gladly move up four pounds from junior featherweight to get another crack at the only man who beat him.Other highly capable contenders, including American Gary Russell (who also owns a piec

TORONTO -- It didnt take long for Auston Matthews to make an impact at the Toronto Maple Leafs training camp.The prized first overall selection skated with his new teammates for the first time Wednesday morning after a six-day break following the World Cup of Hockey. Following the formal portion of practice, Matthews shattered a pane of glass with a shot.It was a terrible shot, too, Matthews said. It wasnt even hard, just happened to hit the right spot, I guess, and shattered the whole thing.We were just messing around. It was me, [Mitch] Marner, [Andrew] Nielsen, the last guys on the ice, we were just taking shots and [I] missed the net, broke the glass.Matthews, 19, was asked whether hed have to pay for the repairs.Yeah probably. Lou [Lamoriello] wont be too happy, he joked, referring to the Maple Leafs general manager.Mike Babcock has said Matthews will start the season as the Leafs third-line center. On Wednesday, he skated on a line with James van Riemsdyk and Leo Komarov. He also saw power-play time alongside Milan Michalek and Dmytro Timashov.Matthews, who is from Scottsdale, Arizona, believes the experience of playing in Toronto during the World Cup of Hockey will help with the transition to the NHL.It helps a lot, it makes a difference, said Matthews, who spent last season in Switzerland. Just having that [comfort of] playing in front of Toronto fans, getting a chance to play at that rink heading into the preseason, I think it definitely gives you some confidence.My mindset the whole time was go in [to the World Cup] and get better and learn as much as I could. Going into it, I knew I could play at that level.Matthews had two goals and added an assist in three round-robin games.His performance with the under-23 Team North America was punctuated by a highlight-reel deke from his knees around Daniel Sedin where he set up teammate Morgan Rielly for a shot and then finished it off by putting home the rebound for the games first goal in a 4-3 overtime win against Sweden.Hes a pass-first guy in my opinion, but hes got a great shot, Rielly said. Hes a mature young man. Hes had an opportunity to play pro and with older guys. Its not like hes coming right out of junior. The adjustment will be easier for him just because of the environment he was in last year.Casey Stengel Yankees Jersey .Y. -- Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo had little trouble picking up his first shutout of the season against a Buffalo Sabres team thats having trouble scoring goals. Mike Tauchman Jersey . LOUIS -- Roman Polak was celebrating even before Alexander Steen scored the winning goal in Saturdays 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. https://www.cheapyankees.com/3281g-lou-gehrig-jersey-yankees.html .C. - The Carolina Hurricanes have placed backup goalie Anton Khudobin on injured reserve with an unspecified lower-body injury. DJ LeMahieu Jersey . Most important, perhaps, it went off without a hitch. Organizers poked a little fun at the now-infamous opening ceremony gaffe that saw only four out of five snowflakes open up into rings, leaving the Olympics logo one ring short. Brett Gardner Yankees Jersey . Didier Drogba gave away the penalty that put Senegal one goal away from a major upset, but the veteran striker will get another chance -- probably his last -- at the World Cup after Salomon Kalous injury-time strike sealed the Ivorians place in Brazil next year.Boxing needed something special from featherweights Carl The Jackal Frampton and Leo El Terremoto Santa Cruz last Saturday. Something to make up for Terence Crawfords comprehensive but less-than-dazzling unanimous decision over Viktor Postol the previous week and Deontay Wilders mismatch with Chris Arreola the week before that.Boxing needed a fight like Keith Thurmans bitterly contested decision over Shawn Porter on June 23, an intense struggle in which two world-class welterweights gambled everything in an all-out bid for glory.Not every fight can be a classic, but to bring the masses back into the fold, the sport requires as many reminders as possible of just how great boxing can be.Frampton and Santa Cruz gave us all that and more. They gave us one of those magic moments boxing fans live for, the kind that makes following this perpetually troubled sport worthwhile.You wont see athletes in any other sport do what Frampton and Santa Cruz did. They entered territory where only heroes dare to tread. It was special in a way unique to boxing.1. At its best, boxing is still sports greatest spectacleThere comes a time in almost all great fights when the boxers seem to become caught up in something bigger than themselves. Its as if theyve been carried away by the frenzy of excitement and pushed beyond the bounds of normal human endurance.Frampton and Santa Cruz charged into that unforgiving realm in the second round and never looked back. They went at each other in a series of breathtaking attacks and counterattacks, round after round, flurry after flurry. Just when it looked like one of them was taking control, the other rallied back.The exchanges were awe-inspiring and virtually ceaseless, right up until the closing seconds when Frampton and Santa Cruz tore into one another a final time with an abandon bordering on desperation.The 9,062 fans in attendance inside Brooklyns Barclays Center cheered themselves hoarse, leaped to their feet on numerous occasions and gave the fighters a standing ovation before the start of the 12th round and again at the final bell.It was boxing the way its supposed to be: a raw display of humanitys indomitable spirit and will to win.2. Frampton is better than a lot of people thoughtIts easy to understand why Santa Cruz was favored, at least on this side of the Atlantic. He was an undefeated veteran with 11 title-fight victories to his credit, an aggressive volume puncher who could be relied on to attack.Frampton, on the other hand, had looked a bit vulnerable in his two previous bouts, getting knocked down twice by Alejandro Gonzalez Jr. and playing it a little too safe against Scott Quigg. To be fair, he won both of those fights, but he failed to impress the American audience.Against Santa Cruz, on the biggest night of his career, the Belfastt man was better than hed ever been before.ddddddddddddMaybe moving up from junior featherweight to featherweight had something to do with it. After all, Frampton said that making 122 pounds was killing him. Then theres Santa Cruzs walk-in style, which makes him a relatively easy target. Who knows? Perhaps the enormity of the occasion helped pushed him to a different level.Whatever the reason, this time, when he needed it the most, Frampton actually fought like a jackal.3. Quality over quantity was the deciderAccording to CompuBox, Santa Cruz connected with 255 punches to Framptons 242. Even so, most observers agreed that Frampton deserved a close decision. That he hit harder than Santa Cruz became clear in the second round when he staggered Santa Cruz with a left hook.There were times when the sheer volume of Santa Cruzs output looked like it might be enough to sweep him to victory. But as Larry Merchant used to preach, punch stats are quantitative, not qualitative. When you get right down to it, it was the superiority of Framptons punches that made the difference.4. Frampton has plenty of optionsTalk of a rematch began as soon Framptons arm was raised, which is understandable considering how wildly entertaining and well-fought the first fight was.Moreover, according to Santa Cruzs camp, hes contractually guaranteed a return bout. It might not be Framptons next defense, but unless either of them loses in the interim, Frampton-Santa Cruz II should eventually happen.Frampton has a few attractive matches back home in the U.K., including Wales Lee Selby, who also owns a featherweight title, and Quigg, who would gladly move up four pounds from junior featherweight to get another crack at the only man who beat him.Other highly capable contenders, including American Gary Russell (who also owns a piece of the featherweight title), undefeated Mexican knockout artist Oscar Valdez and Argentine slugger Jesus Cuellar, would all fit well with Frampton.5. The McGuigan factorThe image of former featherweight titleholder Barry McGuigan with his head bent in prayer between the end of the fight and the announcement of the decision was remarkable -- a famous man having a private moment in a very public setting.McGuigan remains a popular public personality in the U.K., where his sharp mind and magnetic personality serve him well. Hes never strayed far from boxing, but managing Frampton has put The Clones Cyclone back on the international stage.McGuigan is still spry and bright-eyed, enjoying his new role and the success of his son, Shane, who trains Frampton. You get the feeling hed fight just as hard for his fighters as he once did for himself and Ireland. ' ' '