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As 2013 winds to a close, TSN. Michael Cage Jersey .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. TSN.cas writing staff reflects on the best hockey moments from the past 12 months including Alfie going to Detroit, Ovi finding another gear, Patrick Roy losing his cool and more. Daniel Alfredssons Motown Revue By: Shane McNeil Hockey fans had seen it before. The hero leaves the city where hes enjoyed years, sometimes decades of memories and successes in search of one or two years worth of hunting down a Championship ring. Ray Bourque, Mats Sundin, Jarome Iginla - It happens. Its no slight on the player and more often than not, the organization and the fans do nothing but wish them the best. But, Daniel Alfredsson? Did anyone see that coming? Here is the man that took a pay cut to keep the team afloat amidst bankruptcy. Alfie is a man who ascended to nearly religious standards in the Nations Capital after years of battling the Toronto Maple Leafs and getting the team to its only Stanley Cup Final. In the days (hours?) that followed Alfredssons signing in Motown, the Senators brass tried to foist the breakdown on their long-time captain and his agent J.P. Barry. The lines of communication, they believed, went silent at the most crucial time. Alfredssons decision to sign in Detroit appeared to be based on a player not being willing to settle for another discount deal. But whats more surprising than Alfredsson leaving Ottawa is that the Senators let it happen. Ovechkin makes fast work post-lockout By: Ken Rodney Nobody embodied the sprint mentality of the lockout-shortened 2012-13 NHL regular season quite like the Washington Capitals and more specifically their superstar Alexander Ovechkin. After not scoring in the first four games of the season, Ovechkin finished the first month of the schedule with only two goals and in those seven games, his team had only managed to pick up three points. However as their captain and leader caught fire so did the team Capitals, who rely on him for both an offensive and emotional boost. When the dust settled at the end of the 48 game regular season, Ovechkin had 32 goals, including 24 in the final 23 games and the Capitals had captured the Southeast Division and were the third seed heading into the playoffs. The Moscow native won the scoring race by three goals to earn his third Maurice Richard Trophy as the leagues top goal scorer, the only player to win as many since it was first awarded in 1998. Proving three is a charm for the man they call The Great Eight, he was also awarded with his third Hart Trophy as league MVP for his spectacular season. Patrick Roy blows up on his first night as Avalanche head coach By: Ryan Horne It didnt take long for Patrick Roy to make his mark as an NHL head coach. In fact, it only took one game. Roys Colorado Avalanche were pummeling the visiting Anaheim Ducks on the inaugural night of the regular season. When the first-year coach witnessed what he viewed as a cheap shot against his star rookie Nathan MacKinnon, he didnt hold back. Roy cursed and hollered at Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau and even pushed the plexiglass separating the two teams, almost knocking it down. He was hit with a game misconduct and fined $10, 000 for the incident. Not bad for your first night as a professional bench boss. A lot of people speculated this could happen with the fiery former goalie, but probably not this quickly. Regardless, the Avalanche players seem to be cool with it as they hold one of the better records in the Western Conference after being forecast as a non-playoff team before the season. Its yet to be seen whether Roys actions will get him into any further trouble, but theres a good chance hes not going to change for anybody. If the Quebec City native feels a certain way, he has no problem with expressing it. Just ask Ronald Corey. Martin St. Louis: One for the Ages By: Mike Beauvais There are a lot of things Martin St. Louis probably shouldnt have been. Undrafted, the diminutive native of Laval, Quebecs stay in the NHL probably shouldnt have lasted for much longer than the cup of coffee he had with the Calgary Flames in the late 90s. Conventional wisdom also didnt see St. Louis developing into the offensive juggernaut, six-time All-Star, Hart Trophy-winning, Stanley Cup champion that St. Louis blossomed into while a member of the Lightning. With the list of things Martin St. Louis probably shouldnt have been already lengthy, he added yet another to the list in 2013. Alongside young sniper Steven Stamkos, the 37-year-old St. Louis was the Batman to his Robin in 2013. The cagey veteran partnered with the Boy Wonder. The NHL was their Gotham City in 2013 and they were the premier Dynamic Duo of offence. In the Lightnings April 27 season-ending 5-3 win over the Florida Panthers, St. Louis had a goal and assist to bring him to the 60-point plateau in the shortened 48-game season. That was three points more than Stamkos haul for the year and the most in the NHL, handing St. Louis his second Art Ross Trophy. When he did it before in 2003-2004, it was improbable, but when he did it again in 2013, he did it as the oldest player in NHL history. There are a lot of things Martin St. Louis probably shouldnt have been, but it should surprise nobody at all when he decides to add something else to that list. The Lockout ends, the fans flock back By: Barry Riz The NHLs arenas were empty. The lockout had dragged on some 100 days. The first week of 2013 saw some headway in negotiations but no deal yet. As fans described it, billionaire owners and millionaire players just couldnt figure out how to divide up $3.3 billion in revenue. And the fans had seen more than enough through a battle that dragged on through the fall and early winter. Fans were going to protest by returning season tickets. They were going to boycott games if any were ever played. They were going to stop buying NHL-branded merchandise. They were going to stop watching on television. But things turned quickly in the early days of 2013. A deal was struck Jan. 6, and after a speedy training camp the season opened Jan. 19. And the fans came back. Oh, did they ever. League attendance and TV numbers returned stronger than before. The 48-game season was fast-paced and quickly consumed, with a Bruins-Blackhawks Stanley Cup Final topping off the leagues return. Forgiven? Probably not. Forgotten, absolutely. And as someone tweeted on opening night: "Somewhere Gary Bettman is watching all this hoopla and making a note to himself, and is putting it in a file marked "NHL LOCKOUT 2020." MacKinnon lights it up at Memorial Cup, locks in at first overall By: Ryan Horne Saying Nathan MacKinnon earned the right to be drafted first overall in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft would be an understatement. In the finals of the Memorial Cup against Seth Jones, the other first overall hopeful, and the Portland Winterhawks, MacKinnon netted a hat-trick, added a couple assists and helped the Halifax Mooseheads win their first national championship in team history. He was named tournament MVP, scoring seven goals and six assists in just four games after a spectacular regular season tallying 75 points in 44 games. Going into the tournament, many thought the smooth skating Jones would be the man the Colorado Avalanche would end up taking with their No.1 selection, especially considering their lack of depth on defence. But on June 24, 2013, Joe Sakic stepped up to the podium in New Jersey and took the 18-year-old from Halifax. And with MacKinnons stellar play at both the Memorial Cup and in the QMJHL, you cant blame them. Jones, on the other hand, fell to the Nashville Predators at number four. Both are having solid rookie seasons, but it will be interesting to see if Colorado still likes their decision a few years down the road. Patrick Ewing Jersey . Tennis Australia chief executive Craig Tiley told local media in comments published Wednesday that John Tomic would not be allowed into Melbourne Park in any official capacity or as a spectator. Walt Hazzard Jersey . Listen to the Raptors vs. Jazz live tonight on TSN Radio 1050 at 9pm et/6pm pt. The Raptors are 1-1 so far on the five-game junket after defeating Denver and losing to Portland. https://www.cheapthunder.com/1071h-sarunas-marciulionis-jersey-thunder.html .1 Sam Stosur will meet Germanys second-ranked player Andrea Petkovic in the opening match of the Fed Cup World Group semifinal. There are some safe picks at the top of the Minnesota Wild depth chart, but more of their players are later picks with potential or sleeper value. Top Picks: While the Wild broke the bank for free agents last summer, they at least spent their money on premium players. LW Zach Parise is consistently productive and, aside from 2010-2011 when he played only 13 games because of a knee injury, Parise has missed either one or zero games in his seven other NHL seasons. He may not be a point-per-game guy again (something hes done twice), but hes a five-time 30-goal scorer worthy of being top five selection among left wingers. Ryan Suter stepped to centre stage in Minnesota and scored a career-high 0.67 points per game while leading the league in ice time, at 27:17 per game. Over the last five seasons, he has 199 points, which ranks eighth among defencemen. Hes a viable No. 1, but certainly a strong No. 2 option on the blueline. Value Plays: C Mikko Koivu is consistently productive, but his ceiling may be the 71-point season he had in 2009-2010. As a No. 2 fantasy centre hes okay, particularly considering that he benefits from playing with Parise. After he was acquired from the Buffalo Sabres, veteran RW Jason Pominville contributed nine points in 10 games before suffering a concussion. Hes one year removed from a 73-point season, but his value is going to be tied to where he fits in the lineup. If hes with Koivu and Parise on the top line, thats ideal; if hes on the second line, its not as ideal, so valuing him as a No.3 fantasy winger seems about fair. Hes 35 and last years .909 save percentage was the second-worst of his career, but G Niklas Backstrom also won 24 games, playing more than an ideal amount because of Josh Hardings health. Backstrom can still have value, but cant be expected to play as many games as 2013, when he played 42 of 48. Russell Westbrook Jersey. Sleepers/Breakthrough: At one time in the not-too-distant past, RW Dany Heatley was a first-round fantasy pick, but hes fallen on hard times, which now makes him a potential value pick up. His point production and ice time were at career-low levels last season, yet hes a nine-time 20-goal scorer who is likely to have a regular role on the power play. At some point, later in the draft, hes going to be worth a try. The Wild have a number of young players bucking for bigger roles. C Mikael Granlund was highly-touted last year, but was ultimately a bust as a rookie. He scored 28 points in 29 AHL games, however, so its too soon to give up on him. RW Charlie Coyle isnt a big scorer (14 points in 37 games as a rookie), but hes a big body and earned time down the stretch with Parise and Koivu. If he finds his way back to that spot, there is potential value. LW Jason Zucker had five points in 20 games with the Wild last season, but 24 goals and 50 points in 55 AHL games suggests that he has the ability to fill a second-line role. LW Nino Niederreiter had 28 goals and 50 points in 74 AHL games last season and is looking for a fresh start away from the Islanders. Any combination of these young forwards could ultimately have fantasy value, but until roles are settled, theyre difficult to draft. Rookies: The seventh overall pick in 2012, D Mathew Dumba isnt assured of a spot on the Wild roster, but hes a dynamic player, a defenceman who joins the rush, can score and play a physical game. It may be too soon to expect big numbers from Dumba, but hes worth having an eye on if he makes the club. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. ' ' '