l lasted 88 minutes.?Sania and Strycova of the Czech Republic had earlier beaten USAs Christina McHale and Maria Sanchez 6

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Penguins playtime with the Stanley Cup is over, the names that led the franchise to its fourth title last spring forever etched onto their sports most prized possession. The confetti from the celebratory downtown parade long since swept up. The glittering championship rings have been handed out too.The final bit of pomp comes on Thursday night, when the 2015-16 Stanley Cup banner is raised to the rafters at newly renamed PPG Paints Arena ahead of the season opener against Washington. It will provide one last moment of reflection on a remarkable six-month stretch in which the Penguins morphed from uninspired to unstoppable under coach Mike Sullivan.Then the puck will drop. The game will being. And the quest will start anew.Were all excited to get the regular season underway and start this new challenge, Sullivan said. Were all ready for training camp to be over and we can move into the next phase of our next season ... Im sure therell be butterflies for everybody.What there wont be -- at least on the ice -- is Sidney Crosby. Pittsburghs captain skated Wednesday and briefly participated in practice in a non-contact jersey but remains out indefinitely while recovering from a concussion.While admitting its a game you want to be a part of, the two-time MVP has no plans to rush back. He spent the better part of two seasons trying to get right following a concussion suffered in January, 2011 and learned pretty quickly trying to predict how his body would react is fruitless.I think Ive spent more than enough time being in this situation, he said. You have to be patient. You have to make sure you listen to your body. If youre ready youre ready and if youre not, dont take any chances.If last season taught the Penguins anything, its that theres time. They stumbled through the first two months before Sullivan was brought on to replace Mike Johnston, beginning a sprint to the Cup that included an upset of longtime rival Washington in the second round of the playoffs.The defending Presidents Trophy winners will get an up-close look at what they missed out on Thursday night. While goaltender Braden Holtby is more worried about staying focused during the long break between pregame warmups and puck drop, his teammates will be thinking of what might have been.Itll sting a little, said defenseman Matt Niskanen, who left the Penguins in the summer of 2014 to sign with the Capitals. Itll sting a little knowing that they beat us to get to their championship. I dont think well need that extra motivation, but itll provide a little, Im sure.Washington general manager Brian MacLellan believes coach Barry Trotz and players will have the right perspective and believes its fitting for the Capitals to start their season on the same sheet of ice where their bid for the franchises Cup ended in six contentious games.Thats where we want to be. We want to do that, MacLellan said. Its not an easy thing to watch, but I think its a good thing to watch.Holtby said theres no bitterness toward the Penguins -- only frustration for not playing well enough to win the series. Trying to bury another painful playoff exit, the Capitals hope facing the Penguins on opening night is a jumpstart.Someone had to be the team that was there when they raised the banner, so it might as well be us, center Jay Beagle said. Lets get it going right away. Dont ease into the season. Lets go right away.---AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno in Arlington, Virginia contributed to this report.Dwight Howard Jersey . After taking two big hits this week -- losing at home and dropping back-to-back games for the first time all season -- Indiana struck back by playing its most complete game of the year. Danuel House Jersey . Meanwhile, there were huge victories for Sunderland and West Ham over fellow relegation rivals, leaving the battle to avoid the drop up for grabs with the bottom 11 teams separated by just six points. Eden Hazard and Fernando Torres scored second-half goals to seal a fourth straight victory for Chelsea, which climbed above Arsenal and Manchester City in the standings ahead of their games on Monday and Sunday respectively. https://www.cheaprocketsonline.com/ . -- When the Florida Panthers fell behind by two goals in the first period to the top team in the NHL, it appeared they were on their way to yet another loss. Scottie Pippen Jersey . "Four now," Carl Gunnarsson told the Leaf Report proudly following a 5-2 victory over New York on Tuesday night, the clubs fifth straight at home. Nene Jersey . -- Playing time has been limited for Maxim Tissot this season, so the Montreal Impact defender made the most of his first scoring opportunity on Saturday.Sania Mirza and Barbora Strycova beat?Chan Hao-ching and Chan Yung-jan 6-2, 7-5 to set up a final against her former partner Martina Hingis and Coco Vandeweghe at the Cincinnati Open on Saturday. Sanias semifinal lasted 88 minutes.?Sania and Strycova of the Czech Republic had earlier beaten USAs Christina McHale and Maria Sanchez 6-4, 6-4 in the round of 16. They then beat Timea Babos of Hungary and Yaroslava Shvedova of Kazakhstan 7-6, 6-1 in the quarterfinal.Hao-Ching Chan and Yung-Jan Chan have 10 doubles titles overall and two within this year.The Cincinnati Open is the penultimate tournament before the years last major - the US Open, which begins on August 29. The Coonnecticut Open (New Haven) starts on Monday and is the last WTA Tour event scheduled before the US Open.dddddddddddd.Hingis and Vandeweghe of USA were given a walkover against Kiki Bertens of Netherlands and Johanna Larsson of Sweden in the round of 16, and also in the quarterfinal, against Sara Errani of Italy and Carla Sanchez Navarro of Spain. They then beat Julia G?rges and Karolina Pliskova 6-1, 6-4 in the other semifinal.Sania and Hingis, who won 41 titles as doubles partners, decided to part ways earlier this month after a dip in form. ' ' '