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One is a legend in the CFL. The other is in his first pro training camp. For Ricky Ray and Anthony Coombs, the connection they share is more than just playing on the offensive side of the ball; more than just wearing the same double-blue uniform. They are brothers -- union brothers. While members of the CFLPA were in CBA negotiations with league officials in a hotel conference room near Torontos Pearson International Airport, 20 kilometres to the northeast the Argonauts were holding their first practice of the season for rookies and quarterbacks. The most recognizable player on the field on Wednesday was Ray. Entering his 12th season in the league, his third with the Argos, the Northern Californian is pragmatic in his approach to the labour situation, which to a large extent, is out of his control. "We just have to wait and see," said Ray. "Obviously I stand by the players union and what were fighting for and hopefully well be able to come to an agreement." What has he thought of the process to date? "Im not in the meetings," said Ray. "Its hard for me to comment on things because I havent been in there listening to whats going on, but theyre fighting for what they want, were fighting for what we want, and hopefully we can come to an agreement and share whats going on with this league. I think a lot of good things are happening in the CFL - new stadiums, a new team coming back, seems like were growing pretty well, so hopefully we can find some middle ground and all benefit. There are few players in the league that garner the same respect, on or off the field, than the 34-year old does. When he gives advice people usually take notice. He took the opportunity to pass along a helping hand to those rookies who may be going through this type of distraction for the first time. "All you can focus on, especially the rookies, is out here (on the field)," Ray continued. "They cant be thinking about whats going on and whats going to happen. Theyve just got to take the time they have right now and do the best they can to be focused and make the team." Ray is very mild mannered and leads by example as opposed to being overly vocal. That said; hes used to the give and take with members of the media and there are days when its easy to tell that hed rather be doing something - anything - else than being interviewed. This topic seemed to hit home, however, and in an answer that was longer than the norm for him, the signal caller continued his advice for those newcomers trying to become his teammate. "Thats what youve got to do sometimes when youre an athlete. There are a lot of outside distractions, whether its at home or anywhere else, and when you step on this football field, be able to focus and do your job." Coombs is one of those youngsters in an uncommon situation in the long history of the CFL. Hes entering his first season in the shadow of a work stoppage. Selected with the third-overall pick in the CFL draft a fortnight earlier, Coombs arrived at camp focused on the on-field activities, not what was happening in the labour dispute. "Theres a lot of stuff going on," said the running back. "I tend to just focus on what I can control. As a rookie Ive already got a lot of playbook stuff coming at me so Ive got a lot of stuff that I need to learn, so Im trying not to focus on the business side or whatever politics that are going on around me, it would just distract me from my play." A pretty mature answer for a 21-year old. He says hes read some articles on the dispute, but says even some of the veterans dont seem to know everything that going on. He just wants to maintain his focus. "The advice I was told is just worry about what you have to do," said the University of Manitoba product. The first game on the Argos schedule is Monday, June 9. Its a preseason game in Winnipeg, not only the city where he grew up, but the game would be played on the same field that he starred for the Bisons last year. If the game isnt a casualty of the labour dispute and hes fortunate enough to play, he has one wish. "Hopefully my hometown will cheer for me, not boo me," Coombs said with a chuckle. The rookie RB is hopeful the game will be played, as is the veteran QB Ray, who in one sentence summed up perfectly the feeling of players, owners, and most importantly, CFL fans. "I think all of us want to see training camp start and the season get underway on time, so hopefully they come to an agreement." Amen. Discount Jerseys Online . Raonic, the mens No. 8 seed from Thornhill, Ont., needed more than three hours to overcome Frenchman Gilles Simon 4-6, 6-3, 2-6, 6-2, 7-5 and become the first Canadian man into the fourth round at Roland Garros. Discount Jerseys Team . Listen to the Raptors vs. Jazz live tonight on TSN Radio 1050 at 9pm et/6pm pt. The Raptors are 1-1 so far on the five-game junket after defeating Denver and losing to Portland. https://www.discountjerseysonline.com/. The biggest shock of this seasons competition was on when Watford took a 2-0 lead after 30 minutes at Etihad Stadium, only for a remarkable Aguero-led comeback by City in the final half-hour. The Argentina striker produced clinical finishes in the 60th and 79th minutes to level the score before Aleksandar Kolarov put City in front in the 87th. Discount Jerseys Authentic . -- Pelicans coach Monty Williams does not expect guard Eric Gordon to play in any of New Orleans final five games this season. Discount Jerseys Wholesale . Nat Borchers headed in the sole goal in the 54th minute, getting on the end of a Kyle Beckerman free kick. The defeat cost Sporting top spot in the Eastern Conference. Even a draw would have moved the Kansas City club above Columbus.NEW YORK -- Madison Square Garden underwent a recent $1 billion transformation, and yet it will have another completely different feeling once the New York Rangers hit the ice in the Eastern Conference finals. Gone will be the fear of impending doom that enveloped the club during its second-round comeback against Pittsburgh. Missing will be the nerves that any goal or loss could mean the end of the season. Suddenly, the Rangers are the front-runners against the Montreal Canadiens, and their fans now have the chance to celebrate the ride with them. "Having fan support is obviously huge," Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. "Unconditional love, its something thats really beneficial to a team." New York is riding a five-game winning streak, but four of those victories came on the road -- two in Pittsburgh when the Rangers erased a 3-1 series deficit, and the first two in this matchup with Montreal. The Rangers will skate at the Garden on Thursday night with a series lead for the first time since Game 2 of the first round against Philadelphia 15 games ago. "Its a good feeling, but we know weve accomplished nothing yet," forward Martin St. Louis said. "Were trying to prepare for a Montreal team thats going to come out with a lot of energy. We know that. This is a big game for everybody. We know where the series is, and its a big opportunity for us." Nothing is a guarantee, but to take a 3-0 series lead would set the Rangers up for their first trip to the Stanley Cup finals since 1994. Since New York fell way behind Pittsburgh with a dispirited home loss in Game 4, the Rangers have been playing with a sense of desperation. It didnt reset once they eliminated the Penguins, and so far they have shown no signs they will let the Canadiens recover. "I feel every game is a must-win in the playoffs," St. Louis said. "You go into every game understanding what can happen with a loss and what can happen with a win. Its a lot of momentum shifting, a buildup in the playoffs, and you want to make sure you keep it as long as you can." The Canadiens mindset is to regroup and play the kind of road game the Rangers did by jumping on them. Montreal is still dealing with the loss of No. 1 goalie Carey Price, who was knocked out of the series by injury in the opener, but now is trying to rally around third-stringer Dustin Tokarski. The iinexperienced goalie, who has played in only 11 career NHL games, got the surprise nod by coach Michel Therrien in Game 2 over regular backup Peter Budaj and was tabbed again Wednesday to start in Game 3.dddddddddddd. Struggled forward Thomas Vanek was dropped to the fourth line in practice on Wednesday alongside Danny Briere and Brandon Prust in another potential shake-up. "Dont read too much, OK?" Therrien said. "They might change tomorrow." Whatever the lineup looks like, the Canadiens have adopted a motto of no excuses as the series shifts to New York. "We lost the first two games. Weve got to do something different," Canadiens captain Brian Gionta said Wednesday in Montreal before the team flew south. "But at the same time, we had a pretty good game in Game 2. Weve just got to find ways to get more goals and get to them a little more offensively." They netted only two in a blowout loss in the opener, and then scored one on Monday in a 3-1 loss. The Canadiens grabbed what had been an all-important first goal, but they lost the lead just 17 seconds later and were trailing 2-1 before the first period ended. Henrik Lundqvist was the main reason the Rangers were ahead, holding off an early attack and then a third-period surge in which he stopped all 19 Canadiens shots. He made 40 saves overall. "We are down two, and we are going on the road," said forward Max Pacioretty, who scored the lone Montreal goal in Game 2. "Obviously, we would have liked to have Game 2, but we can only worry about Game 3. Weve got to be better. "We have to make life difficult for their goalie, and if we do that, I like our teams chances." Pacioretty, a Connecticut native, is also looking forward to the atmosphere at the Garden, even though he will be wearing an enemy sweater. "I love MSG," he said. "I grew up watching games there. I love going there. I havent played in the finished building yet, so this will be fun for me." One person who hopes to be back on the ice on Thursday is Rangers forward Derick Brassard, who was injured early in the opener and missed all of Game 2. He went through a full practice on Wednesday and was waiting to meet with the medical staff and Vigneault to see if he would rejoin the lineup. Fellow forward Benoit Pouliot sat out for a maintenance day. ' ' '