Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock was behind the bench to lead Canada to a second straight gold medal at the Sochi Olympics. cheap nfl jerseys . He wont have to face the goaltender he rode to that honour when the Red Wings take on the Montreal Canadiens as Carey Price will not be in uniform for the next two games. The game can be seen live on TSN at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. Price was hurt at the start of Wednesdays practice after facing just one shot as the team worked on their power play. He left the ice in discomfort and appeared to be favouring his leg. During the Olympics, the Canadiens starting goaltender posted consecutive shutouts for Canada in the semifinals and gold medal game and ended the Olympic tournament with a 5-0 record, a 0.59 goals against average and .972 save percentage. Montreal enters Tuesday hoping to pick up where it left off. The Canadiens won their last three games before the Olympics and went 5-1-1 over their seven final outings prior to the break. The Habs are sitting one point behind Tampa Bay for second place in the Atlantic and eight in back of Boston for the division lead. The Canadiens also are locked in a tie with rival Toronto in both the Atlantic and East standings. The Canadiens will get forward Alex Galchenyuk back in the lineup on Wednesday for the first time since Jan. 6 when he broke his hand in a game against Florida. The sophomore has 10 goals and 13 assists in 44 games this season. The Red Wings posted a 4-1 home win over Montreal on Jan. 24 in the first of four regular-season meetings between the clubs this season. It was the third win for Detroit over the last four games of this series. but the Red Wings head coach is now faced with the unenviable task of getting Detroit back to the playoffs for a 23rd straight season. Babcocks Red Wings hope to aid their postseason quest on Wednesday, when they return from the NHLs Olympic break to visit the Montreal Canadiens at Bell Centre. Detroit would be in the playoffs if the season ended right now, but the club is only one point ahead of a three teams -- Columbus, Ottawa and Washington -- for the Eastern Conferences final berth. While Babcock was coaching Canada to gold, the captain of his NHL team -- Henrik Zetterberg -- was recovering from recent back surgery. Zetterberg suited up for Team Sweden once in Sochi before returning to the United States to have a procedure that removed what Red Wings general manager Ken Holland called a "floating piece of a disk lodged in a nerve in his back." After undergoing the surgery on Friday, Zetterberg, who is leading Detroit in goals (16) and assists (32) this season, is expected to be out of action for 7-to-8 weeks. Zetterbergs absence could make it difficult for the Red Wings to keep their amazing postseason appearance streak going, but the club is still eager to get back to the task at hand. After visiting Montreal, which is six points ahead of Detroit in the Atlantic Division and East standings, the Red Wings will make a stop to battle the playoff-hopeful Senators on Thursday. "Two of the biggest games of the year by far. Were chasing Montreal and Ottawa is chasing us," said Red Wings defenseman Kyle Quincey. "So theres nothing like having 20-odd days off and coming back and playing huge games. We know the playoffs are going to come down to one or two points, so easily it could come down to these two games. We know that going in and that?s why were so focused on getting ready for them." Wednesdays game marks the continuation of a five-game road trip that began before the Olympics. Detroit, which is 15-9-4 as the guest this season compared to a poor 11-11-8 mark at home, split road games against Florida and Tampa Bay before the NHL went on hiatus. Following Thursdays showdown with the Senators, the Red Wings will have four full days of rest before capping their swing next Tuesday at New Jersey. nfl jerseys china . "Yeah, [I heard them]," he said. "They made me miss the free throw." A year ago, Lowrys post-game antics may not have been so well received but what was snide and snarky is now endearing quick wit. cheap jerseys . The Predators announced that Rinne had been cleared for the next step of his recovery after meeting with doctors earlier Monday. Coach Barry Trotz said a meeting was planned for later Monday to set a weekly plan for Rinne.DALLAS - Mavericks guard Jose Calderon was barely two minutes into his post-shoot around assembly with the media before he was blindsided by the first of many hugs from his former cohorts. Mavs shoot around had just let out and the Raptors were slowly filing onto the court at American Airlines Center when DeMar DeRozan ran straight to the far baseline, surprising his former teammate with a hug. Amir Johnson was next, followed by Jonas Valanciunas and several other Raptors players until finally, he was greeted by his old coach and good friend Dwane Casey. "Its always going to be a little bit of a different game for me after all those years in Toronto," Calderon said with a big smile on his face, which of course is nothing new, ahead of Friday nights contest against his former team. "I still have a lot of friends on the other team." Listen to all the action live on TSN 1050 Radio in Toronto, beginning at 8:30pm et. Traded to the Pistons in the three-team deal that netted the Raptors Rudy Gay last January, Calderon had spent his first seven-plus NBA seasons in Toronto. He remains the franchise all-time leader in assists and free-throw percentage, ranking second in games played, fourth in minutes and fifth in points. At the time it seemed like an inevitable, albeit saddening breakup. Bryan Colangelo had just acquired Kyle Lowry to pair with and eventually replace Calderon, whose contract was expiring. The trade was hardly a surprise but its one the Raptors are regretting nearly 11 months later. Gays time in Toronto was short-lived for obvious financial and stylistic reasons while replacing Calderons quietly dependable production has proven to be a challenge, one the Raptors hope Greivis Vasquez may help solve. The Raptors recorded 20 or more assists in 22 of 23 games with Calderon starting prior to last years trade however, they accomplished that feat in just 21 of 56 contests with Gay in the lineup. A lot has changed in 11 months, as Calderon noticed when putting together a list of dinner guests on Thursday. "Yesterday, I was trying to put together a list of guys who could come for dinner," he said. "And it was like okay, there are not so many guys." The point guard, who ended up hosting Valanciunas and seven members of the Raptors staff at his new home on Thursday night, has played with only six current Raptors. Only two, DeRozan and Johnson, were teammates with Calderon for more than a couple months (they played with him for just over four seasons.) "That happens all the time," the nine-year vet said. "Thats how the NBA works, even more now with the new GMM in Toronto and all the new management. Cheap Lazio Jerseys. You knew changes were coming." For those who had the opportunity to play with him, to coach him, Calderon has been missed. "That was my point guard coming into the league," said DeRozan, in the midst of a career year. "And in the early stages of my career he really helped develop me into the player I am now. He helped me understand a lot and I commend a lot of my success to Jose." Inking a four-year deal with the Mavericks over the summer, Calderon and his family are getting comfortable in Dallas. In 24 games this season, the Mavs guard is averaging 11.9 points and 4.5 assists, making more threes per game (2.6) than he has before while shooting a career-best 47 per cent from long range. At 32 years of age, Calderon was the old man in Toronto, but in Dallas he fits right in. "I think its making my job a little bit easier playing with guys like Vince (Carter) or Shawn (Marion) or Dirk (Nowitzki)," he said. "They know how to play. For a point guard, being with guys who know to play all the time is easier, so I feel really comfortable out there with them for sure." As Mavs coach Rick Carlisle pointed out, its hard to believe how long Calderon has been in the league, especially for those that remember him as a raw, timid rookie out of Spain back with the Raptors in 2005. At that time Carlisle was coaching the Pacers and remembers the words of Lithuanian guard Sarunas Jasikevicius, who was familiar with Calderon having played against him overseas. "He came to me one day and said, that guy Calderon is a very resourceful player, hes better than you think he is," Carlisle recalled. "And he was right." "Joses had a really strong and solid career in the NBA," the Mavs coach continued. "Hell go down as one of the top European players ever." Both teams got their greetings and reminiscing over with early: Calderon with his old teammates, Carter with the Raptors media and staff and Casey with Carlisle, his former boss in Dallas. Once the ball is tossed up its all business for the Raptors, who are coming off a last-second overtime loss and are beginning a daunting four-game road trip. "Not [for] me," DeRozan said, asked if it will be difficult to face a player that has meant so much to him. "Not me personally, not at all. I understand that once we step on this court I could be playing against my mom and Im going to go out there and try to win." At 11-2, the Mavericks own the second-best home record in the Western Conference and have won 12 of the last 13 meetings with the Raptors in Dallas. wholesale jerseys cheap jerseys ' ' '
