the court, only for it to land inside the line. After h

It would seem that behind the ubiquitous smile and charming personality of James Reimer is a competitive drive that tends to get overlooked. And so while Reimer was "a little surprised" to learn of the trade which sent Jonathan Bernier to Toronto, the 25-year-old had no intention of backing down and surrendering the crease. "I dont plan on giving up the net," Reimer told TSN.ca exclusively from his offseason home in B.C. "I dont plan on giving up that starters spot right now, not to be a jerk about it obviously." Coming off his first full season as the Leafs starter, an impressive year in which he placed seventh overall in save percentage, Reimer was not expecting any kind of trade. Yes, hed heard the rumours, but was there definite surprise when word of the deal, which sent Matt Frattin and Ben Scrivens to the Kings along with a second round pick, came his way? There was some natural frustration followed by a period of reflection, an evaluation of why the team might have made such a move and where he might improve upon moving forward. "Obviously you had emotions when you first heard it," he explained of his initial reaction to the deal which also saw the Leafs absorb $500,000 in salary, "but at the same time when you take a step back and after a while you realize that its going to push you, its going to make you a better person and a better goalie and if that happens well then its great for me, its going to be great for Bernier and its going to be, most importantly, great for the Leafs." Despite setting a Leafs record for the highest individual save percentage in a season in 2013 (.924), doubts continue to linger as to Reimers ability to be the guy in the Toronto crease over the long haul. At the trade deadline in April, Leafs general manager Dave Nonis was frank in his chase for Flames netminder Miikka Kiprusoff, even offering the now-retired Finn additional years to remain with the club. Some of the questions would to seem to lie in the limited body of work, especially as it pertains to an 82-game campaign. Reimer starred as a rookie for 37 games two years back, spent his sophomore damaged from injury before standing tall again this past season. "Im sure they have a few reasons why they traded for Bernier," he said, concurring with the absence of a full season to his name. "Im sure if you play consistently over a full season and hopefully into playoffs then I think that would help erase maybe some of the doubts people have." As for answering the lingering questions, Reimer looked to keep a steady approach. "Just keep going, keep plugging away," he declared of his mindset. "You can always gain experience and you can always get better and in some way that really hasnt changed. Bringing in Bernier, obviously were both after the same thing here [and thats] trying to obtain that starting job I guess or in my instance trying to obviously keep it. You keep going. I think if you have a couple seasons like the first one I had and this third one, my third season, I think you start to answer those questions. "Im sure people have questions and the doubters and naysayers have things that maybe they think I need to work on, but I think you just keep playing and try and play well for a long period of time and I think then eventually you get that notoriety or whatever it is that you want to call it." Nonis made clear in the hours after the trade that "Nothing is being guaranteed to anybody", inferring that Reimer, despite thriving as the starter last season, would be in immediate competition for the position with Bernier, who has just 62 games of NHL experience, having backed up Jonathan Quick the past three seasons. The Leafs GM did offer confidence to Reimer during a conversation between the two earlier this week, hinting that if that werent the case, then in all likelihood Reimer would be playing elsewhere. "He said that they had faith in me and things could have gone differently if they didnt," Reimer recalled of his chat with Nonis. "They said they liked what Ive done so far, but they just thought that this might help me just to get to that next level." Nonis and the Leafs brass insist that competition from Bernier will only spur something greater from Reimer. They believe both goaltenders have the ability to start, gambling that the 24-year-old Bernier will thrive with further opportunity in Toronto. Selected 88 picks after the Montreal native in the 2006 draft, Reimer messaged Bernier on the day of the trade, offering him a welcome to the team, "looking forward to the battle and just told him that if you need anything in town or getting settled in then you can give me a call". The two had met briefly at the 2011 World Championship in Slovakia, Bernier arriving late to the proceedings, however, making for a limited introduction. Some in Reimers situation might have been sour toward the new teammate, one so plainly after his job, but not Reimer. "You can see how guys would be like that," he said. "But when it boils down it were teammates and teammates first. Not to get all cliché and everything. You want to be the best teammates and well both want the same thing as far as winning and giving the boys a chance. And so sure we both want the most amount of games that we can get because nobody likes to sit on the bench obviously – you want to be the one helping your team – but when it all boils down were teammates and were putting on the same jersey so obviously thats the most important thing." While his mental toughness might be questioned, Reimer has hurdled over adversity in the past. There was his return to form and the starting job following concussion/neck-related issues of his second season, not to mention insistent Roberto Luongo speculation. And then there was his follow-up to the Kiprusoff brouhaha, Reimer posting a .930 save percentage in April after the deadline had passed. "It definitely motivates you," he conceded of the trade. "It maybe gives you an extra shot of adrenaline. You realize coming in that youve got to be at your best and thats exciting hockey. Not to always relate it to playoffs, but thats exciting hockey because thats when it means the most. Kind of the same thing here. Every day youre going to have to be at your best. Thats what I try and pride myself in doing is motivating myself and being the best that I can, but this is definitely there to push you. "At the same time Im sure Berniers coming in wanting nothing but that starting job. And so thats the competition. Its going to push us." Nike Air Max China Wholesale Paypal . Louis Rams wide receiver Stedman Bailey last Sunday. The fine is the fourth this season for Goldson. He was fined $30,000 for a hit on the New York Jets Jeff Cumberland in Week 1. Cheap Air Max Tn Plus .com) - The red-hot Los Angeles Kings will try to extend their winning streak to a season-high seven games when they visit the Edmonton Oilers for Sundays clash at Rexall Place. http://www.airmaxsneakersonsale.com/cheap-air-max-90.html . -- Catcher Brett Hayes has agreed to a $630,000, one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals, avoiding salary arbitration. Cheap Air Max 720 .ca! Kerry, Two nights after the Scott-Eriksson incident in Buffalo, the Bruins returned home to play San Jose. In that game, Zdeno Chara put a check on Tommy Wingels that clearly targeted his head. Wholesale Air Max 1 . The defence is doing its part, too. Drew Brees threw a pair of touchdown passes in the first half and the guys on the other side made sure that was enough, sending the Saints to a 17-13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night. GLASGOW, Scotland -- To describe Juan Martin del Potros Davis Cup victory over Andy Murray as an instant classic doesnt seem right. There was very little about this -- a match of five sets, five hours, and great, almost-operatic shifts in mood and momentum -- that could be thought of as instant.They were supposed to be reprising the Olympic final; instead, they only went and improved on it in the opening rubber of the semifinal between defending champions Great Britain and Argentina, by producing a match that was even longer on theatre, emotion and quality. More than anything, it was long on time -- Murray had never previously played a match lasting in excess of five hours.As a final twist, there was even a different ending.Understandably, Kyle Edmunds match against Guido Pella wasnt quite the humdinger as the one that had preceded it. And with the Yorkshireman losing in four sets, which left Britain trailing 0-2, the home team must win Saturdays doubles rubber if they are to have a chance of going through to Novembers final against France or Croatia. There was some doubt on Friday evening whether Murray will feature in the doubles alongside his brother Jamie, with the possibility that Dan Evans will deputise for him.So Del Potro, whose comeback year had already brought a victory over Stan Wawrinka at Wimbledon, and wins over Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal in Rio de Janeiro, can now add Murray to that list. For Murray, this was that very rare event -- a defeat in the Davis Cup, with this his first in the competition since losing to Italys Fabio Fognini at the 2014 quarterfinal in Naples.Understandably, this was an emotional match for both of them, especially as it came on the day that Murrays paternal grandfather, Gordon Murray, was laid to rest, with the Wimbledon and Olympic champion missing the funeral. Some 7,000 miles distant from when Murray and Del Potro had played for a gold medal, and a month after that match in Rio de Janeiro, they simply carried on as they had left off. Then they turned the dial.With that Olympic final, they had walked on court with impossibly high expectations, but those were only exceeded with Del Potros 6-4, 5-7, 6-7, 6-3, 6-4 victory in five hours and seven minutes, completed with an ace banged down the T.I did great today, said world No.2 Murray. Im very proud of how I fought, I did fantastic. I fought for every point, tried as best as I could. Thats all you can do.It was very fine margins. That happens in tennis and sport sometimes. It could have gone either way and he just played a little bit better in the fifth set.These two can do most things on a tennis court -- whats clearly beyond them is playing a quick match or anything less than extraordinary. Such was the effort that Del Potro put into the Olympic final, he said he felt dizzy and left the last of his toenails on the court, and the two of them put so much into this -- physically, mentally and emotionally -- that it was a wonder that both stayed intact. The Olympic final had been long -- at a couple of minutes over four hours -- but that was the abridged version next to this.How could Edmund and Pella, who were playing the second singles match of the day, stand a chance of topping that? After losing the opening set, Pella came back to win 6-7, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2, in a match lasting just a touch over three hours.Anyone who suggests that South American crowds are tthe most excitable in the Davis Cup has plainly never experienced an afternoon at the tennis in Glasgow, amid the pipers and pandemonium, and with Murray orchestrating his public to make even more noise.ddddddddddddn the opening afternoon, the galleries were fuelled -- in this order -- by a love for Murray, a desire to see Britains Davis Cup team prosper, and the pre-match mojitos and strawberry daiquiris they had been drinking outside in the sunshine. With an audience of 7,000, the Emirates Arena holds less than half the spectators inside Wimbledons Centre Court, but the crowd is three times as loud. If a health and safety inspector had dropped by, he would have immediately issued Murray and Del Potro with industrial ear-protectors.And, given the menace, the mph and the mayhem of Del Potros forehand, that inspector would doubtless also have urged Murray to put on some body-armour. For a man of such a gentle nature off the court, Del Potro could not be more violent on it, even after all the wrist operations that have vandalised his career, keeping him off the scene for years. From the very first game, he was taking giant swings with his forehand, really crushing the tennis ball. Thats not to say, though, that he was hitting streams of winners, as Murray was retrieving, defending and counter-attacking as only he can, and there were plenty of long and brutal rallies.On his first appearance in Scotland for 12 months, Murray was living dangerously against Del Potros forehand. So was Murrays racket, as at times it looked as though the Scot was thinking extremely hard about smashing it on the ground. The Argentine fans, gathered in the stand behind the umpires chair, made themselves heard with chants of Delpo, Delpo. But Murray dodged danger, and so did that frame.When Murray was serving at 4-4 in the second set, Del Potro was just a point away away from breaking, which would have left him serving for a two-set lead. But Murray held on, after saving that breakpoint with a volleyed winner, and he later broke Del Potro for the set after the Argentina put a backhand wide. That finish to the set wasnt without controversy, as the crowd had called out earlier in the point when they had believed one of Del Potros shots was going to miss the court, only for it to land inside the line. After hurling his racket to the floor, Del Potro immediately walked behind the umpires chair where he fetched the referee.But those Argentine protests didnt come to anything, apart from the umpire reminding the crowd to keep quiet during rallies.For a while, the crowd must have been thinking of Murray as Harry Houdini in shorts -- his talent as an escapologist was evident when Del Potro, serving at 5-4, had a point for the third set. Murrays response was to send the ball looping over the Tower of Tandil, to break serve and then snaffle the tiebreak. But Del Potro wasnt finished. Nor was the match. Far from it.Del Potro said: Im so tired. Ive got cramps everywhere. It was my longest match of my career and I won it against Andy playing here.Its very special for me and also the way of my tennis. It could be the revenge [for the Olympics]. But in that match I was exhausted before the final. We made a good choice with the captain to play Andy on the first day. ' ' '