MONTREAL -- Troy Smith is ready to hear Anthony Calvillos na

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MONTREAL -- Troy Smith is ready to hear Anthony Calvillos name mentioned every time he lines up at quarterback for the Montreal Alouettes. Cheap Nike Air Max 1 Anniversary UK . The Heisman Trophy-winning pivot, who joined the Alouettes midway through last season, will be the clubs first opening-game starter other than Calvillo in 15 years when Montreal plays its first game of the 2014 CFL regular season at Calgary on Saturday. They are massive shoes to fill, with Calvillo having retired in the off-season as the leagues all-time passing leader. "Ill never stop hearing those references," Smith said this week. "I think its great to be mentioned with a great name like that. "I havent done nearly the things he has, and just holding onto his coattails a bit has been fun so far. But as a man, I definitely want to make my own path. Thats why Im here." Smith takes over the key position on a team that was a powerhouse for most of Calvillos time behind centre, but which has been sliding in recent seasons. And even though they remain well-stocked with top talent at many positions, the Alouettes are perceived as a team in decline. Last season was a disaster, with the inexperienced Dan Hawkins fired as head coach only five games into the season, followed shortly by a season-ending, and career-ending, injury to Calvillo. They finished 8-10, tying their worst record since they returned to Montreal after a 10-year gap in 1996, and lost to Hamilton in the East Division semifinal. This season hasnt started well either, with team architect Jim Popps bid to keep the head coaching as well as general managing job turned down. Tom Higgins, who was out of coaching since 2007, was named the new head coach, but the offensive co-ordinator he hired, Rick Worman, was fired midway through training camp. Then the club lost both its pre-season games, including a 26-10 setback at home against expansion Ottawa in which they failed to score a touchdown with new OC Ryan Dinwiddie calling the plays. Smith was not sharp while playing just over half of that game, but neither were backups Tanner Marsh and Alex Brink. All three got starts last season, with Smith emerging as the most promising to take over the top job. Now he has to play well enough to keep it. "I dont look at it as a transition year," said Popp. "That was last year. "Theres going to be a transition, but we were faced with this starting in Game 6, and we played two thirds of the year without Anthony Calvillo, knowing he probably wasnt coming back. "We had four different quarterbacks that won games and the team realized they could win without Anthony. That was a big hurdle. Its a little nerve-wracking, but like with all great players you lose, you just have to march on. Its not so much to replace that guy, but to find someone you can win with. How great theyll be, well find out." There were two main positives to come out of the off-season. One was the return of Larry Taylor, who gives them a kick return threat they havent had in recent seasons. Another was the signing of former NFL star receiver Chad (Ochocinco) Johnson, who so far looks to have a positive influence on and off the field. The 36-year-old Johnson has been out of football for two years, but Popp said he showed up in shape and has been a "great fit." "I think he can do great things for us," Popp said. "Every time we play somebody, their attention is on him, and not on S.J. Green and Duran Carter. So if hes an attention grabber and everyones talking about him, great. Chads used to that. And Chad, with each game and experience he has in this league, is only going to get better as the season goes along." Smith will have an impressive set of receivers with Green, Carter, Johnson, Taylor, Brandon London, Eric Deslauriers and the repatriated Dave Stala. Gone are Jamel Richardson, who had a knee injury and was cut, and veteran Arland Bruce. "Weve got the best receiving corps in the league," said Popp, who is particularly high on Carter, the son of former NFL great Cris Carter, who gained 909 yards in only 12 games after making his CFL debut in August. "All I say is CFL, enjoy what youre watching because youll be watching him in the NFL next season, Hell have the majority of NFL teams after him, and were not talking about as a third or fourth receiver. He can go in and have an impact like Cam Wake. Hes at that level." There is a first-rate running back in Brandon Whitaker and a solid offensive line anchored by left tackle Josh Bourke, despite the retirements of Scott Flory and Andrew Woodruff and the departure of Michael Ola to the NFL. The defence lost starting middle linebacker Shea Emry to Toronto, but should remain among the leagues best under defensive co-ordinator Noel Thorpe with veterans like rush end John Bowman and linebacker Chip Cox leading the unit. The Alouettes kick teams have been weak for the last three seasons, including when Marc Trestman was head coach and didnt name a full-time special teams co-ordinator. But they looked good both on returns and kick coverage in the pre-season and they may be a key area of improvement. Taylors ability to avoid the first wave to pick up extra yardage should be a bonus. It will likely take some time for the offence to jell. And if it turns out that Smith doesnt have what it takes to be a regular CFL starter, it could be a long season indeed. Starting the campaign against Calgary, followed by a home game against B.C., should give Higgins and idea of what it will take to re-establish Montreals reputation as a Grey Cup contender. "Every indication is that Troy Smiths going to be our guy, but sometimes there are growing pains," said Higgins. "If you look at Anthonys career, at the start it wasnt as stellar as it was at the end. "All that being said, (Smith) comes with good intangibles. Hes from a good program. Hes got the system down. Practices are going good. So lets see him get measured up against the best." Cheap Nike Air Max 1 Black and Cream . Luke Wileman and I stood in the corridor outside of the Vancouver Whitecaps dressing room at BC Place in Vancouver. Cheap Nike Air Max 1 Black and Pink . -- Clayton Kershaw and Hyun-Jin Ryu will be the Dodgers starting pitchers in their two-game season-opening series in Australia against the Arizona Diamondbacks. http://www.airmax1cheap.com/cheap-nike-air-max-1-atmos-on-feet/ . Leave it to Matt Niskanen, the newly proclaimed Eddie Haskell of the Washington Capitals.UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- It was as if Matt Moulson never left the New York Islanders. He was scoring goals, hearing cheers and chants of his name at Nassau Coliseum, and waving his stick to the crowd after being chosen as the games No. 1 star. And none of the fans decked out in orange and blue seemed to mind a bit that he was doing major damage against the home team while wearing a Minnesota Wild sweater. In his first game as an Islanders opponent since being dealt, Moulson scored two goals and had three points in the Wilds 6-0 rout of New York on Tuesday night. "I was pretty nervous. I dont think I slept a minute during pregame nap," Moulson said. "I was here for a long time. This team had a big place in my heart when I was here. The fans give great support. It was pretty emotional." Ilya Bryzgalov made 16 of his 36 saves in the first period when the Wild took a 2-0 lead. Minnesota made the most of 22 shots on a night coach Mike Yeo switched up his lines. "It some ways, you feel a little bit bad. You dont want to sit there and run up the score. Thats not the intention there," Yeo said. "(Moulson) is a guy that is obviously very, very well respected here. You see what the crowd is doing in a game like that. I thought that was very classy." Frustration was also noticeable in the crowd that is fed up with general manager Garth Snow, who not only traded Moulson, but this month also dealt Thomas Vanek -- the key player acquired when Moulson was sent to Buffalo. Moulson, like Vanek an impending free agent, was traded by Buffalo to Minnesota this month. He scored the first of the Wilds two goals in the opening period and their third in the final frame. "Anytime a trade happens or something when you switch teams, you have something to prove," Moulson said. "I had a lot of family and friends here so I made sure I didnt embarrass them." Wild forward Zach Parise will have a similar experience Thursday when the former Devils star plays in New Jersey for the first time since leaving as a free agent. "Its a little different situation. He got traded and I didnt," Parise said with a laugh. "I dont know how its going to be when I get there." Jared Spurgeon, a sixthh-round pick of the Islanders in the 2008 draft, made it 2-0. Cheap Nike Air Max 1 Atmos. . Mikael Granlund pushed the lead to 3-0 in the second, defenceman Clayton Stoner scored his first goal of the season on a breakaway in the third, and Justin Fontaine was credited with a goal after a video review to make it 5-0. Mikko Koivu had three assists to move past Marian Gaborik for the most points in Wild history with 438. Moulson closed the scoring with a power-play goal with 3:26 left. It was his 20th of the season and third in seven games with Minnesota. "I think the trade was pretty tough on him," Islanders coach Jack Capuano said. "Ive seen him do what he did tonight many times." Bryzgalov earned his second shutout of the season and 32nd in the NHL. Anders Nilsson stopped 16 shots for New York, but couldnt match his fine performance of Saturday night when he beat Buffalo with a 33-save effort. Moulsons name was cheered when announced as part of the Wilds starting lineup, then he was feted with more applause when the Islanders thanked him on the video board. A louder roar went up when he scored his first goal 12:23 in. After his second, fans chanted "We want Moulson!" "I knew from playing against him here that he was a fan favourite," Parise said. "I dont think anyone expected the We Love Moulson cheers at the end, but it was nice to see him get a good reception." Spurgeon, a defenceman who never played for the Islanders, took a pass from Dany Heatley and one-timed a hard drive with 4:03 left in the first. Granlunds seventh of the season, gave the Wild a three-goal edge with 3:58 remaining in the second. Fontaines 13th goal zipped in and out of the net 7:06 into the third, but play continued for over a minute before a video review took place. Moulson and Koivu earned assists. NOTES: New York D Brian Strait broke his left hand while blocking a shot in the second period. ... Moulson, who began his NHL career with Los Angeles, has three goals in two career games vs. New York. He had 118 goals and 105 assists in 304 games with the Islanders. ... Islanders D Kevin Czuczman made his NHL debut. ... The Wild were whistled for penalties for the first time in three games. Cheap Jerseys China NFL Jerseys China NFL Jerseys Wholesale Discount Basketball Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Authentic Cheap Baseball Jerseys Free Shipping Cheapest College Jerseys Sale Cheap Football Jerseys China Nike NFL Jerseys Canada Wholesale NHL Jerseys From China MLB Jerseys Outlet Canada Wholesale NBA Jerseys Canada Store Cheap Soccer Jerseys China Cheap Authentic Jerseys Canada ' ' '