ENGLEWOOD, Colo. Travis Benjamin Jersey . -- Patrick Roys fiery personality was on full display in the opening game when the Colorado coach got into a heated exchange with Anaheim, banging his hands again and again on the glass partition until it tilted. That eruption set a tone for the season: The Avalanche werent going to be pushovers. Not with the combustible Hall of Fame goaltender taking over behind the bench. Roy guided this franchise -- the one he led to two Stanley Cup titles as a player -- back into the playoffs by tying a team record with 52 wins. They play Minnesota in a first-round series that begins Thursday. "Patrick is the ultimate winner. He doesnt accept anything less than winning," backup goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere said. "He did that as a player and hes doing that as a coach. "He does that when he plays golf, he does that when he plays cards, he does everything to win. And that has really translated to our team. He changed the whole mentality in this room, and it shows every time we go out on the ice. We play to win, so its fun to see that." As for that volatile temper, the players insist they rarely see it inside the locker room -- not after a bad period or a tough loss. This is their team, Roy said from the day he was brought on board, and he was there more for support than to scold. He was partnering with them, not ruling them with an iron fist. The breathing room allowed the youthful Avalanche to make some mistakes and learn from them. "They need to have someone who they can come up to and talk," said Roy, whos the fifth coach in NHL history to win 50 or more games in his first season. "Its their system." Roys only previous experience on the bench was serving as coach and general manager of the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. So he leaned on his assistants, as well as former teammate turned executive Joe Sakic. Roy has been a little unorthodox in running the team: From pulling his goalie with two, three, sometimes four minutes remaining if theyre down a goal to assembling them at centre ice after a practice and having them all yell "team" at the same time. "If we want to be different than weve been in past years, then we have to do things differently," captain Gabriel Landeskog said. "Its been great to see his point of view on things. You see the team that we are. You see the team that weve become. "At first, you might wonder, Whats going on here? But its certainly working for us." No arguing that. They were 35-0-3 this season when taking a lead into the third period and had the best winning percentage in one-goal games simply because they played loose and with confidence. "Patrick empowers us," Matt Duchene said two weeks ago, before suffering a knee injury that will keep him out for the start of the playoffs. "Sure, he gives us a kick when we need it. But when he knows we need to be treated with a little bit softer (touch) and brought up instead of put down, thats what he does. "Hes very good at sensing the feeling in the room. Hes helped us all achieve what were capable of achieving." Perhaps no one more than Semyon Varlamov, who turned in a career season under the watchful eyes of Roy and goalie coach Francois Allaire, the man responsible for helping turn Roy into one of the best goalies in hockey history. Varlamov won a league-high 41 games this season, breaking the team record held by Roy. "Of course its a big deal to beat Patricks records," Varlamov said. "Hes one of the best goalies in the world." All this from a team that won just 16 games in a lockout-shortened season. "What a season theyve had," Wild forward Jason Pominville said. "Theyve completely turned it around." Really, the only big additions are rookie Nathan MacKinnon and the presence of Roy. "They must have done something right and Patrick must do something right to make that happen," said Pominville, the teams leading scorer. Indeed. The foundation for that transformation was built in Roys very first game in charge when he lost his cool and yelled at Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau, pounding on the glass. That was after a 6-1 win, too. Roy was fined $10,000 and reprimanded by the league. Wild coach Mike Yeo jokingly said he plans to "check the partition" between the benches before the playoff series. "This is a team that we have to have a lot of respect for," Yeo said. "Theyre an in-your-face team." Just like their coach. Michael Schofield Jersey . Kevin Martin and Kevin Love paced the Timberwolves like they do so often. Martin had 27 points with some key baskets down the stretch, Love had his usual double-double, and the Timberwolves snapped a three-game losing streak with a 112-106 victory Saturday night over the suddenly slipping Dallas Mavericks. Drew Kaser Jersey . The Mavericks were not going to let San Antonio beat them with 3-pointers, and they did not want Tony Parker using the lane as his personal playground. http://www.chargersprofansshop.com/Black-Younghoe-Koo-Chargers-Jersey.html?cat=925 . PAUL, Minn.Michael Phelps comeback has been sidetracked by more trouble away from the pool. The Olympic champion was arrested for the second time on DUI charges early Tuesday in his hometown of Baltimore, another embarrassment for a swimmer who came out of retirement this year with his sights set on competing at the Rio Games. Phelps issued an apology that sounded very familiar to the ones he made after a drunken-driving arrest a decade ago, as well as when a British tabloid published a photograph in 2009 that showed him using a marijuana pipe. I understand the severity of my actions and take full responsibility, Phelps said in a statement. I know these words may not mean much right now but I am deeply sorry to everyone I have let down. Maryland Transportation Authority police charged the 18-time gold medallist after officers said he was caught speeding and failed field sobriety tests. The arrest came about a month after the 29-year-old Phelps won three golds and two silvers at the Pan Pacific Championships in Australia, setting himself up to compete at next summers world championships and at Rio in 2016. Its too early to say if Phelps might face sanctions from USA Swimming, which took no action after his 2004 arrest but suspended him from competition for three months over the pot picture. The news regarding Michael Phelps and his actions are disappointing and unquestionably serious, the national governing body said in a statement. We expect our athletes to conduct themselves responsibly in and out of the pool. The U.S. Olympic Committee had a similar reaction. CEO Scott Blackmun said the organization was surprised by Phelps arrest and disappointed on a number of fronts. Phelps was charged with driving under the influence, excessive speed and crossing double lane lines in the Fort McHenry Tunnel on Interstate 95 in Baltimore, according to the Maryland Transportation Authority. If convicted on the DUI charge, he would face a maximum penalty of a year in jail, a $1,000 fine and the loss of his drivers license for six months. Under Maryland law, the latest case is not considered a second offence because his first DUI conviction occurred more than five years ago. Phelps could face the wrath of his sponsors, though there was no immediate word of any company planning to drop him. Its too early to tell, said Don Rockwell, the CEO of Phelps new swimsuit sponsor, California-based Aqua Sphere. For the most part, were supportive. We just need to wait and see what happens. This is not a deal-breaker for us, unless we find out something else that happened. Phelps also has deaals with Subway, Under Armour, Omega and Master Spas. Lance Alworth Jersey. In early August, Phelps announced he was ending his long relationship with Speedo to sign the deal with Aqua Sphere. Just last week, according to Rockwell, company officials were in Baltimore working with Phelps on the sizing of his new suit, which he can begin wearing at meets starting Jan. 1. First, he must deal with a more serious issue. A Maryland Transportation Authority police officer was using radar about 1:40 a.m. when Phelps white 2014 Land Rover came through the tunnel at 84 mph in a 45-mph zone, the agency said in a statement. The officer stopped Phelps just beyond the tunnels toll plaza. Mr. Phelps was identified as the driver by his drivers license and appeared to be under the influence, the statement said. He was unable to perform satisfactorily a series of standard field sobriety tests. Kelly Melhem, a spokesperson for the transportation agency, said department vehicles are equipped with in-car video recording devices. Officials were trying to determine if there was footage of Phelps arrest, which could be used as evidence if the case goes to trial. The statement said Phelps was co-operative during his arrest. He was taken to an authority station and later released. After the London Olympics two years ago, Phelps followed through on his long-stated plan to retire, having won twice as many golds as anyone else and 22 medals overall. Phelps returned to competition in April and set his sights on competing at the Rio Games, which would be his fifth Olympics. His first DUI arrest came in 2004 on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Phelps received 18 months probation, a $250 fine and was required to deliver a presentation on alcohol awareness to students at three high schools. I recognize the seriousness of this mistake, he said at the time. Ive learned from this mistake and will continue learning from this mistake for the rest of my life. Phelps wasnt charged after the picture came to light of him using a marijuana pipe at a party in South Carolina. He did accept the suspension from USA Swimming for what he called bad judgment and a mistake I wont make again. One of his major sponsors, Kellogg Co., dropped him almost immediately. Subway stayed with him and remains one of his biggest backers. Phelps comeback is going well. We accomplished everything we wanted to, he said after the Pan Pacs. We were able to find out some of the things I need to improve on over the next year, and things I want to improve on. His biggest issue at the moment is outside the pool. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '