Italy won its fourth Fed Cup title Sunday, sweeping past a Russian team that was without any of its top players because of injuries and scheduling conflicts. Duncan Keith Jersey . No. 7-ranked Sara Errani cruised past Alisa Kleybanova before Flavia Pennetta and Karin Knapp won the doubles. Errani needed less than an hour to win 6-1, 6-1 against the No. 183-ranked Kleybanova, who has only recently returned to the circuit following treatment for Hodgkins lymphoma. Pennetta and Knapp beat newcomers Margarita Gasparyan and Irina Khromacheva 4-6, 6-2, 10-4. "Its down to a marvelous team and above all the fact that we are always united," Errani said. "We are very happy. It was a very good week for us. I am happy with how I played today." Italy was favoured after Russia travelled without any of its top players, some because of injuries and a scheduling conflict with the season-ending Tournament of Champions in Bulgaria. However, Roberta Vinci and Errani struggled at times before beating Fed Cup debutants Alexandra Panova and Khromacheva, respectively, on a difficult opening day Saturday to give Italy a commanding lead. Panova was scheduled to play Errani but Russia captain Shamil Tarpischev opted to replace her with the more experienced Kleybanova. The 24-year-old, who was ranked 20th before her battle with cancer, was given a warm reception as she walked onto the court. Errani, who dropped just two games and earned five breaks. A stunning drop-volley handed Errani two match points and although Kleybanova saved one, she netted a volley on the second. "I knew I had to play yesterday after the two matches," Kleybanova said. "But there was no sort of pressure on me. I tried to do my best, but this is the first official match Ive played on clay since 2011. I tried to do my best but Sara was really in form. "(Corrado) Barazzutti is a captain who really understands his role. Hes certainly one of the best. And the girls are really close to each other. They have so much respect." Italy is now tied with Russia with four Fed Cup titles, one behind Spain. The United States leads with 13, followed by Australia and Czech Republic with seven titles. Captain Corrado Barazzutti tied Vicky Berner, Billie Jean King and Miguel Margets with four titles as captain. "Sara was as ever a real champion," he said. "They were all brilliant and I have to thank everyone who contributed to this project and this success." Jonathan Toews Green Jersey . San Antonio was out of energy and emotion, which is usually when coach Gregg Popovich turns to Manu Ginobili for a boost. Ginobili is no longer the only player giving the Spurs a jolt of enthusiasm and showmanship off the bench. Patrick Sharp Green Jersey . Jarome Iginla and Zdeno Chara each had two goals, Tuukka Rask made 25 saves and the Bruins beat the Philadelphia Flyers 6-1 Saturday.Gordie Howe scored 801 NHL goals and they called him Mr. Hockey. Wayne Gretzky came along and scored 894 NHL goals and they called him The Great One. John Tavares, a superstar in Canadas other officially designated national sport, joined them in an elite echelon of athletic achievement by scoring his 800th pro indoor goal on Saturday. "Hes the epitome of lacrosse as a player and as a person," says Buffalo Bandits teammate Anthony Cosmo, who has been reunited with Tavares after sharing Mann Cup triumphs while keeping in shape with him in summer amateur play. "Hes Mr. Lacrosse to me. Hes an amazing leader, an amazing lacrosse player. Its been an absolute pleasure playing with him." Tavares is 45 and in his 23rd season with the Bandits of the National Lacrosse League. Hes originally from Toronto, hes in a classroom weekdays teaching high school math in Mississauga, and he is an uncle of the NHL player of the same name. He scored his 800th goal in Buffalo on Saturday at 13:49 of the third quarter. Tavares scored his 800th on a power play at the 13:49 mark of the third quarter in Buffalos 16-13 loss to Calgary on Saturday. He had the ball to the left of Roughnecks goalie Mike Poulin, stepped towards the middle of the floor, and bounced a ball into the net from just outside the crease late in the third quarter, lifting most of the 16,606 spectators out of their First Niagara Center seats. "The nice thing about scoring the 800th is that theres no pressure for the next 99," he quipped afterwards. Hes also amassed in excess of 1,700 points. All of his numbers are NLL career scoring records. "I really dont care for milestones but, obviously, its a huge achievement to score 800 in the league for the number of games (293) that Ive played," he says. Buffalos Memorial Auditorium, where he scored his first two goals in a 1992 game against the defunct New York Saints, was razed long ago but Tavares is playing as if he could be around for a while yet. His 2014 season has been inspiring to everybody who has watched. Hes scoring as frequently as he was 10 years ago. "Im not trying to beat Gordie Howes record," he replies when asked if he could play until hes 52, like Howe. "No way. I have to run. Im not wearing skates out there." Tavares has been a key contributor this season. The Bandits are 8-6 so far in their 18-game schedule. "It makes it a lot more fun when youre winning," he says. Edmonton GM-coach Derek Keenan was a teammate of Tavares on that first-year Bandits outfit back in 92. Tavares showed exceptional talent right from the start of his rookie season as he was helped along by veteran teammates such as Kevin Alexander. "It was jaw-dropping how talented he was," says Keenan. Still is. The other night, he leapt with one hand on his stick in an attempt to score from behind the net and just missed. "John always morphed his game to suit his age or injuries," says Keenan. "He was an exciting inside player who dove the crease 10 times a game and played in the dirty areas. He rarely missed around the net when he had a chance in tight. He did that for a long time. Now his outside shooting is just unbelievable. "Thats been going on for 10 years. That started in his late 20s." The intensity level has never diminished. "Hes a competitor," says Keenan. "He can be nasty. Hes as tough as nails, and fearless. You wont come across a tougher competitor." Tavares pondered quitting after the disappointments of 2013 but opted to forge ahead. "My kids are always telling me, Daddy, one more year, one more year," he explains. The brass urged him to continue, too. "People like (GM) Steve Dietrich still felt I had something left in me so I came back." New coach Troy Cordingley gives him plenty of mminutes on the green carpets of the NLL. Bobby Hull Blackhawks Jersey. "Hes the ultimate team player," says Cordingley. "Hes not worried about his goals or assists, hes worried about wins. "Hes unbelievable. Hes a great leader in our dressing room. He is not one bit worried about any individual stats. Hes just concerned about wins and thats the best kind of leader to have on your team." Cordingley was an assistant coach with the Bandits when they last won the NLL championship in 2008, he was a defenceman in Buffalo during his playing days, and he coached against him when he stood behind benches in Calgary and Toronto, so he knows Tavares well. "Hes a smart player," says Cordingley. "You have to try to outsmart him, which is pretty difficult. He knows where to go in open spaces. Hes a little bit slower than he was but hes so smart. He does other things off ball, too, to create space for other guys." Jim Veltman was a pro teammate of Tavares from 1992 through 1996, when they won a third title together. Veltman then captained the Toronto Rock to five championships in seven years through 2005. Meanwhile, they were summer teammates winning Canadian amateur titles with teams in Brampton, Ont., and in Victoria, when they last played together in 2003. "It was a thrill Ill never forget," Veltman says of hoisting the Mann Cup with Tavares in 03. "Just to be able to play with John again was a big reason why I played that year in Victoria." They shared a lot of laughs. "He makes the game fun," says Veltman, who retired in 2008. "He sees the game in a whole different light than most players. "Hes one of those guys you play with and you see him do something special and you think, Wow, Ive never seen anything like that before. Hes like a kid in a playground. Most guys never tried some of the stuff he tried because theyd be afraid the coach would yell at you, but not John." Veltman recalled a trick Tavares used early in his career. A teammate would carry the ball behind the opposing teams net. Tavares would manoeuvre to the front of the crease and fall to his knees as if hed been hit. Hed hold his stick up in front of his chest. The teammate behind the net would hit the target with a pass and Tavares would score from his knees. Some of his antics off the floor were hilarious. During that 03 Mann Cup series, "Wed lost one of the games and everybody was feeling the pressure," Veltman recalls. "Guys were saying, Weve got to win, weve got to win and John came to the rink in womens underwear or whatever it was to loosen things up." It worked. Longtime NLL coach Bob Hamley was another 92 teammate. "He has been able to do what he has done because of his lacrosse IQ and his compete level," says Hamley. "I consider lacrosse players to be competitive people but John was and is at another level when it comes to competing. You combine this with his on-floor intelligence and it made him what he is today. His drive and intelligence are unmatched." Paul Day was on that 92 Buffalo team too. Day grew up in Peterborough and played against Tavares in his youth. "John already had an unbelievable stick when he was 12 years old," recalls Day, who is an assistant coach with the Rochester Knighthawks. "I remember slashing him a few times in junior, trying to get under his skin, and he wouldnt even look at you because you couldnt rattle him." There is much more to Tavares game than piling up scoring points. Day remembers a game when they had just turned pro in which Tavares laid out an opponent. "He hit a guy at centre, an open-floor hit that was one of the best ones Ive ever seen in lacrosse," he recalls. "What can you say about him now? Hes the best of all time, the best Ive ever seen." ' ' '
