out of North Carolina on LGBT rights.

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There are some early surprises in the race for the Hart Trophy, but two of the contenders are the leagues biggest stars over the past decade. There are many more players in contention for the awards than just the three that Ive named, and a good or bad week can easily alter the landscape, but through the first 20 or so games of the NHL season, this is how the awards races look to me. Christian Jaros Jersey . On Saturday night, the normally free throw-challenged centre did just that. Howard scored 18 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, including 13 of 19 free throws in a 2 1/2-minute stretch, and the Houston Rockets beat the Denver Nuggets 122-111. Dylan DeMelo Jersey . Vaives lawyer Trevor Whiffen claims the former 50-goal man wasnt provided with a copy of the claim beforehand and that he would not have agreed to the allegations made against the NHL had he been asked to review its contents.RALEIGH, N.C. -- Gov. Pat McCrory frames the debate over North Carolinas law about transgender people and restrooms as one of common sense and safety and privacy. Yet try as he might, he cant shake the narrative from the laws opponents of bigotry and intolerance.The NCAA and Atlantic Coast Conference delivered the latest blows this week, stripping the state of lucrative championships and leaving the Republican with another bruise as he fights for his political life. Entering the final weeks of the nations most closely watched governors race, McCrory is trying to reset the focus for voters.When we were raising the average teacher pay, creating new jobs and cutting taxes, other folks were actually pushing to make our schools allow boys to use the girls locker rooms and showers, McCrory says in a recent television ad. Are we really talking about this?If McCrory wins re-election, it will be in face of some of Americas biggest household names: Apple, Google and Facebook have all come out against the law, while PayPal canceled a planned expansion in McCrorys hometown of Charlotte because of it. The NBA moved its 2017 All-Star game out of Charlotte, and entertainers such as Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam and Ringo Starr have canceled shows in North Carolina.Its unclear whether the law is actually costing McCrory supporters, but the economic hits keep playing into the hands of Democratic challenger Attorney General Roy Cooper, who wants the law repealed. Polls have shown McCrory even with or trailing Cooper.This governors election is going to say a lot about our state and who we are, Cooper said this week on a Raleigh sports radio show. I think its time to show the country and the rest of the world who we really are. This is hurting us and its got to stop.The law, known as House Bill 2, was approved by the GOP-led legislature in March in response to Charlottes approval of an anti-discrimination ordinance for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people at hotels, restaurants and retailers. McCrory and lawmakers had sought to counter the actions in Charlotte, where he was mayor for 14 years.The law canceled the ordinance, prevented other local governments from passing similar laws and directed transgender people to use restroom and locker roooms in schools and government buildings corresponding to the sex on their birth certificate.ddddddddddddThe NCAA and ACC punishments could make it harder for moderate voters McCrory relied on in 2012 to keep supporting him, said Michael Bitzer, a political science professor at Catawba College.The ACC action, coming two days after the NCAA withdrawal, could be more acute. Four North Carolina schools play in the league, headquartered in Greensboro since it was founded in 1953.Its one thing for Bruce Springsteen to pull concerts and for PayPal to pull jobs, Bitzer said, but when youre talking about the heart of a sports conference in a state with such loyalty thats a real punch in the gut about this policy decision, and whos to be held responsible for it.Carter Wrenn, a longtime Republican consultant in North Carolina, said polls hes seen dont make House Bill 2 a cutting issue -- one that makes people change their votes. The public still puts national security, education and the economy ahead of it, Wrenn said.I dont think it is going to influence a lot of votes, Wrenn said.McCrory and his allies blame the Human Rights Campaign, the sports and entertainment elite and Democrats for conspiring to make an example out of North Carolina on LGBT rights. This continued Tuesday when McCrory called the NCAA a multi-billion dollar, tax-exempt monopoly, while criticizing its decision to pull out events.The ACC Council of Presidents followed the NCAAs lead, voting Wednesday to relocate the leagues championships until North Carolina repeals the law. The decision includes 10 neutral site championships this academic school year, which means relocating the ACC football title game that was scheduled to be played in Charlotte in December.The decision to move the neutral site championships out of North Carolina while HB2 remains the law was not an easy one, said Clemson President James Clements, chairman of the leagues council. But it is consistent with the shared values of inclusion and non-discrimination at all our institutions.---Associated Press writer Jonathan Drew in Raleigh, North Carolina, contributed to this report. ' ' '