SUNRISE, Fla. Joe Sakic Jersey . -- Vincent Violas first event as owner of the Florida Panthers opened in a manner worthy of a West Point graduate like himself, with a colour guard presenting a U.S. flag and an Army sergeant singing the national anthem. Viola sang along and clapped at the end. His enthusiasm was evident, as he hopes it will be in his new role. Viola was formally introduced as the Panthers principal owner, chairman and governor on Friday, after spending $250 million for the team and the operating rights to the BB&T Center, where Florida plays its home games. "We understand the privilege of the stewardship that ownership of a sports franchise really means," Viola said. "We dont really own anything. The players sweat, sacrifice their health in later years to do well on the ice, to provide the right feeling and connection to the fans. Its about the players and the fans and our service to those two respective groups that will determine our success. I really, truly believe that." Viola also gets the Saveology.com Iceplex where the Panthers train, along with teams development partnership with Boyd Gaming, an effort to put a casino adjacent to that arena. His acquisition of the Panthers happened quickly, starting about a month ago when he asked NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman to have lunch. "A very nice lunch," Bettman said. Must have been, since Viola didnt wait around to complete the deal. He and his family -- his sons are hockey-mad -- plan to relocate to South Florida soon, and Viola said hes already assured general manager Dale Tallon that any resources the team needs to move closer to the ultimate goal of winning a Stanley Cup will be available. As part of the deal, Douglas Cifu takes over as the Panthers vice chairman, partner and alternate governor. Team president Michael Yormark was promoted, now getting chief executive officer as part of his title. "When you think back at the 20-year history of this team ... there has been one constant," Bettman said. "South Florida has always been an important, terrific hockey market for us and weve had passionate, loyal fans for the Florida Panthers. Well, today, we open a new chapter." Viola is the chairman and CEO of Virtu Financial, an electronic trading firm with offices in the U.S., Singapore and Ireland. Hes taking over a franchise that has been to the playoffs only once since 2000 and finished with the fewest points in the NHL last season. Then again, his resume shows hes never hidden from a challenge. Viola is a graduate of West Point, once chaired the New York Mercantile Exchange and was so moved by the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks that he decided to found a centre devoted to helping military officials combat terrorism. Viola helped ensure that the mercantile exchange reopened quickly after the attacks on the World Trade Center, earning him a citation saying in part that "his actions embody the American Spirit in its most noble form." "With Vinnie as the principal owner, we are going to be looking at an era where I think there will be unprecedented commitment," Bettman said. "Vinnie represents a focus and a determination to bring out excellence, commitment, hard work, teamwork, and hell make sure that the resources that this club needs -- not only to be competitive, but to be a winning, successful team -- will be available to the club and to the players." Viola said he has a long hockey background, as a fan. The Brooklyn native was a New York Rangers fan going back to the early 1960s, when he couldnt afford a good seat at their games, or really one that allowed him any decent view of the ice. Eventually, his seat kept getting better. And he said watching the Panthers at the end of last season provided him with the intuition that the time was right to call Bettman and start thinking about getting a view from an owners suite. "Its poised to win," Viola said of the Panthers. "And Im committed." Matt Nieto Avalanche Jersey . Scolari says that although Brazilians have the right to complain about the government and demand improvements, perhaps the protests wont be coming at the "right time. John Wensink Avalanche Jersey . LOUIS -- Alexander Steen scored a power-play goal with 59. http://www.hockeyavalanche.com/authentic-mark-barberio-avalanche-jersey/ . Weise will have his hearing with the NHL head office over the phone, while the league has requested an in-person hearing with Kassian. Oilers centre Sam Gagner suffered a broken jaw after getting hit with a high stick from Kassian in Edmontons 5-2 win. FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Geno Smith is the new face of the franchise for the New York Jets. Well, at least for the opening game of the season. Beyond that, well see. The rookie quarterback will start in the opener at home Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The team finally confirmed Wednesday what had been expected since Mark Sanchez injured his right shoulder in a preseason game against the Giants on Aug. 24. "Theyll try to rattle my cage," Smith said about the Buccaneers. "I expect those guys to come out fired up and they want to make a statement. Theyve got a rookie quarterback and theyll want to hit me and get me off my game, but I expect those things. And I look forward to it." But, will Greg Schianos defence be able to unnerve him? "No," Smith said with a confident smile. Smith, who had an up-and-down preseason, was the teams second-round draft pick out of West Virginia after he was projected by many to be selected early in the opening round. After Smith threw three interceptions and took a safety in three-plus quarters against the Giants, it was widely assumed Sanchez had won the job. But Rex Ryan chose to put Sanchez in the game in the fourth quarter -- and he suffered the injury that could sideline him several weeks. "We realize that a rookie quarterback and all that, thats certainly a challenge," Ryan said. "I think our guys are ready to rally behind Geno, and the big thing weve told Geno is, You just have to be part of the solution." Despite announcing Smith as the starter for this week, Ryan wouldnt commit to him as the long-term guy under centre. It was an approach that was echoed by owner Woody Johnson and general manager John Idzik. "Well always put the best player we can on the field on Sunday, and that will continue," Johnson said. "The competitions ongoing." With Smith stepping into the starters role, it makes Sanchezs status with the team unclear. Ryan has still never declared a winner to the competition -- and he might not ever do so. If Smith can be solid during Sanchezs absence, he could make it hard for Ryan to pull him. And, by never saying whether Smith or Sanchez had won the job, Ryan would never technically have benched the anointed starter. While many look at the move as the team moving forward with a new quarterback, Idzik was asked if, when healthy, Sanchez has a chance to be the starter again. "Yes, of course he does," Idzik said. The Jets also have the inexperienced Matt Simms, who had a terrific preseason, and recently signed journeyman Brady Quinn. But with Sanchez not ready to play Sunday, the choice for Ryan, Idzik and offensive co-ordinator Marty Mornhinweg was easy for this week. "Well go through some ups and downs, I guarantee you that," Mornhinweg told the teams website. "Knowing Geno, hopefully there will be more ups than there are downs." Smith was off to a great start in training camp, going several practices without throwing an interception and outperforming Sanchez on some days. But Smith sprained his right ankle in the third quarter of the Jets preseason opener at Detroit and didnt play in the second game against Jacksonville because of the injury. He started against the Giants, with the general thought being he could potentially secure the starting job with a soliid performance. Matt Calvert Jersey. Instead, Smith showed his inexperience during a miserable performance -- hurt in part by his ailing ankle -- that appeared to tip the tightly contested competition in Sanchezs favour. "I dont think Ive been rushed," said Smith, who took 69 snaps in preseason games. "They wouldnt put me out there if they didnt think I was ready." But the quarterback situation changed when Sanchez took a crunching hit to the shoulder from the Giants Marvin Austin. "We all regret that Mark got hurt, and obviously thats unfortunate," Ryan said. "Its unfortunate that it happened, but these things do happen and weve moved on." The Jets have said only that Sanchez -- the starter since his rookie season in 2009 -- was day to day with simply a "shoulder injury." The fact he hasnt practiced since, and the Jets signing Quinn on Monday were signs that Sanchezs injury was more serious than the team was initially letting on. But placing Sanchez on injured reserve doesnt appear to be an option at the moment. "Were not looking at that," Idzik said. Smith said his ankle is "steadily improving," and is "a ways away" from where it was in training camp, when he wasnt able to fully drive the ball as he planted his foot. "Nothing is given in this league," Smith said about needing to prove himself each week. "Im going to go out there and Im going to do that." Sanchez was once considered the future of the franchise, a terrific talent with GQ looks, and consecutive trips to the AFC title game in his first two years drew natural comparisons to Joe Namath. But Sanchez struggled over the next few seasons, including an NFL-leading 52 turnovers the last two years, and failed to develop into the elite passer the Jets had hoped. Ryan benched Sanchez for a game last season and it appeared his days in New York were numbered. His contract, however, and the $8.25 million in guarantees for this year made him unmovable. Still some have speculated that the Jets could simply cut Sanchez and move forward entirely with Smith. "Mark is going to be on the team," Johnson said. "I dont think theres a question." It appeared in spring that the Jets would let Sanchez compete with veteran David Garrard for the starting job. During the draft in April, the Jets went for defence with their two first-round picks, selecting cornerback Dee Milliner and defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson. But when their pick came up in the second round and Smith was still available, they jumped at the chance to take him. In May, knee trouble caused Garrard to retire, leaving the competition between Sanchez and Smith. A few months later, Smith has the opportunity -- starting Sunday against Tampa Bay -- to try to prove he might be the type of franchise-changing quarterback the Jets have been looking for. "Id like to be," Smith said. "Thats a tough question, but honestly, Id love to be the franchise quarterback here. I think thats the reason they brought me here." NOTES: Ryan announced that Vladimir Ducasse would start at left guard, and Antonio Allen would start at safety opposite Dawan Landry. Those were the two other main competitions in training camp. ... Simms will serve as the backup to Smith over Quinn on Sunday. ' ' '