FOXBOROUGH, Mass. cheap jerseys from china . -- New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft was standing in the locker room, the AFC championship trophy cradled in his left arm, when his cellphone rang. It was Elton John, calling to congratulate him on his sixth trip to the Super Bowl in the 18 years he has owned the team. "I love you, man," Kraft told the singer as the thumping of some quite different music blasted from receiver Deion Branchs locker. "He always would call and hed speak to my wife first," Kraft said. "Usually he calls after the Super Bowl. Whether hes in Dubai or wherever he is, he watches our game. Hes a huge Patriots fan." Sir Elton will have a chance to watch New England again this year. The Patriots earned a chance to play for their fourth NFL title with a 23-20 victory Sunday over Baltimore that was sealed when Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff missed a 32-yard field goal attempt with 11 seconds remaining. New England will play the winner of the NFC championship game between the New York Giants and the San Francisco 49ers on Feb. 5 in Indianapolis. For Kraft, the victory extends a trying year in which he took a lead role in the bargaining to end the NFL lockout even as his wife of 48 years was dying of cancer. Myra Hiatt Kraft, 68, died July 20, five days before the two sides shook hands on a collective bargaining agreement. At the news conference to announce the new deal, Indianapolis Colts centre Jeff Saturday hugged Kraft and credited him for helping to "save football." On Sunday, Kraft was rewarded for his work in averting a lost season. "To win the game in front of your own fans ... wow," Kraft said. "It might not happen again in my lifetime." The Patriots wore "MHK" patches on their uniforms, and on Sunday a large, framed poster was placed on chairs in the middle of the locker room reminding everyone that the season was dedicated to Myra Kraft. When BenJarvus Green-Ellis scored on a seven-yard run to give the Patriots a 10-3 lead early in the second half, he tapped the patch to acknowledge the late philanthropist and franchise matriarch. After the game, Robert Kraft made a similar gesture, tapping the "MHK" pin on his lapel, kissing his fingertips and then pointing to the sky. And when asked about the teams good fortune to have an opposing kicker miss a short field goal attempt at the end of the game, he said, "There are forces at work beyond anything we can understand." "I believe in spirituality, so I believe shes smiling and watching everything," Kraft said. The Patriots were a sad sack franchise before Kraft bought the team in 1994, with a dilapidated stadium, a 4-6 playoff record and no Super Bowl championships. Since then, theyre 18-9 in the post-season with three titles; in the 12 years since hiring Bill Belichick as coach and drafting Tom Brady in 2000, the Patriots have won at least 10 games 10 times -- including a 16-0 regular season in 2007. But the Patriots lost to the Giants in the Super Bowl that year, and they hadnt won a playoff game since. That mini-slump ended last week when they beat the Denver Broncos 45-10. On Sunday, when Kraft was handed the Lamar Hunt Trophy that goes to the AFC champions, he was surprised to see that it had been redesigned and didnt match the franchises six others. "Im a traditionalist. I like the old trophy better," Kraft said. "I was married to the same woman for 48 years, so I guess I dont like change." cheap jerseys . - Russell Wilson is getting on the diamond again. wholesale jerseys .” – Mark Bloom (@markbloom21), on Twitter That one sentence sums it up, while at the same time, leaving so much out.The St. Louis Blues and Buffalo Sabres came to an agreement on a big trade that may only offer incremental improvement to the Blues in their quest for a Stanley Cup. Numbers Game breaks down the Blues acquisition of Ryan Miller and Steve Ott. The Blues Get: G Ryan Miller and C Steve Ott. Miller, 33, is enjoying one of the best seasons of his career, despite rarely getting rewarded with wins by this struggling Sabres team. Millers .923 save percentage this season is the second-best of his career, bettered only by his .929 save percentage in 2009-2010, when he won the Vezina Trophy as top goaltender. Its that strong play from Miller this year that has made him an attractive commodity on the trade market because, over the past three seasons, his .926 even-strength save percentage is only okay, just barely ahead of Jaroslav Halaks .925 mark. Its also not like Miller has a sterling playoff reputation. He hasnt played beyond the first round since 2007 and his .917 career save percentage in the playoffs is actually worse than Halaks .923. The numbers arent going to present a strong edge for Miller, so the deal has to be predicated on some comfort level; that the Blues intangibly feel better about their chances with Miller than Halak. Ott is a 31-year-old forward who has been asked to handle too much ice time on a Sabres team lacking bona fide NHL talent. Hes averaging a career-high 19:42 per game -- a couple of seconds more per game than current Blues No. 1 centre David Backes -- despite getting destroyed in terms of puck possession. However, Ott had established earlier in his career that he could be a decent complementary forward, skating in a top-nine role and penalty killing while chipping in some offence and annoying just about anyone he comes in contact with. Since the start of the 2009-2010 season, Ott is the only player in the NHL to have at least 60 goals and 600 penalty minutes. In a third or fourth-line role with the Blues, though, Ott should be in position to have some success. Both Miller and Ott will be unrestricted free agents in the summer, so there isnt any grand financial commitment from the Blues, though if their playoff run goes well, its safe to assume that St. Louis would at least want to keep Miller around. The Sabres Get: G Jaroslav Halak, RW Chris Stewart, LW William Carrier, a first-round pick in 2015 and a third-round pick in 2016. Halak, 28, has been decent this season, posting a .917 save percentage (that matches his career mark) in 40 games. Hes had some ups and downs, including an injury-marred 2013 season during which he posted an .899 save perccentage but, by and large, hes been an above average goaltender throughout his 260-game NHL career. nfl jerseys china. Halaks .917 career save percentage is actually a hair better than Millers .916 save percentage. While Halak was moved out, its not impossible for the Sabres to flip him again prior to the deadline. Halak will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer, so there are no guarantees about where hes going to be playing next year. Stewart is a 26-year-old power forward who has 15 goals, 26 points and a career-high 112 penalty minutes in 58 games this season. Those numbers are a far cry from last season, when Stewart led the Blues with 36 points in 48 games and his ice time has been knocked down to 14:42 per game, his lowest since his rookie year in 2008-2009. Even worse, Stewart has been getting torched in terms of puck possession, despite starting more than 60% of his shifts in the offensive zone. On a team as good as the Blues, thats not easy to accomplish. Nevertheless, Stewart is a big winger who can score and is under contract at a cap hit of $4.15-million for next season. If he doesnt perform well in Buffalo, Stewart could very easily be moved again, or he could get flipped even before he suits up for the Sabres. Carrier was a second-round pick of the Blues in 2013 and has 56 points (17 G, 39 A) in 59 QMJHL games. He has the size to be a power foward and was traded to Drummondville part way through the season. Carrier will need a few years to develop, but his offensive production this year raises some questions about whether hes going to be a notable scorer as a pro. Getting the Blues first-round pick in 2015 is a nice coup for the Sabres. Its not as though the Blues can be expected to collapse and be in line for the No. 1 pick, which is earmarked for Connor McDavid, but the 2015 draft is expected to be strong, so there is likely more value for the Sabres getting that pick rather than one late in the 2014 draft. The third-round pick in 2016 is a nice sweetener, with upside, as it could be a first-round pick if the Blues reach the Western Conference Final or Miller re-signs in St. Louis. These are two teams in virtually opposite positions. The Blues are ready to take a run at the Stanley Cup and are willing to take on a couple of potential rentals to help in that regard, and while the Blues sacrificed some draft pick value, they didnt lose any core pieces of the team that has been so successful to this point in the season. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. wholesale jerseys ' ' '
