MINSK, Belarus -- Alain Vigneault is back in the conference final with the New York Rangers, and at least one of his former Vancouver players couldnt be happier. Mark Walton Bengals Jersey . "For Alain, Im happy for him that he got back there so quickly," Canucks defenceman and Team Canada captain Kevin Bieksa said. "Hes a good coach and hes obviously been there before and he took us there. We had a lot of really good years together. Absolutely were cheering for him and hope they do well." Bieksa is one of a handful of Vigneaults former players casually following his playoff run from afar at the world hockey championship, three years after the Canucks came one victory short of the franchises first Stanley Cup. After beating the Montreal Canadiens twice at Bell Centre, Vigneault and the Rangers are two victories away from making the final. Joining Bieksa on Team Canada are Canucks teammates Jason Garrison and Alex Burrows. Garrison only played one season under Vigneault, and so he doesnt have as deep a connection to him as those on the 2011 Cup final team. Unlike Bieksa, Garrison isnt necessarily cheering for Vigneault and the Rangers. "Its tough to root for success on another team, thats for sure," Garrison said. "Its notable, kind of the season hes having and the playoffs that hes having. ... But thats about it. Other than that, if anything, youre jealous." Its natural for former Canucks to feel a little jealous, considering they missed the playoffs under former Rangers coach John Tortorella in a season that cost him and general manager Mike Gillis their jobs. If they were still playing, Bieksa, Garrison, Burrows, Denmarks Jannik Hansen and Niclas Jensen, Switzerlands Yannick Weber and Swedens Joacim Eriksson wouldnt be in Minsk. Among them, only Bieksa, Burrows, Garrison and Hansen played for Vigneault. Even though things went sour in 2013, Garrison doesnt have anything bad to say about how the 53-year-old Quebec City native handled a veteran Vancouver team. "Guys respected him and he respected the players," Garrison said. "He was a good person, and I had no complaints at all." Bieksa played for Vigneault for seven seasons during which the Canucks went to the playoffs all but one year. The 32-year-old doesnt share Garrisons tinge of competitive jealousy. "Its a different team, a different conference," Bieksa said. "I dont really have jealousy. It would be different if it were, like, a good friend or a former teammate." The Rangers have only one of those in Raphael Diaz, who played just six games in Vancouver. Preston Brown Bengals Jersey . Basketball fans around the globe will be watching as Kobe Bryant makes his season debut - 240 days after tearing his left Achilles - against Toronto, a team he has used as his own personal punching bag. Sam Hubbard Jersey . Rudy Gay made the tying basket in regulation and a 3-pointer in overtime that gave Sacramento the lead for good, and Fredette scored a career-high 24 points to help the Kings beat the Knicks 106-101 on Wednesday night. http://www.bengalsauthoritystore.com/Authentic-Logan-Woodside-Bengals-Jersey/ . -- Conner Bleackley got it done in regulation time and in the shootout.TAMPA, Fla. -- Brian Roberts remembered back a decade ago, when he was standing on second base and Derek Jeter approached. "He just said, "You can hit .300 in this league," Roberts recalled Monday. "To hear it from somebody like that, it kind of opened your eyes." Not that he took Jeters analysis too literally. "I dont think its just me. I think he does it to everybody," Roberts said. "But for some reason when he tells it to you, you think youre the most important person in the world." Now theyre teammates, and Roberts has a locker next to Jeters in the New York Yankees spring training clubhouse. With a void at second base following the departure of Robinson Cano, the Yankees have given the position to Roberts, a two-time All-Star who made five trips to the disabled list totalling 481 days over the past four seasons. His many maladies included a strained abdominal muscle, pneumonia, two concussions (one self-inflicted), a groin strain, hip tear and hamstring strain. "I know he hasnt played a full season in the last few years and hes obviously a guy that has some age on him, too, but my plan is to run him out there almost every day," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. Now 36, Roberts had hoped to be a Baltimore Orioles lifer, just like Brooks Robinson, Jim Palmer and Cal Ripken Jr. "Ive come to love the city, the fans," he said in February 2009 when the Orioles gave him a contract guaranteeing $48 million over five years. "This was the only place I wanted to be the rest of my career." It didnt work out that way. After hitting .283 in 2009 with 16 homers, 79 RBIs and a big league-high 56 doubles, he missed most of the following spring training with a herniated disk in his back. His first concussion was sustained on Sept. 27, 2010, when he knocked himself on the batting helmet with his bat after striking out in the ninth inning at Tampa Bay. His total of 77 games last season was his highest since the injuries began, and the switch-hitter batted .249 with eight homers and 39 RBIs. Baltimore made no effort to keep him after he hit .246 with 15 homers and 78 RBIs over the past four years. The offensive performance would have been decent but not spectacular had he compiled it oveer a single season. Andrew Billings Bengals Jersey. "I dont know that you can necessarily put great words on how frustrating it is to have to sit on the sidelines and watch," Roberts said. "Ive had numerous times over the last three or four years where I wondered if, for one, Id be able to play again, and I think certainly going into last season I had no idea what the next year would hold, whether I would have a job in 2014, whether I wouldnt, whether Id want a job." New York signed him for the bargain price of $2 million, plus the chance to make $2.6 million in bonuses based on plate appearances. Hell be counted on for offence, given that the Yankees had 114 RBIs from second base last year, tops in the majors, according to STATS. "Theres going to be people that will want to look out there and say, Well, hes not Robby. And Im not going to be Robby. Im not going to try to be," Roberts said. "Im going to be Brian Roberts and, hopefully, thats good enough most days." New Yorks infield is more Take A Chance than Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance. First baseman Mark Teixeira played just 15 games last year because of a hand injury, and Jeters broken ankle limited him to 17. With Alex Rodriguez serving a season-long drug suspension, Kelly Johnson figures to platoon at third with Brendan Ryan, Eduardo Nunez and possibly Scott Sizemore. "Its not the infield that we had in 2009," Girardi said. "But we believe that theres a lot of capable players in here to put up offensive and defensive numbers, and when you look at those numbers as a whole, theyre going to be pretty good." Roberts remains in touch with his former Orioles teammates. "A lot of my closest friends in the world are there. So sure. Ive talked to them all in the last couple days. Is it weird? Is it different? Do I miss them? Yeah," he said before recounting his friendships with Jacoby Ellsbury, Jeter and Brian McCann. After Roberts spent 13 seasons in Baltimores black and orange, the Yankees pinstripes will take getting used to. Like McCann, he heard many people tell him "anybody but the Yankees" when he was a free agent. "You either love them or you hate them, right? And thats OK," he said. 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