Reports » The injuries inflicted

As surprised as he was by Daniel Alfredsson leaving the Ottawa Senators, Jason Spezza talked with the former captain enough to not be shocked. Cheap NBA Jerseys . "I could understand some of his reasoning and wish him the best," Spezza said. But understanding is different than figuring out how to replace what Alfredsson brought the Senators, most notably the unquestioned leadership that came from his 17 seasons in Ottawa. Spezza would welcome the captaincy in Alfredssons absence, and the 30-year-old centre doesnt believe he has to alter much in order to assume that responsibility. "I think for me, leaderships something that comes naturally," Spezza said at last weeks NHL player media tour in Newark, N.J. "I think Ive had a big say in whats gone on in our room over the last few years, so it wont change much in how I approach the team. "Obviously itd be a huge honour. But to this point weve had a great group and we have some guys that have been there for a long time and weve always kind of led as a group, even with Alfie there. So I imagine it would be the same way with whoevers wearing the C." Spezza has played 611 games for the Senators dating to 2002-03, a tenure only surpassed by 1996 No. 1 pick Chris Phillips (1,073 games dating to 1997-98) and Chris Neil (779 games dating to 2001-02). Phillips long-standing presence on defence makes him the other reasonable choice to succeed Alfredsson as captain. But Spezza, given his star power and how much he wants to lead the post-Alfredsson era, seems to be the natural fit. "I think theres a lot of leaders in Ottawa," centre Jean-Gabriel Pageau said Saturday during a rookie tournament in London. "Spezza being there for a couple of years now, I think he has good potential to be a good leader. Hes real nice with everyone, and every time hes on the ice he give everything he has." Back and knee injuries limited Spezza to just five regular-season and three playoff games last season, and he concedes not being invited to Canadas Olympic orientation camp "gives me a little chip on my shoulder." "Im pretty motivated just by not playing last year," he said. "I want to have a good year. Ive prepared myself to have a good year." The Senators are counting on that in the wake of Alfredsson signing a one-year deal with the Detroit Red Wings, now an Atlantic Division rival. Spezza returning to the form that included 84 points in 2011-12 would be a nice step toward being back in the playoffs. For Spezza to do that and perhaps assume the captaincy, former Ottawa assistant Luke Richardson believes consistency needs to be the priority. "Theres areas of the game as a leader and you want to be a leader every night," said Richardson, a former teammate of Spezzas who now coaches the AHLs Binghamton Senators. "You cant put the risk in at the neutral zone and at the blue line when youre maybe creating two chances but youre giving them two chances. So I think thats the part of the game that has gotten way better, and hopefully it continues to get better, and thatll be a good judge on whether hes the leader of this team." Richardson, who spent three seasons on the staff in Ottawa, senses Spezzas desire to be captain. "I think I really see that he wants to be the leader, he wants to pass on some of the things that he learns to the other guys and help them get along," Richardson said. "Hes a guy that over the last few years has really grown as a person and hes matured. Hes been around the league a long time, hes had some rough times, hes had some real successful times, and hes learned from guys like Daniel Alfredsson and other veterans that have been in Ottawa the last few years." Veterans are hard to come by on a young Senators team that features 2011-12 Norris Trophy-winning defenceman Erik Karlsson and goaltender Craig Anderson, who helped keep Ottawa afloat last season amid a torrent of injuries. But Spezza already sounds like a man who wants to prove the Senators can be better this season without Alfredsson. "We add a couple good players with Clarke MacArthur and Bobby Ryan, Joe Corvo on defence, so I think possibly we have a chance to be a better team than we were last year," he said. "We look better on paper and we should be a better team, but now its our job to put it all together." Its a job that starts with Spezza. Cheap MLB Jerseys . -- Chris Jones and Louisville have done a tremendous job protecting the basketball this season and thats led to easy victories. Cheap NHL Jerseys . On July 27 cyclings best-known race will host "La Course by Le Tour de France" -- a one-day womens competition staged hours before Tour riders race on the same circuit to finish the three-week event on Paris Champs-Elysees. https://www.cheapnfljerseysjustwholesale.com/ . Consider it received. Attacking on offence early and often, the Penguins topped the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-1 on Saturday night as Jussi Jokinen scored the go-ahead goal in the third period to help give Pittsburgh a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference playoff series.A tentative date of December 1 has been set for Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson to stand trial on a felony child abuse charge. All along, Peterson has expressed he is not interested in cutting a deal and believes he did nothing wrong. While he indicated to police that he felt bad in light of the extent of the injuries, he added to be honest with you, I feel very confident with my actions because I know my intent and he characterized the incident as a normal whooping. Peterson also maintained his innocence in a statement issued through his lawyer Rusty Hardin, saying, I never ever intended to harm my son. I will say the same thing once I have my day in court. If this goes to trial (which is not a guarantee if the sides can settle), it remains possible Peterson could be acquitted. The Beating The criminal charge stems from a beating he gave his four-year-old son with a tree branch (or a switch) after Petersons son pushed another child off of a motorbike video game. Peterson grabbed a tree branch, removed the leaves and struck his son repeatedly. According to CBS Houstons Nick Wright, the assault resulted numerous injuries to the child, including cuts and bruises to the childs back, buttocks, ankles, legs and scrotum, along with defensive wounds to the childs hands. Wright also reported the following: Peterson also allegedly said via text message to the childs mother that he felt bad after the fact when I notice the switch was wrapping around hitting I (sic) thigh and also acknowledged the injury to the childs scrotum in a text message, saying, Got him in nuts once I noticed. But I felt so bad, n Im all tearing that butt up when needed! I start putting them in timeout. N save the whooping for needed memories! In further text messages, Peterson allegedly said, Never do I go overboard! But all my kids will know, hey daddy has the biggie heart but dont play no games when it comes to acting right. According to police reports, the child, however, had a slightly different story, telling authorities that Daddy Peterson hit me on my face. The child also expressed worry that Peterson would punch him in the face if the child reported the incident to authorities. He also said that he had been hit by a belt and that there are a lot of belts in Daddys closet. He added that Peterson put leaves in his mouth when he was being hit with the switch while his pants were down. The child told his mother that Peterson likes belts and switches and has a whooping room.. China NFL Jerseys. The Charge As per Section 22.04 of the Texas Penal Code, Peterson was indicted on a charge of recklessly, or with criminal negligence, caused bodily injury to a child. This type of charge is classified as a state jail felony and is punishable by 180 days to two years in jail and/or a fine of up to $10,000. Reckless defendants act with an awareness that their actions are likely to cause the crime but persist with their actions. In order to be characterized as criminally negligent, it just needs to be shown that the defendant was not aware of the potential consequences but should have been. The prosecution just needs to show either Peterson was reckless OR negligent. The latter is easier to establish since you dont need the element of awareness. Petersons Defence Physical abuse in Texas is an accepted form of discipline. Section 261.001 of the Texas Family Code allows parents to engage in reasonable discipline of children so long as it does not expose the child to a substantial risk of harm. This may explain why it took the prosecution two attempts to get Peterson indicted. Ultimately, Peterson was indicted because a grand jury believed that his conduct did not constitute reasonable discipline and ended up causing substantial harm to his child. Peterson Could Walk At Trial Based upon the merits of the case and the relatively low legal standard of negligence to be met, the prosecution has a strong case. The injuries inflicted certainly cross the line and constitute substantial harm. As well, while Peterson may not have intended to harm his son, he should have known those injuries were likely. Bottom line: the harm was bad and Peterson, at the very least, was negligent. That doesnt mean, however, the prosecution is going to win. Its entirely possible that Peterson could walk. To find Peterson guilty, jurors must reach a unanimous verdict. That means that Rusty Hardin need only convince one juror to give Peterson a pass. Hardin, who secured an acquittal for his client Roger Clemens in his perjury trial, knows that physical abuse as a form of discipline is accepted and is part of the culture in Texas. As well, reasonable discipline is provided for, and protected, under Texas law. So while that one juror may not approve of the harm inflicted and believe it wasnt reasonable, he or she may still be empathetic towards Peterson, believe hes learned his lesson and give him a pass. And for Peterson and Hardin, thats the hope. ' ' '