday with a knee injury. Wide receiver Donnie Avery (hip) also received the questionable tag.

7. Calvin Johnson wasn’t a participant in practice Wednesday because of nagging knee soreness. The Detroit Lions are playing it safe with their star receiver. He has been healthy enough to play in games and should be ready to go Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.

8. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Brady Quinn still hasn’t been cleared to play after suffering a concussion against the Raiders in Week 8. That means the glorious reign of Matt Cassel barrels onward Monday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

9. New York Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks missed practice Wednesday after his knee swelled up. James Van Riemsdyk Jersey
Guard Chris Snee (ankle) didn’t practice, either, ahead of Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Running back Ahmad Bradshaw (foot) also sat out, but his backfield partner, Andre Brown (shoulder), was back on the field.

10. Over in Florham Park, New York Jets running back Joe McKnight (ankle) didn’t attend Wednesday’s practice. Neither did linebacker Bart Scott (toe) or defensive tackle Kenrick Ellis (knee). Running back Bilal Powell (shoulder) practiced and should play in Sunday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks.