Present yourself! » ," Ricketts said. The Wrigleyville Rooftops

When word came that Rogie Vachon would be part of the 2016 Hockey Hall of Fame class, no one was more surprised than the longtime Montreal Canadiens and Los Angeles Kings goaltender who hadnt played an NHL game in more than three decades. But from his time as a player, general manager and team ambassador with the Kings, he witnessed firsthand the remarkable growth of hockey in California. His role in the sports development in the state, which went into overdrive when he traded for Wayne Gretzky in 1988, might be his ultimate legacy in the sport.Just a few months before his official Hall of Fame induction in November, Vachon sat down with ESPN.com to look back on a lengthy hockey career and the shock of an honor that was decades in the making.ESPN.com: Youre going to be inducted in the Hockey Hall of Fame almost 35 years after you retired. Did you think you were still eligible?Rogie Vachon: I wasnt quite sure how long you could be eligible. It looks like there is no time limit, really. I totally forgot about it and said, Its not going to happen. Certain things in life you cant control, and thats one of them. Im not going to worry about it. All of a sudden, out of the blue ...ESPN.com: Where were you when you got the news?Vachon: I was at home when I got the call from Lanny McDonald. My son was there. He was the first one to find out from the family. Then I got a bunch of calls after. Everybody was surprised. That martini tasted even better that night.ESPN.com: What are your memories from when you first arrived in Los Angeles after being traded by the Canadiens in 1971?Vachon: It was totally different. It was really a culture shock. Im coming in from Montreal, where we won three Cups in four years. Then I come to L.A. and we really had a very bad team the first couple of years I was there. In Montreal at that time, we couldnt afford to lose two games in a row. Then you come to L.A. and every time you win a game we were happy.ESPN.com: Things turned around when Bob Pulford became Kings coach. How much did the game grow in L.A. at that time?Vachon: In 1974-75, we were filling the building on many occasions. When I first came in, we were lucky to have 10,000 people at the games. It was a big difference. All of a sudden a lot of people started coming to the games and getting interested.ESPN.com: Most of your time as a player and executive with the Kings, you shared a building with former Lakers player/coach/executive Jerry West. How much did you get to know him in the 1970s and 80s?Vachon: Especially when I was the GM, Jerry West used to come into my office all the time and we would chat. I was good friends with these guys. They were very nice. They wanted us to do well. It was pretty cool. He used to sometimes out of the blue show up in my office in the morning and sit down, and we would chat for half an hour and then he would go back in his office. That was very nice of him.ESPN.com: Youth hockey and development has grown tremendously in California over the years. Could you imagine that happening when you first arrived in L.A.?Vachon: No, because youth hockey was not very popular in those days. The good kids really had nowhere to go unless they went back east to a prep school. But things have changed so much in California, its incredible. Hockey is so big. Gradually youth hockey got better and now the Kings have been selling out every game for the last five or six years. They just fill the building every game.ESPN.com: Speaking of the Kings, how do you think Jonathan Quicks style compares to your own?Vachon: Hes a totally different style. In my days, we used to stand up and cover the angles. Now everybody goes down on their knees on every shot. Its totally different. Mentally hes pretty much like I was when I was playing. A bad goal doesnt bother him. He keeps fighting all the time. Hes really a fighter. Technically, hes very sound. But when hes tired or gives up a bad goal, he just keeps coming back. Now, if youre not 6-foot-4 or 6-foot-5, you better be pretty quick. Now its all about positioning yourself and having the puck hit you. In my days, we had to go find the puck and kick it away. Its a big difference.ESPN.com: You had a great run with Team Canada in the 1976 Canada Cup. With the World Cup coming up, how do you look at international competition?Vachon: When you play for your country, its totally different from playing for your team. Now you represent the whole country. There is a lot more pressure to perform than with your regular team. Its like one big playoff. That was a wonderful experience for me. Its very competitive. There are probably three or four teams that are good enough to win the gold [in the World Cup].ESPN.com: What are your most memorable moments from the 1976 Canada Cup?Vachon: Playing all the games, that was really something special. Winning the Cup and being the MVP of Team Canada was something, especially having all those superstars on the team. That was phenomenal. I was in the zone playing well but also I had some great defensemen to take care of rebounds and that kind of stuff. Bobby Orr, even with his bad knees, was very, very good.ESPN.com: Did you think you would play every game?Vachon: Not really. I think we had six goalies at training camp and it was a pretty long training camp. All of a sudden I was chosen to start the series, and I just kept winning and winning. But it took everybody to beat the Czechs in the final. We had to go to overtime to beat them. Everybody had to chip in.ESPN.com: Do people still ask you about that tournament, 40 years later?Vachon: Over the years, people keep bringing it up. Especially the fans. They always have something from Team Canada for me to sign. I get something every week.ESPN.com: Where does that rank in your favorite career moments?Vachon: Its got to be right on top with winning three Cups in Montreal. When you play for your country and you win, its pretty awesome.ESPN.com: Youll be enshrined in the Hall of Fame with Pat Quinn, who was your coach when you were GM in Los Angeles. How special is that for you?Vachon: We started out together in the minors with the Montreal Canadiens farm team in Houston. That is how I met him. Later on, when I became the GM, I brought him in as a coach to L.A. He was very tough. When he pounded that big fist on the table, everyone would listen. Air Max 270 Mujer España . Radwanska, making her debut in the Seoul tournament, hit eight aces in a match that lasted 1 hour, 4 minutes at Olympic Park tennis stadium. "It was definitely a very good match -- I was playing really good tennis," Radwanska said. Air Max 97 Off White España . It was the second consecutive win for the Pacers (2-5), who lost their first five preseason games. Jeff Teague led the Hawks (1-5) with 17 points and eight assists and Al Horford had 12 points and seven rebounds. Mike Scott scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half. http://www.airmax270blancas.com/air-max-tn-baratas-espana.html . -- Derrick Rose shook off poor shooting early to hit clutch shots late and Carlos Boozer had 20 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 104-95 preseason victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night. Nike Air Max 270 Negras .B. - Sebastien Auger made 44 saves as the Saint John Sea Dogs edged the visiting Acadie-Bathurst Titan 2-1 on Saturday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Air Max 270 Baratas España . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday.CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs, who have clung to the past the way ivy clings to Wrigley Fields outfield walls, won final approval Wednesday for a $500 million renovation project at the 99-year-old ballpark -- including a massive Jumbotron like the ones towering over every other major league stadium. A voice vote in the City Council gave the team permission to move forward with plans that will dramatically change the ballpark experience on Chicagos north side. The most notable alteration is the 5,700-square-foot video scoreboard in left field -- roughly three times the size of the iconic manual one in centre, which will remain in operation as well. The team also will be able to erect a large advertising sign in right field, double the size of the cramped clubhouse, improve player training facilities in the bowels of the ballpark and build a 175-room hotel across the street. Some fans say the upgrades are almost as overdue as a Cubs World Series championship (which last happened in 1908 -- eight years before the team moved into Wrigley). "Why would you not want any of the improvements that have come over the last 60-70 years?" asked Dutchie Caray, the widow of the famed announcer Harry Caray, whose leading the fans in Take Me Out To The Ball Game helped turn Wrigley into the huge attraction it is today. "Would you ask someone not to have television because they didnt have television in the old days (or) want to travel by horse and buggy to the West Coast?" Besides, she said of the Jumbotron, "I kind of like the idea of being able to see where a guy (umpire) blew a call." Collectively, the changes -- some of which could be completed as early as next season -- represent the most dramatic additions since at least 1988, when the Cubs became the last team in the majors to install lights. That change sparked a battle even more fierce than the one over the Jumbotron. In the decades since Wrigley became the Cubs home, the park has not always aged gracefully; the team once even installed nets to catch concrete falling from the upper deck. Although Wednesdays action was the last step in the long approval process, still unresolved is a dispute between the team and owners of the famous rooftops overlooking the field. The teams owner said Wednesday that the threat of a lawsuit could potentially delay the upgrade. Barring that, though, the councils approval Wednesday was the final chapter in a decades-old tug-of-war between the team and its neighbours. During public hearings, some fans urged the city to let the Cubs modernize Wrigley, while others argued the charm of going to the ballpark would be lost. "They had to modeernize, for the team and for the comfort of the fans" said Clay Goss, a 53-yeaer-old trader after he was told of the deal Wednesday afternoon.dddddddddddd "Baseball is having a hard time getting younger fans and keeping them, and (while) Im not a fan of the Jumbotron, kids like it." After the Ricketts family bought the team in 2009, it made the argument that the ballpark needed to change. Although the Ricketts defended the brick-and-ivy walls and manual scoreboard, they said they were running a business and not a museum. Initially, the team wanted public help to pay for the project, but that effort failed. Then the team said it would pay for the entire project. But, team officials said, if they were going to do that, they needed the city to allow it to erect the Jumbotron and other revenue-generating signs that would help pay for the project. Ricketts tried to convince fans that making the renovations would help the Cubs contend again. They havent been to the World Series since 1945, the year of the infamous billy goat curse that some superstitious fans still blame for the drought. The signs became the most contentious part of the proposed renovation project, both because they would change the look of the ballpark and because they were seen as threats to the rooftop businesses across the street. The owners, who charge fans to sit on bleachers they erected on top of the buildings, argue that any sign cutting into their views threatens the existence of their businesses. Tom Tunney, the alderman whose ward includes Wrigley, said he finally agreed to support the project Tuesday after the Cubs agreed not to put up any more outfield signs for the 10 years left on a contract that calls for the rooftop owners to pay a chunk of their revenue to the team. But after the vote, team chairman Tom Ricketts issued a statement that made it clear the dispute between the Cubs and the rooftop owners isnt over. He even raised questions about when the Cubs would begin what is expected to be a five-year construction project. "We look forward to beginning construction on our $500 million plan, but before we do, we must resolve once and for all the threat of litigation and the enforcement of existing rooftop ordinances and long term certainty over control of our outfield," Ricketts said. The Wrigleyville Rooftops Association declined to comment about Ricketts statement. But rooftop owner Max Waisvisz all but promised the Cubs will find themselves in court if what they build hurts his view and his business. "What they need is a little lawsuit," Waisvisz said. "Thats the only thing these guys listen to." Wholesale Authentic Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping Cheap Jerseys 2018 Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale China Jerseys NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Authentic Jerseys ' ' '