homas was Seattles second first-round pick in the

VANCOUVER -- There is no easy fix for the problems faced by the Vancouver Canucks, says the man who took a foundering franchise and came close to winning a Stanley Cup. Pat Quinn, the former defenceman who moved behind the Canucks bench and into the general managers office, believes new team president Trevor Linden -- a player Quinn drafted and coached -- has the potential to return Vancouver to the NHL elite. "There is no magic luxor," Quinn said Sunday after being inducted into the Canucks ring of honour at Rogers Arena. "You have to fix it. You have to have luck, you have to have cap room. "A lot of things come into play." A promising season turned bad for the Canucks, who will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2008. Watching the team this year Quinn noticed a slip in the talent level. "Its cyclical," Quinn said. "The hard part is when your good players skills start to diminish a little bit, then youve got to find replacements for that top level player." A 30-team NHL reduces that talent pool. "We dont have enough top players," Quinn said. Fans will need to be patient. "Thats where the first step comes in, the assessment that needs to be done," said Quinn. "I think thats the stage where Trev is. "Ive read he has a plan. When you have a plan you dont go around telling everybody." Linden was named president last week after Mike Gillis was fired as Vancouvers president and general manager. Quinn shrugged when asked if he will play a role in the Canucks rebuild. There has been speculation Linden may ask Quinn to return to the organization in some sort of advisory capacity. "Its a different day today," said the 71-year-old Hamilton native. "Whatever happens, happens. "Trevor is a terrific kid, there is no question. Im not really thinking about that sort of thing. He has lots on his plate." Quinn was joined by members of his family at centre ice prior to the game against the Calgary Flames for the induction ceremony. Other members of the ring of honour include Thomas Gradin, Kirk McLean and Harold Snepsts. The crowd gave Quinn a standing ovation. "It was inexplicable," Quinn said. "You cant express the emotions you feel. "You are mindful of the people who touched you along the way, how important they were to me." Quinn was Vancouvers president and general manager from 1987 to 1997. He coached the team from 1991-94 and then again late in the 1995-96 season. There are some parallels between what Quinn, 71, faced back in 1987 and the task Linden now faces. Quinn took over a wheezing, money-losing franchise and helped turned it into a high-scoring team that came within one game of winning the 1994 Stanley Cup final. "When you are first starting you know one thing," said Quinn. "I always wanted to be a team player. "No one person wins a hockey game, no one person builds a franchise. I got pretty lucky in putting this team together." In 280 games as a coach, Quinn had a record of 141 wins, 111 loses and 28 ties. With him behind the bench the Canucks won two division titles, five playoff rounds and he was voted coach of the year in 1991-92. As a general manager Quinn helped build the Canucks by drafting players like Linden and Pavel Bure. Quinn also traded for players like McLean, Cliff Ronning, Dave Babych, Jyrki Lumme, Greg Adams, Geoff Courtnall and Markus Naslund. It was through Quinn people like Brian Burke, Dave Nonis, Steve Tambellini and George McPhee received their first NHL jobs. Quinn played his junior hockey with the Edmonton Oil Kings, winning a Memorial Cup in 1963. He spent nine years as a player, playing defence for Vancouver, Toronto and Atlanta. He coached the Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, Canucks, Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers. On the international stage, Quinn coached Team Canada to gold medals at the 2002 Winter Olympics and 2009 world junior championships. Quinn said the Canucks may have struggled this year but he sees hope for the future. "When I came here in the 1970s it was hard to find a Canuck fan," he said. "Now we are all Canuck fans. "Thanks for how you treated me." Brian Propp Jersey .com) - Bayern Munich winger Xherdan Shaqiri is expected to miss the next two weeks because of a thigh injury. Ron Hextall Jersey . The 42-ranked Czech saved seven break points while converting his one chance, and defeated the No. 3 seed in 1 hour 46 minutes. Rosol, who lost in the final in Stuttgart against Roberto Bautista Agut on Sunday, awaits the winner between Philipp Kohlschreiber or 2011 champion Gilles Simon. http://www.nhlflyersproauthentic.com/ber...-hockey-jersey/. -- Derek Jeter says the New York Yankees have no choice but to move forward now that Alex Rodriguez has accepted his suspension for the 2014 season. Eric Lindros Jersey . Sterling was banned for life and fined US$2.5 million by the NBA on Tuesday for racist comments the league says he made in a recorded conversation. Nash, who plays for the rival L.A. Lakers, spoke as a representative of current NBA players at a press conference assembled by Sacramento mayor and National Basketball Players Association adviser Kevin Johnson. Dave Schultz Jersey . - No matter the lineup or location, the San Antonio Spurs are rolling through the NBA again this spring, just the way they have for most of the last two decades. RENTON, Wash. -- Earl Thomas was late to the announcement for his own contract extension, proving the Seattle Seahawks All-Pro free safety isnt just fast on the field. Driving a little too speedy to the Seahawks facility on Tuesday morning made Thomas late after getting pulled over. "I didnt try and bulldog him and say, My name is Earl Thomas. Because then he would be like, This dude is cocky, and give me a ticket," Thomas joked. "He let me off. Thats the moral of the story." Thomas was locked up through the 2018 season when the Seahawks announced a four-year contract extension making him the highest-paid safety in the NFL. The deal is worth $40 million over four years and includes $27.7 million in guaranteed money. Thomas wanted the title of highest-paid safety. He also wanted the responsibility that comes with that. Thomas was hoping to get a long-term deal in place before the Seahawks start organized team activities later this month so there were no distractions heading into the 2014 season. "I compete in everything that I do and I want to set the bar. That was my goal," Thomas said. Thomas was Seattles second first-round pick in the 2010 draft, the first with coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider leading the franchise. Its turned out to be one of the most important selections the team has made since starting a makeover with the duo in charge of moulding the Seahawks into a championship club. Thomas is a two-time first-team All-Pro selection and regarded as the top safety in the NFL. The Seahawks would be a different defensive team if they didnt have Thomas skills at their disposal. His speed allows Thomas uncommon range in coverage. Hes become more disciplined staying within Seattles defensive framework, and Thomas has remained reliable at cleaning up any problems in the back. "II think the thing that comes to the front for me is this program has always been based on competition.dddddddddddd When we look for players and coaches to add to our club were always looking for great competitors," Carroll said. "When we had the chance to take Earl, I dont know that I appreciated it as much as I do now the great competitor that he is. He has throughout the time hes been with us as a very young man, has played at the highest level he can generate every single day that hes played for us in this organization." Thomas gets the second major extension Seattle has announced this off-season after locking up Carroll through 2016. Now the question is if the Seahawks can get an extension done with All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman. Staying in-house has been the Seahawks priority this off-season; they also took care of bringing back defensive end Michael Bennett. "Sherm has everything under control. Hell take care of it," Thomas said. Schneider said the commitment to Thomas is another signal that Seattle doesnt intend on being a contender or a champion just once. "I think youre seeing an evolution of our development in terms of acquisition and how were building this team to be a consistent championship-calibre team," Schneider said. "We talk about it all the time we dont want to be a team that cruises in and cruises out." Thomas wanted to share the day with those close to him. He made sure one of the photo ops before the formal announcement included most of the defensive coaching staff, along with teammate Kam Chancellor, who signed an extension through 2017 last off-season. "Thats my family. Thats the people that have helped me," Thomas said. "... You learn from everybody, every opportunity you get. I dont waste my time. I invest everything." ' ' '