ill miss Floyds size, speed and big-play ability.Hill miss Floyds size, speed and big-play ability.H

MENDOTA HEIGHTS, Minn. -- The former captain of Team USAs Olympic hockey team and the current face of the Minnesota Wild has wires connecting him to portable electronic monitoring equipment after another offseason workout at St. Thomas Ice Arena in suburban Minneapolis-St. Paul.Theres good-natured banter about whether the device is actually a lie detector and who should be hooked up to the machine, Zach Parise or his visitor.There is a lightheartedness that permeates the conversation that speaks to a corner turned and rediscovered optimism borne out of loss and disappointment, and a significant amount of pain.It wasnt all that long ago that Parise could not sit on the floor to play with his ever-growing twins -- these days, 2?-year-olds Jaxson and Emelia are singing songs and speaking in small but alarmingly coherent sentences, and Jax is in the midst of potty education -- but had to lay flat to minimize the pain from a bulging disc that had gone from annoying his nerves to strangling them.Parise, newly turned 32, has gone from not being able to pull on socks or drive a car, let alone playing in a playoff game, to talking with enthusiasm about putting the disappointment of the Sochi Olympics behind him with a strong showing at the World Cup of Hockey in Toronto next month -- and using that as a springboard to a successful, injury-free season with a Wild team that has struggled to meet high expectations since Parises splashy arrival in the summer of 2012.Parise shakes his head in wonder at the swift, relentless passage of time.I know, its crazy, he said.When he signed his 13-year, $98 million deal along with pal Ryan Suter on July 4, 2012, he had no way of knowing his father, former NHLer J.P. Parise, would in early 2014 be diagnosed with cancer and die a year later. He could not know that a year and a half after signing his contract, he would become a father to twins. Nor could he know that signing on to play for his hometown Wild would mean four straight playoff berths -- but that he and the team would also be forced to endure dramatic swings in levels of play and serious injuries that would most recently cost Parise an opportunity to play in the 2016 playoffs while the Wild were dispatched in the first round by the Dallas Stars.Theres been a lot of really great times and a lot of really low times, he said. Just a lot of different things have happened in life away from the rink. Again, at times its been incredible and at other times its been really, really bad.Still, there is nothing about Parise that speaks of regret. The opposite is true.Backing up to 2012, not knowing the way things were going to turn out or even knowing it, I wouldnt have done anything different, he said. I was able to get to spend more time close to my dad, which I wouldnt have gotten somewhere else. Which was a blessing. And being here and having him be around the kids, which he wouldnt have been able to do. So those things, I wouldnt trade those for the world.The Wild will begin the season with their third coach in the past year after Mike Yeo was fired midseason and interim coach John Torchetti wasnt retained after the Wilds first-round ouster. Bruce Boudreau, one of the most successful regular-season coaches of his generation, has been tapped to put the Wild on a more even arc, and Parise is already giddy with excitement at the prospect of playing for him. Early indications are that Parise will be starting on a line with Charlie Coyle and former Carolina Hurricanes captain Eric Staal.Longtime NHLer Mike Rupp played with Parise early in Parises career with the New Jersey Devils, where Parise would eventually become captain and lead the Devils to an unexpected trip to the 2012 Stanley Cup finals a few weeks before signing his long-term deal with the Wild.Rupp would then reunite with Parise in Minnesota before Rupp retired and became a national broadcast analyst.Hes probably my favorite teammate that I got to play with in my career, Rupp said. Hes got this kind of humbleness and innocence to him. Hes just hockey through and through.The joke used to be that Parise was a fourth-line grinder with first-line talent. Its a distinction that has often been made of another top player named Sidney Crosby.Rupp, who still recalls Parises ability to dislodge pucks from opponents (and teammates during practice) with a quick, rigid one-handed flick of the stick, says he feels that Parise doesnt get nearly enough credit for his two-way game and should be considered a Frank J. Selke Trophy candidate.Of course, there has been additional pressure returning home to Minnesota, but Rupp said Parise works so hard that there hardly has been room to criticize his role in the teams significant ups and downs.The way he plays every night, youre not really going to have the finger pointed at you, Rupp said.San Jose Sharks defenseman Paul Martin, like Parise, is from Minnesota and the two played against each other in college before becoming teammates with the Devils. In New Jersey, the two would ride to the rink together. Martin said he always has been struck by Parises work ethic.Hes competitive, Martin said. He wants to win no matter what it is. Hes a hard worker; always has been.Parise takes a lot of pressure on his shoulders as a leader, added Martin, who was also a member of the 2014 Team USA Olympic team in Sochi, although he was injured and did not play in back-to-back shutout losses to Canada and Finland to close out the tournament.He takes things to heart, Martin said. Hes definitely someone who cares, which you need for a team to be successful.Parise acknowledges that leaving Sochi the way Team USA did was a bitter pill to swallow. And the fact he wore the C as the teams captain made the departure even more difficult.Having been the captain of that team, of course you accept some of that responsibility, or a lot of that responsibility, he said. Your job was, one of your jobs, was to get your team ready to play. And, again, just for those two games we didnt have our best games but I think, from my standpoint, you know thats where you need a guy like myself or someone else to really make a play, to make a big play, to be like the guy weve got to get going here, and it just didnt happen.Parise eschewed surgery on his back in favor of a slower but ultimately more certain rehabilitation that has seen him return to what he figures to be 90 percent health. The strength has returned, and with it the excitement and indeed nervousness of returning to the international stage with Team USA. Beyond that is a new chapter in his journey with the Wild.I think our team has made a lot of improvements and were growing, and I think this will be a really big year for us, Parise said. Im not one of the pessimists around. Im optimistic. I like our team.No need to check the lie detector on that.Wholesale Air Jordans China Air Jordan 10 Wholesale . It just didnt show when he hit the ice. Berra made 42 saves and Kris Russell scored at 1:32 of overtime, lifting the Calgary Flames to a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday night. http://www.jordanshoescheapsale.com/ . P.A. Parenteau scored early in the third period to help the Avs edge Toronto 2-1 on Tuesday night. Cory Sarich also scored for Colorado (3-0-0), which is off to its best ever start. Jordan 11 For Sale Cheap Real . The Americans, skipped by John Shuster, seized the advantage in the eighth end by scoring five points for a 7-3 lead. The Czechs pulled two back in the ninth, but Shusters team of third Jeff Isaacson, second Jared Zezel and lead John Landsteiner ended with another point to secure the last Olympic berth on offer. Jordan Proto React For Sale .ca. Hey Kerry, big fan of yours, just finished reading your book. I think that we all saw the Canucks/Flames line brawl just after puck drop. It was obvious that something was about to happen, even to the referees because the fourth lines were on to start.TEMPE, Ariz. -- In an abrupt move that stunned his teammates, the Arizona Cardinals released wide receiver Michael Floyd on Wednesday, two days after the 2012 first-round draft pick was arrested on charges of driving under the influence and failure to obey a police officer.Coach Bruce Arians declined to comment on the move other than to say it was a totally unanimous decision by him, team President Michael Bidwill and general manager Steve Keim.Seeing stuff like this happen, I think were all shocked, safety Tyrann Mathieu said. Were all kind of in disbelief.Mathieu described Floyd as like a brother.Hes a good guy, said Mathieu, who overcame marijuana-related problems that got him kicked out of LSU and became a 2015 All-Pro selection. I think we all make mistakes. Youre under the spotlight, youre under a microscope. ... If he ever needs anything, he can reach out to me. Im sure he could reach out to a bunch of guys in this locker room.The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Floyd, who was to become a free agent at the end of this season, was taken into custody early Monday after being found unconscious behind the wheel of his running vehicle at an intersection in suburban ScottsdaleHe was booked and released from the Scottsdale jail later that morning.It was not his first brush with the law. He had three alcohol-related incidents involving police when he was at Notre Dame, including a DUI arrest.The Cardinals mentioned Floyds release without comment Wednesday in a news release that announced several other roster moves.Arians had said Monday that he was gathering information to determine what our options are going forward.The Cardinals made Floyd the 13th pick overall in the 2012 draft after the receivers standout career at Notre Dame.Floyd finished the 2015 season strong, winding up with a career-best five 100-yard receiving games. But he was having a down year this contract season, with several critical dropped passes.He caught 33 passes for 446 yards and four TDs this season.Quarterback Carson Palmer called it a tough day.Mikes a close friend of mmine, an offseason golfing buddy, a workout partner, so its tough, Palmer said.dddddddddddd I believe in Mike. Im hoping for nothing but the best for Mike and look forward to seeing what he does with the next opportunity he gets.Palmer said it was not his place to say whether the Cardinals decision was a mistake.In five seasons, Floyd caught 242 passes for 3,739 yards and 23 touchdowns. His best statistical season was his second, in 2013, when he caught 65 passes for 1,041 yards, including a 91-yard play.Palmer said the Cardinals will miss Floyds size, speed and big-play ability.Hes a great mismatch, Palmer said. He plays extremely hard. He practices hard. Mike, hes a dominant player. Ive seen it. Weve seen it. Everybody here has seen him, the year he had last year and some of the plays hes made. ... Thats obviously a big void to fill.But Floyds role had diminished as J.J. Nelson got more involved in the offense.There had been widespread speculation that Arizona, with 21 players to become free agents, would not try to re-sign Floyd, instead concentrating on a deal with outside linebacker Chandler Jones.Mathieu, who has had experience in these matters, said hed spoken with Floyd.Everybodys going to have something to say, Mathieu said. Everybodys going to criticize you. Everybody thinks they know what youre going through, so I think the most important thing for him is to believe in himself.Floyds agent Brian Murphy did not respond to a message seeking comment.Game notesArizona signed wide receiver Jeremy Ross and promoted tackle Givens Price from the practice squad. ... Quarterback Zac Dysert was promoted from the practice squad because the Miami Dolphins were about to sign him. ... Mathieu, who has been sidelined with a shoulder injury, practiced and said well see whether he will be able to play Sunday against New Orleans.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '