Fussball » fourth-round pick in this Junes draft. Reg

MONTREAL -- Canadas Laurent Duvernay-Tardif has his eyes set firmly on the upcoming NFL draft. Under the gaze of nine NFL and four CFL scouts, Duvernay-Tardif confirmed why hes one of the most touted Canadian football prospects in recent memory. The six-foot-five offensive lineman for the McGill Redmen had his private pro day in Montreal on Thursday. He leapt, sprinted and tackled during the two-hour training session, setting personal bests and impressing his visitors from out of town. Its been a while since a CIS player garnered such attention from both sides of the border. "It doesnt happen every day, sure," said the 23-year-old, who chose to let scouts from both professional football leagues assess his abilities simultaneously, rather than attend last weeks CFL combine. "And its not every day a Canadian gets the opportunity to do what Im doing. I dont know if this is historic. But Im really happy it happened to me." Duvernay-Tardif, a medical student at Montreals McGill University, is projected as a third-to-fourth round pick in Mays NFL draft. The native of St-Hilaire, Que., scored a personal best in the broad jump Thursday, and some scouts clocked him in at less than five seconds in the 40-yard dash -- impressive results for a player weighing just under 300 pounds. "Ive been training for so long for these tests," said Duvernay-Tardif, who dedicated five months of work and conditioning to his pro day. "It was time to show what I could do. I knew what I was going to hit. I hit those numbers, and even better." About the only downside was Duvernay-Tardif registering 34 reps in the bench press. While thats a more than respectable showing, Duvernay-Tardif was looking for between 37 and 40 reps. Still, his results in most categories place him amongst the top performers from last Februarys NFL scouting combine, a week-long event where the top U.S. college football prospects display their abilities before league coaches, scouts and GMs. In Duvernay-Tardifs case, the NFL came to him. Scouts from Oakland, Kansas City, Philadelphia, Arizona, New York, Green Bay, Chicago, San Francisco and Buffalo made the trip north to see first-hand if the Quebec native has what it takes to play in the NFL. Lee Gissendaner, area scout for the Green Bay Packers, was pleased with Duvernay-Tardifs overall performance. "The most impressive was the way he moved around," said Gissendaner, now in his 13th year scouting for the Packers. "He showed the versatility that you like, the flexibility. He did everything in the workout. "He seems like a guy who likes to compete. He responded to what we asked him to do, followed directions. His work ethic was on display." NFL scouts have been watching Duvernay-Tardif closely since the East-West Shrine game in St. Petersburg, Fla., last January. He and Manitoba defensive tackle Evan Gill -- another top prospect for this years CFL draft -- represented Canada at the annual U.S. college all-star game. "You look for a guy to stand out at this level," said Gissendaner. "When he came down to Florida, he held his own. We saw some raw ability, and some raw tools that maybe we can develop." Scouts will continue reviewing film, compare some of their top prospects, and put together draft and free agency boards until the start of the NFL draft May 8 in New York. If the offensive lineman gets his way he will be drafted by an NFL team and head to training camp this summer. There are only a handful of Canadians in the NFL, and earning a spot on a starting line in the U.S. is no easy task. And Duvernay-Tardif is actually the top-rated prospect for the coming CFL draft according to the latest rankings. Alongside NFL scouts Thursday were members of the Montreal Alouettes, Calgary Stampeders, Toronto Argonauts, and Ottawa Redblacks. "Hes one of the top picks in this draft, for sure," said Joey Abrams, the Alouettes assistant director of player personnel. "Its difficult to find a kid like this, with his skill set and abilities. Hes a rare specimen. This is unprecedented. Ive never seen this before. "He met expectations. Everyone knew he was big and strong, and he showed that today." If the NFL doesnt come calling, Duvernay-Tardif is more than happy to play in is home country. "I would love to play in the CFL," he said. "I played against a lot of people that now play in the CFL. It would be great to play in that league. Im going to play and do my best wherever I end up." The CFL will hold its annual draft by conference call May 13. Notes: Earlier in the week, Duvernay-Tardif appeared on a two-page spread in the latest edition of Sports Illustrated. The article was titled "Heal Thyself." a Last fall, Duvernay-Tardif was awarded the J.P. Metras Trophy as Canadian university footballs top lineman. Cheap Nike Shoes Uk . Chan captured two silver medals at last months Sochi Winter Games — mens singles and the inaugural team event. But he doesnt have the urge to resume training to defend his world title when the event is held in Saitama, Japan, later this month. Nike Clearance Sale Uk . For Sweed, a second round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2008, this will be his second go around in the CFL after previously having spent time with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. http://www.nikeshoesoutletuk.com/ . Ted Ligety, Mikaela Shiffrin, Bode Miller and Tim Jitloff underlined the squads enormous potential on the Rettenbach glacier in Austria. Nike Shoes Wholesale Free Shipping . The 22-year-old Spanish midfielder recently signed a new three-year contract with Chelsea, and after spending last season on loan with Valencia in La Liga, Romeu will move to the Bundesliga for the 2014-15 campaign. Nike Shoes For Sale Cheap Uk . Nikolaos Kounenakis has been hired as an assistant coach, the team announced on Monday.UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- Thanks to the stellar play of rookie goaltender Reto Berra, the Calgary Flames won for the sixth time in seven games. David Jones scored the tiebreaking goal late in the third period and the Berra made 28 saves as the Calgary Flames beat the New York Islanders 4-2 Thursday night. "Reto was simply outstanding. He was the guy who kept us in the game and gave us a chance," Flames coach Bob Hartley said. "He made big saves early and gave us a chance. Then we started skating better and executing better." Jones banked the puck off the Islanders goalie Evgeni Nabokov from a sharp angle at 14:28 to lift the Flames to their first at Nassau Coliseum since 2004. Mikael Backlund added an empty-net goal for the Flames, his 14th of the season. The 27-year-old Berra, who will join Anaheims Jonas Hiller with Switzerlands team at the upcoming Winter Games in Sochi, improved to 8-15-2 and won for the first time in regulation. Sean Monahan and Dennis Wideman scored in the second period to put Calgary ahead 2-0. But the Islanders rallied to tie it on goals by defencemen Thomas Hickey and Calvin de Haan. The Islanders went on the power play with three minutes left when Jiri Hudler was called for hooking but couldnt muster much of an attack. Monahans team-leading 16th goal opened the scoring at 14:15 of the second when he wristed a loose puck from outside the crease over Nabokovs left shoulder. The 19-year-old rookie centre was the sixth overall pick by the Flames in last Junes draft. Wideman made it 2-0 at 18:08 with a snapshot from the slot, his fourth of the season. Hickey cut the deficit in half at 19:53 of the second, snapping the puck past Berra for his fourth of the season. The Islanders tied it at 7:31 of the third when de Haan blasted a shot past Berra. John Tavares and Thomas Vanek had assists on the second goal of the season for the rookie defenceman. It was the first point in five games for Tavares, who is second in league scoring with 23 goaals and 42 assists, 12 points behind Pittsburghs Sidney Crosby.dddddddddddd The loss left Tavares exasperated once again. "We seem to find more way to lose than win," he said. The Flames had only 22 shots but made them count. Calgary (22-28-7) finishes its road trip with a visit to Philadelphia on Saturday before the Olympic break. Calgary swept a five-game homestand before losing at Montreal 2-0 on Tuesday. "We worked hard and earned out chances," said centre Matt Stajan, who was originally credited with the go-ahead goal. "We didnt give up, kept the pressure on them and it paid off for us." The Islanders (22-29-8) were within five points of a playoff spot when they beat the Rangers 5-3 on Jan. 21 but six losses in seven games has essentially ruined their post-season hopes. After the game, the Islanders traded forwards Peter Regin and Pierre-Marc Bouchard to the Chicago Blackhawks for a fourth-round pick in this Junes draft. Regin, who was scratched against Calgary, had two goals and five assists in 44 games. Bouchard was playing for AHL Bridgeport after four goals and five assists in 28 games. The Islanders were starting a five-game homestand before and after the Olympic break. Theyll host Colorado on Saturday before the NHL season halts for the Winter Games at Sochi. Theyll resume against Toronto on Feb. 27. "We have to simplify our game and just get better with execution," Islanders coach Jack Capuano said. The Islanders had won three straight and five of six against Flames, including the last three on Long Island. The teams last met Dec. 29, 2011, when the Islanders won 3-1. The last time the Flames won at Nassau was Jan. 6, 2004. The Islanders are 19-7-3 when they score at least three goals and are 3-22-5 when they do not. NOTES: The teams will play again March 7 in Calgary. ... The Islanders remained without defenceman Travis Hamonic (upper body). ... The Flames were missing goaltender Karri Ramo (knee) and forward Curtis Glencross (ankle). ' ' '