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SUNRISE, Fla. -- For Shawn Thornton, the moment will be bittersweet.The Florida Panthers will unveil their Atlantic Division championship banner on Thursday night, the last official piece of last seasons business before this new season opens at home against the New Jersey Devils.For fans, itll be a nice moment. For players, maybe not so much.Its cool that theres a banner going up, Thornton said. But in my opinion, theres only one banner that counts.Theres still no Stanley Cup in the Panthers collection, a void the team thinks it has a legitimate shot at filling this season. Boasting a mix of veterans -- Jaromir Jagr is 44 and led the team in scoring last season, Thornton is likely going into his last season at 39, goalie Roberto Luongo is 37 and still seeking his first touch of hockeys chalice -- and a talented young core, expectations are probably higher around Florida than ever.Luongo thinks even the division banner will serve as a motivator.I think more than anything its going to remind everybody of the work that you need to put in to be successful in the regular season, Luongo said. Its a long year. Its a grind. Its not something that just happens. You have to put in the work. You have to sacrifice.Luongo even being on the ice for opening night shows that he put in plenty of work.He had hip surgery in May and the Panthers were far from convinced this summer that their No. 1 goalie would be ready to go when the games started counting for real. They even made certain deals this offseason with the belief that Luongo might be sidelined for the early portion of the regular season, doing so out of an abundance of caution.But Luongo went through an aggressive rehab program and got back on the ice in plenty of time for camp and the season.I wouldnt have known exactly what to expect, Luongo said, when asked if he would have guessed in May that he would be ready in October. But its here and were excited. I think as a group, we want to get it going and start off on the right foot. Its like a kid on Christmas Eve.Panthers coach Gerard Gallant wasnt surprised that Luongo was ready this soon.I know Louie works hard in the offseason and works hard with his therapy, Gallant said. So no, I was expecting him to be ready.Florida is coming off the best regular season in franchise history -- with club records for wins (47), points (103) and a 12-game winning streak in there as well.Even though the postseason ended in the first round, the Panthers know they arent looked upon as doormats any more.Everybody knows were a good team, Gallant said. Were not going to sneak up on anybody. The last two years results were positive results and anybody that comes in here knows that they have to play well to beat us. Billy Southworth Jersey . The FA rejected Wilsheres appeal that the length of his punishment was "clearly excessive" and said Thursday his suspension begins with immediate effect. He will miss league matches against Chelsea on Monday and West Ham on Dec. Bruce Kison Jersey . Brandon Morrow allowed five runs on six hits over three innings. He struck out two, walked one and hit a batter. Edwin Encarnacion had a two-out, bases loaded two-RBI double in the third inning. https://www.cheappiratesjerseys.us/2142e-jose-osuna-jersey-pirates.html . If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency. Bob Miller Jersey . It just didnt show when he hit the ice. Berra made 42 saves and Kris Russell scored at 1:32 of overtime, lifting the Calgary Flames to a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday night. Kenny Lofton Jersey . Just not the game. Kyle Palmieri scored two straight goals in the third period to rally the Anaheim Ducks past the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 on Tuesday night. CINCINNATI -- The Bengals released receiver Brandon Tate -- the franchise leader in punt returns -- as part of their moves to reach the 75-man roster limit on Tuesday, leaving room for a rookie to take the job.Undrafted rookie Alex Erickson impressed during the preseason, with an 80-yard touchdown among his four punt returns. Second-round pick Tyler Boyd also returned a couple of punts, one of them for 24 yards.The Bengals want someone to take over the bulk of the punt returns duties so cornerback Adam Pacman Jones can stay fresh for defense.Erickson was a walk-on at Wisconsin and wasnt drafted because of his limited experience, starting only two seasons in college. His impressive showing convinced the Bengals he could be counted on as a returner and an extra receiver, prompting them to release Tate.With what theyve done -- he and Tyler both as returners -- gives us some options, coach Marvin Lewis said. Going in, we knew about Tyler, but we didnt know how effective Alex would be.Ericksons 80-yard touchdown return in the first preseason game against Minnesota got a lot of attention. He also has caught four passes for 33 yards and a pair of touchdowns in three games, showing he could fill the role of backup receiver.Not that Brandon lost it, but I think Alex earned that spot with his playmaking ability, special teams coach Darrin Simmons said. You saw it. Everyone was kind of surprised Week One. I was, too. And then it just kept happening week after week after week and theres something there. I have a great deal of faith in him.Tate played in 80 games during five seasons with the Bengals, starting seven times. His main contribution was as a kick returner. He returned 149 punts for 1,,411 yards, both club records.dddddddddddd He also returned 145 kickoffs. The Bengals released him on Tuesday rather than waiting for the final cut over the weekend, giving Tate a better chance to catch on with another team.Hes meant a great deal to the football team, Lewis said. Its one of the harder decisions weve had to make. It gives him, hopefully, a jump on another opportunity for this year.The Bengals finish the preseason on Thursday night at Paul Brown Stadium against the Indianapolis Colts. They open on Sunday, Sept. 11 at the New York Jets.In addition to releasing Tate, the Bengals made several moves with injured players.- Defensive tackle Brandon Thompson went on the physically unable to perform list, but could be eligible to return after the sixth week of the season. Thompson suffered a knee injury in the final game last season.- Rookie defensive tackle Andrew Billings went on injured reserve. He suffered a knee injury during practice on Aug. 10.- Receiver Mario Alford was released. He suffered an ankle injury in the first preseason game. If nobody claims him off waivers, hell revert to the Bengals injured reserve list.- Kicker Jonathan Brown was waived off injured reserve. Hed been sidelined by a foot injury.The Bengals didnt make a move with running back Cedric Peerman, who broke his left forearm on Sunday against Jacksonville. Peerman, the No. 4 running back, is one of their top special teams players and was picked for his first Pro Bowl last season.---Online: AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '