1 aggregate win over Atlas afterr notching a 2-0 victory on the road

DENVER - Jarome Iginla felt a little more youthful on his 37th birthday even as he became the old man of the Colorado Avalanche. Hes energized by the challenge of not only trying to keep up with the likes of speedy forward Nathan MacKinnon, who is half Iginlas age, but also of helping this rising squad take another step in its growth. "I dont want to be arrogant, but I still believe I can be very good," said Iginla, who celebrated his birthday Tuesday by signing a three-year, $16 million deal with Colorado. "And this is a dynamic group. I think they work hard and theyre committed, and theyre just going to keep getting better and better." The Avs are coming off a season in which they tied a franchise record with 52 wins in Patrick Roys first year behind the bench and returned to the post-season for the first time since 2009-10. Among their top priorities in the off-season? Adding some grizzled veterans to the squad. First, the team picked up veteran forward Daniel Briere from Montreal for right wing P.A. Parenteau and a fifth-round pick in next years draft. Then, Colorado acquired defenceman Brad Stuart from the San Jose Sharks for a second-round pick in 2016 and a sixth-rounder in 2017. On Tuesday afternoon, shortly after losing fan favourite Paul Stastny in free agency — he signed a four-year, $28 million deal with division rival St. Louis — the Avs worked out a deal with Iginla. It wasnt a laborious task, especially given the friendship between Iginla and Avalanche Hall of Famer turned executive Joe Sakic. The two have been tight since their days with Team Canada and when Sakic made his pitch, Iginla intently listened. Then again, one of Iginlas kids is named Joe at least in part because of Sakic. "(Sakic) is a winner so it definitely had something to do with this," Iginla said. Iginla has played in 1,310 regular season games with Calgary, Pittsburgh and Boston. He had 30 goals in 78 games for the Bruins last season. "Jaromes track record speaks for itself," Sakic said. "He is one of the top goal scorers of all time, as well as a great leader. His addition will bolster our offence." As for being the elder statesman of the team, Iginla just laughed. "I feel good," said Iginla, whos earned two Olympic gold medals with Canada. "As far as my game dropping off, I dont think it will. ... I dont come here expecting to do less." He joins a team that captured a surprise Central Division crown. The turnaround of the Avalanche led to quite a few post-season awards, too, with Roy taking home coach of the year, MacKinnon being named the top rookie and Ryan OReilly capturing the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for gentlemanly play. Semyon Varlamov also was a finalist for outstanding goaltender, which went to Tuukka Rask of Boston. Sakic was hoping to return the nucleus for another run, but wasnt about to break the bank to make that happen. Sakic said two weeks ago the team had a salary structure in place, setting the financial bar in deals with Varlamov, Matt Duchene and captain Gabriel Landeskog. These days, Sakic is attempting to work out a long-term deal with OReilly, a restricted free agent who led the team with a career-high 28 goals in 2013-14. In the meantime, Sakic orchestrated a deal to add the 34-year-old Stuart in order to bring more tenacity to the Avalanches blue line. He was third on the Sharks in blocked shots (114) and hits (122) last season. Stuart may be called upon to mentor defenceman Nick Holden, who signed a three-year extension that runs through the 2017-18 season. Briere is another scorer who could help offset the loss of Stastny. Iginla likes the additions of Stuart and Briere. "Its kind of neat to join a new team, but also having other guys in the same boat and get to come in together," Iginla said. "Thats pretty cool." One of the enduring images in Avalanche history is Sakic passing the Stanley Cup over to Ray Bourque for him to hoist after their win in 2001. See Landeskog doing the same for Iginla one day? "Thats a hope," Iginla said. "These guys, theyre driven. I think there are lots of good things already happening." ___ AP Hockey Writer Larry Lage contributed. Nike Sb Shoes Clearance . The club says Fridays surgery was successful. Holiday, a former Eastern Conference All-Star acquired from Philadelphia last summer, has not played because of the shin injury since Jan. Nike Sb China Wholesale .com) - Former foes from the Mountain West Conference battle in the 23rd annual Las Vegas Bowl, as the 23rd-ranked Utah Utes clash with the Colorado State Rams at Sam Boyd Stadium on Saturday. http://www.cheapnikesb.net/ . Doug Fister allowed two runs over seven innings and Washington hit three solo homers in a 6-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night. Nike Sb Shoes For Sale . The Sochi organizing committee said in Fridays statement that the torch relay reached the North Pole on Oct. 19. Russian Polar explorer Artur Chilingarov, who led the mission, lit a special bowl at the North Pole sign. Nike Sb Cheap Wholesale .com) - Calgary Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau has been selected as the NHLs Rookie of the Month for December, the league announced Friday.Mexico City, Mexico (SportsNetwork.com) - America was able to advance to the semifinals in the Liga MX playoffs after Paolo Goltz scored in the 75th minute to lift the club to a 1-0 win over UNAM in the second leg of the quarterfinal matchup. After finishing as the top seed in Liga MX, America suffered a 1-0 defeat at UNAM in the first leg, with the second-leg result leaving the two sides level on aggregate at 1-1. However, America goes through to the next round based on the fact that they finished with more points in the regular season. The hosts still needed a goal as the second leg reached the final 20 minutes, and they nearly got one from Miguel Layun, who narrowly missed the right post after being played into a good position by Rubens Sambueza. But just two minutes later, America made the most of a corner kick as Gonzalo Diaz drove the cross to the top of the six-yard box, where Goltz turned a header past goalkeeper Alfredo Saldivar. Monterrey was able to rally for a 2-1 aggregate win over Atlas afterr notching a 2-0 victory on the road in the second leg.dddddddddddd Things didnt look good for Monterrey after the club lost 1-0 at home in the first leg, but Dorlan Pabon converted a penalty kick in the 32nd minute to put Monterrey in front, and Candido Montes fired home the deciding goal 20 minutes from time. Tigres and Toluca also benefited from their superior position in the league table to advance to the semifinals as the two sides finished 2-2 on aggregate against Pachuca and Jaguares respectively. Pachuca took the lead in the second leg after 23 minutes thanks to a goal from Ariel Nahuelpan, but Tigres knotted the aggregate score and the match for good in the 38th with a goal on the rebound from Hugo Castro. Pablo Cesar Velazquez handed Toluca a 1-0 lead in the second leg after 15 minutes, but his opener was canceled out by Diego De la Torre six minutes later. Fortunately for Toluca, the club finished one point above Jaguares in the regular season, allowing the side to advance. ' ' '