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TORONTO -- Russ Howard was asleep in his Riga hotel room when the phone rang with word that he would be inducted into Canadas Sports Hall of Fame. The Olympic champion curler and TSN curling analyst immediately went online to look at the Halls long list of honoured members. Thats when the enormity of the honour sunk in. "I get the chance to golf with (hockey legend) Bobby Orr once in a year in a charity event and hes my hero," Howard said Wednesday at a morning news conference. "To think that a little guy from Midland, Ontario is in with Bobby Orr is pretty cool." Howard is a two-time world champion who now does curling broadcasting work. He was in the Latvian capital last March to cover the world womens championship. "Nobody knew I was in Latvia so thats why I got the call at four in the morning," he said. "I thought I was dreaming obviously -- and I still am." Joining Howard in this years class are former NHL star Joe Sakic, cyclist Alison Sydor, five-time Paralympian Andre Viger and the 1992 Olympic champion womens coxless four rowing team of Kirsten Barnes, Brenda Taylor, Jessica Monroe-Gonin, Kay Worthington and Jennifer Walinga. Former Canadian Amateur Hockey Association president Murray Costello and sport development architect Dr. Jean-Guy Ouellet enter as builders. Inductees will be presented with their member jackets at an evening ceremony. Howard won national and world titles in 1987 and 1993. He said the first Brier victory with his brother Glenn was one of the most special victories from his long career, especially since they came up just short in the 1986 final. His most memorable win came at the Turin Games in 2006 when he earned Olympic gold with skip Brad Gushue of Newfoundland and Labrador. "There was so much different pressure at that, with 70 million people watching our final game," Howard said. "Youre representing your country. At my age it was my last and only chance to win an Olympic medal for my country. So that pressure was a lot different than at the Canadian championships." Sakic, who had 1,641 career regular-season points over 20 seasons in the NHL, won the Stanley Cup with Colorado in 1996 and 2001. He currently serves as the teams executive vice-president of hockey operations. "Its a tremendous honour," Sakic said. "When I got the call it was very, very exciting. "Obviously you start to reflect and you think back, and I just remember as a kid youre watching your Canadian Olympians and obviously cheering them on and you want to see them do well. And then to get a taste of it yourself, have a whole new appreciation for what all the athletes in different sports had to do to prepare and get ready for these things." Sakic won titles at the Winter Olympics, world hockey championship, World Cup of Hockey and the world junior championship. He first broke into the NHL with the Quebec Nordiques in 1988. "To play for your country, I got a chance to play with Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux, and I wouldnt have had that happen on my regular team," he said. "Any time you put the Canadian jersey on, you just felt something more and something special. The game just seemed to mean a little bit more. We never took that for granted." Sydor won Olympic silver at the 1996 Atlanta Games and picked up her third straight world title that year. The three-time Pan Am Games medallist had 17 career World Cup mountain bike victories. Viger, who died in 2006, was one of the best wheelchair racers of all-time. He won 10 medals over five appearances at the Paralympic Games and held world records at several distances. The coxless four team that won Olympic gold in Barcelona is considered one of Canadas best-ever rowing crews. Walinga was forced to withdraw with a back injury shortly before the competition but Worthington stepped in and helped the crew win a gold medal. "I think we feel that our honour has a great deal to do with what we went through," Walinga said. "I think we represent the power of sport and the power of team, or what human beings are capable of achieving and what human beings are capable of overcoming when they function as a unified, collaborative team." Costello has helped Canada become a hockey powerhouse. He has served as president of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (now Hockey Canada) and vice-president of the International Ice Hockey Federation. He has spearheaded numerous development and skills programs that continue to be used today. "Its always nice to be recognized," Costello said. "Its particularly nice when youre recognized across all sports in this great country." Ouellet, who held the position of Director of Mission Quebec, designed and implemented programs to prepare athletes from the province to represent Canada at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. The programs were the basis for the high performance sports model in Quebec and are used today as a model for other provinces and countries around the world. A gallery featuring each of this years inductees will be showcased at the Hall of Fame facility at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary. The Class of 2013 brings the total number of honoured members to 540. Yohander Mendez Jersey . Last year, Islanders forward Colin Mcdonald released a "Do It For Colin" campaign to promote his teammate and friend John Tavares for the EA sports honour:The most popular sports voting video ever has to go to Chris Bosh who showcased his comedic abilities in his effort to get fans to vote him into the 2008 All Star Game:You can vote for TJ and other star players for the NHL 15 cover vote here. Jim Fregosi Rangers Jersey . -- Coyotes coach Dave Tippett thinks of one thing when he watches Eastern Conference teams struggle against Western opponents before they get to Phoenix: His team must keep pace. https://www.cheaprangersbaseball.com/502...ey-rangers.html. The 31-year-old Russian dominated the No. 3-ranked Ferrer throughout, breaking the defending champion and local favourite four times on the indoor hard court. Johnny Oates Rangers Jersey . Although Spain could still advance out of the group stage, the game may have signalled the end of the run by a generation of Spanish stars whose quick passing, "tiki-taka" style delighted the world and helped them win the last three major tournaments. Frank Howard Rangers Jersey . "Last year didnt go the way we wanted it to, but we need to look at what went well and what didnt go so well. Hopefully this year we will be better," Brendan Gallagher said after practice. This year, the Canadiens have a little more depth to work with by adding players like Daniel Briere, Dale Weise, Mike Weaver, Douglas Murray and arguably, the biggest addition to this playoff roster, Thomas Vanek, who the Canadiens were able to land at the trade deadline.PORTLAND, Ore. - Thomas Robinson was rewarded with a standing ovation during his very first NBA start.Robinson had 15 points and 16 rebounds while starting in place of injured centre Robin Lopez, sparking the Portland Trail Blazers to a 104-97 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night.I was a little nervous, said Robinson, averaging only 7.6 minutes going into the game.The third-year forward assessed his performance as just OK, but fans at the Moda Center cheered wildly for him. Robinson became the third Blazers player to put up at least 15 points and 15 rebounds in his first start: The other two were Bill Walton and Maurice Lucas.Robinsons outburst was welcome on a team that faces uncertainty in the absence of Lopez, who broke his hand Monday in the third quarter of a victory over San Antonio.I was just happy to see him get that opportunity because I know how hard he works and how positive he is, being that he hasnt played a lot this year, Portland guard Damian Lillard said.Lillard had 29 points and seven assists, and LaMarcus Aldridge added 23 points and tied his season high with 15 rebounds. Portland has won three straight and eight of 10.Brandon Knight had 24 points for the Bucks, who played their first game since Jabari Parker was hurt. The heralded rookie will miss the rest of the season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during the third quarter of Milwaukees victory Monday over Phoenix.Parker, the second overall pick in this years NBA draft, will require surgery. The one-and-done star out of Duke averaged 12.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game for the Bucks this season.Milwaukee took another blow late in the first half when forward Giannis Antetokounmpo sprained his left ankle.Antetokounmpo grimaced in pain under the basket while his teammates surrounded him, but after several tense moments he walked unassisted off the floor and straight to the locker room.The second-year forward from Greece was averaging 12.2 points and 5.9 rebounds going into the game.Its tough to see those guys go down but youve still got to come together as a team and play as hard as you can with the guys you have left, Bucks centre Larry Sanders said. We were still fighting and grinding out there.Khris Middleton started the second halff in Antetokounmpos place and finished with 17 points.ddddddddddddKnight had 10 points in the first quarter as the Bucks took a 25-18 lead. Antetokounmpo made a pair of free throws that gave Milwaukee a 39-29 lead — its biggest of the game — but the Blazers rallied to tie it at 41 after Robinsons late basket. Portland pulled in front on a pair of free throws from Aldridge to lead 43-41 at the break.Wesley Matthews hit a 9-foot jumper to give the Blazers a 55-51 lead midway through the third quarter, but the Bucks kept up the pressure and led 70-68 going into the final period.After Robinsons putback tied the game at 77, Nicolas Batum hit a 3-pointer and Joel Freeland added a short jumper to put the Blazers ahead 82-79 with 7:11 left. Portland extended the lead to as many as 13 points down the stretch.Late in the game, the Bucks resorted to fouling Robinson often. He made five of 15 attempts from the free throw line.Ill go home, see what I messed up, and come back and be better, Robinson said.___TIP-INSBucks: There was an outpouring of support from around the NBA for Parker. Dwyane Wade posted on Twitter: Heard the sad news about my youngin Jabari Parker ... prayers up for you my brother..stay strong and come back stronger.Trail Blazers: Portland activated guard CJ McCollum for the game. McCollum missed 14 games because of a broken index finger on his right hand. ... It was Robinsons fifth career double-double.PUT ME IN, COACHAntetokounmpo had his ankle taped during the break and wanted to go back in for the third quarter, but ultimately the Bucks decided to sit him for the rest of the night. Milwaukee plays at Sacramento on Thursday night.QUOTINGBucks coach Jason Kidd on the injuries: Its always tough. You never want to see anyone get hurt. Its part of the game, but back-to-back injuries to your two youngest players can make you a little nervous.ANOTHER SCARY MOMENTBatum dunked with 3:01 left to give the Blazers a 92-82 lead. He was fouled by Sanders and appeared to fall on his face under the basket. Even coach Terry Stotts rushed to make sure Batum was OK. Batum eventually returned to shoot the technical after Sanders was assessed a flagrant foul.UP NEXTThe Trail Blazers visit the Spurs on Friday.The Bucks visit the Kings on Thursday. ' ' '