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MONTREAL -- For a second year in a row, the Montreal Alouettes will start the CFL season with a new head coach. Alouettes owner Bob Wetenhall announced Monday that Tom Higgins will be the clubs new head coach. The former Edmonton Eskimos and Calgary Stampeders bench boss replaces general manager Jim Popp, who took over on Aug. 1 when the inexperienced Dan Hawkins was fired only five games into the 2013 season. Wetenhall made it clear in a statement that he did not want Popp, who is considered one of the CFLs best GMs but has a career 16-20 record as a coach, to continue in both jobs. "As Ive expressed to the media in recent weeks, I wanted to continue with the formula which has brought us the success weve enjoyed these past 17 years -- having a full-time head coach and a full-time general manager to fill each of these positions," said Wetenhall. "The criteria we established was to find an individual familiar with the CFL; someone with success in that position and a background as a position coach. In addition, we sought an individual with a record for moulding and delivering championship teams. "In Toms seven years as a head coach he won three division championships along with a Grey Cup, and twice earned recognition as the CFLs coach of the year. His head coaching record of 72-53-1 speaks for itself. We welcome Tom to the Alouettes family." Popp had made no secret of wanting to continue coaching, but Wetenhall put out a statement recently saying candidates would be interviewed. A year ago, the Alouettes waited until Feb. 19 to name Hawkins, a former U.S. university coach with no experience of the Canadian game. He was 2-3 when he was fired with the team in disarray. Popp, the Alouettes GM since they returned to Montreal in 1996, took over as coach for the third time in his career and went 6-7. It marked only the second time since 1996 the team had a losing record, matching the 8-10 mark Popp put up in his only full season as head coach in 2007. It hurt that starting quarterback Anthony Calvillo was lost for the season in August to a concussion. This time, the team waited five days longer to name a new coach and came up with Higgins, who stepped down in December after five years as the CFLs director of officiating. Higgins did not even get introduced at a press conference. The club said "time constraints and personal obligations" prevented bringing him to Montreal for the announcement, but that he will talk to the media Tuesday on a conference call. He takes over a team that will not have CFL all-time passing leader Calvillo as its starter for the first time since 2000. Instead, 2006 Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith and young prospect Tanner Marsh are pegged to replace the retired future Hall of Famer. Higgins, who will turn 60 on July 13, led the Eskimos to 13-5 records twice and won a Grey Cup in 2003 in his four years with the club. He had a 28-25 record in three seasons in Calgary from 2005 to 2007. "Tom has worked with and tutored many of the CFLs finest quarterbacks -- Doug Flutie, Henry Burris and Ricky Ray, to mention a few," said team president Mark Weightman. "His expertise will be invaluable in the development of Troy Smith and Tanner Marsh." Higgins has spent 23 years in various CFL jobs, including a stint as GM in Edmonton. A native of Woodbridge, N.J., and a former linebacker and defensive tackle, Higgins played for Calgary and Saskatchewan in the 1970s. Popp replaced Rod Rust as coach at the end of the 2001 season, but gave way for Don Matthews the following season. He stepped in again when Matthews left for health reasons in 2006. Marc Trestman, now coach of the Chicago Bears, coached the club from 2008-2012, winning two Grey Cups. Jayson Werth Jersey . 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The Maple Leafs may not have had a pick until the third round, but they have made the biggest move of the second day of the Draft, dealing defenceman Carl Gunnarsson and a fourth-round pick in the draft to the St. Max Scherzer Jersey . -- The Tampa Bay Lightning are disappointed, though not discouraged.LOS ANGELES, Calif. - When Joe Pavelski scored on the Sharks first shot, he evoked memories of San Joses banner-ceremony-spoiling win at Staples Center on opening night.The Los Angeles Kings spent the rest of the evening demonstrating why theyve got all the banners that count in this rivalry.Anze Kopitar and Jake Muzzin scored power-play goals, Jonathan Quick made 21 saves and the Kings returned from the holiday break with a 3-1 victory over their upstate rivals on Saturday night.Tyler Toffoli also scored in the defending Stanley Cup champions third victory in four games. The Kings forechecked impressively, passed sharply and played their vaunted puck-possession game to dominant effect, largely neutralizing the Sharks over the final 57 minutes after Pavelskis opening shot trickled through Quick.Everybody says the best defence is offence, anyway, said Kopitar, who had a goal and an assist on the power play. You keep the puck to yourself, and thats the best thing to do.Kopitar led the Kings once-struggling power play, which kept on humming after the break. Los Angeles has scored a power-play goal in five straight games, including multiple goals in four straight contests for the first time since March 1993.I think pucks are just going in for us, defenceman Drew Doughty said. We have so much firepower on our power-play units, and its finally coming together.Pavelski scored his 17th goal and Antti Niemi stopped 26 shots for the Sharks, who lost in regulation for just the second time since Nov. 26. San Jose uncharacteristically failed to stay out of the box, forced to kill more than three penalties for the first time in December.They were the better team the whole night, Sharks coach Todd McLellan said. We were beat in special teams, and that was evident, but theres much more to it than that. The grinding part of the game, we were beaten at as well. They were better on the walls. They were better at taking time and space away, and their fforecheck was better.dddddddddddd So theres no doubt the better team won tonight.Los Angeles also pulled even with San Jose in second place in the Pacific Division standings — a fact that means something to the Kings, who have won two Stanley Cups and 10 playoff series in the last three years despite winning no division titles.Theyre a division rival, so when you get points against them, its more than just two points, Doughty said. Its huge. We need to be moving up in the playoff standings and moving up in the division, and in order to do that, we need to beat division teams.Pavelski put the Sharks ahead just 2:39 in, capitalizing on a turnover by Justin Williams and a pass from Joe Thornton that turned out to be their lone offensive highlight.When the games are intense like this, you want to be at your best, and we werent tonight, Pavelski said. We werent very disciplined in a lot of areas. We gave up a lot of odd-man rushes and took a lot of penalties, things we havent been doing lately when we were winning.Toffoli evened it later in the period, snapping his personal 10-game goal drought on a remarkable cross-ice pass from defenceman Jamie McBain, who has points in three straight games. Toffoli, Marian Gaborik and Tanner Pearson have 11 goals apiece to lead the Kings.Kopitar then scored on a back-side rebound of Gaboriks shot in the second period. Four of his eight goals in a slow-starting offensive season have been on the power play.Muzzin added his sixth goal with a heavy shot on another power play early in the third.NOTES: Kopitars right ear was cut in the second period after apparently getting clipped an errant stick in front of the net. He went to the dressing room but returned moments later, putting off stitches until after the game. ... The Kings have won nine of their last 11 regular-season home games against the Sharks. ... Los Angeles matched Tampa Bay and Toronto for the NHL lead with 14 home victories. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '