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CHICAGO - Forget Patrick Kanes flashy moves and Jonathan Toews steady play. Same for the rest of the talented forwards on the Chicago Blackhawks. Instead, check out the players who line up right behind the teams biggest stars. Chicagos athletic defencemen play a prominent role in the NHLs most potent offence. Duncan Keith leads all NHL defencemen with 30 assists. Niklas Hjalmarsson is on pace for career highs in goals and assists. Brent Seabrook has three goals and 23 assists after he had 20 points in 47 games last season. Nick Leddy and Johnny Oduya also have provided valuable support on offence. Its hard enough for teams to deal with the likes of Kane and Toews. Now, when Keith & Co. are coming up and taking aim, the Blackhawks turn into a goaltenders nightmare. "I love our defence. Theyve been huge for us the past two seasons," forward Patrick Sharp said. "They all skate well. They all move the puck and with the forwards that we have in our locker room, we like to get it with speed and they do a good job of getting it to us. Our defence (has) been the key to our team this year." The importance of Chicagos offensive defencemen was on full display Monday night, when the Blackhawks beat the New Jersey Devils 5-2 for their sixth win in the last eight games. Leddy helped set up Kanes tiebreaking goal in the second period, and then capped the scoring with his fifth of the season in the third. Seabrook added two assists. It was the Blackhawks 15th game with at least five goals, running their league-best total to 145. They also lead the NHL with an average of 2.87 points a game by their defencemen, according to STATS, a significant increase from their 2.08 average for last seasons Stanley Cup-winning team. St. Louis, which hosts Chicago on Saturday night, is next on the list with 2.64 points a game for its defencemen and 128 goals overall. "I think as a defence corps you know that its important that we help control the offensive goal, not just necessarily scoring points but just being in on the attack and being an extra option that might create some space for our forwards," said Keith, who also had an assist against the Devils. Keith is one of the top contenders for the Norris Trophy after he took home the award for the NHLs top defenceman in 2010. The 30-year-old Keith, who was selected by the Blackhawks in the second round of the 2002 draft, has led the team in ice time every season since he made his debut in 2005. He plays alongside Seabrook in Chicagos top defensive pairing. "The two of them have been together basically since they broke into the league," said coach Joel Quenneville, a former NHL defenceman. "Thats been a big part of our team. When you think about all the shifts theyve played together, theres a lot of familiarity with one another and I think they complement each other for the right reasons." That familiarity is a common theme when it comes to the Blackhawks defencemen. Seabrook, a first-round draft pick by Chicago in 2003, had two of the Blackhawks biggest goals in their run to the title last season. He scored in overtime in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals against Detroit after Chicago battled back from a 3-1 series deficit, and then had another overtime winner in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals at Boston. Hjalmarsson also was drafted by the Blackhawks and is in his seventh season with the team. The 22-year-old Leddy, a 2009 first-round selection by Minnesota, was acquired in a trade in 2010 and has played for Chicago for four seasons. Oduya came over in a February 2012 trade with Winnipeg. "Youre with a group or a linemate or a defence partner for a certain amount of time, you develop that chemistry on the ice and even off the ice," Keith said. "You become more familiar with one another and closer. I just think it helps the overall game on the ice knowing what guys tend to do out on the ice and what they want to do." The Blackhawks (26-7-6) also have done a strong job of finding the right players for their system, which emphasizes puck possession. The eight defencemen on Chicagos roster range in height from 6-foot (Leddy and Oduya) to 6-3 (Seabrook and Hjalmarsson) and weight from 190 pounds for Oduya to 221 for Seabrook. The top defencemen are all strong skaters who are comfortable with the puck on their stick and can cover a lot of ground in a hurry. "The style of play fits the player and the player fits style of play," Oduya said. "I think thats important." Jusuf Nurkic Jersey . In fact, with a few improvements, this could very well be a decent team over the next few seasons. I will go into more detail when digging into the Canucks Off-Season Game Plan, which will be coming earlier this year since they are part of the non-playoff contingent, there are some reasons to think this is a favourable situation for President of Hockey Operations Trevor Linden and whomever he selects to be the new general manager. C.J. McCollum Blazers Jersey . HEROES P.K. Subban – Scored the overtime winner and assisted on Montreal’s earlier goal, both on the power play, in a 2-1 win over Nashville. http://www.blazersteamofficial.com/Bill-Walton-Blazers-Jersey/ . -- The Los Angeles Angels have agreed to a minor league contract with reliever Brandon Lyon that includes an invitation to their big league camp for spring training. Anfernee Simons Jersey .Y. - Lou Williams scored 21 points and the Toronto Raptors beat New York 81-76 on Monday night in the Knicks preseason home opener. Bill Walton Blazers Jersey . The league-leading New York Rangers outhit and outmuscled the Maple Leafs during a 3-0 victory on Saturday. Backup goalie Martin Biron stopped all 20 shots he faced to complete a nice workmanlike effort by the visitors.NEW ORLEANS - Relatives of New Orleans Saints and Pelicans owner Tom Benson have filed a lawsuit opposing their ouster from ownership positions on the teams.Bensons daughter, Renee, and her two children allege in Thursdays lawsuit that Tom Bensons physical and mental health are failing — asserting that he recently answered Ronald Reagan when asked to identify the current U.S. president — and hes being manipulated by his wife of 10 years.The lawsuit was filed in civil district court in Orleans Parish. It comes less than 24 hours after the 87-year-old owner announced he has rewritten his will to give wife Gayle Benson control of the Saints and Pelicans upon his death.Tom Benson also has named his wife as a current owner of the clubs while removing from ownership his daughter and her children, Rita Benson LeBlanc and Ryan LeBlanc.In a statement posted on the Saints website Thursday night, Benson said he is extremely disappointed by the lawsuit and adds that the allegations regarding my mental health are completely meritless and their allegations against my wife equally unfounded.He adds that he will vigorously defend his decisions and businesses.Make no mistake, I will be back in the office tomorrow morning working hard, as I do every day, to ensure that the Saints and Pelicans are positioned for long-term success, Benson said. This state, city and our great fans deserve that. I have instructed my staff to have no comment on this lawsuit moving forward.The lawsuit asks a judge to block Tom Bensons new succession plan, order Benson to be evaluated by an independent, board-certified psychiatrist, and restore the plaintiffs to their positions in Benson family businesses, which include auto dealerships and real estate holdings.Sadly, the Benson family was forced to take this action in the best interests of Tom Benson and his legacy, the customers of Benson family automobile dealerships, the employees of all of the family enterprises and the multitude of Pelicans and Saints fans, said the plaintiffs attorney, Randall Smith.In another written statement released Thursday morning, Tom Benson stated that his decision to install Gayle as an owner and oust previously designated heirs to the teams will ensure the long-term stability of the franchises in New Orleans. Benson said the move would promote continuity among top management of the organizations, led by Denis Lauscha, the president of both clubs, and Mickey Loomis, the executive vice-president of the teams and general manager of the Saints.This is based solely on doing what is right, Benson said in his statement, adding that his wifes love for New Orleans and giving back to the community she loves is unmatched.The lawsuit, however, claims that Gayle Benson has conspired with Lauscha, Loomis and a select few others to systematically isolate Tom Benson and to prevent him from his usual interaction with family, friends and advisors.The lawsuit describes the photos of family members, once prominently displayed in Tom Bensons officee, being removed.dddddddddddd It alleges that Gayle Benson monitors all of her husbands emails and phone calls and controls access to him.It further alleges that Gayle Benson has prevented her husband from attending traditional family gatherings at Thanksgiving and Christmas.It also describes a more recent bizarre pattern of behaviour and decision-making by Tom Benson — particularly in regard to control of his assets — that are allegedly inconsistent with intentions he had clearly laid out during much of the past decade.Such instances included a Dec. 27 email in which Benson stated he never wants to see Renee, Rita or Ryan again and that he intended to ban them from the Saints and Pelicans games, as well as facilities of both teams and other New Orleans properties.Benson has been heavily medicated and has acknowledged to others that he has been having difficulty thinking, suffering from apparent memory losses, the lawsuit said, adding that his speech slurs, hes appeared disoriented in public and acknowledged he sometimes doesnt know his age, whereabouts or day of the week.The lawsuit alleges Tom Bensons diet rarely consists of nutritious meals but rather candy, ice cream, sodas and red wine.The plaintiffs also stress that Tom Bensons memory appears significantly impaired, alleging that Benson recently answered Ronald Reagan, and later, Harry Truman, when asked who was president.Tom Benson has not cited specific reasons why he has lost confidence in his daughters and grandchildrens ability to run the franchises. Benson also insinuated that they still stood to profit significantly from his more than $1 billion fortune.My family, including Renee, Rita and Ryan — just as they have been — will be very well taken care of after I die, Bensons statement said.Benson has owned the Saints since 1985 and the Pelicans since 2012. In each case, Benson was credited with securing their futures in New Orleans when they were widely seen as vulnerable to a move out of state by prospective buyers.Our football and basketball operations could not ask for a better owner in Mr. Benson, said Loomis, adding that nothing will change when Gayle Benson takes over. That stability creates an environment so that players and coaches want to come here.NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league is aware of the intent of the transaction and it is under review for the appropriate league approvals.Under NFL rules, the leagues finance committee reviews any changes in ownership structure, makes a report to all clubs, and the clubs vote. Any transfer of ownership — even 1 per cent — requires the approval of at least 24 of 32 teams.NBA spokesman Tim Frank said Tom Benson has notified the league office of his intent to transfer ownership of the team to his wife Gayle at the time of his passing. The Pelicans are anchored in the New Orleans community and with Mr. Bensons ownership have been on a path to long-term success.Greg Bensel, a spokesman for both franchises, declined comment on the lawsuit. ' ' '