Mitglied werden » as polished as Letang appeared during his fi

The Plymouth Devils have made the shock announcement that they are to close down due to mounting debts. Officials at the Premier League club made the decision to pull out of speedway after holding a meeting on Monday evening. The final straw for the board came last Friday when the clubs season-opener - the Spring Classic - attracted a crowd of only 450 to the St Boniface Arena.David Short, one of the clubs four directors, told the Plymouth Herald: The club has been in financial difficulties for a couple of years and the meeting last Friday persuaded us that it would not be financially viable for us to carry on.I accept it was cold, but only 450 turned up and it was quite plain that we were not going to meet the crowd figures we needed this season to keep going.We needed at the very minimum 700 people each meeting and to be absolutely safe, 800.Last years play-offs meeting against Glasgow was the only time that we managed to do that. We were losing £2,000 to £3,000 per meeting and we obviously couldnt sustain that.The British Speedway Promoters Association (BSPA) has expressed its disappointment at the decision but will keep Plymouths place in the Premier League open in the short term in the hope that someone else will take over the club.A BSPA statement released at lunchtime on Tuesday read: We have no alternative but to respect the decision of the Plymouth Speedway promotion although the timing is unfortunate and we have spent this morning making every effort to help clubs rearrange fixtures.The BSPA management committee were informed of this decision on Monday evening and naturally regard this as disappointing news for the sport in general, the Plymouth riders and the people of Plymouth and surrounding areas in particular.As an association it is our wish to see the sport continue in Plymouth and we would urge any interested parties in keeping the Plymouth Devils alive and on track to make contact with a representative of the Plymouth Speedway promotion or, alternatively, with the BSPA office via email at office@bspa.co.uk as a matter of urgency. Also See: Bet on Speedway with Sky Bet Sneakers Outlet . On Sunday, head coach Patrick Roy said the teams leading scorer will skate at Mondays morning practice and the club will make a decision on his status for Game 6 at that point. Cheap Nike Sneakers . It was my fifth straight year attending and, as always, there are many interesting matters discussed as it pertains to the use of statistics in sports. http://www.cheapsneakers.us/. Thaddeus Young scored seven of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, Evan Turner added 22 points, and the 76ers hung on for their first road win since Nov. 1, beating the depleted Los Angeles Lakers 111-104 on Sunday night. Discount Sneakers . - Dolphins safety Louis Delmas has been carted off the field with a right knee injury against the Ravens. Adidas Sneakers Cheap . - Erick Torres scored his 10th goal of the season on a stunning volley, and Chivas USA edged 10-man Real Salt Lake 1-0 on Saturday night. PITTSBURGH -- Kris Letang darted down the Consol Energy Center ice, the defencemans black hair flicking out from underneath his helmet. Everything looked in place. The speed. The agility. The slick stickwork. Yet for as polished as Letang appeared during his first workout alongside his teammates in nearly two months on Monday, the 26-year-old remains uncertain when hell be able to pull his No. 58 sweater over his head and suit up in an actual game. Consider it part of the fallout from the scariest moment of Letangs life. Seven weeks after a stroke blindsided him, Letang remains optimistic he will play again this season but too cautious to throw out a date. "I was on the ice today because I want to return," Letang said. "Ill be able to play again. I dont know when." Neither does his coach. Dan Bylsma pointed out that unlike defenceman Paul Martin -- who remains sidelined with a right hand problem -- concrete signs of progress for Letang are tougher to glean. Throwing an arbitrary timeline out there wouldnt do any good because things can change in an instant. "Theres no date to be determined for Kris," Bylsma said. "Right now hes back in a full practice. Thats a good thing." One the Penguins hope will send a bit of a jolt through a constantly churning lineup that has stagnated in Letangs absence. The Penguins are just 7-5-2 since Letang fell ill on Jan. 28 and while their spot atop the Metropolitan Division remains secure, they have ceded the top spot in the Eastern Conference to the Boston Bruins. The slide includes a home-and-home sweep by Philadelphia over the weekend in which Pittsburgh was dominated for the first four periods before salvaging some dignity in the final 40 minutes of a 4-3 loss on Sunday. Not exactly the best way to build momentum heading into the last month of an interminable regular season. Though the Penguins have lost an NHL-high 413 man games to injury this season, they are trying to avoid excuses. They steamrolled through the first four months of the season before falling since Letangs third trip to the injured list. They can play well even as Bylsma plays mix-and-match with his lines. "I think now with the amount of time left in the season its about rounding our game into form for the post-season," defenceman Rob Scuderi said. "Its something you cant flip a switch overnight. You always want wins, but Id be OK if wed play the right way.dddddddddddd" Having some familiar faces around would help. Letang wasnt the only player back on the ice Monday. Forward James Neal (concussion) practiced, as did wingers Chris Kunitz (lower body) and Beau Bennett (wrist). Thats plenty of additional firepower for a team that already has Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, though the duo has played with limited effectiveness recently while skating without familiar faces by their side. Neal and Bennett likely wont be available until later in the week, though Kunitz has a chance to play on Tuesday night when the Penguins host Dallas. The 34-year-old is tied with Crosby with a team-high 31 goals, and his ability to make something happen in front of the net was missed as Pittsburgh found itself dominated by the Flyers over the weekend. Still, Pittsburghs Stanley Cup playoff chances could rest on Letangs health. One of the fittest players in a league of fit players admits hes still stunned by his stroke diagnosis. Doctors said there was a "0.01 chance" of Letang suffering a stroke, odds so slim Letang refuses to say hes in the clear from it happening again. Letang would rather not talk about it. Hed rather just focus on skating and getting himself ready for whenever doctors give him the go-ahead to play. He confessed to being tired, but not overwhelmed during a spirited 60 minutes on the ice. At one point he could sense his teammates taking it easy on him. He ordered them to get back to work. "Guys were being really careful when wed go into the corner," Letang said. "I told them they can go as hard as they can. Thats the main reason why Im out there. I want to get to the same place I was before." A place that makes Letang one of the best at his position when healthy. A Norris Trophy finalist a year ago, Letang has 10 goals and eight assists in 34 games this season, though his general presence is missed as much as his production. The feeling is mutual. Letang understands the fixation on his return. Trust him, hes just as concerned as everybody else. "Even the day I had the stroke I asked the doctor when I would be able to play again," Letang said. "It never crossed my mind that I could have a stroke at 26. It could (happen again) because it happened once. Who knows? Im not going to worry about that." ' ' '