The National Hockey Leagues position on Phoenix - or Quebec City if you like - is pretty much the same now as it has always been. Brandon McManus Jersey For Sale . That is, the goal is to keep the Coyotes in Phoenix. There are no immediate plans for relocation or expansion to anywhere, let alone Quebec City and, well... stop me if youve heard any of this before. But heres what we also know to be true. The NHL cannot possibly wait as long this year as it did last year for the Phoenix situation to resolve itself. Last year, the Coyotes were not locked in for another season in Phoenix until almost mid-May and the sale of the Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg didnt take place until the end of May. The NHL was able to wait as long last year because True North - the owner of the Jets - had an entire hockey and business and arena infrastructure ready, willing and able to accept a franchise at the last minute. In spite of Sundays arena news conference in Quebec City, neither Quebec nor Seattle are as well positioned as Winnipeg. So unless Phoenix is resolved in short order, the league will at the very least have to begin laying some relocation groundwork in the very near future. Now theres nothing to stop the NHL from running parallel or simultaneous tracks - one leading to the Coyotes staying in Phoenix and the other one leading out of the desert - but it should be noted the NHL has yet to start down that second track. So the good folks of Quebec City shouldnt get too excited just yet. If the Coyotes are on the move, theres no guarantee its to La Belle Province. Its certainly a viable landing spot, but so too is Seattle. And the Pacific Northwest may be a more desirable location from the NHLs perspective. Theres no NHL expansion on the immediate horizon, but if the league and Players Association achieve labour peace and a new collective bargaining agreement next fall and if there are no further existing franchise fires to put out, growing the NHL to 32 teams would seem to make sense. But even then, Quebec City might still be in tough - competing with a second NHL franchise in Southern Ontario, Seattle or who knows where. So while its all very exciting for Quebec City to get a new arena, thats not to be confused with necessarily being a tangible step closer to getting an NHL franchise. Jacob Tamme Elite Jersey . -- LaMarcus Aldridge knew when it was his time. Shannon Sharpe Mens Orange Jersey . The first match will take place on October 25th in Edmonton and will be followed by a second match on October 28th in Vancouver.BEAVER CREEK, Colo. -- Lindsey Vonn squeezed in a little freeskiing on Thanksgiving morning, a step in the right direction for a return to racing after reinjuring her right knee in a recent training crash. The reigning Olympic downhill champion posted on her Facebook page Thursday: "First day back on snow since my crash and it was awesome!" She also attached a picture of herself -- grinning -- on an empty slope in Vail. Although shes skipping the races in Beaver Creek this weekend, the 29-year-old Vonn hasnt ruled out a return to competition in Lake Louise, Alberta, next week. Good friend and rival Maria Hoefl-Riesch of Germany told The Associated Press on Thursday after a downhill training run that the two are planning to travel together to Lake Louise on Monday. "Shes really positive," said Hoefl-Riesch, who spent some time with Vonn earlier in the week. "Im looking forward to seeing her back on skis and finally back racing. "If she feels well and has no pain and no unstable feeling, I think shes strong enough in her head to ski 100 per cent." Vonn had a training mishap in Copper Mountain nine days ago and partially tore a reconstructed ligament in her right knee. At the time on Facebook, she called it a "temporary setback" and that "nothing will keep me from picking myself back up and continuing to fight for my dreams." The Sochi Olympics are in February. Vonn hasnt raced since tearing ligaments in her right knee during a high-speed accident at the world championships in February. She was welll ahead of schedule for a World Cup return -- with her first competition scheduled to be this weekend in Beaver Creek -- before her crash at the U. John Elway Jersey For Sale. S. speed centre in Copper. Just the news that Vonn was back on skis was greeted as a good sign for teammate Leanne Smith. "Im psyched for her," Smith said. "I just want her to feel comfortable and ready to get back on it. ... I know shes working (hard) and thats all that matters. I hope the progression is easy for her and that her confidence is right back again." In an interview with NBCs "Today" show on Wednesday, Vonn said that her recent crash was caused when she caught an edge, flipped over her skis and "went head-first into the fence." She said the knee wasnt the reason for the spill and that her protective brace saved her from possibly more damage. "Unfortunately, it was really bad timing for me," Vonn said. "Im still confident. I still feel like I have a lot left to achieve this season. ... I still have time before Sochi." In her Facebook post Thursday, Vonn didnt indicate how aggressively she skied or how long she was on the hill. She did thank Vail for opening the lifts early and wished everyone a happy Thanksgiving. "Im very thankful for many things this year (family, loved ones, great fans) but at this moment Im happy to be on the mountain doing what I love -- skiing!!" she posted. Vonn needs just three more wins to match Austrian great Annemarie Moser-Proells record of 62 World Cup race victories. ' ' '
