11-25-2019, 08:26 AM
VANCOUVER -- The Vancouver Canucks have named Jim Benning as their new general manager. Steven Wright Jersey . Benning is the first significant hire made by new Canucks president of hockey operations Trevor Linden, who was handed the franchises reins after the team missed the playoffs for the first time in six years following a disastrous 2013-14 campaign. Benning spent the last eight seasons with the Boston Bruins, including seven as the clubs assistant general manager. A former Canucks defenceman during his playing days, the 51-year-old Benning is the 11th general manager in franchise history -- a post he has never held with an NHL club. "Jim brings a wealth of hockey experience as a builder and talent evaluator that will benefit this team for years to come," said Linden in a statement. "We are aligned on how we want to build this team and Jims level of commitment to building a championship team is exciting. I look forward to re-introducing him to Vancouver on Friday." The Edmonton native replaces Mike Gillis, who was fired as Vancouvers president and general manager a day after the club was eliminated from playoff contention with three games left in the regular season. Bennings first order of business with the Canucks will be to hire a new head coach after Linden axed John Tortorella earlier this month following one tumultuous campaign. Benning will also have to prepare for next months NHL draft and assess a roster that Tortorella accused of being "stale" at his end-of-season press conference. Apart from helping to shape a Bruins team that defeated the Canucks in the 2011 Stanley Cup final, Bennings managerial resume also includes 12 seasons with Buffalo Sabres, with eight of those spent as that clubs director of amateur scouting. Selected sixth overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1981 NHL draft, Benning played nine seasons with Toronto and Vancouver, collecting 52 goals and 191 assists in 610 career games. Denyi Reyes Red Sox Jersey . The move - the latest twist in Greeces nearly three-year financial freefall -- is the first such action by any of the countrys major sports bodies. It immediately halts all domestic track and field competitions, including track meets May 12-13 in several Greek cities. Eduardo Nunez Jersey . -- Isaiah Pead took a stutter step forward, then raced to the left sideline and travelled 60 yards up the field before finally getting tripped up by a leg tackle. https://www.cheapredsox.com/301z-wade-bo...d-sox.html . Returning to Davis Cup tennis, Federer cruised past Ilija Bozoljac, winning 6-4, 7-5, 6-2 in less than two hours. Federer faced little challenge from Bozoljac, who served well but still was no match for his Swiss opponent.The Toronto Blue Jays go after their 10th straight win tonight when they kick off a four-game series versus the Kansas City Royals. Toronto has relied on the home run for the better part of its winning streak, but on Wednesday found a new way to win, as Anthony Goses ninth-inning bunt proved to be the game-winner as the Blue Jays defeated the Tampa Bay Rays, 3-2, to complete the series sweep. Dioner Navarro led off the bottom of the ninth with a single to right and was replaced by pinch-runner Kevin Pillar. Gose then laid down a bunt toward the first-base line. Pitcher Juan Carlos Oviedo (1-1) picked up the ball and whipped it wide right of first baseman James Loney. Pillar hustled from first and dove headfirst at home plate to elude the tag of catcher Roman Solis as the Blue Jays notched their third straight series sweep. "Its a pretty exciting win all around for the team," said Gose. Edwin Encarnacion drove in two runs and Jose Reyes supplied three hits for Toronto while Aaron Loup (2-1) earned the win after pitching a scoreless top of the ninth. Starter Liam Hendriks gave up two runs on three hits with five strikeouts in six innings of work. The Blue Jays, who won 11 games in a row last June, have won 14 of their past 16 games and 19 of 24 overall. They are also just one win shy of the franchise mark for a single month, which was set at 21 in May 2003. Toronto may stay in the win column on Thurssday, as it hands the ball to former National League Cy Young Award winner R. Jim Rice Red Sox Jersey. . Dickey, who had his best outing of the season on Saturday. Dickey won for the fourth time in his last five decisions, as he beat Oakland, holding the As to a pair of runs and five hits in 8 1/3 innings. He is now 5-4 on the year with a 3.95 ERA. Dickey has faced the Royals 12 times (6 starts) and is 3-3 against them with a 4.33 ERA. Kansas City, meanwhile, will counter with an impressive veteran of its own in righty James Shields, who is 6-3 with a 2.95 ERA. Shields has won six of his last seven decisions, but did not receive one on Saturday in Anaheim, as the Angels reached him for four runs in six innings of his teams 7-4 win. Shields is 12-6 lifetime versus the Blue Jays with a 3.09 ERA in 23 starts. Hes been dominant lately against them, though, posting a 6-1 mark over his last eight matchups with a 1.13 ERA - the lowest among pitchers with at least five starts against the Blue Jays since the start of 2011. Kansas City enters this tilt on a bit of a sour note, as it has dropped four in a row after getting swept in a three-game set by the Houston Astros. The Royals were outscored 21-5 in the series with the Astros and lost, 9-3, on Wednesday. "Right now we are not doing our job at the plate, but we will get better," said Royals outfielder Jarrod Dyson. The Royals took two of three from the Jays earlier this season. ' ' '