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NEW YORK -- Before Alain Vigneault signed on for the job he said he couldnt turn down, the New York Rangers new coach got two important thumbs-up that led him to the Big Apple. Vigneaults hockey coaching jobs over the past decade have taken him far away from his home in Gatineau, Quebec, and separated the divorced father from his two daughters for far too long. When the recently fired coach of the Vancouver Canucks was faced with the decision of continuing his career with the Dallas Stars or the Rangers, he chose the place that is just a one-hour flight from his family. "I was thinking about the opportunity to coach the New York Rangers, one of the Original Six teams, in this great city," he said Friday at his introductory news conference. "There is not a chance I could pass that up." Vigneault was given a five-year contract about a month after he was dismissed by the Canucks and three weeks after New York fired combustible coach John Tortorella. Vigneault visited his daughters in Montreal and got a clear message from them where they wanted him to go. When he went into the apartment of his 20-year-old daughter, Janie, at college, he saw two mugs on the table -- one with a Rangers logo and the other with a Dallas Stars insignia. Then he received a much clearer signal. "They were sitting on the couch, and they both had Yankee hats on," Vigneault said. "So I said, I know where you want me to go. Ill see what I can do." Visits that had been limited to Christmas and maybe another time during the season can now increase to multiple times per month. "They both like to shop," he said. Vigneault let the Stars know he was taking himself out of the running to be their bench boss and worked out a deal with the Rangers -- one that will reportedly pay him $2 million per season. "I want to win," Vigneault said. "I did find out that it is a lot easier to negotiate yourself a contract when youve got two teams that are after you than just one." With that, he gave Glen Sather, the Rangers president and general manager a hearty pat on the back as those in the room broke out in laughter. "I didnt particularly enjoy that part," Sather said with a smile. Although he has yet to win the Stanley Cup, Vigneault brings a wealth of experience and success into his third NHL head coaching job. His most appealing attribute might be that he is so different than Tortorella -- on and off the ice. That was evident Friday when Vigneault was introduced at Radio City Music Hall. In the short window of time in which he met with media members, Vigneault smiled and joked more times than anyone could remember his predecessor doing in 4 1/2 seasons. The 52-year-old Vigneault brings a welcoming demeanour away from the rink and a more offensive philosophy on it -- in contrast with Tortorellas way of working in the defensive zone and putting a premium on blocking shots in front of star goalie Henrik Lundqvist. "We needed a change in style," Sather said. "You look at the injuries ... we needed to move the puck out quick. That style was perfect for a couple of years, but it started to wear our team out." Vigneault edged out former Rangers captain Mark Messier, longtime former Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff and others. In 11 seasons as an NHL head coach with Montreal and Vancouver, Vigneault is 422-288-35-61 in 806 games. "Im going into this with an open mind," Vigneault said. "I think (players) should be too. Im going in with a clean slate. Lets see what we can write on that slate." Vigneault was interviewed last week during the Rangers organizational meetings in California and then met with team owner James Dolan in New York. "We had a list of 13 candidates and I narrowed it down to nine," Sather said. "It wasnt just between A.V. and Mark." Vigneault and Sather will now work on filling out the coaching staff. It is unknown if Messier, a special assistant to Sather, will remain with the Rangers. Messier, a Hall of Fame player, lacks the coaching experience Vigneault is loaded with. "It was a difficult decision. Weve both grown up with each other," Sather said of passing on Messier. "At this stage, A.V. was the man. Mark has got to decide what he wants to do." Tortorella was fired May 29 -- four days after the Rangers were eliminated by Boston. A year ago, the Rangers reached the Eastern Conference finals. In an odd twist, Tortorella was reportedly offered the job on Friday to replace Vigneault in Vancouver. Sather insisted that no player came to him and asked for Tortorella to be fired. No players were in attendance Friday. "There hasnt been a player who ... complained to me about Torts," Sather said. When asked if Tortorella was stubborn in resisting adopting a more offensive style, Sather had a quick answer. "Maybe beyond stubborn," he said. "He was perfect for us for a few years. Hes going to be perfect for another team, but it was getting to be so hard on some of our players. "We needed to make a change to give them a little fresh life and more of an optimistic view of how to play." Vigneault ranked first on the Canucks list in coaching wins and came within one victory of capturing the Stanley Cup in 2011. In seven seasons, Vigneault was 313-170-57 in the regular season but only 33-32 in the playoffs. In his final two seasons, Vancouver was knocked out in the first round -- including a sweep by San Jose last month. The early-round exits when the Canucks were the higher-seeded team, and losses at home at the starts of the series, were cited by general manager Mike Gillis as reasons for Vigneaults firing on May 22. "There is no doubt in my mind that this organization is committed to winning the Stanley Cup," Vigneault said of the Rangers. Messier captained the Rangers past the Canucks in the 1994 Stanley Cup finals. Vancouver lost another Game 7 in the finals against Boston in 2011. "I saw some of the pictures from the last time this city won the Cup," Vigneault said. "Its real clear to me that there is no better place to win the Stanley Cup than here in New York."Fake Air Jordan 4 . Dallas hasnt ruled out the star quarterback for Sunday nights game against Philadelphia, but all signs point to Romos back injury pushing Kyle Orton into the starting role after two years of limited play as the backup. Surely Ortons name isnt the first that comes to mind for fans wanting a change after years of damaging interceptions, fumbles or, most infamously, the field goal flub when Romo dropped the snap on a kick that could have won his first playoff game in 2006. Fake Air Jordan 23 . PETERSBURG, Fla. http://www.fakeairjordan.com/fake-air-jordan-35/ . Still, Brewers manager Ron Roenicke thought taking him out before the fifth inning was an unusual move. "Im looking up at the board and hes got two hits given up and one run, and Im taking him out after the fourth inning," Roenicke said. Fake Air Jordan 11 . 4 Villanova with a 96-68 drubbing on Monday. Wragge hit 9-of-14 from behind the arc, matching Kyle Korvers school record for 3-pointers in a game set in 2003, as Creighton (16-3, 6-1 Big East broke a conference record with 21 treys in the rout. Fake Jordans 2019 . Catch all the action on TSN2 at 11pm et/8pm pt. The nine-time Big 12 champion Jayhawks are positioning themselves for another title, as they have run out to a flawless 6-0 mark in conference play thus far.PITTSBURGH -- Clint Hurdle has gained an appreciation for advanced metrics during his six seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The manager, though, doesnt need to dive too deeply into the numbers to figure out where his team went wrong in 2016.The game will always start with pitching, Hurdle said. Always has, always will. If you look at it any other way, I think youre confused.There was no confusion about what happened in Pittsburgh over the summer, when a bid for a fourth straight playoff berth cratered underneath the weight of a starting rotation that failed to live up to the standards set by its predecessors and a bullpen that faltered in crucial moments. The Pirates finished 18th in the majors in ERA (4.21), a full run a game higher than they allowed while winning 98 games in 2015.A.J. Burnetts retirement and the inability to re-sign J.A. Happ last winter led Pittsburgh to take fliers on erratic veterans Jon Niese, Juan Nicasio and Ryan Vogelsong in the hopes pitching coach Ray Searage could replicate the magic that rejuvenated the careers of players like Burnett and Francisco Liriano. It simply didnt work. Niese was back with the New York Mets by August. Liriano was shipped to Toronto at the trade deadline following a nightmarish loss in form. Nicasio finished the year as a reliever and Vogelsong looked every bit his age as the 39-year-old went 0-3 with a 7.48 ERA over the final month.How shaky was the rotation for the Pirates? Jeff Locke led them in innings pitched (127 1/3) and he spent the second half of the season as a long reliever.We took some chances on things early that didnt work out as anticipated, Hurdle said. Were well aware of what we need to do to improve to be a championship-caliber team.The goal over the winter will be figuring out how to get there in a typically competitive division that spent 2016 watching the Chicago Cubs become a distant spec on the horizon while they won the NL Central by an astounding 17 + games.Some takeaways from six months of middling baseball that offered glimpses of promise and concern in near equal measure.THE CUTCH QUANDRY: Pittsburghs rise to contender coincided with star centerfielder Andrew McCutchens evolution into one of the games best players. The 2013 NL MVP, however, never found a rhythm in 2016. His .256 batting average marked a career low and he struck out a career-high 143 times. Hes about to enter the final year of his contract and the Pirates front office has shown it wont hesitate to deal away favorite sons if necessary. Theey did it a year ago when second baseman Neil Walker -- entering his final season of arbitration -- was sent to New York in exchange for Niese.dddddddddddd.Asked on Sunday if expected to be back in 2017, McCutchen took a pragmatic approach.I mean Im under contract with them right? McCutchen said. So thats the way Im looking at it but like I said, I dont align the stars, Im not the person who controls all that.PROSPERING PROSPECTS: Two years removed from Tommy John surgery that threatened his development, Jameson Taillon looked like a top-end starter while going 5-4 with a 3.38 ERA in 18 starts. Perhaps the most encouraging sign is Taillons durability. He threw a combined 165 innings between the minors and the majors and didnt give up more than three runs in five September starts.Tyler Glasnows introduction to the majors was a bit rockier but hell have all offseason to work on his mechanics and should arrive for spring training with a spot in the rotation as his to lose. First baseman Josh Bell brought a needed jolt of energy in 45 games, hitting .273 with three home runs and showed impressive plate discipline drawing 21 walks against 19 strikeouts.I like the fact that weve got young some really good young players in place for some time together, Hurdle said. I think it bodes well for us.WATSONS WORKLOAD: The Pirates raised eyebrows when they sent All-Star closer Mark Melancon to Washington before the trade deadline and longtime apprentice Tony Watson dealt with some issues after moving from his set-up role to the back end of the bullpen. He blew four of his 19 save chances after taking over, including one in what became an 8-7 extra inning loss to the Cubs on Aug. 29 that sent Pittsburgh into an eight-game skid from which it never fully recovered. Hell almost certainly arrive in Bradenton as the closer, with Felipe Rivero -- acquired from the Nationals -- expected to become the setup man full-time.BIG SPENDERS? Ivan Nova looked right at home in PNC Park after coming over from the New York Yankees. Nova went 5-2 with a 3.06 ERA for the Pirates, who are aggressively trying to court Nova to stick around before he hits free agency. With a thin class to compete against, however, Nova wont come cheap on the open market. He may, however, be Pittsburghs best bet to give Taillon and Gerrit Cole -- who battled injuries all season -- some help at the top of the rotation. ' ' '