Although many of his offensive records have now been left in the dust by Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux, former Boston Bruins/New York Rangers center Phil Esposito is still regarded by hockey experts as one of the greatest players in NHL history. He’s forever enshrined in hockey’s hall of fame along with brother, goaltender Tony Esposito.

A native of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Esposito was signed by the Chicago Blackhawks as a teenager. After some time in junior hockey, he was called up to the NHL in’64 quickly earning a spot on the teams top line between Bobby Hull and Marcel Dionne. In’67, Esposito was traded to the Boston Bruins along with Ken Hodge and Fred Stanfield.

It was as a Bruin that ‘Espo’ began his onslaught against the NHL record book.. In’69, he became the first NHL player to top the 100 point mark (combined goals and assists) for the season”he obliterated the record with 126 points, which would be the first of six times that hed top the century mark. He topped 100 points in five straight seasons between’71 and’75, missing a sixth straight season by a single point with 99 in’70.

In the’70-71 season, Esposito scored 76 goals to smash the NHL’s single season scoring record. That record stood for over a decade until Wayne Gretzky scored 79 for the Edmonton Oilers in’81-82. Gretzky also broke Espositos single season points record of 154. Perhaps the most amazing element of Espositos game was the frequency with which he put the puck on net”Espo had 550 shots on goal in’70-71. No one has since come close”in fact, just last Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals became the first player to come within 100 shots of Espositos mark.

In’75, Esposito was traded to the New York Rangers where his experience, intelligence for the game and nose for the puck made him a valuable component of the Broadway Blueshirts offense and he was named team captain. Until the very end of his career, he remained a dangerous scoring threat that all opposing teams were forced to reckon with.

After his retirement in’75, moved into the executive suite. He served as the GM of the Rangers before helping secure an expansion team for Tampa, Florida in’92. Esposito served as the President and GM of the Tampa Bay Lightning until’98.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and respected authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and betting odds portal sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a kangaroo. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

The offensively struggling Kansas City Chiefs have finally found a way to win-play a team with a more stagnant offense than their own. The Chiefs gave Todd Haley his first win as a NFL head coach on Sunday with a—6 win over the Washington Redskins. Kansas City won despite not scoring a touchdown, compiling their– points via 4 Ryan Succop field goals and a game ending safety. Kansas City is now 1-5 on the NFL season, while the Redskins slumped to 2-4.

To successfully bet on NFL football you occasionally have to put aside W/L records and look at the underlying statistics. Those who did that found reason to take Kansas City as +6′ road underdogs and were rewarded with the outright victory. Kansas City is now 2-4 against the NFL pointspread and has covered two straight while Washington is a dismal 1-5 versus the money.

After the contest, Haley sounded more relieved than excited about finally putting a “W” on the board:

“We made it pretty difficult, right down to the end. We’ve pushed through a very difficult period. We needed to get some positive reinforcement with a win.”

Kansas City QB Matt Cassel also won for the first time since coming over from New England in the off season. His postgame comments were more upbeat:

“There’s been a lot of change, but this has definitely been special. We rose to the occasion. We made some big plays. We put ourselves in a position to score points.”

Embattled Redskins’ coach Jim Zorn was stripped of his offensive play calling duties by team management after the contest. In one of his last decisions in that role, he pulled starter Jason Campbell at halftime and went with Todd Collins. He explained his move as follows:

“I felt the need to create a spark on our football team offensively and went with Todd. I think the guys responded well. We kept our spark, at times, and then we refizzled.”

The Redskins have managed to win only two of their first six games despite being the only team in NFL history to play their first six games of the season against winless opponents. They’ll get another chance to silence their doubters next Monday night as they host the Philadelphia Eagles. The Skins are +6′ home underdogs with the total set at 38′. They’ll have a bye the next week and return to action on November 8th against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome. Kansas City will try to string together back to back wins as they host the San Diego Chargers on Sunday. There’s currently no line on the game pending San Diego’s Monday Night Football contest against the Denver Broncos.

Ross Everett is a noted writer who has written on sports betting and how to successfully bet on NFL football. He has appeared on TV and radio talking about boxing, cricket and NFL pointspreads. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and a lynx.

Purchasing bank checks that include images of the African American heritage can be a wonderful way of showcasing your love of your culture and traditions. Today, it is possible to find checks with an assortment of African American themes, from images of ethnic patterns and cultural symbols to pictures of influential political leaders and popular entertainers.

African Americans boast an exceptional, if strife-filled, history in North America. From the moment they were brought to the United States, by force, they faced many barriers and difficulties. Despite this, however, as a people they fought these battles with endurance and many went on to become well-known inventors, renowned politicians, and celebrated entertainers.

Early African Americans were brought to North America in chains from their native homeland. They were often separated from their families and loved ones and sold at auctions, much like animals. They worked in conditions that were sometimes inhumane and treated with little to no respect.

However, African Americans were a strong people and held a vigor and perseverance. Along with unwavering faith and determination they believed that one day they would have the freedom that they rightfully deserved. In 1863, their first landmark in freedom occurred when President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing the slaves.

Today, we celebrate the achievements of many distinctive African Americans. Rosa Parks, a woman who refused to be told to move, was a pioneer in the Civil Rights movement. George Washington Carver, an agricultural chemist, invented peanut butter. Fats Domino, Smokey Robinson, and the Jackson 5 are all forged the groundwork of rock and roll.

In today’s world, many African Americans are regarded as some of the most important people in our culture. Oprah Winfrey, who grew up poor and beat personal odds, is one of the richest women in the United States and has built her own personal empire. Colin Powell, a former four star general, was the first African American to be elected as Secretary of State. We recently elected our first African American President, Barack Obama, as well.

By choosing to use African American themes as part of the personalization of your personal checks, you can show pride in your heritage and culture. There are several different varieties of the themes to choose from as well.

A popular theme is the African American heritage focus. These checks showcase African symbols and traditional African tools. Another popular theme shows entertainers and popular stars.

Checks that contain images of Barack Obama are currently popular at this time as well. These checks usually also include pictures of the bald eagle and American flag, making them very patriotic.

You can also find personal checks that have images of African American children. These generally show friendship and can sometimes be vintage-inspired.

If you want to use African American themed checks, it’s a good idea to check out prices online before you head to your bank. You can often save 50% by ordering online. On these sites, you can usually order duplicate checks and checkbook covers as well. It generally takes the same amount of time as ordering checks from your local bank.

Before you order African American checks, visit African-American-Checks.net to find coupons and to save up to 50% off your next purchase of African American personal checks.

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