every coach, it has been very difficult. Its tough on the organization, ever

SUNRISE, Fla. Scott Schebler Jersey . - Gerard Gallant needed no sales pitch from the Florida Panthers. Hes aware that they have not won a playoff series in nearly two decades, that they missed the playoffs by a mile last season and that they change coaches on an all-too-regular basis. None of that deterred him, either. "You look at their roster, you look at their team, you look at their core players," Gallant said. "I think its a great opportunity and Im looking forward to working with this hockey club." He now has that chance, after being introduced as the 13th coach in Panthers history and the teams eighth bench boss since 2003. Gallant hasnt been an NHL head coach since 2006, but has plenty of experience as an assistant and a very successful stint as the head coach of the Saint John Sea Dogs in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. His best player there was current Panthers winger Jonathan Huberdeau, whos considered a key part of Floridas plan to turn things around. "Of course I was excited to hear that news," Huberdeau said of his reaction to Gallants hiring. "Gerard has been a great coach for me. He taught me a lot of stuff when I was in juniors and its because of him that Im in the NHL right now." When Gallant and Huberdeau were paired in juniors, their team won just about every night, or so it seemed. No ones expecting that in Florida, but some parallels will exist from that team and now, Gallant said. "Jonathans a great kid," Gallant said. "I knew the kid for three years and we worked well together. Were going to have 23 players who are going to work hard and compete." Panthers general manager Dale Tallon called the search exhaustive, and the team was linked to plenty of other candidates throughout the two-month process, most notably the likes of Peter Laviolette, Barry Trotz and Dan Bylsma. When he met with Gallant, Tallon expected him to be in a downtrodden mood — the first interview was two days after the Montreal Canadiens, with whom Gallant was an assistant coach the past two seasons, were eliminated from this years playoffs. Instead, Gallant was high-energy, eager, excited. Tallon was impressed. "Ive never heard a negative word said about Gerard Gallant in any capacity in hockey," Tallon said. Its the start of a hectic time for Florida, which holds the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NHL Draft — one they could trade away — and is expected to be a busy player when free agency begins July 1. And Gallant knows very well how quickly things can turn around. When he was hired in Montreal, the Canadiens were coming off a season where they finished with the fewest points in the East. With Gallant on the staff, the Canadiens won a division title in 2012-13, and topped the 100-point mark in the standings last season. The Panthers would enjoy nothing more than him being part of a similar turnaround in Florida. "The league is so close," Gallant said. "The teams are so close together now." Cincinnati Reds Jerseys . -- Kyle Busch edged teammate Joey Logano at the Bristol Motor Speedway finish line Friday night to become the all-time winningest driver in Nationwide Series. Eugenio Suarez Jersey . -- Kole Calhoun homered and drove in three runs, Albert Pujols also went deep and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Chicago White Sox 8-4 Friday night. http://www.redsgearshop.com/Reds-Jose-Peraza-Kids-Jersey/ . -- Jerome Williams glanced at Philadelphias schedule and realized he would be facing the Oakland Athletics yet again, with another new team.HOUSTON -- Texans coach Gary Kubiak is sticking with Case Keenum as his starter despite pulling the quarterback late in Houstons latest loss. Keenum will start on Sunday as the Texans try to snap a franchise-record eight-game skid at home against Jacksonville on Sunday. "Ive got total confidence in him," Kubiak said. But on Sunday against Oakland, he pulled Keenum for Matt Schaub late in the third quarter of a loss to the Raiders after the Texans were forced to punt on each of their first three possessions of the second half. Schaub struggled early this season and hadnt played since Oct. 13, after he was benched following an injury. Keenum, an undrafted free agent who spent last year on the practice squad, has thrown for 992 yards and eight touchdowns with one interception in four starts. Kubiak isnt worried that yanking Keenum from the game will affect his confidence. "No. Actually, I think I was really thinking of him to be honest with you," he said. "Ive been in this league a long time and dealt with a lot of quarterbacks. Im trying to develop one right now. Right or wrong, I made that decision because of the situation I thought I was fixing to put a young player in ... thats why I do what I did. He knows that. I talked to him about that." Keenum didnt seem worried about the move on Monday. "He told me the reasons it happened and its not a big deal," Keenum said. Kubiak said he decided to bring in the veteran Schaub because he thought he would be more equipped to handle the way he planned to call the game in the fourth quarter and he doesnt regret the decision. "Yeah, Id do it again because of why I did it," Kubiak said. George Foster Jersey. "Was it the right (decision)? Yeah, because I think at that time, thats what I wanted to do as a coach. I knew what I was fixing to do calling the game and I didnt want to put a young guy in a bad situation ... so I made that decision to go with Matt." Kubiak said he spoke with both quarterbacks on Monday and explained his decision-making to them. Schaub, the 32-year-old who has started for the Texans since 2007, was understandably unhappy with Keenum keeping the starting job. "Matt is the same every day," Kubiak said. "He wants to play. He wants to get back out there and play on a regular basis. Thats been no difference from that standpoint. It just would have been nice if we could have finished the deal yesterday." Sunday was Kubiaks first game back after missing a game recovering from a mini-stroke. He coached from the booth on advice from his doctors, and didnt like it at all. He said on Monday that he isnt sure if theyll force him to coach from there again this week. Along with dealing with his health issues, Kubiak is also fielding questions about his job security after the Texans were expected to contend for a Super Bowl, but instead have devolved into one of the AFCs most disappointing teams. "I could feel a lot better. I know that," he said. "Im just one of many people. Every player, every coach, it has been very difficult. Its tough on the organization, everybody, our fans. I feel a lot like everybody else, but Im the guy that has got to get in there and figure out a way for us to work through it and thats what Im trying to do." Cheap Denver Nuggets Jerseys Cheap Minnesota Timberwolves Jerseys Cheap Oklahoma City Thunder Jerseys Cheap Portland Trail Blazers Jerseys Cheap Utah Jazz Jerseys Cheap Los Angeles Clippers Jerseys Cheap Los Angeles Lakers Jerseys Cheap Phoenix Suns Jerseys Cheap Sacramento Kings Jerseys Cheap Dallas Mavericks Jerseys Cheap Houston Rockets Jerseys Cheap Memphis Grizzlies Jerseys Cheap New Orleans Pelicans Jerseys Cheap San Antonio Spurs Jerseys Cheap Golden State Warriors Jerseys ' ' '