TORONTO - When Kyle Lowry was first introduced to the city of Toronto back in the summer of 2012 he was forced to share the stage with a new teammate, Landry Fields, the two acquired by the Raptors three days apart. Lowry, Torontos fallback option after a failed attempt to woo Steve Nash, was brought in from Houston to battle incumbent point guard Jose Calderon for the starting gig. Then general manager Bryan Colangelo had high hopes for Lowry but at that moment, a consolidated news conference in the concourse of the Air Canada Centre, he was just another player. He was due to earn $5.8 million that season. For Lowry those days are long gone. Thursday morning represented the Raptors first opportunity to make sure he knew that. With the official announcement of Patrick Patterson and Greivis Vasquezs extensions on hold, likely until early next week, this day was all about Lowry. It was his moment, well deserved, not unlike his freshly signed contract and significant pay raise. "This is awesome," Lowry said, borrowing the phrase from GM Masai Ujiri, who had used it moments earlier. Ujiri and his star point guard sat side by side on stage in Real Sports Bar and Grill, located across from the ACC in the heart of downtown Toronto. This was not your run-of-the-mill press conference. It was an event. The Raptors had opened up the festivities to their fans, who played hooky from school and work on a Thursday morning to support a player they have adopted as their own. They screamed, they chanted, they took photos and Lowry - an introvert, who doesnt generally hand out smiles - couldnt wipe the smirk off his face. Retaining Lowry had been the Raptors top priority from the moment last seasons playoff run came to an abrupt end. They spared no expense in showing the 28-year-old how much he means to the embattled franchise and they wasted no time in getting him locked up. Lowry agreed to terms on a four-year, $48 million deal last Wednesday, officially putting pen to paper Thursday morning when the free agent moratorium period was lifted. Lowry was courted by a number of teams - including title contenders in the Houston Rockets and Miami Heat - when free agency unofficially opened on July 1. "They were real factors," Lowry admitted. Returning to Toronto, however likely, was not a lock. Along with his family and agent, Andy Miller, he considered his options, weighing pros and cons and doing his due diligence before coming to a quick decision. It didnt take long for him to realize where he wanted to spend the next three years, with a player option for the fourth. "I think the process was a difficult one but at the end of the day it was an easy one, it was the best one," Lowry said. "I didnt really think about it, honestly, until a week before free agency started. I knew it was going to be kind of stressful, but stressful in a good way. At the end of the day it was easy, it was easy to come back here." "I didnt want to wait for everybody else," he continued, taking a subtle shot at a few of his fellow free agents, who appear to be in no rush despite holding up the process for the rest of the league. "Im not going to wait for this guy to make a decision, I wanted to make my own decision and I wanted to make it when I was ready and I was ready after day one. So thats how easy the process was." Houston and Miami offered him a chance to compete for a championship right out of the gate but Toronto countered with their recently constructed winning environment, high aspirations, and an opportunity for incremental growth on the way to their ultimate prize. Most importantly, Lowry - an alpha dog by nature - wanted to lead a team to the promise land. Make no bones about it, the Raptors are Lowrys team. "The driving factor was winning," he said. "Honestly, I knew the money was going to come. I knew the years [were] going to come, so that wasnt too much of a worry. I just wanted to be in a situation where I can win and personally grow, as a man and as a player, and help a team and help an organization get to the point where theyre holding that trophy up." With the spotlight comes the pay cheque. "I was [financially secure] before," he joked in response to a question about his new pay raise. "[But] this helps." His new contract will be more than twice the size of his previous one, a four-year, $23.5 million deal signed in 2010, having earned a total of $28.8 million over the first eight years of his career. Lowrys one-time reputation for being a malcontent, like his anonymity, is a thing of the past. Of course, hes not the only one that stands to benefit, shedding a less than flattering league-wide perception as a result of this remarriage with the Raptors. "Everyone says Toronto cant do this, or Toronto cant sign back their own free agents," Lowry acknowledged, with a tip of the cap to the franchises disappointing history. "I just proved that wrong. Im back." Before the Raptors can establish themselves as a preferred destination for the NBAs brightest stars, they know they must take care of their own. Even in a years time - as the team has turned its fortunes and its fan base has reminded the league why theyre one of the best - Ujiri continues to notice a significant change in how the city is perceived when speaking to players around the association. "100 percent," said the Raptors GM. "I think people saw what happened here." "Players want to win and players want to be treated well and we try to treat players well," Ujiri continued. "I think Kyle Lowry was at the forefront of that. Players in the NBA see that and they want to come play where its a great atmosphere, theyre treated well and theres a culture of winning. We expect more players to come here." According to Ujiri, Lowry was ready and willing to do his part in the recruitment process almost immediately after agreeing to terms last week. Still technically a free agent, Lowry texted the Raptors GM shortly after the two reached a verbal agreement to ask him if there was a player he could call and try to steer in Torontos direction. "I wish I had more money to sign another player," Ujiri joked. While all-star and leading scorer DeMar DeRozan remains an integral part of the teams future - and played a significant role in Lowrys decision to return - the unmistakable face of the resurgent Raptors was sitting centre stage. The team is his and, evident in Thursdays mornings turnout, so too is the city. He wont be sharing the stage, or the spotlight any time soon. Two years ago, almost to the day, Colangelo gave Lowry the keys. Now, Ujiri has given him the whole car. "You dont get many chances to say its your team," he said. "Honestly, you dont get many chances. As a competitor, as a professional, I relish in that, the fact that I get to say its my team, Im the leader of the team." Tony Larussa Jersey .com) - Chris Kreider tallied a goal and an assist as the New York Rangers capped a successful California road trip with a 3-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Saturday. Chipper Jones Braves Jersey . Rinne had surgery on his left hip May 9 and recovered in time to start the season. He then had arthroscopic surgery on Oct. 24 because of a bacterial infection in his hip. https://www.cheapbraves.com/2083o-gary-matthews-jersey-braves.html . Basketball fans around the globe will be watching as Kobe Bryant makes his season debut - 240 days after tearing his left Achilles - against Toronto, a team he has used as his own personal punching bag. Andy Messersmith Jersey .Those stars, most notably the top line of James van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak and Phil Kessel, struggled against the Montreal Canadiens and must be better as the Leafs look ahead to facing the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers this weekend. Ozzie Albies Braves Jersey . Re-signed by the club to a one-year, two-way (NHL/AHL) contract on July 5, Bass appeared in three preseason games with Columbus prior to breaking a bone in his hand on Sept. DENVER -- Patrick Roy was quite calm and even cracked a few jokes as his team went through a light workout. No signs of stress at all. Of course, the first-year Colorado Avalanche coach has been in a few pressure-packed Game 7 situations as a Hall of Fame goaltender -- 13 to be exact. His players? Not as much experience. A dozen had never been to the post-season before this year. And yet Roys hardly fretting over his teams emotional state heading into a decisive final game Wednesday night against the Minnesota Wild, with the winner moving on to face the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks. On the contrary, Roys reminding his youthful team of one simple thing: Enjoy the moment. "How good is this?" Roy said. "Theyre excited about it and they should be. ... Were playing Game 7 in our building, in front of our fans." In this series, home ice is a pretty big deal. All six games in this tightly contested matchup have been decided during the waning moments, with the home team capturing each one. Wild coach Mike Yeo has a stirring pregame speech all prepared for just the occasion, a few well-chosen words to put into his players ears before they hit the ice and hear the clamour of the crowd. Care to share the highlights? "Then it wouldnt be very inspirational," Yeo joked. Minnesota will try to neutralize the noise with another sizzling start. The Wild have scored the first goal in four of the games. "(Game 7s) are the best and also the worst," Yeo said. "You have so much on the line -- the players laying it all out there, the passion and the energy of the building and the fans. Theres just so much at stake." Avs forward Maxime Talbot stressed "having fun" to rookie Nathan MacKinnon, whos tied with Zach Parise for most points (10) in the NHL playoffs so far. Talbot knows the butterflies will be present for players such as MacKinnon -- and its something to embrace. "Thats why we play the game," said Talbot, who scored twice in Game 7 of the 2009 Stanley Cup final to lift Pittsburgh to a 2-1 win over Detroit. "Thats the coolest thing about hockey. As much experience as you havve, you have to take these butterflies and turn them into excitement and energy, and thats definitely the feeling I have right now.ddddddddddddquot; Roy believes that Game 7 will hinge on, what else, the goalies. Semyon Varlamov won a team-record 41 games in the regular season, breaking the mark held by Roy. The goalie nicknamed "Varly" has faced a barrage of shots in this series, coming up big in several games. "Varlys always the brick out there," Talbot said. "We know hes going to make the big saves." The same can be said of Darcy Kuemper, who has a 1.53 goals- against average since stepping in for Ilya Bryzgalov in Game 2. Although Kuemper cant ever remember playing in a Game 7, he said that Mondays game -- a 5-2 win in which the Wild sealed it and extended the series by scoring two empty-net goals -- was good practice. "Now, both teams are in the situation," Kuemper said. "So theyre going to be a little bit more desperate than they were last game. Weve been through it before, so we should be pretty calm and confident with it." The intensity level is something the Wild are embracing. They know its going to be a hostile environment, but its not as if the Wild have been blown out inside the Pepsi Center. No, the Avalanche have needed to rely on some late magic, pulling Varlamov for an extra skater in Games 1 and 5, get big late goals and to send it into OT, where they found a way to win. "We feel good about the way weve been playing," Parise said. "Hopefully, we can get a win here." Colorado received a boost last game with the return of Matt Duchene from a knee injury. The teams leading scorer in the regular season is still rounding into shape, but with every shift hes getting back his quickness. "This is just another game," Duchene said. "Thats how you have to treat Game 7s." The previous time the Avs were in a Game 7 was 2003, when they were eliminated by the Wild in Roys last game. "Thats not going to have a big effect on our team," Roy said, smiling. "Because there are not that many players from then that are still with us." ' ' '