TUSCALOOSA, Ala.
[b]Carolina Hurricanes Gear[/b] . -- Alabama coach Nick Saban and the football team are moving on. Saban has put to rest the speculation that he would replace Mack Brown at Texas by striking a new deal with Alabama. For the third-ranked Crimson Tide, the focus is on getting over the loss to Auburn and trying to finish the season strong in the Jan. 2 Sugar Bowl against No. 11 Oklahoma. Saban had said Friday night after agreeing to a new contract reportedly worth about $7 million a year that he planned to retire at Alabama. He said "there were no talks" between his representatives and Texas and pointed to comments on ESPN that he "never considered going to Texas." "I think Ive already made a reaction to that," Saban said. "Dont you watch ESPN? Didnt you see what they put down across the bottom line. Thats my reaction to it. "I dont have any more reactions to it. I think its kind of over so why do we want to talk about that? We look forward. Im looking forward. I made a commitment to our players that are here and Im happy to be committed to them and I want them to make the same kind of commitment to the program and to their future success." Brown announced his resignation at Texas on Saturday. Several Texas regents and a former regent were involved in a meeting with Sabans agent last January to gauge the coachs interest in coming to Texas. Saban found the best way to quash that talk: Re-upping with the Tide. Receiver Kevin Norwood never doubted it. "I went home for the break or whatever, and everybody was basically talking about it," Norwood said. "And I was like, Coach Saban is not going anywhere. And whatever social media was saying, whatever was happening after that, I pretty much ignored it." Alabama (11-1) returned to the practice field on Tuesday for the first time since the Iron Bowl. The game was tied until Chris Davis returned a missed field goal 109 yards for a touchdown on the final play to effectively end Alabamas bid for a third straight national championship. Now, the team is gearing up for a bowl trip that would be a prize for most teams, but could be viewed as a disappointment for the Tide. "Were fired up playing Oklahoma," defensive end Jeoffrey Pagan said. "Its not for a national championship or anything, but were going to go into it like it is. "Were going to try to finish this season as strong as possible." Left tackle Cyrus Kouandjio said Saban brought up the 2008 season when the Tide fell to Florida in the SEC championship game and to Utah in the Sugar Bowl. "He was like we shouldnt let this loss bring us down to the point where we just keep hang-dogging and keep our heads down going into the game and lose that game, too," Kouandjio said. On the field, Saban said guard Anthony Steen will miss the bowl game after having shoulder surgery. Off the field, the coach had more to celebrate than even his new contract. His son, Nicholas, and daughter-in-law had a baby on Sunday. The sometimes gruff Saban lit up talking about the experience that got him to the hospital in the wee hours. "To have a healthy baby and a healthy mother and someone that beautiful come into your family is really something that you have to count your blessings on," he said. "They actually had a rocking chair over there so I was kind of happy rocking that baby a little bit. Since then, I havent been able to go back. "I kind of miss the little bugger if you want to know the truth about it." TIDE BITS: Former Southern California and Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin, a onetime rival, has been visiting with Tide coaches this week in Tuscaloosa. Its a common practice for Alabama -- even Oklahomas staff has come to town -- and Saban said hes not sure why that would cause any stir. "Lane is a really good offensive coach, and Ive always had a tremendous amount of respect for him," Saban said. "Just to come in and brainstorm a little bit just some professional ideas with our guys, I think, is a real positive thing. And I dont know why theres any reaction to it. Im really quite surprised."
[b]Fake Hurricanes Jerseys[/b] . The whole deflation of New England Patriots footballs is like a murder mystery without the violence or significance. On one side, this is a ridiculous issue.
[b]Custom Carolina Hurricanes Jerseys[/b] . He liked what he saw on Tuesday night. Not only did his team post a comeback 3-2 victory in a shootout over the Montreal Canadiens, but the rival Washington Capitals were beaten 5-1 in Buffalo.Columbus, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - Eric Fehrs goal 42 seconds into overtime lifted the Washington Capitals to a 5-4 come-from-behind victory over Columbus, halting the Blue Jackets seven-game win streak. Michael Chaputs first career NHL goal had given Columbus a 4-3 lead with 4:25 remaining in regulation, but Troy Brouwer answered for the Capitals just 1:25 later to send the game into extra time. Fehr, Jason Chimera and Karl Alzner each recorded a goal and an assist for Washington, which earned a point for a seventh straight outing. The Caps are 5-0-2 over that stretch, which included an overtime loss to the Blue Jackets in Washington a week ago. Nick Foligno scored twice and assisted on another for Columbus, which received 31 saves from Sergei Bobrovsky in defeat. Chaput swooped in from the left wing to put the rebound of Matt Calverts initial attempt into an open side to briefly put Columbus ahead late in a wide-open third period. However, the Capitals quickly responded on a somewhat questionable play from Brouwer. Mike Green tossed the puck on net during a Washington rush, with the disc deflecting off Brouwers left skate and past Bobrovsky to knot the score at 4-4. The goal held up following a video review, which determined that Brouwer did not intentionally kick the puck over the line. Green also set up the game-winner during overtime, with the defenseman skating around a defender and delivering a drop pass that Fehr one-timed home while falling to the ice. Washington dominated the first period, outshooting the Blue Jackets by a 15-5 margin and taking a 2-0 lead courtesy of Joel Ward and Chimera. Ward began the scoring midway through the opening stanza, firing a shott under Bobrovskys right arm after collecting a feed from Fehr.
[b]Carolina Hurricanes Pro Shop[/b]. A faceoff win by Michael Latta in the Columbus zone late in the period set up the second goal. Latta got the puck back near the net shortly afterward, then sent a heady, no-look pass across the crease that Chimera deposited in with 37.9 seconds left. It was all Columbus in the second, however, as the Jackets took advantage of a pair of Washington penalties just under three minutes apart. A slashing call to Alex Ovechkin gave Columbus a 5-on-4 around 7 1/2 minutes into the middle session, with Jack Johnson converting the chance by tapping in a well-placed centering feed from Foligno. Foligno tied it at 2-2 with 8:03 left in the frame, outworking Caps netminder Braden Holtby for the rebound of a shot sent on net by Kevin Connauton and backhanding in his eighth power-play tally of the season. Foligno struck again a mere 52 seconds into the third period, knocking in the carom of Jeremy Morins shot during a Columbus rush to give the Jackets their first lead of the night. It lasted just over six minutes, as Alzner jumped into the opposing zone and skated in before launching a wrister that handcuffed Bobrovsky and trickled over the line. Game Notes The Blue Jackets have been involved in five straight games decided in either overtime or a shootout ... Holtby finished with 22 saves ... Folignos first goal was the 100th of his career ... Green and Latta both had two assists for Washington ... The Capitals had lost their previous three games that went past regulation ... Columbus went 2-for-4 on the power play ... Washington moved to 14-1-2 on the season when scoring first. ' ' '
