been doing well for the country. He is very

NEW YORK -- Hockey fans of a certain age tend to remember where they were on Aug. 9, 1988, when the Edmonton Oilers traded Wayne Gretzky to the Los Angeles Kings. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was working for the NBA 25 years ago and doesnt recall exactly where he was. His most vivid memory came a couple of weeks later when he saw the Aug. 22 Sports Illustrated cover that featured Gretzky and Los Angeles Lakers star Magic Johnson. "Remember thinking at the time that that demonstrated a huge step forward for hockey and its credibility," Bettman told The Canadian Press on Thursday. "It was obviously something that, in the annals of sports, was one of those seminal events that gets a tremendous amount of attention because of its import and impact." Sports Illustrateds cover read, "Great move, Gretzky." At the expense of the Oilers and their fans, it also turned out to be a great move for hockey in the United States, which benefited from expansion and an infusion of players at the youth level. "People paid attention to hockey in places where they might not have focused on it as much, and it was clear there was a great deal of interest in the game," Bettman said. "Waynes presence in L.A. was the catalyst for that." When Gretzky arrived in Los Angeles, The Forum wasnt a loud or intimidating place to play. Sellouts and celebrity appearances became the norm, thanks to the NHLs biggest star. Not long after, Gretzkys impact was felt beyond Los Angeles. The league added a second California team in 1991 with the expansion San Jose Sharks and a third in 1993 with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. Bettman became commissioner several months before the Mighty Ducks and Florida Panthers debuted and the Minnesota North Stars moved to Dallas and in the midst of the Tampa Bay Lightnings first season. The leagues expansion across the Sunbelt continued under Bettmans watch, due in no small part to the Gretzky trade. "It was the reaction of people to the game," Bettman said of the cause and effect. "Waynes presence in L.A. and the success the Kings had demonstrated that hockey had credibility in so-called newer or non-traditional markets." Gretzky was never able to lead the Kings to a Stanley Cup. In 2012, they became the fifth team in a "non-traditional market" to do so, joining the Stars, Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes and Ducks. Small-market teams arent immune to financial difficulties like what the Oilers dealt with leading to the trade. But no longer can owners get $15 million for a player like Peter Pocklington did from Bruce McNall for Gretzky. And changes to the NHLs business structure have given them increasing ability to compete. "As you see from looking at how the games been played and the playoff races and the regular-season races, we have perhaps the best competitive balance that not only we have ever seen but that any sport has ever seen," Bettman said. "Every team has a chance of making the playoffs, you see that, and playoffs are incredibly not just entertaining but unpredictable."Replica Soccer Jerseys . Scott won the Australian PGA last week in his first event in Australia since winning the U.S. Masters in April. American Matt Kuchar, ahead by two strokes with four to play and even with Scott with one to go, double-bogeyed the 18th after taking two shots to get out of a bunker. Soccer Jerseys Outlet . MLS Commissioner Don Garber and Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez also will attend the session, which was announced Monday. The league has discussed placing its next two expansion teams in Miami and Atlanta. https://www.soccerjerseyschina.us/ . 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Weber had a goal and two assists, and Roman Josi scored the shootout winner to lift the Predators to a 4-3 win over the Flyers on Thursday night.Sabbir Rahman started to punch the air every time he struck a six from the time he hit his fourth, during his record-breaking 122 against Barisal Bulls on Sunday. He described the celebration as a ritual that helps him stay focused.While it might seem unusual, it probably helps Sabbir. But closer to the truth is probably the fact that Sabbir was playing his favourite format. He said that he knows that a big innings is always around the corner when he is playing in T20s.T20 is my game, Sabbir said. I got into the senior side in 2014 through T20s, and then also into the Test team. I believe it is my format, and I will make a big score, either today or tomorrow. But I am sure someone will break my 61-ball 122.Shahriar Nafees, who made 63 for Barisal earlier in the game, said that Sabbirs spectacular innings made him mull whether they could have made more than 192. He said that Sabbirs wicket made the difference with Rajshahi unable to score the remaining 34 runs in the last four overs.He is an outstanding talent, an asset for Bangladesh and has been doing well for the country. He is very fit,, powerful and a big-hitter.dddddddddddd When he was batting, I thought we would have needed 220-230 runs on the board. Sabbir was clearing the boundary quite easily. It is one of the best innings I have seen in this country. But we believed that it is important to win the game regardless of the margin. It wasnt that easy to bat on that wicket unless you are set.Despite his innings that beat Chris Gayles 116 - the previous highest individual score in the BPL - Sabbir said that winning the game would have made him happier. He said that the batsmen who couldnt score the nine runs in the last six balls should have taken a different approach rather than trying to go for big hits.We should have won both close games. I dont know what our batsmen are thinking in the last over, he said. I think we have to be stronger mentally. We could have won the previous game by taking singles rather than going for sixes. I think nine runs off the last six balls was an easy equation. ' ' '