at home against 10-man Maccabi Tel Aviv.

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Hours before the Stanley Cup finals began, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman proudly proclaimed that concussions are down across the league and there are numbers to back him up. That does not mean the league has figured out how to prevent head injuries among its players. Or that the numbers tell the whole story. According to data from STATS provided to The Associated Press, there were 53 concussions during the regular season, a sharp decline from the 78 reported during the leagues last full season two years ago. But even Bettman said there is only so much the league can do about a player hiding a head injury to stay on the ice. "Obviously, its difficult for us to get into a players head, no pun intended, with this concussion discussion," he said. "But if a player is going to not follow the protocol, not say exactly what hes feeling, thats pretty difficult to address." Dr. Jeff Kutcher, an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based neurologist who works with NHL players believed to have concussions, wasnt sure the lower numbers indicated a dramatic change. "Im not surprised that the numbers are down, but I wouldnt read too much into those numbers," Kutcher said. The NHLs concussion protocol, like other leagues, requires players to get a team doctors OK before they can return to play. They are taken to a quiet place for evaluation, questions and tests of their memory, balance and general awareness. Players, though, seem to be able to skate around the protocol. Columbus Blue Jackets defenceman James Wisniewski said he avoided return-to-play protocol after he went head first into the boards during the playoffs. He wanted to keep playing. The Montreal Canadiens were criticized for letting forward Dale Weise return to Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals after a blindside hit sent him to the dressing room. General manager Marc Bergevin insisted the team did not know Weise had a concussion until the next day and that the leagues protocol was followed. "Its flawed, but Im not a doctor," Bergevin said. "We all worry about our players, but we can only go by what were given." Hockey Hall of Famer Brendan Shanahan, who was hired by the Toronto Maple Leafs to be their president two months ago after he was the NHLs chief disciplinarian, said it is good for the game that concussions are part of the conversation. "When there are situations like weve had in the playoffs, whether it is a hit to the head or mis-reporting, it gets put in the spotlight and it should," Shanahan said. "That is part of the continuing change of culture, and its going to be an ongoing process. I dont think there ever will be a perfect system because players are always going to want to play." The NHL Players Association says it has taken steps to educate its players about the dangers of concussions, including bringing doctors to each team before the season for discussions. "The players understand the seriousness of concussions, and along with our consulting doctors we continue to discuss with them the importance of early diagnosis, treatment and proper recovery," NHLPA executive director Don Fehr said. Detroit Red Wings forward Drew Miller said players choose to keep playing with head injuries for at least a few reasons. "Guys downplay the symptoms or dont report them because of job security and they dont want to lose their spot," Miller said. "And, guys want to keep playing because they want help their team. In the back of our minds, too, you dont want other teams to know you have a head injury." Retired players Dave Christian, Reed Larson and William Bennett filed a class-action suit nearly two months ago in federal court that alleged the league has promoted fighting and downplayed the risk of head injuries that come from it. They joined another group of former NHL players in the fight for compensation for head injuries they blame on a game that promotes hard-hitting action. Current players seem to be adapting to the NHLs emphasis on safer play: Physical penalties -- such as illegal checks to the head, checks from behind and elbowing -- have dropped in each of the last six regular seasons. An average of 1.03 physical penalties were called per game during the 2013-14 season, according to STATS, down from 1.14, 1.16, 1.25, 1.36 and 1.39 the previous five years. Suspensions have generally held steady at around 35 per season the past few years, and players are sometimes forced to sit even if no penalty is called. Montreals Brandon Prust wasnt penalized for a hit that broke the jaw of New York Rangers forward Derek Stepan during the Eastern Conference finals, but he was suspended for two games by the league. Stepan sat out one game after going through a series of tests. "The protocol helps make sure that the player is OK and that he is not playing with something that he shouldnt be," he said. "I think its a good step in the right direction." Ultimately, though, players have to protect themselves and each other. "It comes down to the guys on the ice respecting each other and playing it as safe as possible," Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp said. "You see some of the big hits this year, inevitably youre going to catch a piece of the head and cause a problem, but the leagues done well with suspensions and penalties and the players have done a good job as far as the respect factor." Jack McBean Jersey . -- Ben Brust scored 19 points to lead six Wisconsin players in double figures as the No. Dave Romney Los Angeles Galaxy Jersey . He scored two highlight-reel goals in a three-minute span -- the second on a sideways bicycle kick in the 78th minute -- to give the Whitecaps a 2-2 draw with the Portland Timbers before a crowd of 20,303 at B. http://www.galaxymlsshop.com/Authentic- ... en-Jersey/. Next week, hell try to add to the list. A Stanley Cup champion as a rookie, Seguin followed that up by becoming the youngest player to lead the Boston Bruins in scoring. Ignacio Maganto Los Angeles Galaxy Jersey . Starters, when they struggle, have to live with it for five days. For Sergio Santos and Steve Delabar, two of the three men who authored one of the ugliest pitched innings in Blue Jays franchise history on Thursday night, the bounce-back chance came right away. Steven Gerrard Los Angeles Galaxy Jersey . Blatter also told reporters Saturday after meeting with Qatars emir that the decision to award the tournament to the desert nation is "not reversible." There have been calls to move the tournament because of Qatars intense heat. Tournament favourite Tottenham ground out a 2-0 win at FC Sheriff to stay undefeated in the Europa League and move to the brink of qualification for the knockout stages on Thursday. Eintracht Frankfurt, Fiorentina, Salzburg and Ludogorets Razgrad also made it three wins out of three, while Swansea, Sevilla, Rubin Kazan and Genk dropped their first points as they were all held to 1-1 draws. Jan Vertonghen headed Christian Eriksens free kick into the left of goal with Spurs first attack of the night in the 12th minute and Jermain Defoe sealed the result 15 minutes from time, equaling Martin Chivers club record with his 22nd goal in European competition after the English side withstood severe pressure from Sheriff. The Moldovan team had the ball in the back of the net on the half hour but the equalizer was ruled out for offside. "They had some great opportunities on the counterattack," Tottenham coach Andre Villas-Boas said. "The game could have easily gone to 1-1 as after we scored they had so many chances to level. "They looked good on the counterattack, had some great moments and we have to recognise that. A draw would be a fair result, but the second goal is always important in games like this, so both teams were creating. We were fortunate to get the second goal to kill the game, but it could have gone the other way." Tottenham has yet to concede in the opening three games this season and is five points clear of Anji Makhachkala, which beat Tromso 1-0. Frankfurt also kept a third straight clean sheet as it won 2-0 at home against 10-man Maccabi Tel Aviv. The visitors were forced to play 56 minutes at a numerical disadvantage after Ben Haim was sent off for a second bookable offence. Vaclav Kadlec put Frankfurt in front in the 13th minute and Alexander Meier doubled the German sides lead eight minutes into the second half. In the other Group F game, Bordeaux picked up its first pointss of the campaign as Carlos Henrique headed home in the final minute to hand the French side a 2-1 win over Apoel Nicosia.dddddddddddd Ludogorets Razgrad has also yet to concede after the Bulgarian team won 1-0 at Chornomorets Odesa. Fiorentina, which came back from two goals down to beat Juventus 4-2 in Serie A at the weekend, comfortably beat Romanian side Pandurii Targu-Jiu 3-0 to maintain its status as one of the competition favourites. Joaquin opened the scoring in the 26th minute after skipping past two defenders and forcing his way into the area. Ryder Matos doubled Fiorentinas lead eight minutes later before Juan Cuadrado sealed the result in the 69th, squeezing a powerful strike in between the goalkeeper and the near post. Oleksandr Yakovenko also hit the crossbar for Fiorentina, while Cuadrado fired off the upright in stoppage time. "Were not running away with the group but weve almost qualified for the next round," Fiorentina coach Vincenzo Montella said. "But we want top spot so we avoid drawing a Champions League team in the knockout stages. "When you come off the back of a victory like the one against Juventus, its not easy to remain focused. But we managed to and we showed that on the pitch tonight. We want to grow more." Meanwhile, Valencia won over its disgruntled fans with a fine 5-1 victory over Swiss side St. Gallen. Valencia was stunned by a 3-0 defeat to Swansea in its opening Europa League match but recovered with a 2-0 win at Kuban Krasnodar on matchday two. It is now just one point behind Swansea after a late goal saw the English Premier League side held to 1-1 by Kuban Krasnodar, which had no points and had not even scored heading into the match. Former Liverpool and Marseille striker Djibril Cisse scored from the spot in stoppage time after Ibrahima Balde was fouled by Swansea goalkeeper Gerhard Tremmel. Michu broke the deadlock in the 68th. Wholesale NFL Jerseys ' ' '