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SOCHI, Russia -- Martin St. Louis is going to get a chance to represent his country at the Winter Olympics after all. Hockey Canada announced today that the 38-year-old Tampa Bay forward will replace injured Lightning teammate Steven Stamkos on Canadas mens hockey team at the Sochi Olympics. "I heard from Stammer that he wasnt going to go, so I knew it was a possibility," St. Louis told reporters in Tampa on Thursday. "So I guess I was prepared for it." St. Louis said he felt bad for Stamkos, who tried hard to come back from a broken right tibia he suffered in a Nov. 11 NHL game before being ruled out of Olympic competition by the Lightnings medical staff on Wednesday. "I think weve got to understand how hard hes tried and worked to put himself in the position hes in and give himself a chance," St. Louis said. "Obviously hes disappointed and Im disappointed for him. Stammers a true professional and hes done everything he can this past month to get back to the lightning first and hopefully to Team Canada." St. Louis was considered one of Canadas most surprising snubs when Canadas team was first announced, along with Philadelphia forward Claude Giroux and Pittsburgh forward James Neal. The Laval, Que., native led the league in points in the 2012-13 shortened season with 17 goals and 43 assists in 48 games. He is having another strong campaign in 2013-14 with 54 points (25 goals, 29 assists) in 56 games, good for 11th in the league. "I dont see this as Marty replacing me, I see it as Marty deserving a spot on this team and going over and hopefully bringing back a gold medal," said Stamkos in the same news conference. St. Louis has won two World Championship silver medals for Canada over his career. He played in the 2006 Turin Olympics, scoring two goals and an assist in Canadas disappointing seventh-place finish. St. Louis went on a 10-game point streak (eight goals, six assists) for the Lightning after first being left off Canadas team, announced on Jan. 7. He said the snub had nothing to do with his increased production, but his play of late might have given him the edge over Giroux and Neal. "I dont think its motivation. Ive been motivated the past four years ... the past 10 years. If youre not motivated, youre not even considered for these things. His speed could be a benefit to Canada, which has struggled in the Olympics when playing on the larger international ice surface. Canada won gold in Salt Lake City in 2002 and in Vancouver in 2010 playing in NHL-style arenas, but was left off the podium in Nagano, Japan in 1998 and Turin, Italy in 2006. "Obviously its a bigger ice surface. It think my quickness, my speed ... thats what Im going to rely on," St. Louis said. "Its a different game, but I think whatever game plan we come up with, its going to be well thought-out." Stamkos is confident that his teammate can fill any position on Team Canada. "Hes going to go over there and play whatever role possible. I personally think hes going to play a big role," said Stamkos. "The character that he has, the way hes played in big-game situations in the past. I mean, hes won individual awards, hes won the team championships, hes been in those situations. "Its not like its a young guy thats never been in these situations before filling in for someone. This is a guy who can step in and play any role asked." Dexter Williams Packers Jersey .Y. - Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby captured his second career Art Ross trophy on Sunday after leading the NHL in scoring this season. Reggie White Womens Jersey . -- Two out of three aint bad. http://www.packersrookiestore.com/Packer...Jenkins-Jersey/. "Im not even that added up," the 39-year-old Australian replied. And to the Hall of Famers surprise, when all the math was done Sunday in the JTBC Founders Cup, she was the one posing for pictures with the big trophy. Bart Starr Womens Jersey . Howard had 17 points and a career-high-tying 26 rebounds in his Houston debut, James Harden added 21 points and the Rockets cruised to a 96-83 win over the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night. Aaron Rodgers Womens Jersey . Various media outlets, including the Detroit Free Press, indicate a deal is close, while USA Today cited an unidentified person directly involved with the negotiations as saying the pact is for two years.ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Stephen Vogt hit his first home run of the season, a two-run shot against Jered Weaver, and the Oakland Athletics increased their AL West lead over the Los Angeles Angels to 3 1/2 games with a 7-1 victory Wednesday night. Tommy Milone (4-3) allowed a run and six hits in 6 2-3 innings with four strikeouts and two walks. The left-hander is 4-0 with a 2.00 ERA in his last seven starts overall, and 4-0 with a 3.54 ERA in five career starts at Angel Stadium. Weaver (7-5) gave up four runs and six hits through 5 1-3 innings in his 14th start, matching his shortest outing of the season. In his last two starts against Oakland, the three-time All-Star has allowed nine earned runs in 11 1-3 innings. Both centre fielders made home run-saving catches -- Mike Trout robbing Yoenis Cespedes to end the first inning and Coco Crisp pulling back Josh Hamiltons drive leading off the second. Cespedes drove in Oaklands first run with a third-inning single, and Hamilton drove in the Angels first run with a fourth-inning double off the glove of first baseman Brandon Moss. Cespedes snuffed out an Angels rally in the seventh with his major league-leading ninth outfield assist, throwing out Albert Pujols at third after misplaying his double to left field. Cespedes got a huge assist from third baseman Josh Donaldson, who caught the throw going away from the bag and made a diving tag on Pujols. Tuesday night, Cespedes threw out Howie Kendrick at the plate with a 300-foot throw from the left field corner after misplaying a double by Trout -- the third time he threw out an Angels runner at home this season. The As, who dropped the first two games of the series 4-1 and 2-1 in 14 innings, broke a 1-all tie with three runs in the sixth. Cesspedes led off with a double that deflected off the glove of third baseman John McDonald as he dove toward the line, and Moss followed with a dribbler to the left of the mound that got past Weaver for a single with the Angels overshifting to the right side.dddddddddddd Cespedes scored the go-ahead run on Jed Lowries sacrifice fly. Vogt, making his sixth start since his recall from Triple-A Sacramento on June 1 and his fourth behind the plate, chased Weaver with a drive deep into the right field seats on the right-handers 104th pitch. Weaver has allowed a home run in six consecutive starts -- equaling his career-worst stretch, which occurred in his final six outings of 2011. Oakland tacked on three more runs in the ninth against Cory Rasmus. Crisp and Cespedes had RBI singles, and Eric Sogard scored when the rookie right-hander tried to pick off Crisp at first base and threw the ball away. Lowrie ended a career-worst 0-for-21 drought with an opposite-field single in the third. Donaldson, who wasnt in the starting lineup after making four throwing errors in the first two games of the series, entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the sixth and was 0 for 2 -- extending his career-worst hitless drought to 23 at-bats. NOTES: Oakland LHP Fernando Abad has stranded all 14 of his inherited baserunnners, while Angels RHP Fernando Salas has allowed all nine of his inherited runners to score. ... Two of Vogts big league homers have been against the Angels. ... The Angels are 13-18 against AL West teams and 23-11 against everyone else. ... Oakland LHP Sean Doolittle has not allowed a run in a career-best 21 1-3 consecutive innings, and has 44 strikeouts with only one walk. ... The As are the only team in the majors that hasnt had a rookie play. ' ' '