VANCOUVER -- Vancouver Canucks 2013 first-round draft choice Hunter Shinkaruk will undergo hip surgery in early January and is expected to miss the rest of the WHL season. "Hes going to have hip surgery on Jan. 7, and hell be expected to rehabilitate for four to six months beyond that," Canucks general manager Mike Gillis said Friday in an interview. Shinkaruks minimum recovery time gives him a chance to return in mid-May for the Memorial Cup tournament, if his Medicine Hat Tigers qualify by winning the WHL championship. But the odds of him coming back quickly appear long, given that hip problems usually rank among the most serious and require extended rehabilitation periods. Shinkaruk was chosen 24th overall in this years NHL draft and was among Vancouvers last pre-season cuts. The Medicine Hat captain was invited to Team Canadas selection camp for the world junior hockey championships, but was released for the second straight year after travelling to Sweden with the club before the tournament started. "Hes got a slightly torn labrum," said Gillis. "But it doesnt matter if its slightly or more torn. He suffered it early on in the season, tried to play through it and wanted to have an opportunity to make the world junior team. Clearly, his play dropped off fairly considerably after the injury. "He gave it his best effort and the plan all along was that this (decision to have surgery) was going to happen regardless, so it happened a little bit earlier." Gillis said the injury contributed to Shinkaruk, a 19-year-old Calgary native, not having the best opportunity to make Team Canada. The surgery will be performed in Vail, Colo., by Dr. Marc Phillipon, who specializes in repairing hip disorders. Shinkaruk was among two first-round choices selected by Vancouver this year. The Canucks took London Knights centre Bo Horvat with the ninth pick, which they acquired in a draft-day trade from New Jersey for goaltender Cory Schneider. Gillis expects Shinkaruk to be healthy in time for Vancouvers training camp in the fall. "We think hell make a fully recovery and that hell be fully cleared to try and make the hockey club in September," said Gillis. Shinkaruk has recorded five goals and 11 assists for 16 points with the Tigers this season. His junior team is also optimistic that he will bounce back from the ordeal. "We wish Hunter all the best for a successful surgery and a full recovery," said Medicine Hat general manager and coach Shaun Clouston in a release. .Heres Ralph the Dog with the crew here at TSN jumping into the James Duthie TradeCentre selfie: Happy to drop by! RT @TSN_Sports: @tsnjamesduthie: Take this Ellen. . UEFA said Wednesday that the champions of England and France only have to include five home-trained players in their 21-man squads next season instead of the expected eight. Only one of the five players needs to be trained by the club itself.
http://www.officialbruinsfanstore.com/a ... ns-jersey/. Patty Mills had 20 points, Tim Duncan had 11 points and 13 rebounds in limited action, and San Antonio rolled to a 110-82 victory over Milwaukee that kept the Bucks winless in the new year. . Juventus announced details of the deal Saturday, saying that Morata signed a five-year contract with the club. The deal also includes an option for Madrid to buy Morata back for up to (euro)30 million ($40. .Y. -- Sore nose and all, Sidney Crosby had a goal and three assists to help Pittsburgh beat Buffalo 5-3 on Friday night, snapping the Penguins mini-slump and slowing the Sabres late-season surge.Atlanta, GA (SportsNetwork.com) - Cam Newton smiled. As time wound down in a winner-take-all game that turned into a no-care-in-the-world laugher, the Carolina Panthers quarterback waved his arms up and down and nodded. On the Atlanta Falcons sideline, Matt Ryan grimaced. Newtons seven-win Panthers are headed to the NFL playoffs. Ryans six-win Falcons are not. Carolina returned two Ryan interceptions for touchdowns and scored 21 points off three turnovers in a 34-3 rout of the Falcons on Sunday at the Georgia Dome. Leading since the games first possession, the Panthers (7-8-1) clinched the NFC South for the second year in a row with the lopsided victory. They harassed Ryan all day, piling up six sacks. But the Falcons quarterback hurt himself, too. His overthrown pass was returned 31 yards for a touchdown by Roman Harper in the second quarter to help the Panthers build a 24-3 lead at halftime. And in the third quarter, Tre Boston picked off an underthrown pass and took it back 84 yards to put the game out of reach. They played the way you need to play in these types of situations, said Ryan. They executed at a high level and we did not, across the board. The Panthers became the first team to win consecutive NFC South titles and made the playoffs in back-to-back years for the first time ever. They will host 11-5 Arizona in a wild-card game next week after winning four straight games to end the regular season. The streak followed a seven-game winless drought that started with a tie against Cincinnati on Oct. 12 and dropped them to 3-8-1 after a loss at Minnesota on Nov. 30. Newton passed for 114 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 51 yards, including a 4-yard touchdown scramble after a Falcons fumble in the first half. This game meant so much to, not only myself, but my teammates, said Newton. We were playing for so much. We did a lot that a lot of people didnt expect us to do. Jonathan Stewart carried the ball 13 times for 49 yards while starting again in place of DeAngelo Williams, who sat for the fourth straight game with a broken hand. Ryan thrrew 47 passes, completing 29 for 260 yards, including eight to Roddy White for 104 yards.dddddddddddd Atlanta running back Steven Jackson missed the game with a quad injury but Julio Jones was active again despite a hip injury, catching four passes for 58 yards. The Falcons (6-10) eliminated the Saints from the division race with a 30-14 win in New Orleans last week to keep their playoff hopes alive, but will miss the postseason in back-to-back years for the first time since 2006-07. Not acceptable at all, said Falcons coach Mike Smith, who wouldnt speculate on his job security except to say that hes the coach until the team tells him differently. This is not how you want to finish, he said. The Panthers continued their recent history of successful Decembers, improving to 12-1 in the month since 2012. After Graham Gano kicked a 21-yard field goal on the games opening drive, the Panthers also scored on their second possession when Newton found Ed Dickson for a 5-yard touchdown pass in the final seconds of the first quarter. The Falcons drove to the Carolina 3-yard line, but settled for a Matt Bryant field goal, and Harper intercepted Ryan later in the second quarter, racing down the left sideline for his 31-yard touchdown. The Falcons turned the ball over again four plays into the ensuing possession when White was stripped by Adarius Glanton near midfield and Thomas Davis returned the fumble to the Atlanta 9-yard line. A 5-yard penalty moved the ball closer, and Newton powered across the line on the first play for a 24-3 Carolina lead with 1:47 remaining in the first half. Gano added a 48-yarder in the third quarter and Boston jumped a pass near the right sideline, then zig-zagged all the way to an 84-yard score with seven seconds left in the third quarter. Game Notes The Panthers had 17 first downs, only one more than Atlanta ... The Falcons gained just 288 total yards ... Carolina lost 23-10 to San Francisco in the divisional round last season ... The Panthers have won four of the last five meetings with Atlanta. ' ' '
