Ankündigungen » ered the officials with derision, and Kentucky led 1-

DENVER -- The goaltender known as "Jiggy" is stepping away from the net. Jean-Sebastien Giguere announced his retirement Thursday after 16 NHL seasons in which he won 262 games, a Conn Smythe Trophy and a Stanley Cup championship. The Colorado Avalanche say Giguere made his decision in Quebec while with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada hockey team. Hes part owner of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League squad. "His achievements speak for themselves, from winning the Stanley Cup to winning the Conn Smythe, Jiggy was always a top-notch goaltender," team executive Joe Sakic said in a statement. "He was also a very important part of our team during the past three seasons, providing veteran leadership and stability in net. We wish him and his family the best of luck." Giguere served as Semyon Varlamovs backup last season in Hall of Fame goaltender Patrick Roys first season behind the bench. The team made it back to the post-season for the first time since 2010. Whats more, Giguere took rookie Nathan MacKinnon under his wing and allowed the talented teenager to live in the familys basement all season. The two even car-pooled to games and practices. The 37-year-old Giguere is best known for his time with the Anaheim Ducks. He led the team to two appearances in the Stanley Cup finals, capturing the Conn Smythe Trophy in defeat in 2003 and hoisting the Cup in 2007. The Ducks fans even gave Giguere an ovation after a game in Anaheim, California, last April. He skated to centre ice that night with former teammate Teemu Selanne, their clasped hands held aloft. Selanne recently retired after a 21-season NHL career spent mostly with Anaheim. "For (Selanne) to do that, its something thats very special for me, and something Ill never forget," Giguere said. Giguere was originally drafted by Hartford with the 13th overall pick 1995 and played eight games with the Whalers in 1996-97. He was the last active player to have suited up for Hartford. A fan favourite wherever he went, Giguere also played for Calgary and Toronto. Giguere played in 597 regular season games and faced 16,325 shots in 33,719 minutes. He finished his career with a 2.53 goals-against average and 38 shutouts. Cheap Flyers Jerseys Authentic .com) - Hassan Whiteside scored 20 points with nine rebounds in the Miami Heats 83-75 win over the Boston Celtics on Sunday. Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys .Cullen scored the go-ahead goal at 13:47 of the third period and Nashville beat the slumping Dallas Stars 3-2 on Thursday in a game that wasnt decided until the last shot of the night. http://www.cheapflyersjerseys.com/. Crawford hit his slam off Pirates starter Edinson Volquez to give San Francisco a four run lead in the fourth and they never looked back. Brandon Belt had three runs batted in as well. Bumgarner pitched all nine innings and allowed just four hits. Wholesale Flyers Jerseys . Numbers Game looks into the Wild getting Matt Moulson from Buffalo. The Wild Get: LW Matt Moulson and LW Cody McCormick. Cheap Philadelphia Flyers Jerseys . - The fiancee of former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez is set to ask a judge to throw out allegations that she lied to a grand jury.ST. LOUIS -- Julius Randle had 19 points and 15 rebounds, Aaron Harrison finished with 18 points and No. 8 seed Kentucky held on to beat Kansas State 56-49 on Friday night to earn a date with top-seeded Wichita State in the NCAA tournament. The preseason No. 1, Kentucky (25-10) is finally starting to live up to the expectations that came with its heralded recruiting class. John Caliparis bunch nearly knocked of Florida in the SEC title game last week and seemed to carry that momentum right into the Scottrade Center. Now, the question is whether it will continue on Sunday. The Shockers, on the top line of the Midwest Region, rolled over Cal Poly to improve to 35-0. Marcus Foster had 15 points, Shane Southwell scored 11 and Thomas Gipson finished with 10 for Kansas State (20-13), which started in a 1-0 hole after a technical for a dunk in pregame warm-ups. The No. 9 seed then struggled to hit from the perimeter against Kentuckys tall lineup. Kansas State was just 5 of 21 from 3-point range. Foster was 1 of 7. The victory is the start of what Kentucky hopes is an NCAA tournament of validation. The team stocked with highly recruited freshmen has been criticized for failing to live up to lofty expectations, losing several times to overmatched and undermanned opponents. Of course, all of that becomes moot when the NCAA tournament begins. Kentucky has won 21 of its last 22 games to open the dance, when the lights are brightest and the games mean the most. Meanwhile, Kansas State was in troouble even before its tournament began.dddddddddddd. Sophomore walk-on Brian Rohleder, who played only 31 minutes all season, earned a technical foul for that pre-game dunk. NCAA rules prohibit dunking with less than 20 minutes until tip, and Rohleders dunk came with 19:58 showing on the clock. Andrew Harrison made one of two free throws while fans from both schools showered the officials with derision, and Kentucky led 1-0 when the game finally started. The SEC tournament runner-up built on its advantage through the opening minutes, the Harrison twins each knocking down a series of outside shots. Kentucky pushed the lead to 29-17 with 2:23 to go on Randles basket, but Kansas State answered with six straight points to end the half. Bruce Webers team trimmed the lead to 35-33, only for Kentucky to regain control when Southwell was hit with a technical for arguing a no-call on a drive to the basket. Kentucky stretched its lead to 44-36 midway through the second half, and whenever its rival Wildcats threatened to get closer, Randle was there to answer the call. The bruising forward stuck back a miss to make it 46-38 with 8:02 remaining, converted a three-point play a few minutes later, and then scored again at the rim for a 51-40 advantage. Kansas State closed to 55-49 on Fosters off-balance 3-pointer with 24 seconds to go. But a team that replaced most of its key players from a season ago and defied expectations all year eventually ran out of time on its comeback bid. ' ' '