eunion in Sydney with South Australias oldest living Test player, Gavin The Ox Stevens. Despite his physical presence, as highlighte

PITTSBURGH -- Ray Shero left little doubt at the trade deadline, with the Pittsburgh Penguins general manager telling anyone who would listen his team was "all in" for the Stanley Cup after giving stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin accomplished sidekicks in Jarome Iginla and Brenden Morrow. The roster built to bookend the championship the franchise won in 2009 instead went bust against Boston in the Eastern Conference finals. Four games. Four losses. Two measly goals over nearly 14 periods by the NHLs highest scoring team. Exactly zero seconds when they held a lead. Instead of a ticker tape parade, the Penguins face a summer filled with question marks and soul searching. "You feel like with the expectations that we have on ourselves, that the team has for this group, no question youre going to look at this as a missed opportunity," coach Dan Bylsma said. One that could lead to significant changes on the ice and on the bench. Bylsma insisted before Game 4 that he didnt feel as though he was coaching for his job. But the sweep by the Bruins -- the first time Pittsburgh had gone out so meekly in 34 years -- leaves him just 3-4 in post-season series since leading Pittsburgh to the Cup four months after he inherited the job. Each of the previous three springs, there were reasonable excuses. A mild Cup hangover in 2010. Injuries to Malkin and Crosby in 11. A wild and emotional first-round loss to Philadelphia last spring that played like an anomaly. Not this time. The Penguins posted the Eastern Conferences best record during a lockout-shortened season and went 8-3 during the opening two rounds against the New York Islanders and Ottawa Senators. They averaged 4.27 goals -- the highest mark midway through a post-season in more than 20 years. And they received solid play in net from journeyman Tomas Vokoun, who went 6-1 in his first seven starts after replacing Marc-Andre Fleury in Game 5 of the Islanders series. Crosby, Malkin, Iginla and defenceman Kris Letang were among the playoff scoring leaders. They were heavily favoured to beat the Bruins, who needed a miracle to escape a first-round upset by Toronto. It never happened. Not even close. Bostons defence took away the swaths of open ice that allowed Crosby and Malkin to operate. Goaltender Tuukka Rask took away the rest. Pittsburghs lowest goal total over a four-game stretch during the regular season was nine. They didnt even manage a quarter of that versus the Bruins. Malkin and Crosby didnt collect a point. Letang was an ugly minus-7 and Vokoun briefly imploded in Game 2. Two more defeats -- though closely contested -- awaited in Boston. The season and the series fittingly ending with Rask stuffing Malkin one final time. "We scored four goals in two games. Its not enough," Malkin said. "Its my mistakes that I scored zero goals. Its not good for me." He was hardly alone. From Pittsburghs first shot of the series -- one from Crosby that clanged off the post -- the Penguins couldnt deliver when it mattered. "The timing in those big moments we need to come up with big plays, and we didnt," Crosby said. The fallout could be significant. Malkin and Letang, a Norris Trophy finalist, will enter the final year of their contracts in July, and glue-guy Pascal Dupuis is a free agent. It is a given the Penguins will do what it takes to retain Malkin. But Letangs sloppy play against the Bruins combined with the high price hell likely command and the shrinking salary cap make his future in Pittsburgh murky. Dupuis played so well in the shortened season (38 points in 48 games) he may have played himself into a new tax bracket. Even cloudier is Fleurys status. The former No. 1 overall pick, who helped lift the Penguins to consecutive appearances in the Cup finals in 2008 and 09, has now been knocked around in successive springs. His only appearance over the final two rounds came in two-plus so-so periods in relief of Vokoun in Game 2. When Bylsma had an opening to put Fleury back in the lineup for Game 3, the coach instead opted for the 36-year-old Vokoun. Fleury is making over $5 million a season. Vokoun makes $3 million less but turns 37 in three weeks. The Penguins were willing to ship away prospects and draft picks to rent Iginla, Morrow and defenceman Douglas Murray for a few months. All three will become free agents without the Cup they came to Pittsburgh to snare. Iginla spurned the Bruins for the Penguins at the trade deadline, only to see Boston block the future Hall of Famers shot at winning his first championship. While he was productive -- collecting 12 points in the first 11 games of the playoffs -- he also spent most of his time in Pittsburgh playing out of position at left wing. Its a role Iginla was willing to take for the sake of a title. Now he hits the open market wondering when his next opportunity will come. The guys he briefly called teammates will spent the summer wondering the same. "Obviously were a very good team," Iginla said. "We went cold at the wrong time." NBA Jerseys China . - Oakland Raiders running back Rashad Jennings was speaking to a group of local high school students earlier this week when the conversation turned to the importance of being prepared when opportunities in life arise. Wholesale NBA Jerseys . According the Toronto Star, a knee injury will keep Sundin out of the lineup, which includes former teammates Gary Roberts, Darcy Tucker, Tie Domi and Curtis Joseph. https://www.cheapnbajerseysjustwholesale.com/ . -- In one brief spurt, Brazil turned a close game into a rout and proved again it will be a strong World Cup favourite. Stitched NBA Jerseys . 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. Cheap NBA Jerseys . -- Kyrie Irvings last-minute 3-pointer helped seal another victory for Cleveland -- and the Cavaliers longest winning streak since LeBron James left. This week I had a thoroughly enjoyable dinner and reunion in Sydney with South Australias oldest living Test player, Gavin The Ox Stevens. Despite his physical presence, as highlighted by the nickname, Stevens is lucky to have survived this long, as he became extremely ill on Australias 1959-60 tour of Pakistan and India and never played another first-class game.Adding to the enjoyment of the evening, Stevens was joined by his former opening partner at Glenelg and South Australia, Ron Haddrick. Stevens was in Sydney to enjoy a performance of My Fair Lady and coincidentally Haddrick, one of Australias finest actors, played the part of Alfred Doolittle in his youth. Haddrick probably enjoys the distinction of being the only person to have played at the picturesque Adelaide Oval and the iconic Royal Shakespeare Theatre.Prior to our dinner, I came across an old photo (above), dated October 28, 1952. There in black and white on the new Glenelg Oval scoreboard were the names Haddrick, Stevens and Chappell. The Chappell was my father, Martin, and as I gazed at the photo I was struck by the talent in that club side. There were six Sheffield Shield players and, apart from Stevens, opening bowler Geff Noblet also played Test cricket.Its amazing how success in a region seems to have a flow-on effect. Operating the scoreboard that day in 1952 was 13-year-old Don Rice, who went on to play baseball for South Australia and Australia. Alongside him was 12-year-old Bob Touhy, who became a successful professional golfer and respected tournament director. There was also a nine-year-old (obviously the most expendable), sent up the ladder to change the name of the outgoing batsman, who later played baseball alongside Rice and captained Australia in cricket on 30 occasions.Having been regaled with stories by Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri about how they were encouraged by senior players in their youth, Im aware this is not a situation unique to Australia. Gavaskar continued the trend by gifting a pair of his ppads to encourage a young Sachin Tendulkar, so its not hard to understand why Mumbai gained and retained a reputation for producing highly competitive cricketers.dddddddddddd On further reflection I pondered the effect of what today would be called mentoring but was simply good old common courtesy back in 1952 on sports-mad young kids.In addition to Martins part in siring three boys who all played Test cricket, he shaped both our attitude and aptitude for sport. However, he wasnt alone, as many of the names on that scoreboard helped and encouraged a number of kids in the Glenelg district. At that time there was also a ten-year-old running around the club named David Sincock, who went on to be a prodigious spinner of the ball for both South Australia and Australia.At the regular Sunday Glenelg club picnics, the adults would organise a game of cricket with the kids before they got on with the serious business of tapping the keg and conducting a beer-sculling competition. To be not only recognised by these famous names in the district but also encouraged was a big boost to kids who had their own dreams of playing at Adelaide Oval.I have fond memories of time spent in the dressing room with these players I looked up to, and it had a positive effect on my development. In addition to being good sportsmen, many of them prospered later in life.In their midst were some great characters. I loved to hear tales of the end-of-season club trips. How Haddrick clambered onto the bar of a country pub to recite Shakespeare and then, in the interests of providing light and shade, club stalwart Howard Sam Starling followed with his version of The Farting Contest.Our reunion in Sydney was a chance to reflect on my good fortune in growing up surrounded by the strong smell of success. Id love to say it made two old guys very happy but Id be lying; it gave great joy to three old men. ' ' '