News » tick up for my teammates. Thats the biggest thin

YORK, England -- British sprinter Mark Cavendish pulled out of the Tour de France on Sunday with a serious shoulder injury likely to require surgery. Cavendish, with his arm in a sling underneath his sweatshirt, said outside the team bus before the start of the second stage that he was "absolutely devastated." The 29-year-old sprinter known as the "Manx Missile" had made the Tour his main goal this season but saw his hopes of winning his first yellow jersey disappear on Saturday when he hit the ground near the finish of the first stage in his mothers hometown of Harrogate. Cavendish, who took responsibility for the crash after taking Australian Simon Gerrans down with him, was diagnosed with a separated shoulder. "Normally, I bounce well when I crash," Cavendish said at York racecourse. "I assessed my body yesterday and for the first time in my career I knew something was wrong. I really had this little bit of optimism that I might be OK this morning but its just impossible." Cavendish will undergo a MRI in Manchester on Monday night that will determine whether he needs surgery on his shoulder. One of the most successful sprinters in the history of the race, Cavendish has won 25 Tour stages. The last time he retired from cyclings showpiece event was in 2008 when he left the race early to get ready for the Beijing Olympics. Cavendishs team doctor Helge Riepenhof said its likely the sprinter will need surgery that will sideline him for about six weeks, likely ruling him out for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow from July 23-Aug. 3. "Its a serious injury but he can recover well and it should not affect his future performances," Riepenhof said. "He is really sad because he wanted to show that he was ready to win a stage in his home country. He wanted to race but he cant." Cavendishs maiden ride in the Tour in 2007, when the race started in London, was also marred by crashes that led to his early exit. "It could be worse for me," the Omega Pharma Quick-Step rider said. "Ive got friends who have come back from Afghanistan with the armed forces. My friend Josh is a double amputee on his legs and missing his right arm. He just sent me a message joking saying Ive got a spare arm for you." Caris LeVert Jersey .The rookie goalie made 36 saves to help the Calgary Flames blank their Pacific Division rivals 1-0 on Saturday following a 48-hour ordeal that included lost baggage, a cancelled flight and a new pair of contact lenses. Julius Erving Nets Jersey . Here at TSN.ca we will take a look back at the season by bringing together a panel of experts to help pick the best 50 players of the season. https://www.netsrookiesshop.com/David-Nwaba-City-Edition-Jersey/ . -- The Chicago Bears say they have agreed to a one-year contract with centre Roberto Garza. Drazen Petrovic Jersey . -- Houston Rockets coach Kevin McHale searched more than three quarters for five guys who would play well together. Brooklyn Nets Jerseys .Corey Brewer had 19 points eight rebounds, five assists and five steals for the Timberwolves, who snapped a six-game losing streak and won for just the third time since Ricky Rubio went out with an injured ankle on Nov.COPENHAGEN - Brent Sutter was speaking to Paul Holmgren over the summer when the topic of Scott Laughton came up and the Philadelphia Flyers general manager noted that the prospect reminded him a bit of Mike Richards. After Thursday, the two players have one more thing in common: both have served as captain of Canadas national junior team. Richards led Canada to gold in the 2005 event when Sutter was also coach. "He wasnt necessarily the best player on the team, but he was the glue of the team," Sutter recalled. Laughton, like Richards a first-round pick of the Flyers, was named captain of this years world junior squad on Friday. Sutter, now back for a third tour of duty behind the bench at the world juniors, informed Laughton of his decision before practice and then announced it to the team at the end of the workout. "Leadership with him comes naturally," said Sutter. "Hes a well-respected player inside our dressing room. He has a lot of charisma to him. He demands respect. He comes to play every night and he plays the right way." Holmgrens Richards comparison stuck with Sutter and has become clearer the more hes been around Laughton. And thats music to the 19-year-olds ears. "Ive looked up to Mike Richards for a while now," said Laughton, who plays for the Oshawa Generals in the Ontario Hockey League. "Hes with the same agent as me and ever since my junior draft year Ive been looking up to him and watching him and hes my favourite player so its a pretty big honour to be [compared] to him." Often times Canadas captain will be a player with previous world junior experience, but there are just three returnees this time around. Jonathan Drouin, an 18-year-old, is the only forward back and was named an alternate captain along witth Minnesota Wild defenceman Mathew Dumba.dddddddddddd The other two returning players are defenceman Griffin Reinhart, who will miss the first three games due to a suspension, and goalie Jake Paterson, who is competing with Zach Fucale for the starting job. With that in mind, the 6-foot-1, 190-pound Laughton had a pretty good idea of how hed fit in this year. "Im an older guy with pro experience so I knew I was going to be a leader on this team whether I did get a letter or not," he said. "Im a pretty vocal guy so Im going to continue to do that and also keep the room light and joke around a bit and things like that. Whenever a guy needs me to be there Im going to stick up for my teammates. Thats the biggest thing." Its clear why Laughton was an easy choice for Sutter. The Oakville, Ont. native can do it all. He filled a shutdown role while helping Canada win titles at the under-17 and under-18 levels, but is also dangerous in the offensive end. When he left for Canadas camp a week ago, he was seventh in OHL scoring with 24 goals and 50 points in 29 games. And, of course, hes also got some professional experience. Laughton got a taste of the NHL last season playing five games for the Flyers and then six more for the teams American Hockey League affiliate. "That really benefitted me and was huge for me just in terms of my confidence," he said. Laughton stuck with the Flyers out of training camp this fall, but was sent down early in the campaign without playing a game. "Its definitely disappointing and it always weighs in the back of your mind," Laughton admitted. "Coming back to junior, I tried to use it as motivation and tried to play my heart out and be a leader back in Oshawa and I think Ive done that." ' ' '