run. Jagr has plenty of history with the Penguins, both

ATLANTA -- In just his third day on the job, Georgia Techs new athletic director made it clear hes a big fan of football coach Paul Johnson.Todd Stansbury, who took over at his alma mater this week, erased any doubts about Johnsons future with a glowing endorsement Wednesday.Stansbury was especially impressed by the final game of the regular season, as Georgia Tech rallied from 13 points down in the fourth quarter to beat rival Georgia 28-27 in Athens. It was the third straight victory for the Yellow Jackets, pushing them to 8-4 and likely improving their bowl prospects.To me, that was a heck of a statement, said Stansbury, who attended Saturdays game. To go between the hedges -- I dont care who you are -- to win a game down there tells you a lot about where youre at.Stansbury also praised basketball coach Josh Pastner, who is in his first season of what will admittedly be a major rebuilding job. Pastner, who previously coached at Memphis State, was hired by the previous athletic director, Mike Bobinski, who left for the same job at Purdue.Hes a dynamo, Stansbury said about Pastner. In fact, in a lot of ways, he reminds me of a young Bobby Cremins, a reference to the longtime Georgia Tech coach who took the program to national prominence after it joined the Atlantic Coast Conference.Johnsons job security was questioned after the Yellow Jackets slumped to 3-9 last season, and the speculation intensified this year amid a three-game losing streak that knocked them out of ACC contention. But, if Stansbury was having any doubts about the coach, they were answered by the strong finish.In nine seasons at Georgia Tech, Johnson has a record of 69-48, which includes three trips to the ACC championship game, two appearances in the Orange Bowl and a 42-30 mark in conference play.Stansbury said his respect for Johnson goes beyond his record.Nobody out there wants to play us. That also tells you a lot about the state of the program and the fear that opposing coaches have of our head coach, the new AD said. I think we have a great coach that is known nationally for what he does, and hes had a lot of success here. My goal, and what I hope to bring to the table, is to help provide him what he needs to continue to build on that success and compete at the highest level.For all his success, Johnson has been a polarizing figure at Georgia Tech.Only a handful of schools use the run-oriented, triple-option offense that is the coachs specialty -- making it a convenient target of fans and media who believe the team should employ a more conventional system. Also, Johnson comes across as abrasive and downright snippy at times, which has rubbed plenty of people the wrong way.Stansbury said hes not least bit concerned about the triple-option, noting that Johnson has used it to win consistently throughout his career. Pointedly, he noted that in his previous job as Oregon States athletic director, he got an up-close look at the wide-open style of rival Oregon, which carried the Ducks all the way to the national championship game two seasons ago. This year, they plummeted to 4-8 and fired coach Mark Helfrich.If youre winning, I love your offense, Stansbury said. Having just come from Oregon -- where they have the wildest offense in America, an offense that everybody aspired to become for the last decade -- right now they dont like that offense.As for Johnsons personality, Stansbury said thats an area where he can help smooth out some of the rough edges. He intends to spend plenty of time with boosters and fans, pointing out all the positive things happening in the football program -- on and off the field.Its a tough job, Stansbury said. A lot of people only understand what happens on Saturday, what goes across the ticker. Typically, they dont know whats going on the other six days a week. Thats where I can help. ... My job is filling in the blanks of what those things are, regardless of any differences or likability. The proof is in the pudding. These are the results were getting. A lot of young men are benefiting immensely from life-changing benefits.---Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry .---For more AP college football coverage: www.collegefootball.ap.org Reggie Lewis Celtics Jersey . -- Aldon Smith believes he is on the path to being sober for good. Danny Ainge Jersey . After Gasquet beat fifth-seeded Ivan Dodig of Croatia 7-5, 6-3, Tsonga followed up with a 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-2 win against sixth-seeded Edouard Roger-Vasselin in an all-French match. http://www.celticssale.com/kids-marcus-smart-celtics-jersey/ . Catch all the action on TSN2 at 11pm et/8pm pt. The nine-time Big 12 champion Jayhawks are positioning themselves for another title, as they have run out to a flawless 6-0 mark in conference play thus far. Red Auerbach Celtics Jersey . LOUIS -- Alexander Steen scored a power-play goal with 59. Marcus Smart Celtics Jersey .Y. -- Leading 3-0 with only 11:25 left, the Colorado Avalanche committed a seemingly meaningless penalty to give the New York Islanders a power play.With two rounds of playoff action in the books, four teams are left in the hunt for Lord Stanleys Cup. The remaining clubs make up an impressive collection of the last four champions, Pittsburgh Penguins (2009), Chicago Blackhawks (2010), Boston Bruins (2011), and Los Angeles Kings (2012). Its only the second time ever that the NHLs final four will be a battle of title holders from the previous four years. So who is the favourite to take home the Stanley Cup in 2013? In the West, the reigning champion Kings will need to get past the first-place Blackhawks if they intend to defend their crown. Los Angeles has improved as the season has gone on, with goaltender Jonathan Quick rounding back into his Conn Smythe form from a year ago. However, the Kings barely made it to the Western Conference final, needing seven games to get past the San Jose Sharks in the second round. The Blackhawks started the season with a 24-game point streak and eventually took home the Presidents Trophy, but they were forced to come back from a 3-1 series deficit to defeat their second-round opponent, the Detroit Red Wings, in a series that included a next-goal-advances overtime in Game 7. The Blackhawks may be fortunate to have home ice advantage, since the Kings boast a perfect 7-0 record at home this post-season. The Blackhawks and Kings have met on just one previous occasion in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Chicago beat Los Angeles in five games in a 1974 Western quarterfinals series. In the East, the top-seeded Pittsburgh Penguins will collide with the fourth-place Boston Bruins in a meeting of two well-rested clubs. When the puck drops on Saturday night, each team will have had nearly a week off thanks to playing five-game series in the last round.dddddddddddd The Penguins may have stars like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, but Jarome Iginla will steal some of the spotlight this series. The Bruins thought they had acquired the veteran winger in a deal prior to the trade deadline, but it was the Penguins who ultimately completed a deal for the former Calgary Flames captain. The Bruins turned around and added another veteran, Jaromir Jagr, to help solidify them for a deep playoff run. Jagr has plenty of history with the Penguins, both as a player and as opponent. Not only did Jagr put up lofty totals while wearing a Penguins jersey, he also was a member of the Philadelphia Flyers squad that upset the Penguins in the first round last year. The Penguins and Bruins have met on four previous occasions in the Stanley Cup playoffs with each team having won twice. The Bruins captured the first two meetings in 1979 and 1980. Meanwhile, the Penguins twice defeated the Bruins in the Conference Final en route to back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1991 and 1992. With all four contenders having recently won a title, there is plenty of championship experience among the teams left standing, including 56 names currently engraved on the Stanley Cup (Kings 19, Bruins 18, Penguins 11, Blackhawks 8). Who do you think will emerge from the final four? Will the Kings bring another title to California? Can the Bruins maintain their momentum all the way to the final? Are the Penguins poised for another march to the top? Do the Blackhawks have enough left in the tank to hoist the Cup? As always, its Your! Call. ' ' '