ahead in the 19th when he tapped in a rebound that Vale

DENVER - Jarome Iginla felt a little more youthful on his 37th birthday even as he became the old man of the Colorado Avalanche. Hes energized by the challenge of not only trying to keep up with the likes of speedy forward Nathan MacKinnon, who is half Iginlas age, but also of helping this rising squad take another step in its growth. "I dont want to be arrogant, but I still believe I can be very good," said Iginla, who celebrated his birthday Tuesday by signing a three-year, $16 million deal with Colorado. "And this is a dynamic group. I think they work hard and theyre committed, and theyre just going to keep getting better and better." The Avs are coming off a season in which they tied a franchise record with 52 wins in Patrick Roys first year behind the bench and returned to the post-season for the first time since 2009-10. Among their top priorities in the off-season? Adding some grizzled veterans to the squad. First, the team picked up veteran forward Daniel Briere from Montreal for right wing P.A. Parenteau and a fifth-round pick in next years draft. Then, Colorado acquired defenceman Brad Stuart from the San Jose Sharks for a second-round pick in 2016 and a sixth-rounder in 2017. On Tuesday afternoon, shortly after losing fan favourite Paul Stastny in free agency — he signed a four-year, $28 million deal with division rival St. Louis — the Avs worked out a deal with Iginla. It wasnt a laborious task, especially given the friendship between Iginla and Avalanche Hall of Famer turned executive Joe Sakic. The two have been tight since their days with Team Canada and when Sakic made his pitch, Iginla intently listened. Then again, one of Iginlas kids is named Joe at least in part because of Sakic. "(Sakic) is a winner so it definitely had something to do with this," Iginla said. Iginla has played in 1,310 regular season games with Calgary, Pittsburgh and Boston. He had 30 goals in 78 games for the Bruins last season. "Jaromes track record speaks for itself," Sakic said. "He is one of the top goal scorers of all time, as well as a great leader. His addition will bolster our offence." As for being the elder statesman of the team, Iginla just laughed. "I feel good," said Iginla, whos earned two Olympic gold medals with Canada. "As far as my game dropping off, I dont think it will. ... I dont come here expecting to do less." He joins a team that captured a surprise Central Division crown. The turnaround of the Avalanche led to quite a few post-season awards, too, with Roy taking home coach of the year, MacKinnon being named the top rookie and Ryan OReilly capturing the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for gentlemanly play. Semyon Varlamov also was a finalist for outstanding goaltender, which went to Tuukka Rask of Boston. Sakic was hoping to return the nucleus for another run, but wasnt about to break the bank to make that happen. Sakic said two weeks ago the team had a salary structure in place, setting the financial bar in deals with Varlamov, Matt Duchene and captain Gabriel Landeskog. These days, Sakic is attempting to work out a long-term deal with OReilly, a restricted free agent who led the team with a career-high 28 goals in 2013-14. In the meantime, Sakic orchestrated a deal to add the 34-year-old Stuart in order to bring more tenacity to the Avalanches blue line. He was third on the Sharks in blocked shots (114) and hits (122) last season. Stuart may be called upon to mentor defenceman Nick Holden, who signed a three-year extension that runs through the 2017-18 season. Briere is another scorer who could help offset the loss of Stastny. Iginla likes the additions of Stuart and Briere. "Its kind of neat to join a new team, but also having other guys in the same boat and get to come in together," Iginla said. "Thats pretty cool." One of the enduring images in Avalanche history is Sakic passing the Stanley Cup over to Ray Bourque for him to hoist after their win in 2001. See Landeskog doing the same for Iginla one day? "Thats a hope," Iginla said. "These guys, theyre driven. I think there are lots of good things already happening." ___ AP Hockey Writer Larry Lage contributed. Morgan Rielly Maple Leafs Jersey . The move will give Hentgen the "time needed to support his family and his fathers current health issues," the Blue Jays said in a release. Hentgen spent 10 of his 14 big-league seasons with the Blue Jays, winning a Cy Young Award in 1996. Auston Matthews Jersey . The deals were announced on Friday. Beckham will receive $4.175 million in base salary, while De Aza will receive $4.25 million. Beckham hit .267 with five home runs and 24 RBIs over 103 games last season, his fifth with the White Sox. http://www.mapleleafsteamstoreonline.com/authentic-garret-sparks-maple-leafs-jersey/ . Bjoerndalen, who had failed to win any major race for two years before Sochi, writes in a Facebook entry that he is "full of energy and inspiration" after winning the 10-kilometre sprint and mixed relay at last months Olympics. Zach Hyman Jersey . For one, he still gets to crank the intensity to the max. "I push pretty angry. I ran pretty angry too though, but I have fun doing it," Lumsden said. Felix Potvin Maple Leafs Jersey . On Tuesday, the star questioned whether that was still the case. Speaking to reporters at a charity event, Johnson said: "I just kind of wonder sometimes: Is this still the place for me?" Johnsons comments came after he was asked why he recently skipped a voluntary minicamp.BARCELONA, Spain -- Carlos Vela skillfully chested down a long pass before firing in Real Sociedads injury-time winner to snatch a dramatic 2-1 win at home over Espanyol in the Spanish league on Saturday. Velas 13th goal in league play allowed Sociedad to rise into provisional sixth place, and moved the Basque club closer to clinching a Europa League berth. "This victory ... almost books our place in Europe" Sociedad coach Jagoba Arrasate said. "Vela wasnt having his best day, but that doesnt bother him and he is able to score a goal like he did. He is a player that makes the difference." Sociedad hemmed Espanyol into its area from the start, pushing the action into its final third of the pitch. But Espanyol striker Jhon Cordobas solo effort put the visitors ahead at Anoeta Stadium in the 26th minute, when he quickly spun around Mikel Gonzalez before slotting the ball past goalie Claudio Bravo. Sergio Canales levelled in the 32nd when his cross took a deflection off the back of Espanyols Manuel Lanzarote, catching goalie Kiko Casilla wrong-footed. The match looked destined to end in a draw until Vela used a deft touch to control a lobbed pass and slip the ball by defender Juan Fuentes before firing in the late winner. Also, Valencia forward Jonas went on in the second half and scored to secure a 1-1 draw at Osasuna, while Getafe stayed in the drop zone after a 0-0 draw at Levante.dddddddddddd Valencia can focus on preparing for its visit to Sevilla on Thursday for the first leg of their Europa League semifinal. Striker Oriol Riera put Osasuna ahead in the 19th when he tapped in a rebound that Valencia goalkeeper Vicente Guaita knocked down to his feet for his 12th league goal. Host Osasuna controlled the match with Roberto Torres hitting the upright in the 53rd, until Jonas took a pass from fellow Brazilian substitute Araujo on the run and slotted an angled shot inside the far post in the 82nd. "The draw is fair," Valencia coach Juan Pizzi said. "They thought that they could defend well and it would be difficult for us to score, but we did so at the end." The draw left Valencia in eighth place and seven points off the final Europa League berth, while Osasuna stayed three points from the relegation zone. Getafe finished at Levante with 10 men following Alexis Ruanos second yellow card in the 81st minute of a foul-filled match. Getafe remained among the bottom three sides along with Almeria and Real Betis. Levante stayed in the middle of the standings. Atletico Madrid beat Elche 2-0 on Friday to provisionally extend its league lead to six points over Real Madrid, which wont play its game from this round against Valladolid until May 7. Barcelona trails Atletico by seven points before hosting Athletic Bilbao on Sunday. ' ' '