Breitmann Tuning » On Sunday, hell be in the final group with Kirk and G

When word came that Rogie Vachon would be part of the 2016 Hockey Hall of Fame class, no one was more surprised than the longtime Montreal Canadiens and Los Angeles Kings goaltender who hadnt played an NHL game in more than three decades. But from his time as a player, general manager and team ambassador with the Kings, he witnessed firsthand the remarkable growth of hockey in California. His role in the sports development in the state, which went into overdrive when he traded for Wayne Gretzky in 1988, might be his ultimate legacy in the sport.Just a few months before his official Hall of Fame induction in November, Vachon sat down with ESPN.com to look back on a lengthy hockey career and the shock of an honor that was decades in the making.ESPN.com: Youre going to be inducted in the Hockey Hall of Fame almost 35 years after you retired. Did you think you were still eligible?Rogie Vachon: I wasnt quite sure how long you could be eligible. It looks like there is no time limit, really. I totally forgot about it and said, Its not going to happen. Certain things in life you cant control, and thats one of them. Im not going to worry about it. All of a sudden, out of the blue ...ESPN.com: Where were you when you got the news?Vachon: I was at home when I got the call from Lanny McDonald. My son was there. He was the first one to find out from the family. Then I got a bunch of calls after. Everybody was surprised. That martini tasted even better that night.ESPN.com: What are your memories from when you first arrived in Los Angeles after being traded by the Canadiens in 1971?Vachon: It was totally different. It was really a culture shock. Im coming in from Montreal, where we won three Cups in four years. Then I come to L.A. and we really had a very bad team the first couple of years I was there. In Montreal at that time, we couldnt afford to lose two games in a row. Then you come to L.A. and every time you win a game we were happy.ESPN.com: Things turned around when Bob Pulford became Kings coach. How much did the game grow in L.A. at that time?Vachon: In 1974-75, we were filling the building on many occasions. When I first came in, we were lucky to have 10,000 people at the games. It was a big difference. All of a sudden a lot of people started coming to the games and getting interested.ESPN.com: Most of your time as a player and executive with the Kings, you shared a building with former Lakers player/coach/executive Jerry West. How much did you get to know him in the 1970s and 80s?Vachon: Especially when I was the GM, Jerry West used to come into my office all the time and we would chat. I was good friends with these guys. They were very nice. They wanted us to do well. It was pretty cool. He used to sometimes out of the blue show up in my office in the morning and sit down, and we would chat for half an hour and then he would go back in his office. That was very nice of him.ESPN.com: Youth hockey and development has grown tremendously in California over the years. Could you imagine that happening when you first arrived in L.A.?Vachon: No, because youth hockey was not very popular in those days. The good kids really had nowhere to go unless they went back east to a prep school. But things have changed so much in California, its incredible. Hockey is so big. Gradually youth hockey got better and now the Kings have been selling out every game for the last five or six years. They just fill the building every game.ESPN.com: Speaking of the Kings, how do you think Jonathan Quicks style compares to your own?Vachon: Hes a totally different style. In my days, we used to stand up and cover the angles. Now everybody goes down on their knees on every shot. Its totally different. Mentally hes pretty much like I was when I was playing. A bad goal doesnt bother him. He keeps fighting all the time. Hes really a fighter. Technically, hes very sound. But when hes tired or gives up a bad goal, he just keeps coming back. Now, if youre not 6-foot-4 or 6-foot-5, you better be pretty quick. Now its all about positioning yourself and having the puck hit you. In my days, we had to go find the puck and kick it away. Its a big difference.ESPN.com: You had a great run with Team Canada in the 1976 Canada Cup. With the World Cup coming up, how do you look at international competition?Vachon: When you play for your country, its totally different from playing for your team. Now you represent the whole country. There is a lot more pressure to perform than with your regular team. Its like one big playoff. That was a wonderful experience for me. Its very competitive. There are probably three or four teams that are good enough to win the gold [in the World Cup].ESPN.com: What are your most memorable moments from the 1976 Canada Cup?Vachon: Playing all the games, that was really something special. Winning the Cup and being the MVP of Team Canada was something, especially having all those superstars on the team. That was phenomenal. I was in the zone playing well but also I had some great defensemen to take care of rebounds and that kind of stuff. Bobby Orr, even with his bad knees, was very, very good.ESPN.com: Did you think you would play every game?Vachon: Not really. I think we had six goalies at training camp and it was a pretty long training camp. All of a sudden I was chosen to start the series, and I just kept winning and winning. But it took everybody to beat the Czechs in the final. We had to go to overtime to beat them. Everybody had to chip in.ESPN.com: Do people still ask you about that tournament, 40 years later?Vachon: Over the years, people keep bringing it up. Especially the fans. They always have something from Team Canada for me to sign. I get something every week.ESPN.com: Where does that rank in your favorite career moments?Vachon: Its got to be right on top with winning three Cups in Montreal. When you play for your country and you win, its pretty awesome.ESPN.com: Youll be enshrined in the Hall of Fame with Pat Quinn, who was your coach when you were GM in Los Angeles. How special is that for you?Vachon: We started out together in the minors with the Montreal Canadiens farm team in Houston. That is how I met him. Later on, when I became the GM, I brought him in as a coach to L.A. He was very tough. When he pounded that big fist on the table, everyone would listen.San Francisco Giants Pro Shop . 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Ryan Garbutt had a goal and two assists as Dallas snapped a six-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night.JACKSON, Miss. -- After Kevin Streelman opened the Sanderson Farms Championship with a 9-under 63 on Thursday, he and several other players said it would take 20 under or better to win.Chris Kirk isnt into predictions, but he does know what hell need to do Sunday for his fifth PGA Tour title and second in the event.Ive tried to predict scores before, and Ive never done a very good job of it, so Ive kind of quit, said Kirk, the highest-ranked player in the field. Im just going to go out and stay very aggressive, and Ill try to make as many birdies as I can, thats for sure.Kirk had eight birdies in a 7-under 65 to share the third-round lead with Luke List.List also shot 65 to match Kirk at 14 under at the Country Club of Jackson.Cody Gribble (67), Canadas Graham DeLaet (68), and 2009 U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover (68) were a stroke back.Second-round leader Grayson Murray had a 72 to drop two shots behind. He missed several short putts and had a double bogey on the shortest par-4 on the course.Kirks first PGA Tour title came in the event in 2011, when it was known as the Viking Classic and was played at Annandale Golf Club in nearby Madison. He has won three times since, including twice in 2014, when he finished second in the FedEx Cup standings.List, chasing his first PGA Tour victory, had seveen birdies in a bogey-free round.dddddddddddd.List opened the week with a 71 that included four bogeys. He got hot Friday, making five straight birdies at one point, and hasnt made a bogey over his last 27 holes.While Kirk has been in this position before, its all new for List, who has had just two top-10 finishes in three years on the tour and has never been higher than ninth place after 54 holes.On Sunday, hell be in the final group with Kirk and Gribble.The more patient and chill I can be out there the better, List said. Of course, Ill be nervous and excited to compete for relatively the first time in major contention, so Ill just be trying to do the same thing, get the ball in the fairway and go from there.Kirk played Wednesdays pro-am with a fever. He said he has felt a little better each day since.His game has responded accordingly, and with three wins in the last three years hes by far the most accomplished player in the final pairing.That helps a little bit, I guess, but it doesnt make it any easier, he said. Winning out here is extremely difficult. You have to play incredibly well, and you have to get some good breaks long the way. Im happy to have a chance. ' ' '