Gordie Howe scored 801 NHL goals and they called him Mr. Kevin White Jersey . Hockey. Wayne Gretzky came along and scored 894 NHL goals and they called him The Great One. John Tavares, a superstar in Canadas other officially designated national sport, joined them in an elite echelon of athletic achievement by scoring his 800th pro indoor goal on Saturday. "Hes the epitome of lacrosse as a player and as a person," says Buffalo Bandits teammate Anthony Cosmo, who has been reunited with Tavares after sharing Mann Cup triumphs while keeping in shape with him in summer amateur play. "Hes Mr. Lacrosse to me. Hes an amazing leader, an amazing lacrosse player. Its been an absolute pleasure playing with him." Tavares is 45 and in his 23rd season with the Bandits of the National Lacrosse League. Hes originally from Toronto, hes in a classroom weekdays teaching high school math in Mississauga, and he is an uncle of the NHL player of the same name. He scored his 800th goal in Buffalo on Saturday at 13:49 of the third quarter. Tavares scored his 800th on a power play at the 13:49 mark of the third quarter in Buffalos 16-13 loss to Calgary on Saturday. He had the ball to the left of Roughnecks goalie Mike Poulin, stepped towards the middle of the floor, and bounced a ball into the net from just outside the crease late in the third quarter, lifting most of the 16,606 spectators out of their First Niagara Center seats. "The nice thing about scoring the 800th is that theres no pressure for the next 99," he quipped afterwards. Hes also amassed in excess of 1,700 points. All of his numbers are NLL career scoring records. "I really dont care for milestones but, obviously, its a huge achievement to score 800 in the league for the number of games (293) that Ive played," he says. Buffalos Memorial Auditorium, where he scored his first two goals in a 1992 game against the defunct New York Saints, was razed long ago but Tavares is playing as if he could be around for a while yet. His 2014 season has been inspiring to everybody who has watched. Hes scoring as frequently as he was 10 years ago. "Im not trying to beat Gordie Howes record," he replies when asked if he could play until hes 52, like Howe. "No way. I have to run. Im not wearing skates out there." Tavares has been a key contributor this season. The Bandits are 8-6 so far in their 18-game schedule. "It makes it a lot more fun when youre winning," he says. Edmonton GM-coach Derek Keenan was a teammate of Tavares on that first-year Bandits outfit back in 92. Tavares showed exceptional talent right from the start of his rookie season as he was helped along by veteran teammates such as Kevin Alexander. "It was jaw-dropping how talented he was," says Keenan. Still is. The other night, he leapt with one hand on his stick in an attempt to score from behind the net and just missed. "John always morphed his game to suit his age or injuries," says Keenan. "He was an exciting inside player who dove the crease 10 times a game and played in the dirty areas. He rarely missed around the net when he had a chance in tight. He did that for a long time. Now his outside shooting is just unbelievable. "Thats been going on for 10 years. That started in his late 20s." The intensity level has never diminished. "Hes a competitor," says Keenan. "He can be nasty. Hes as tough as nails, and fearless. You wont come across a tougher competitor." Tavares pondered quitting after the disappointments of 2013 but opted to forge ahead. "My kids are always telling me, Daddy, one more year, one more year," he explains. The brass urged him to continue, too. "People like (GM) Steve Dietrich still felt I had something left in me so I came back." New coach Troy Cordingley gives him plenty of minutes on the green carpets of the NLL. "Hes the ultimate team player," says Cordingley. "Hes not worried about his goals or assists, hes worried about wins. "Hes unbelievable. Hes a great leader in our dressing room. He is not one bit worried about any individual stats. Hes just concerned about wins and thats the best kind of leader to have on your team." Cordingley was an assistant coach with the Bandits when they last won the NLL championship in 2008, he was a defenceman in Buffalo during his playing days, and he coached against him when he stood behind benches in Calgary and Toronto, so he knows Tavares well. "Hes a smart player," says Cordingley. "You have to try to outsmart him, which is pretty difficult. He knows where to go in open spaces. Hes a little bit slower than he was but hes so smart. He does other things off ball, too, to create space for other guys." Jim Veltman was a pro teammate of Tavares from 1992 through 1996, when they won a third title together. Veltman then captained the Toronto Rock to five championships in seven years through 2005. Meanwhile, they were summer teammates winning Canadian amateur titles with teams in Brampton, Ont., and in Victoria, when they last played together in 2003. "It was a thrill Ill never forget," Veltman says of hoisting the Mann Cup with Tavares in 03. "Just to be able to play with John again was a big reason why I played that year in Victoria." They shared a lot of laughs. "He makes the game fun," says Veltman, who retired in 2008. "He sees the game in a whole different light than most players. "Hes one of those guys you play with and you see him do something special and you think, Wow, Ive never seen anything like that before. Hes like a kid in a playground. Most guys never tried some of the stuff he tried because theyd be afraid the coach would yell at you, but not John." Veltman recalled a trick Tavares used early in his career. A teammate would carry the ball behind the opposing teams net. Tavares would manoeuvre to the front of the crease and fall to his knees as if hed been hit. Hed hold his stick up in front of his chest. The teammate behind the net would hit the target with a pass and Tavares would score from his knees. Some of his antics off the floor were hilarious. During that 03 Mann Cup series, "Wed lost one of the games and everybody was feeling the pressure," Veltman recalls. "Guys were saying, Weve got to win, weve got to win and John came to the rink in womens underwear or whatever it was to loosen things up." It worked. Longtime NLL coach Bob Hamley was another 92 teammate. "He has been able to do what he has done because of his lacrosse IQ and his compete level," says Hamley. "I consider lacrosse players to be competitive people but John was and is at another level when it comes to competing. You combine this with his on-floor intelligence and it made him what he is today. His drive and intelligence are unmatched." Paul Day was on that 92 Buffalo team too. Day grew up in Peterborough and played against Tavares in his youth. "John already had an unbelievable stick when he was 12 years old," recalls Day, who is an assistant coach with the Rochester Knighthawks. "I remember slashing him a few times in junior, trying to get under his skin, and he wouldnt even look at you because you couldnt rattle him." There is much more to Tavares game than piling up scoring points. Day remembers a game when they had just turned pro in which Tavares laid out an opponent. "He hit a guy at centre, an open-floor hit that was one of the best ones Ive ever seen in lacrosse," he recalls. "What can you say about him now? Hes the best of all time, the best Ive ever seen." Eric Kush Jersey . He was with the New York Jets in 2011 when the NFL locked out their players after they failed to agree on a new contract. Willy went undrafted but was given a look by four NFL teams before heading north. Mike Singletary Jersey . -- Canadas Justin Shin shot an 8-under 64 on Thursday on PGA Wests Nicklaus Tournament Course to take the first-round lead in the Web. http://www.cheapbearsjerseysonline.com/ . The Mariners ace allowed just one hit over eight innings while striking out nine, and Robinson Cano backed him with a two-run homer as Seattle earned a 3-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Sunday.TORONTO - The Toronto Maple Leafs longest losing streak since 2010 has their playoff hopes in serious doubt. The Detroit Red Wings longest winless stretch in three months has prevented the club from separating itself in the wild card race. The two clubs look to get on track Saturday night, when the Leafs try to snap a seven-game slide against a Red Wings team looking to win for the first time in four contests. Detroit and Toronto are two of four teams tied for the two wild card spots in the Eastern Conference with 80 points. The Red Wings, Columbus Blue Jackets and Washington Capitals all have nine games remaining on the season, while the Maple Leafs have seven left to play. That has Toronto on the outside of the playoff picture, while the Red Wings and Blue Jackets have the current tiebreaker over the Capitals with more non-shootout wins. Washington is hosting the Boston Bruins on Saturday afternoon, while Columbus is set to visit the Carolina Hurricanes in the evening. The Maple Leafs seemed in prime position to make the playoffs for a second straight season just weeks ago, but have lost seven in a row in regulation. That is the longest losing streak for the club since an 0-6-2 slide from Oct. 28-Nov. 13, 2010. Toronto doesnt have much time to regroup after dropping a 4-2 road decision to the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday night. That setback did see winger James van Riemsdyk set a club record by scoring just four seconds into the second period, but it wasnt enough. Dave Bolland also scored and Jonathan Bernier allowed four goals on 29 shots faced. "I think our work ethic and all that stuff has been good. We havent quit, weve played hard to the end," noted van Riemsdyk, who bested Mats Sundins previous club record set when he scored six seconds into overtime on Dec. 30, 1995. "Like I said, sometimes we just arent getting those bounces and were just going to have to find a way to just clean things up a little bit more where were not making any mistakes because it seems like when we do were not gettingg the bounces that we need. Roquan Smith Jersey. quot; That is especially true for Torontos goaltenders. Bernier has allowed four goals in both games he has played since returning from a five-game absence caused by a groin injury, while James Reimer has yielded 18 goals over a personal five-game losing streak. Bernier will get the start again for Toronto. He is 2-1-1 with a 2.85 goals against average versus the Red Wings. Toronto opens a four-game homestand tonight and will then close the season with three straight on the road. The Leafs are 22-14-1 at home on the season. The Red Wings are trying to avoid missing the postseason for the first time since 1990 and remain without a number of injured players, including Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk. They come into this key meeting having gone 0-2-1 in their last three games, the longest winless stretch for the Red Wings since they went 0-4-2 from Dec. 7-17. Detroit tried to rally on Thursday night against the visiting Montreal Canadiens, but came up short in a 5-4 decision. Tomas Tatar scored twice in a span of just over three minutes in the third period to tie the game, but the Habs went back on top 78 seconds later. Montreal then restored a two-goal edge before Johan Franzen tallied to get the Red Wings within a goal, but another comeback was not in the cards. "Catch-up hockey is losing hockey," Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock said. Riley Sheahan recorded a goal and an assist in the loss, but Jimmy Howard stopped just 24-of-29 shots. Babcock said Howard is his likely starter for tonight as the Red Wings also are set to host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday. Howard is 1-1-1 in his career against Toronto with a 2.61 GAA. The Red Wings have won two of three against the Maple Leafs this season, with the lone setback coming in a shootout on Jan. 1 outdoors at Michigan Stadium. Detroits 5-4 shootout victory on Dec. 21 snapped a four-game series road losing streak as the Red Wings won in Toronto for the first time since Nov. 16, 2002. 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