TORONTO, Ontario - Moments after Canada narrowly edged Latvia 2-1 to book their ticket to face the United States in the semifinals of the Olympic mens hockey tournament, Jonathan Toews was asked about going head to head against his Chicago Blackhawks teammate Patrick Kane. “Hes alright,” laughed Toews, “but that Kessel guy is even better.” Whether Toews was sharing his true belief or not is beside the point. The fact that the captain of two different Stanley Cup champions would even think to make that comparison shows that Kessel is being thought of among the games elite, not just by pundits but, more importantly, by his peers. And rightly so. Finishing up with points in thirteen of his final 15 games before the Olympic break (11-16-27) to put himself fourth overall in NHL scoring with 65 points – second overall in goals with 31 behind only Alex Ovechkin – Kessel has continued to excel in Sochi, leading the mens tournament in scoring with eight points in four games while sitting tied with Michael Grabner for the lead in goals with five. Let that sink in for a moment. In a tournament involving undisputedly the best players in the world, Phil Kessel has arguably been the top performer. “We all believed that hes able to do it,” said Kessels centre in Toronto, Tyler Bozak. “Who knows what other people think outside of our locker room but we believe in him to be one of the best players in the league and hes proving it yet again.” Now 26 years old and in his eighth NHL season, Kessel is on pace for his best statistical season, poised to set new career highs in goals, assists and points. If he keeps up his pace set through the first 60 games, he could well break the 40-goal plateau and finish just shy of 90 points. To put that in perspective, not since Mats Sundin scored 41 goals in 2001-02 has a Maple Leaf reached 40 goals. The 90-point milestone hasnt been met in Toronto since Sundin did it in 1996-97. Nazem Kadri feels its time for Kessel to be recognized among the NHLs best. “I think he should be, if he wasnt already,” he said after the Maple Leafs reconvened for practice on Wednesday. “I think we all knew that Phil was going to achieve more, especially on that big ice. Not too many players in the league can skate with him. Phil does a great job finding areas to get open; he can find his own teammates and score goals.” The knock against Kessel has long been that he is too one-dimensional of a player but the Madison, Wisconsin native has been aggressively debunking that myth in recent times. An inspired effort during the Leafs seven game playoff series against the Boston Bruins in the spring of 2013 was an eye opener. Hes shown a willingness to stand up for himself, as he has done on two separate occasions against Alex Burrows this season. “I think Phil kind of likes that stuff secretly,” revealed Bozak after Kessels latest altercation with Burrows on Feb. 8. “It kind of fired him up.” Perhaps most impressive though has been Kessels ability not only to score goals but to enhance the play of his teammates, a much more difficult task as a winger than as a centre. Only Patrick Kane (36), Taylor Hall (36) and Kyle Okposo (35) have more assists as wingers this season than Kessels 34. To any longer cast Kessel in the light of solely a one dimensional goal scorer is inaccurate. Hes proven that he is one of the most purely skilled players the Leafs have had in the last thirty years and right now, among the best in the NHL. “Phil has definitely taken strides here and has grown as a player,” explained Coach Randy Carlyle. “Hes not a one dimensional player as people described him previously. Hes a guy that still has some things that wed like him to stop doing but hes become more of a two way player, hes stopped on pucks a lot more, hes been in the shooting lane a lot more. Hes not just a rush player, he can do a lot of different things with the puck and hes provided this hockey club and now the USA team with a lot of different intangibles.” Will Hernandez Giants Jersey . With the union re-formed, negotiations with owners will resume Friday on the remaining issues that would be in the collective bargaining agreement, according to a person familiar with the plans. Kyle Lauletta Jersey .Y. - Phil Varone was the lone scorer in the shootout as the Rochester Americans edged the Toronto Marlies 3-2 on Sunday in American Hockey League action. http://www.nygiantsproshop.com/authentic-ray-ray-armstrong-jersey.html . -- Two-time AL Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana agreed Tuesday to a minor league contract with the Baltimore Orioles as he tries to come back from the second major operation on his left shoulder. Riley Dixon Giants Jersey . TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie tweeted Monday morning that Callahan - who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, is now open to a six-year contract at less than $7 million per season. Cody Latimer Giants Jersey .com) - Hassan Whiteside scored 20 points with nine rebounds in the Miami Heats 83-75 win over the Boston Celtics on Sunday.BEREA, Ohio - Desmond Bryant knew he had to make some major changes to his lifestyle. Really, he had no choice or there could be devastating consequences. "A heart surgery will make you kind of realize you need to start doing things right, especially diet wise," Bryant said. "Ive really cleaned things up a little bit. So far, so good." Bryants comeback from a major health scare continued Wednesday when the Browns defensive lineman returned practiced for the first time since having a procedure in December to fix an irregular heartbeat — a condition he has had for years — that led to him having his first season with Cleveland cut short. On Dec. 6, Bryant underwent a cardiac ablation, an operation that involves a catheter being inserted to destroy a small area of bad heart tissue. The 6-foot-6, 310-pounder had at least two episodes last season when his heart raced out of control, including once during an Oct. 3 game against Buffalo. Bryant was hospitalized overnight and the 29-year-old had a recurrence two months later following a home loss to Jacksonville. It was then that Bryant, who was forced to leave a 2012 game for Oakland with a fast heart rate and light-headedness, was advised to undergo the ablation. "I felt like after I experienced what I did on the field that it was finally time to do something to fix that," Bryant said. "So while it was a trying time, I was also excited to get this procedure done and put this behind me. Since then, Ive been training and feeling real well. "Im back. Im healthy." Bryant missed the first minicamp practice on Tuesday for personal reasons, but joined his teammates for their second workout, which was held inside again because of rain and wet grounds. Bryant was welcomed back by everyone, including linebacker Quentin Groves, who also had a heart ablation in 2008. Groves condition was first diagnosed when he was in college but he didnt decide to have the procedure until it was spotted again at the NFL combine. "Its kind of scary not knowing what it is," Groves said. "The way it was explained to me when I had my procedure, the doctor told me one day you could not wake up. I was like, Well, OK, if I was your son,, what would you do? He said, I would have the procedure done.dddddddddddd "Anytime someone plays with your heart, youre kind of scared." Groves spoke with Bryant before he had the operation, and joked that he had to comfort his big teammate. "Des is a big baby. I have to rock him to sleep at night. No, Im just kidding," Groves said. "I just told him, Its a fairly simple procedure. I recommend you get it done. Im proud that you got it done before it became a problem for you." Bryant wasnt anxious about the operation. He was most fearful during the episodes when his heart raced. "I would feel like I had a fast heart rate and the next thing I know I was going to the hospital," he said. "That was the only real scary thing." Bryant was one of the biggest off-season acquisitions in 2013 by the Browns, who signed him to a five-year, $34 million free agent contract. Bryant had an immediate impact, recording two sacks and a career-high 10 tackles in the opener against Miami. He was Clevelands best defensive lineman through four games, but his production fell off sharply following his hospitalization. He finished with 3 1/2 sacks in 12 games. Bryant, though, doesnt know if theres a direct correlation between his drop-off and heart ailment. Hes excited about the new defensive scheme brought in by coach Mike Pettine. "Theyve got a few wrinkles here and there that kind of switch things up that really make it challenging for offences," he said. "I cant wait to continue to grow and learn in this system and see where this will take us." Does he fit in it? "Absolutely," he said with a smile. "Im a good fit for any defence." NOTES: TE Keavon Milton worked out with the offensive linemen for the first time. The 6-foot-4, 293-pounder wore No. 63 after wearing No. 83 on Tuesday. ... After briefly considering a name change, Browns safety Donte Whitner will not drop the W and go by Hitner. "I didnt want to go through changing my credit cards, mortgages and cars," he said. "I cant do all of this paperwork. For one letter change? Id rather not." ___ AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL Blackhawks Jerseys Store Cheap Wild Jerseys Cheap Red Wings Jerseys Cheap Maple Leafs Jerseys Penguins Jerseys Store Capitals Jerseys For Sale Blues Jerseys Store Cheap Kings Jerseys Adidas Lightning Jerseys Stars Jerseys For Sale Cheap Predators Jerseys Ducks Store Sharks Jerseys For Sale Cheap Sabres Jerseys Rangers Jerseys For Sale ' ' '