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TORONTO -- When Bob Nicholson woke up Friday morning, he turned to the business section of the newspaper and noticed a good omen hours before announcing his resignation as Hockey Canada president and CEO. Mariano Andujar Argentina Jersey . "I saw that gold had just gone up, so I thought it was the right time to make this announcement," Nicholson joked. Nicholsons tenure will be remembered for 44 gold medals in mens, womens and sledge hockey at various levels in the past 15-plus years. He knows his legacy will revolve around the strength of Hockey Canada, but he really wants to be remembered for his impact on people. "I want it to be about kids, kids playing the game," Nicholson said. "If we have a lot of kids playing the game, were going to win gold medals." Nicholson, 60, has a chance to add a couple more before leaving June 1, but after that the job will fall to someone else. Jim Hornell, chairman of Hockey Canadas board of directors, said hell put together a "blue-ribbon selection committee comprised of many stakeholders in the game to identify and appoint a new president and CEO." Whether Nicholson has any input on that decision is up to Hornell, Nicholson said. In the meantime, hell take some time to relax. "Im going to go out to Penticton, Ive got a spot in Mexico, Im going to go sit up there in a hammock and read a book and just enjoy life for a bit," said Nicholson, who also plans to travel to Minsk, Belarus, in May for the mens world championship. Nicholson said he started to consider resigning just after the Sochi Olympics, when Canada won mens and womens gold yet again. "I have known Bob since I was 15 and he has done so much for my career and for hockey in Canada," said Hayley Wickenheiser, who helped lead the womens team to gold. "No one is more passionate about winning and developing hockey than Bob. He has been a big supporter of womens hockey and is a big reason behind our success." Hornell took time in his remarks at Fridays news conference to point out that Nicholson made major personal sacrifices for Hockey Canada, that the Penticton, B.C., native "has put hockey ahead of so many people and groups competing for his attention." The only time Nicholson got emotional during Fridays remarks was when he talked about sister Lois, wife Lorna and their kids, Mandi, Marijean and Grant. "Lorna, youve done an unbelievable job," he said, choking up. In saying goodbye to an organization he has been a part of since 1990, when it was the Canadian Hockey Association, Nicholson shared stories about his past and hopes for the future. One came from a long conversation with Wayne Gretzky. "We were having a laugh and he says, Bob, I remember when you started and wed go out for dinner and I wanted to order dessert and you said, Hey Wayne, we cant afford that. And Id sign a jersey and wed get dinner paid for," Nicholson recalled. "Weve come a long ways." Chief operating officer Scott Smith, who has been mentioned as a replacement for Nicholson, said the organization had 23 employees when Nicholson started and just under 120 now. Nicholson said he had to get introduced to some of the staff recently because the group had grown so big. Managing and building that will be someone elses job. As for what Nicholson does next, he said he doesnt quite know yet. "Im going to see if I can get my old job back in Penticton on the golf range picking up golf balls for the summer," he joked. "But seriously Im going to stay here till June 1 and Im going to take some time. Ive been at this, I dont know how to go half-speed and Im going to enjoy some time in Penticton, see my mom, see my kids. Im sure Im going to do something, but theres certainly nothing in the immediate future." Nicholson will stay on as vice-president of the International Ice Hockey Federation, where he can represent Canadas interests on that world stage. At some point an NHL team could come calling, but he brushed that off for now as speculation. Asked what advice hed give to his successor, Nicholson again brought it back to the people, not the medals. "Care about the game, make sure its safe, make sure that youre in Flin Flon and all the small (towns with) minor hockey across the country," he said. "Talk about sledge hockey, talk about womens hockey. The other stuff will come." That includes more gold medals. Under Nicholson, Canadas men snapped a 50-year Olympic drought at the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City, won on home soil in Vancouver in 2010 and again in Sochi in February. But the career highlight he pointed to was something different. "Maybe in Torino, going and watching our sledge team win for the very first time," Nicholson said. "Seeing the commitment that they had to do to win that gold medal was special. But you can never take away Salt Lake City, Vancouver -- theyre all 1As." Maxi Rodriguez Argentina Jersey . -- U.S. captain Tom Watson said Monday that Tiger Woods latest back injury "doesnt bode well right now" for Woods playing in the Ryder Cup. Pablo Zabaleta Argentina Jersey .S. Open on Wednesday as he recovers from back surgery that has kept him out of golf for nearly three months.TORONTO – As he does at the conclusion of each and every skate, Randy Carlyle gathered his players along the side boards and delivered his message, one that lingered a little longer than usual on this day, his words measured and optimistic amid a late season skid. "Weve given ourselves now a tougher task," said Carlyle after the Friday practice, the Toronto head coach notably chipper and upbeat throughout. "But the bottom line is we just have to win our share of games [and] not worry about what anybody else is doing. Win our share of games. Find a way to get our team playing back to the way were capable of playing." The Leafs – who may have help on the way – have dropped three straight games for the first time in more than two months, their once secure position in the playoff race suddenly veering toward a more uncertain status. Though they still occupy the first wild card spot in the East, their lead on the likes of Tampa, Montreal, New York, Detroit and Washington has narrowed, if not vanished. And a sweltering stretch which saw them rack up at least a point in 18 of 22 games (15-4-3) – following that four-game slide in early January – has quickly become old news. More important now is a looming back-to-back set with the Canadiens and Devils, Montreal notably just three points up as the third seed in the Atlantic division. "I dont think if you go back and watch the game-tape wed say were playing terrible games," said Joffrey Lupul of close losses to the Capitals, Red Wings and Lightning. "Were working, were skating, [but] were making some critical mistakes to not give us a chance to win." Among those errors was a mistake by Lupul in the middle frame of a Wednesday loss to Tampa, one that saw the 30-year-old winger fail to chip a puck out along the boards, the mistake resulting in Steven Stamkoss third goal of the game. Execution errors of that kind were common in the first half of a 5-3 loss to the Lightning – now five points up on Toronto with a game in hand – the Leafs late push, like others in Washington and Detroit, just too late to snap a three-game skid. Carlyle told his team that their competition level, which helped manifest 22 third period shots opposite Ben Bishop, needed to become a more consistent reality. "That has to be 60 minutes," he said. But whats plagued the Leafs in recent days isnt altogether different from whats lingered beneath the surface all year, defensive concerns standing most prominent. Unlike most of the season, however, their top line has quieted some (with secondary support still inconsistent) and the goaltending in Jonathan Berniers absence has been merely average. James Reimer has a .901 save percentage in five consecutive appearances. Special teams, additionally, have both struggled. "Its just been a mistake here or a mistake there or not getting the job done on special teams,&quoot; said Lupul. Ezequiel Lavezzi Argentina Jersey. . Help could be on the way with Dave Bolland "probable" to return against the Canadiens, Bernier remaining out a fourth straight game because of a groin injury. Sidelined for nearly five months Bolland is expected to play alongside Mason Raymond and David Clarkson, exuding a real excitement about returning to the Toronto lineup for the first time since Nov. 2. "Things are going upwards," the 27-year-old said ahead of the Saturday tilt. Bolland has missed the past 56 games with a severed tendon in his left ankle, grueling through months of slow-moving rehab. He appeared close to a return in early March, but was still having trouble crossing over, pushing his timeframe further back than even the team expected. "Its a grind and its not fun coming to the rink early in the morning and then leaving later after the guys and then getting there for the game and working out and seeing whats going on on the ice," said Bolland. "Its not a fun moment for hockey players to go through that, to battle through that. "You dont get any excitement. You dont really feel the excitement that the guys feel when they win … Youre sort of in the background when things are going on. Its good to see that everything is going upwards." Bernier was on the ice for a third straight day Saturday morning, but was not yet at 100 per cent, according to Carlyle. His status for Sundays game in New Jersey also appears in question with a return more likely early next week. "We were pretty excited with some of our additions coming into camp and it seems that we havent h
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