And oh how the enigmatic goaltender shines in the spotlight, much to the chagrin of the league. Bryzgalov is just what the NHL hates: unique, outspoken, not from Red Deer. The embattled and well-traveled goaltender is the antithesis of the typical NHLer. His idiosyncrasies, strange even for a goalie, rankle the entire NHL establishment, from players to management to media to that guy who lives in the apartment below yours with his mother who has a "prominent Predators blog." And as Bryz adds some animation to the typically lifeless NHL discourse in his return to centre scrum, its interesting to consider why hockey hates him so. [Getty Images] For much of his career, Bryzgalov and his delightfully absurd aloofness was left to the bliss of the uncovered hinterland of the NHL. He was allowed to ply his trade in Anaheim and Phoenix with relatively little attention paid. But, in league circles, his oddities were well known, and even celebrated when the media required moments of levity. But upon his arrival in hockey hotbed, and noted goalie-killer Philadelphia, the affection the league had for Bryzgalov turned quickly to venom. His play certainly didnt help, but many an average NHLer with a slight sense of humour has been left to his own devices. But Bryzgalovs appalling strangeness in the eyes of the hockey establishment, a sinister outfit run by old white men housed in a secret lair below the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, made him a pariah, and nearly led to the end of his career. And by "end of career" I mean playing in Edmonton. Perhaps no player has incurred the wrath of the NHL like the man the Wild acquired as insurance, and who is now their last hope to extend the season. But why? Unfortunately, hockey lacks Bryzgalovs. Of the four major sports leagues, it by far eschews personality and flavour more than all others. Hell, out of any sport it certainly boasts the most boring membership. No interview is less interesting than conversations with hockey players. Vanilla mocks the rabid blandness of NHLers. And those in NHL circles who do have personalities, like Sean Avery, Ted Nolan, or P.K. Subban, find themselves ostracized from the community, or like Subban unfairly labeled as troublesome on and off the ice. One would think a league that has struggled to find a market against its more successful sports brethren would embrace personality, but thats not the hockey way. Bryzgalov is more than a goalie, more than a hockey player. Hes a genuinely interesting and interested person. He has big questions. Like, "Im very into the universe, you know like how was created, you know, like, what is it, you know? Solar system is so humongous big, right? But if you see like our solar system and our galaxy on the side, you know, like, were so small you can never see it. Our galaxy is like huge, but if you see the big picture our galaxy (is) like a small tiny-like dot in the universe." Bryz is the opposite of boring. [HBO] But hockey is a factory of boring. The sport grabs youngsters at an early age, sends them to cosmopolitan metropoli like Chicoutimi, Lethbridge, and North Bay, and where representatives of the old boys club teach them to lack in colour and dissenting opinion. There must be courses in stock answers and cliché given to aspiring NHLers, lest they find some horrific off-ice personality. One can imagine a factory churning out 62 defencemen and gritty fourth line centres somewhere outside of Medicine Hat whose only answers are limited to: •       Gotta play all three periods and go hard into the boards. •       Its the coachs decision. •       I enjoy CBCs Heartland. Unfortunately, this formulaic tendency has corrupted on-ice play as well. In the past quarter century weve seen the game become more systems-based, removing individuality and scoring from the game. (Lets call this Lou Lamoriellos fault.)Hockey enjoys being the definition of innocuous. What it finds funny, or interesting, is in the Jeremy Roenicks of its world, a sort of low brow, low risk comedy that makes Canadian sitcoms look like the bastard children of Louis CK and Sarah Silverman. And that affection for the benign has lowered scoring, homogenized the product, and made beat reporters quest for an interesting quote an exercise in futility. Bryzgalov is the kind of guy you like to keep in your pocket and take out at parties. He was the star of HBOs24/7, an ambitious show that tries to find intrigue in NHL locker rooms.His personality is as endearing as it playful. Hes intelligent, well read, and happy to speak on any subject. And the NHL hates him for it. This is a man who when asked if he feared the powerhouse Pittsburgh Penguins before a playoff matchup with his Flyers responded, "Im not afraid of anything – except bear. But bear in the forest." Whats not to love? The pundits cited his personality as one of the reasons he failed in Philly, despite the fact that the Flyers organization is a wasteland for goalies whose failures have been the result of a flawed organizational concept as opposed to a Russian who enjoys tea and literature.  Whats most painfully difficult to entertain in this NHL with a hatred of the entertaining is the notion that there arent more personalities like Bryzgalov. The difference with Bryz is that he shares his self with the world. I cant even describe the weird that my peers tend towards in the privacy of dark corners of Montreal bars, so one cant be naïve enough to believe that similarly intriguing oddity doesnt exist in NHL locker rooms. NHLers are only permitted to show their game face, or as Bryz puts it, "You know, I have many faces ... masks. In home, I have one face. Public, I have other face. Uh ... ahhhh, on ice I have different face. Day off I have four face. With you [media] I have fifth face." The tradition of the league has implemented a gag order upon its membership, which limits both its on- and off-ice products.  The marketing of contemporary sport is about personality. Its what makes the moments between on-field greatness interesting. Chad Johnson, Dennis Rodman, or Steve Lyons would never be allowed to exist in the NHL. From a young age, their personalities would never be given the chance to blossom into anything other than milquetoast. Bryzgalov once said, "OK, they fire the puck from the blue line. Chief usually yelling block the shot at the defensemen. They doesnt have the goalie gear, but they have to block the shot. So who is more crazy, me or the defencemen? Who is more weird?" No one, Bryz. No one. And thats a shame. For both the sport and its fans. This is likely his last few weeks as an NHL goaltender. And then exit Bryzgalov, pursued by bear. Desmond Bryant Jersey . The six-year-old Irish-bred took the lead coming off the final turn and never looked back, defending his title at the $1-million Pattison Canadian International on Sunday. Desmond Bryant Browns Jersey . Just like that, a four-game losing streak and a forgettable weekend were washed away. Brantley homered with two outs in the 10th inning off Al Alburquerque, giving the Cleveland Indians a 5-4 win over the drowsy Detroit Tigers on Monday night. http://www.authenticbrownslockroom.com/AUTHENTIC-DANNY-SHELTON-BROWNS-Jersey/ . Canada (6-2) stole a point at the last end to secure an 8-6 win over the U.S., which now cannot qualify. The Canadians didnt know they had qualified when they came off the ice after a tense win over the U. Cameron Erving Browns Jersey . Vancouver is 0-2-1 over its last three games and has dropped the first two tests of a five-game homestand in regulation. The slide has damaged the clubs already fragile playoff hopes, and the Canucks enter Saturday seven points out of the Western Conferences last postseason berth with only five games left on their schedule. Phil Taylor Jersey . Riley Cooper (ankle), Jeremy Maclin (hamstring) and rookie Jordan Matthews should all line up when head coach Chip Kelly goes to a three wide receiver set when the Eagles host the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third preseason game Thursday night. FRANCEVILLE, Gabon -- Gabon snatched a place in the African Cup of Nations quarterfinals and eliminated Morocco after a dramatic 3-2 win on Friday in the craziest game yet at a highly unpredictable tournament. Gabon President Ali Bongo lived every moment of his teams rollercoaster ride at Stade de lAmitie as it came from 1-0 down to take the lead with two goals in a minute, conceded a 90th-minute equalizer and then won a stunning game with a stoppage-time free kick from Bruno-Zita Mbanangoye. Bongo was slumped in his chair in Libreville, then hugging officials and jumping with joy. Fans streamed onto the pitch in wild celebrations at one point, swallowing up Gabons heroes and even flooring forward Eric Mouloumbui in the chaos. Gabons unlikely win also saw Tunisia qualify from Group C following its earlier 2-1 victory against Niger. The Tunisians stole their own 90th-minute winner through substitute Issam Jemaa to begin a memorable night in the Gabonese capital. Ghana and Mali surely cant produce anything like it when they meet in probably the highest-profile clash of the African Cup so far on Saturday in Group D in Franceville. Gabon coach Gernot Rohr and Morocco boss Eric Gerets were spotted peeking out from the players tunnel as substitute Jemaas last-gasp goal gave Tunisia its late win over tournament debutant Niger, which pushed the 2004 champion all the way before falling at the very end. Rohr smiled ruefully and shook his head as Tunisia temporarily took control of the group, not knowing his team was about to produce something even better. With Morocco playing for its survival against a co-host urged on again by a packed stadium, captain Houssine Kharja settled its nerves with a slick finish in the 25th minute for 1-0. The game burst to life in the 77th when Gabons Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored from a volley from near the penalty spot and veteran striker Daniel Cousin -- who was on as a substitute -- poked home barely a minute later. Morocco was thrown a liffeline when Kharja converted a high-pressure spot kick in the last minute of regular time when Charly Moussono blocked Younes Belhandas shot with his arm, but that lifeline was cruelly yanked away by Mbanangoyes curling right-footed free kick into the top left corner in the fifth minute of added time.dddddddddddd Having been first subdued and then suddenly ecstatic, Gabons president could only stand and stare ahead with a beaming smile on his face at the very end. The near 40,000 home fans at Stade de lAmitie, meanwhile, erupted as Gabon made the quarterfinals for only the second time in its history. "We got a result and now we have qualified but we havent won anything just yet," said coach Rohr, who was characteristically calm throughout as chaos reigned around him. "We have Tunisia next and itll be great if we finish top of the group, it will not be easy. Today was a hard match and let us savour this feeling." Gerets had appeared resigned to the sensational swing in fortunes, biting his lip and standing dead still on the sidelines looking straight ahead after Cousin put the co-host 2-1 up and Gabons players and fans went wild. His team found the spirit to claw its way back, only to slip up again at the death, but Morocco had tried to protect its slim lead through most of the second half and ultimately paid a high price in a desperate finish. "You have to look at the truth in front of you and not hide from it," Gerets said. "Now we have been eliminated and we played a second half which was unbecoming of the national team of Morocco." On Saturday, Ghana and Mali will both be spurred on by the fate that has befallen Morocco and another highly rated team, Senegal, which also lost its first two games to crash out of an African Cup dominated so far by the underdog. 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