An Atlanta Thrashers Media Release contributed to this article.

ATLANTA, Ga. – The Atlanta Thrashers have signed unrestricted free agent defenseman Chris Chelios, according to Executive Vice President and General Manager Don Waddell. 

Chelios, 48, has appeared in 44 games with the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League this season, recording 21 points (five goals, 16 assists) while ranking second in the league with a plus-35 rating.

The Chicago, Ill., native has registered 948 points (185 goals, 763 assists) and 2,891 penalty minutes in 1,644 career NHL games with the Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks and Montreal Canadiens. In a NHL-record 266 career Stanley Cup Playoff games, Chelios has collected 144 points (31 goals, 113 assists) while capturing the Stanley Cup three times, once with Montreal (1986) and twice with Detroit (2002 and 2008).

In his 25-year NHL career, Chelios ranks fourth in games played, eighth in all-time assists by a defenseman, and ranks 10th among defensemen in points.

Among American-born players, he ranks first in games played, second in plus/minus (plus-352) , and third in points by a defenseman.

The 6-0, 190-pound defenseman has earned the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenseman three times (1989, 1993, 1996), has been named to the NHL’s First All-Star Team five times (1989, 1993, 1995, 1996, 2002), and has participated in 11 NHL All-Star Games.

Chelios has represented the United States in international competition 12 times, and served as team captain at the 1998, 2002 and 2006 Winter Olympics and led the U.S. to a Silver Medal at the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City and Gold at the 1996 World Cup of Hockey.

Note: Chelios was originally drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the second round, 40th overall, of the 1981 NHL Entry Draft.

LAKELAND, Fla. – Coming off a bad incident that occurred during the Detroit Tigers’ late season run for a playoff spot last year, power hitter Miguel Cabrera has been campaigning with the media to clear the air.The All-Star first baseman while playing in the midst of a giant $152.3 million contract was arrested after blowing a 0.26 blood-alcohol reading which is approximately 3 times more than the Michigan legal limit for driving. He also had bruises that were speculated to be from a domestic dispute he was involved in.

After Tigers’ GM Dave Dombrowski picked Cabrera up from the slammer, Cabrera apologized to his teammates for the incident.

The timing of the event couldn’t have been any worse. The Tigers were battling the Minnesota Twins for a playoff spot when it occurred then went on to lose the AL Central after losing the tiebreaker game against Minnesota.

Cabrera spent the off season undergoing counseling and says he gave up drinking.

“You guys write in the paper ‘alcoholic,’ that’s not right,” said Cabrera. “I don’t know how to explain, but it’s not an alcohol problem.”

“When you want something and you know what you’re doing is bad, you say this thing is not right, this thing is not going to help me in my work,” he said. “So first you’ve got to think about yourself. First you help yourself and then you can help everybody.”

Referring to earlier interviews with the Detroit media, Cabrera said, “I was comfortable talking about everything because I think you can’t hide it. I can’t hide what I’m doing; I can’t lie to people when they see something. If I worry about what everybody is saying, there is going to be a lot on my mind. I don’t want that. I want to do everything I can to play baseball.”

The 26-year-old Cabrera started his career at the age of 20 when he played in 87 games for the Florida Marlins in 2003 and is now recognized as one of MLB’s most fearsome hitters.

Tigers’ manager Jim Leyland agrees with Cabrera’s decision to confront his personal matter head-on with the media. “He took on a challenge that he needed to take on. That’s a sign of maturity,” said Leyland.

“I know it was wrong what I did. but I can’t hide that, you know?” Cabrera said. “It’s there, so I have to be a man and say the truth, and say I made a mistake and I’ll work in the season to be better. It’s part of life to be a man and don’t try to hide something if it’s broken.”

Are you listening Tiger Woods and Ari Fleischer?

NEW YORK – Has there ever been a free agency period in the NFL that has included so many All-Pro, marquee names? The latest to join the group is New York Jets running back, Thomas Jones.

After having a career year and leading the Jets AFC-best rushing attack, Jones will be released on Friday when NFL 2010 free agency begins.

Jones who is coming off his best year as a pro, would have been due $5.8 million for this upcoming year, a salary that included a $3 million bonus.

The Jets attempted to restructure his contract but Jones declined to take a pay cut. It’s hard to blame him since last year while playing for only $900,000, he maintained a great attitude and produced strong numbers for the team while patiently waiting for this higher-structured year to arrive.

Jones, 31-years-old, set career highs of 1,402 yards on the ground and 14 touchdowns leading his team to the AFC championship game against Indianapolis.

Also a leader in the locker room, he was voted the team’s most inspirational player by his teammates on two separate occasions.

Jones joins several other marquee names in his position that are joining the free agent market. San Diego cut LaDainian Tomlinson, the Philadelphia Eagles released Brian Westbrook, the Cleveland Browns sent Jamal Lewis packing and Minnesota Vikings Chester Taylor is out in the open market.

Another potential free agent expecting to create a buzz may be Terrell Owens who is leaving the Buffalo Bills after just one season.

T.O. was productive in the cold while playing for a struggling franchise known for a weak passing game (25th in the NFL last season). He caught 55 passes for 829 yards, taking 5 to the house.

On the defensive side of the ball names like Julius Peppers, Aaron Kampman and the Chicago Bears Adewale Ogunleye are expected to be available for bid starting March 5th.

Copyright © 2010 – Sports Climax^TM

VANCOUVER, B.C. – The 2010 Winter Olympic Games closed out with a classic hockey battle between rivals U.S. and Canada and when it was all said and done, Sidney Crosby and his team sat at the top podium wearing gold.

A late goal by U.S. player Zach Parise with just 25 seconds left in regulation tied the game at 2-2 and forced it into overtime. With  host country Canada sitting at the edge of their seats, Pittsburgh Penguins player Sidney Crosby netted the winner in OT sending the arena and country into a frenzy.

The 3-2 victory marked the first time Canada has won gold on their home turf but it did not come easy. The overachieving U.S. team behind the stellar play of netminder Ryan Miller had upset the Canadians earlier in the competition and again showed up to play.

Miller was named the MVP of the tournament after setting a U.S. Olympic record with a 1.35 GA average. Jim Craig held the previous record of (2.14 GA) during the team’s 1980 Miracle On Ice gold medal run.

“It was tough to lose that way in overtime, but I couldn’t have asked for anything more from the team,” said US head coach Ron Wilson. “Their character was great throughout the tournament. It was a great game today and hockey in general wins.”

Canada jumped out to a 2-0 lead on goals by Chicago Blackhawks Jonathan Toews and Anaheim Ducks Corey Perry but the Americans fought back finally tying the game with 25 seconds left with Miller pulled for a 6th attacker.

The silver medal is the 11th medal for the U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team and brought the final tally of U.S. medals in these Vancouver Winter Games to an Olympic-best 37. After never winning gold on their home turf, Canada took home the most gold with 14.

Note: Parise (4g-4a) and Red Wings player Brian Rafalski (4g-4a) led the U.S. scorers with eight points each.

GAME SUMMARY & STATS

Scoring By Period

CAN 1 – 1 – 0 – 1 – 3
USA 0 – 1 – 1 – 0 – 2

First Period – Scoring: 1, CAN, Toews (Richards), 12:50. Penalties: USA, Ryan (tripping), 14:02.

Second Period – Scoring: 2, CAN, Perry (Getzlaf, Keith), 7:13; 3, USA, Kesler (Kane), 12:44. Penalties: USA, Malone (high-sticking), 2:33; CAN, Staal (interference), 4:41; CAN, Toews (tripping), 8:25.

Third Period – Scoring: 4, USA, Parise (Langenbrunner, Kane), 19:35. Penalties: None.

Overtime – Scoring: 5, CAN, Crosby (Iginla), 7:40. Penalties: None.

Shots on Goal 
CAN 10-15-7-7- 39
USA    8-15-9-4-36

Goaltenders
CAN Luongo, 36 shots-34saves
USA Miller, 39 shots-36 saves

Power Play:CAN 0-2; USA 0-2
Penalties: CAN 2-4; USA 2-4

Officials: Referees-Bill McCreary (CAN), Daniel O’Halloran (CAN); Linesmen-Stefan Fonselius (FIN), Jean Morin (CAN)
Attendance: 17,748

VANCOUVER, B.C. – With the final medal count in for the 2010 Winter Games, the U.S. sits at the top with 37 total. That is a record for the U.S. who has been more known for their dominance in Summer Games.

After never winning a gold on their home turf, host country Canada won the most gold medals in Vancouver tallying a total of 14. Their final gold was won Sunday afternoon on the ice in a 3-2 OT thriller when Sidney Crosby scored in overtime on U.S, goaltender Ryan Miller.

Here are the full results. See NBCOlympics.com for more detailed breakdowns.

 Copyright 2010 – Sports Climax^TM

VANCOUVER, B.C. – The men’s U.S.A. Olympic hockey team hasn’t claimed a spot on the gold podium since the incredible 1980 Miracle on Ice at Lake Placid, N.Y. but after blowing out Finland 6-1 this afternoon, they find themselves just one win away from gold.

The U.S. will meet the Canada-Slovakia winner and hope to return the favor if Canada advances to the gold medal game to be played on Sunday in Vancouver.

The last time the U.S. was represented in the finals was at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games when Canada edged the guys in red, white and blue on their home ice, stealing the gold from the Americans. If Canada advances, the U.S. team hopes to return the favor.

The game was a mismatch from the start with the Americans jumping out to a 6-0 first period lead. Finland goalie Miikka Kiprusoff barely had broken a sweat when he pulled himself from the game at 10:08 of the first period after letting in 4 goals on just 7 shots.

The Americans have been riding the back of their goaltender Ryan Miller throughout much of these playoffs but got charged up offensively, allowing Miller to relax and leave the game early for a little extra rest. Coming in for Miller, back-up net minder Tim Thomas saw his first action in these Winter Games.

Thomas allowed a goal to Antti Miettinen with 5:14 left to spoil the U.S. bid for consecutive shutouts after a 2-0quarterfinal win over Switzerland on Wednesday.

Finland, the silver medalist at the 2006 Turin Winter Games, still has a shot at the bronze.

U.S. fans sensing a Canada/U.S. rematch started chanting “We Want Canada” and “U-S-A” as the final minutes melted off the clock.

Chicago Blackhawks player Patrick Kane lead the American charge with two goals. Kane from Buffalo, New York had scored only once in the tournament before today and his back-to-back goals were just 2:33 apart.

Sunday’s gold medal game can be seen at 3 pm EST on Sunday on NBC.

Copyright 2010 Sports Climax™

Jay McGwire and brother Mark haven’t spoken much since 2002 and with brother Jay’s book “Mark and Me: Mark McGwire and the Truth Behind Baseball’s Worst-Kept Secret,” scheduled to hit the bookstores Monday, don’t expect these two to exchange Christmas gifts any time soon.

In the book, Jay, an avid body-builder and heavy steroid user shares information with the world that up to this point, Mark has managed to keep away from the media, league and fans.

Jay told ESPN he reveals the details and types of performance-enhancing drugs he says Big Mac used during a three-year stretch beginning in 1994. He also suggests that Big Mac is dodging the truth since admitting his drug use days before Spring Training opened.

“Mark knows that he was getting stronger and bigger, come on,” Jay told ESPN. “He is coming across that it is only for health reasons, but he put on 30 pounds of lean muscle mass. That is why a lot of people don’t understand why he is not really coming out clean like that. Why not just admit it all? It is OK, everyone knows how powerful these drugs are.”

Back when it all started, Jay said he drove up to Sacramento with Mark and talked about the options and types of drugs available. “Mark asked a lot of questions. He was more concerned about something that is going to help him [get] healthy. At that time he had lot of foot problems, lower back problems. So we thought about getting him on HGH and Deca-Durabolin.”

As time went on, Jay said Mark’s drug menu expanded to include Dianabol, Clenbuterol, Primobolan and Winstrol.
“I just look at steroids as a shortcut,” said Jay. “It prolonged his career. He got some big contracts out of it”.

That he did as Big Mac extended his career and earned approximately $60 million between 1995 and 2001.
Jay compliments how his brother helped put Major League Baseball back on the map.

“He turned the game around. Come on, he got people in the stands. Remember when they’d go out and hit batting practice there would be 25,000 people for batting practice. That is neat. That is what baseball needed, but the steroid thing got way out of hand and Major League Baseball didn’t do anything and it got into the government.”

“I think he was freaky for a baseball player,” said Jay. “His forearms are 17½ inches. His biceps were 19-plus. That is pretty freak. His leg power is huge. If you see the before and after pictures, look back and look at them in ’98 compared to ’88. It is a huge difference. But I want to make it very clear it wasn’t just the drugs. People under estimate the training behind it. Mark busted his butt.”

During the interview with ESPN, Jay said Mark worked “ridiculously hard” sometimes as many as 6 times a week and that the changes were not just brought on by the drugs.

Seeing the payoff, Jay believes Mark’s enhanced physical stature and increased success at the plate convinced other MLB stars to get involved in steroid use.

“I think these other athletes, A-Rod, Manny, Sosa, they saw Mark way back in the mid-’80s. They saw him grow and grow and grow. He’s not the one telling everyone, ‘Hey, I’m doing steroids.’ But I think people assumed that he was doing something, so I think that he motivated a lot of people . . . the temptation is overwhelming.”

Jay also finds it odd that investigators never contacted him while exploring steroid use for MLB commish Bud Selig, even after the contents of his book leaked out last year.

“It’s funny, huh?” said Jay. “You’d think that you’d want to go to the core of the story. And no one has really suspected me. I’ve been the person all along.”

According to ESPN, Mark did not return phone requests left with his spokesman, Ari Fleischer or the St. Louis Cardinals. Mark is currently the hitting coach for his former team.

When Jay was asked about brother Mark not remembering what type of steroids or enhancers he used, Jay believes that to be untrue. “Yeah, he knows,” Jay said. “I just think he is coached. He didn’t want to talk about it.”

Copyright 2010 Sports Climax™

PHILADELPHIA – The incredible era of Brian Westbrook donning Philly green is over.

Just days after the San Diego Chargers released their former All-Pro running back LaDainian Tomlinson, the Philadelphia Eagles followed that lead and sent theirs packing as well.

Westbrook, the Eagles franchise-leading running back was cut Tuesday after a record-setting run that also included a laundry list of injuries.

Over his 8 years in Philly, Westbrook compiled a team record 9,785 yards from scrimmage including 5,995 yards on the ground and had 426 receptions for another 3,790 yards. He also scored 68 TDs.

A dependable back for much of his career, Westbrook surpassed the 100-yard rushing mark 20 times in during his career; tying for second-most in Eagle history.

This decision is believed to be influenced by two factors, one he spent eight games on the sidelines with head and ankle injuries and two he was in line to receive $7.25 million next season.

Eagles coach Andy Reid has a solid relationship with his team and individual players and was the one who called Westbrook with the disheartening news on Tuesday.

“Brian is one of the greatest Eagles of all time and he is an even a better person and leader,” Reid said. “In my mind, there has not been a more versatile running back that the NFL has seen. He had no weaknesses.”

Copyright © 2010 – Sports Climax™

VANCOUVER, B.C. – U.S. speedskater Apolo Ohno won his record 7th Olympic medal yesterday but it didn’t come easy. After a slip caused him to fall to last place with only three laps remaining in the short-track 1,000-meter final Saturday, Ohno knew he had to make the move of a lifetime.

“When I moved up into second place, in my head I thought that the race was mine and I felt great,” said Ohno. “Then I slipped and lost all my speed again. I saw everybody flying by me and I’m like, ‘Oh boy, there’s not a lot of time. I’m going to have to kind of crank it up.'”

Well behind the South Koreans and two Canadian brothers and knowing the gold and silver were clearly out of reach, Ohno made one final push and squeezed past Charles and Francois Hamelin to win the bronze.

That bronze made Ohno the most decorated U.S. Winter Olympian. “I really had to fight,” said Ohno. “I can’t wait to watch the tape and see how I came back from last place to win bronze.”

Prior to the race, Ohno was tied with female speedskater Bonnie Blair. Ohno’s collection now contains two gold, two silver and three bronze medals in his three Olympic appearances.

“I’m very happy for Apolo’s accomplishment,” Blair said after watching the race. “It’s a great feat for him, US Speedskating, and the United States of America. We hope that more kids will see his accomplishments and want to try our great sport that has been so good to us and taught us so much about what it takes to be successful in life.”

Olympics swimmer Michael Phelps also watched the race. Over two Summer Games, Phelps won a total of 14 gold medals.

Ohno skated a victory lap carrying an American flag and congratulated his South Korean rivals. During the medal ceremony Ohno put his arm around the South Koreans for photos, a sign that the animosity between the opponents may be a thing of the past.

“My goal was to come out and put my heart and soul into the Olympic Games and I’ve done that.”

Ohno has the 500 and the 5,000 relay remaining.

Copyright © 2010 – Sports Climax

FONTANA, CA. – Last week Jamie McMurray dodged a big pothole, sat through several hours of delays and won theDaytona 500. This week he strapped back into his seat and finds himself sitting in the pole position in California for the Auto Club 500 race.

Barely coming down after a week full of interviews after the Daytona win, McMurray cruised his Chevrolet to a week-best lap of 183.744 mph at the two-mile superspeedway.

“I am so amazed at the week I’ve had, and then to come here to be able to be on the pole,” McMurray said. “I really can’t believe it. It’s just pretty awesome.”

This weekend’s race will mark the first time McMurray has captured a pole in California. After arriving at the track on Friday, he spoke with reporters saying he felt it was “just a different feeling that I’ve ever had in the garage area.”

Danica Patrick is also scheduled to compete this weekend in a Nationwide race on Saturday after crashing at her first NASCAR race last week in Daytona.

With the buzz from his Daytona 500 victory settling down, the driver is anxious and ready to get back into the cockpit and compete and was ecstatic about winning the pole.

“Getting in the car … it was going to be easier than what I had to do Monday through Thursday. I was like, honestly, whew, I can’t want to get back to the race track to I can rest,” McMurray said. “It’s just been so busy. I’ve been on such a high the last four days. And I don’t think that’ll go away if you happen to have a bad run because fortunately you always get to be the Daytona 500 champion.”

McMurray also said he woke up Friday morning finally feeling rested but with a sore throat and took a few antibiotics.

That might just be the symptoms of the overabundance of interviews related to being in victory row at the Daytona 500.

NOTE: The Auto 500 starting time is 3 pm Sunday February 21.

More NASCAR: McMurray Dodges Pot Hole And Wins Daytona 500

Woman Drivers! Chrissy Wallace and Danica Both Crash in Nationwide 300

Copyright © 2010 – Sports Climax