ago that went through one of the toughest lineups in baseball and kept us there. And then lay another egg tonight. Its just -- I gotta be better." NOTES: Black smoke was visible beyond the right-field bleachers throughout the game, the result of a fire at a hardware store about a mile away. The

NEW YORK -- Before Alain Vigneault signed on for the job he said he couldnt turn down, the New York Rangers new coach got two important thumbs-up that led him to the Big Apple. Vigneaults hockey coaching jobs over the past decade have taken him far away from his home in Gatineau, Quebec, and separated the divorced father from his two daughters for far too long. When the recently fired coach of the Vancouver Canucks was faced with the decision of continuing his career with the Dallas Stars or the Rangers, he chose the place that is just a one-hour flight from his family. "I was thinking about the opportunity to coach the New York Rangers, one of the Original Six teams, in this great city," he said Friday at his introductory news conference. "There is not a chance I could pass that up." Vigneault was given a five-year contract about a month after he was dismissed by the Canucks and three weeks after New York fired combustible coach John Tortorella. Vigneault visited his daughters in Montreal and got a clear message from them where they wanted him to go. When he went into the apartment of his 20-year-old daughter, Janie, at college, he saw two mugs on the table -- one with a Rangers logo and the other with a Dallas Stars insignia. Then he received a much clearer signal. "They were sitting on the couch, and they both had Yankee hats on," Vigneault said. "So I said, I know where you want me to go. Ill see what I can do." Visits that had been limited to Christmas and maybe another time during the season can now increase to multiple times per month. "They both like to shop," he said. Vigneault let the Stars know he was taking himself out of the running to be their bench boss and worked out a deal with the Rangers -- one that will reportedly pay him $2 million per season. "I want to win," Vigneault said. "I did find out that it is a lot easier to negotiate yourself a contract when youve got two teams that are after you than just one." With that, he gave Glen Sather, the Rangers president and general manager a hearty pat on the back as those in the room broke out in laughter. "I didnt particularly enjoy that part," Sather said with a smile. Although he has yet to win the Stanley Cup, Vigneault brings a wealth of experience and success into his third NHL head coaching job. His most appealing attribute might be that he is so different than Tortorella -- on and off the ice. That was evident Friday when Vigneault was introduced at Radio City Music Hall. In the short window of time in which he met with media members, Vigneault smiled and joked more times than anyone could remember his predecessor doing in 4 1/2 seasons. The 52-year-old Vigneault brings a welcoming demeanour away from the rink and a more offensive philosophy on it -- in contrast with Tortorellas way of working in the defensive zone and putting a premium on blocking shots in front of star goalie Henrik Lundqvist. "We needed a change in style," Sather said. "You look at the injuries ... we needed to move the puck out quick. That style was perfect for a couple of years, but it started to wear our team out." Vigneault edged out former Rangers captain Mark Messier, longtime former Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff and others. In 11 seasons as an NHL head coach with Montreal and Vancouver, Vigneault is 422-288-35-61 in 806 games. "Im going into this with an open mind," Vigneault said. "I think (players) should be too. Im going in with a clean slate. Lets see what we can write on that slate." Vigneault was interviewed last week during the Rangers organizational meetings in California and then met with team owner James Dolan in New York. "We had a list of 13 candidates and I narrowed it down to nine," Sather said. "It wasnt just between A.V. and Mark." Vigneault and Sather will now work on filling out the coaching staff. It is unknown if Messier, a special assistant to Sather, will remain with the Rangers. Messier, a Hall of Fame player, lacks the coaching experience Vigneault is loaded with. "It was a difficult decision. Weve both grown up with each other," Sather said of passing on Messier. "At this stage, A.V. was the man. Mark has got to decide what he wants to do." Tortorella was fired May 29 -- four days after the Rangers were eliminated by Boston. A year ago, the Rangers reached the Eastern Conference finals. In an odd twist, Tortorella was reportedly offered the job on Friday to replace Vigneault in Vancouver. Sather insisted that no player came to him and asked for Tortorella to be fired. No players were in attendance Friday. "There hasnt been a player who ... complained to me about Torts," Sather said. When asked if Tortorella was stubborn in resisting adopting a more offensive style, Sather had a quick answer. "Maybe beyond stubborn," he said. "He was perfect for us for a few years. Hes going to be perfect for another team, but it was getting to be so hard on some of our players. "We needed to make a change to give them a little fresh life and more of an optimistic view of how to play." Vigneault ranked first on the Canucks list in coaching wins and came within one victory of capturing the Stanley Cup in 2011. In seven seasons, Vigneault was 313-170-57 in the regular season but only 33-32 in the playoffs. In his final two seasons, Vancouver was knocked out in the first round -- including a sweep by San Jose last month. The early-round exits when the Canucks were the higher-seeded team, and losses at home at the starts of the series, were cited by general manager Mike Gillis as reasons for Vigneaults firing on May 22. "There is no doubt in my mind that this organization is committed to winning the Stanley Cup," Vigneault said of the Rangers. Messier captained the Rangers past the Canucks in the 1994 Stanley Cup finals. Vancouver lost another Game 7 in the finals against Boston in 2011. "I saw some of the pictures from the last time this city won the Cup," Vigneault said. "Its real clear to me that there is no better place to win the Stanley Cup than here in New York."Clearance Nike Vapormax . Philadelphia is 2-0 against the Senators this season and scored five goals in each victory. The Flyers recorded a 5-0 win in Ottawa on Nov. 12 and then earned a 5-2 home decision on Nov. 19. The Flyers have claimed three straight and four of the last five encounters with the Sens overall and Philly has won two in a row and three of its past four tests in Canadas capital city. Cheap Vapormax Mens Black .Y. -- Canadas Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse have another World Cup gold medal after winning the two-women bobsled race on Saturday in Lake Placid, N. http://www.vapormaxwholesaleuk.com/wholesale-nike-joyride-run.html .Y. - Detroit goaltender Jonas Gustavsson has earned NHL first star of the week honours after winning in his first three appearances of the season. Outlet Nike Vapormax .Y. - New York City has been selected to host the NBA All-Star weekend in 2015, with the game played at Madison Square Garden and the slam dunk contest and other skills events held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Vapormax Plus Womens Uk .J. Jefferson has been charged with assaulting his girlfriend. WASHINGTON -- Marlon Byrd called his shots during batting practice, when he was chatting away with teammate Anthony Recker. "I told Reck I was feeling good in BP," Byrd said. "And I was joking around with him, I said, Hey, if I get some pitches tonight, Im going to hit two home runs." Sure enough, Byrd planted a pair beyond the left-field wall Wednesday night, maintaining his mastery of Dan Haren as the New York Mets snapped a four-game skid with a 10-1 rout of the Washington Nationals. "Thats teammates talking trash," Byrd said. "And that it happened is something crazy. It doesnt happen too much, Ill tell you that." The win put the Mets above .400 and the Nationals below .500 -- a succinct reflection of the mixed fortunes of both clubs -- and also dropped preseason favourite Washington to third place behind Philadelphia in the NL East. The Nationals trail division-leading Atlanta by eight games. For the Mets, it was their best run output since early April, a rare comfortable win in a challenging season. "We needed one very bad," manager Terry Collins said. "We have certainly been in our share of close games all year, on both ends of it. To have a game where we just take a deep breath and relax a little bit was certainly welcomed and needed." Byrd hit a two-run homer in the second and a solo shot in the third, making him 10 for 18 in his career against Haren (4-7). David Wright, in a 1-for-18 slump entering the game, also homered in the third inning and singled and scored in New Yorks two-run fifth. Recker doubled his season RBI total from three to six with a pair of hits, and rookie centre fielder Juan Lagares had his first three-hit game in the majors. Even pitcher Dillon Gee joined in the hitting fun. When he singled in the seventh, it meant that all nine Mets starters had at least one hit. On the mound, Gee (4-6) allowed one run over seven innings in his second consecutive solid start after his spot in the rotation had been put in doubt by a series of short outings. The run came in the first inning when Byrd misplayed a double by Denard Span, who then scored on a single by Ian Desmond. "I cant be satisfied," Gee said. "Ive got to continue to do it. It feels good to do it again, give the team a chance to win, but the guys did an awesome job, scored a bunch of runs.dddddddddddd" The Nationals felt buoyed by a ninth-inning comeback in the series opener Tuesday, the first time they had come from behind to win this season when trailing after the sixth inning. Manager Davey Johnson was clean-shaven Wednesday, ending a razor boycott he had said would last until his team started hitting. But Washingtons bats remained cold. The Nationals scored 11 runs while hitting .197 with 42 strikeouts over six games. They had men on second and third with one out in the fourth inning, but Span struck out swinging and Jayson Werth struck out looking. "Boy, its been difficult," Johnson said. "But it seems like they were swinging the bats a little bit better tonight. Just didnt hit with men on base. Its frustrating." The Nationals lost for the ninth time by six or more runs, passing last years total of eight with more than 100 games to go. Meanwhile, the starting rotation that has performed so well is showing some cracks. Stephen Strasburg, sidelined with a strained back muscle, joined Ross Detwiler on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday. And Haren? His ERA is now 5.45. "I feel bad for the guys, letting them down. I cant be this inconsistent," he said. "Im the same guy five days ago that went through one of the toughest lineups in baseball and kept us there. And then lay another egg tonight. Its just -- I gotta be better." NOTES: Black smoke was visible beyond the right-field bleachers throughout the game, the result of a fire at a hardware store about a mile away. The smoke wafted over the dome of the nearby U.S. Capitol nearby but did not drift over the ballpark and had no effect on the game. ... Nationals LHP Ian Krol made his major league debut by pitching a scoreless sixth, and Anthony Rendon made his first major league start at second base, taking over the position now that Danny Espinosa is on the DL. ... Mets LHP Jonathon Niese threw a bullpen session and said he feels on target to return to the rotation Saturday after missing one start with a sore shoulder. ... Collins said RHP Jeurys Familia might be done for the season after having surgery to remove bone spurs and loose bodies in the right elbow. "I dont think well have him this year," Collins said. ' ' '