CALGARY -- With players moving in and out of the lineup, the bye week was especially beneficial for the Calgary Stampeders. Brad Brach Jersey . The Stampeders have the luxury of more time to prepare for next Sundays Western Division final than the Saskatchewan Roughriders, who are coming off their division semifinal win Sunday over the B.C. Lions. Calgary won the West with the CFLs best record of 14-4. So instead of preparing to win a game last week, the Stampeders got an early start on adjusting to life without injured receiver Marquay McDaniel and defensive tackles Demonte Bolden and Micah Johnson. Receivers Joe West and Brad Sinopoli participated in their fourth practices Tuesday after returning from a shoulder injury and a concussion, respectively. The Stampeders continued auditioning for replacements on the defensive line with Junior Turner, Etienne Legare, Freddie Bishop and six-foot-six behemoth Earl Okine getting reps Tuesday. "Sometimes you dont know how the bye week will help you, but it helped us in that sense," Stampeder quarterback Kevin Glenn said. "Getting guys acclimated with the positions they may play in this game was big. Having those practices and letting those guys work in those positions, it helped having that bye. If we would have had to possibly go right into playing a game, it might have been a little bit tougher." McDaniel posted the first 1,000-yard season of his career, only to have it end with a high ankle sprain in the regular-season finale versus the B.C. Lions. Both Johnson and Bolden suffered damaged knee ligaments in that game and will not play in the West final. Veteran slotback Nik Lewis has been sidelined since August with a broken leg. With McDaniel following him onto the injured list, getting West and Sinopoli up to speed again is crucial. Import wide receiver Jeff Fuller signed with the Stampeders in September and played just the final three games of the regular season. "Its good that we had this extra time . . . to get a few more days on the practice field executing the offence," head coach John Hufnagel said. West had three touchdown catches in his first four games this season before his shoulder injury in Week 4. He returned to the lineup in September only to re-injure it in his second game back. Sinopoli, a Canadian college quarterback converted into a receiver, missed the final two games of the season with a concussion. A one-handed catch on a 42-yard gain in his debut at receiver in July continues to be shown on highlight reels. The Peterborough, Ont., native says the extra work in practice without the pounding of a game has helped his transition back onto the field. "It helps and it helps just with the legs and feeling fresh," Sinopoli said. "I feel like the season just started now. I dont feel like Ive been playing for 20 weeks or whatever its been. Its huge." The bye week has to be managed properly for it to be an advantage and not a disadvantage, said running back Jon Cornish. "People talk about the bye week being a week off, but as long as you dont view it as that, its a beneficial thing," the CFLs leading rusher explained. "The bye week is supposed to be a week of practice, a hard week of practice, working out and still doing all the things you should be doing to get ready for a game, and then just not playing the game. We had that mindset this year. "A few years back, we sort of had this mindset that the bye week was some sort of week off and we shouldnt be practising hard. You get your rest from not playing in the football game." McMahon Stadium temperatures for Calgary over the next few days are forecasted to stay above zero. Hufnagel hopes that is true because frigid temperatures makes for difficult practices. "Its hard to keep these men out there for an hour and 45 minutes and expect them to have full attention when its minus-20 degrees," Hufnagel said. Sundays forecast is for flurries and a high of minus-11. But the coach says hes more concerned about high winds than a low temperature on game day. "As far as how wind effects the game, it almost cuts the game in half," he said. "When you have the wind, you have to make hay and when you dont have the wind, hopefully you can hold on." Dylan Bundy Jersey . Colorado came up big against Chicago last spring, and repeated that performance Tuesday night. Varlamov stopped 36 shots and Paul Stastny had a goal and an assist for the Avalanche in a 5-1 victory over the Blackhawks. Chance Sisco Jersey .com) - On the bright side, either the Minnesota Wild or Buffalo Sabres will end their losing streak on Thursday night. http://www.theoriolesteamshop.com/Orioles-Chris-Tillman-Kids-Jersey/ . - The Carolina Panthers believe Steve Smith lost "top-end" speed, a big reason the franchise parted ways with its all-time leading receiver.VANCOUVER - Sorry, Canada. Vancouver Canucks coach John Tortorella has apologized for favouring Sweden over Canada in the mens Olympic gold-medal hockey game. "If I have insulted anybody, that certainly wasnt my intention and I think all of you know that," he said after practice Tuesday. "But it was a careless use of words and where I should be more cognizant. I want to clear that up." Tortorella said he wanted Sweden to win in order to help struggling Canucks defenceman Alex Edler and winger Daniel Sedin turn their seasons around. Edler and Sedin played for Sweden in the Games while goaltender Roberto Luongo and Dan Hamhuis were members of the gold-medal-winning Canada squad. "My sole intent — and still is — was worrying about the Vancouver Canucks and the players (who were in the Olympics), how good theyre feeling," said Tortorella. The Canucks are mired in a seven-game losing streak that has left them in a battle for a playoff berth heading into the stretch drive of the season. Canada beeat the U. Jonathan Schoop Jersey. S. in the semifinal to qualify for the final against Sweden. Tortorella, a 55-year-old Boston native known for his outspoken ways that often rankle people, was an assistant with the American squad that lost the 2010 gold-medal game to Canada in Vancouver. He joined the Canucks after being fired by the New York Rangers in the off-season, and former Vancouver coach Alain Vigneault replaced him in the Big Apple. "As I said when I was hired here, its an absolute privilege to coach in Canada, and I still feel that," said Tortorella. "I love everything about it. I love the pressure. I love the scrutiny, all the second-guessing (and) all that stuff that comes with it. I couldnt be happier and, to me, more complete as far as what I want to do as a coach and to coach in this country." Tortorella said he sent a text message of apology to one Team Canada coach and it was passed on to all of the others after Canada blanked the Swedes 3-0 on Sunday. He also praised Hockey Canada for the work that it does. Cheap Blackhawks Jerseys Cheap Avalanche Jerseys Cheap Team USA Hockey Jerseys Cheap Stars Jerseys Cheap Wild Jerseys Cheap Predators Jerseys Cheap Blues Jerseys Cheap Jets Jerseys Cheap Ducks Jerseys Cheap Coyotes Jerseys Cheap Flames Jerseys Cheap Oilers Jerseys Cheap Kings Jerseys Cheap Sharks Jerseys Cheap Canucks Jerseys Cheap Golden Knights Jerseys Cheap Winter Classic Jerseys ' ' '