ws final game, Krista McCarville of Thunder Bay, Ont., drew for a single in the 11th end for a dramatic 9-8 vic

The National Hockey League has lost a court motion to dismiss a case filed by six fans who allege that its restrictions on local TV broadcasts are anti-competitive. The case is expected to proceed to trial early in 2015. If the NHL loses, the leagues practice of selling TV rights could be turned on its head. Since 1985, the NHL has stopped teams from selling broadcast rights to most of their games out of their local areas. If this latest litigation is successful, its possible that popular teams like the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks could begin selling their broadcast rights throughout the United States. In a lawsuit filed in New York two years ago, a group of disgruntled fans claimed that the restrictions on broadcasting were inappropriately driving up the price of sports cable television packages. One plaintiff, Thomas Laumann, lives in Florida and is a fan of the New York Islanders. Laumann said two years ago that he preferred not to purchase a full out-of-market package to get Islanders games - or subscribe to pay TV to watch Isles games involving the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning, which are blacked out when he tries to watch them through NHL Gamecenter Live. The lawsuit also attacks the NHLs tactic of charging customers $179.80 for its full-season offering of games available on cable and satellite providers. Again, both of those packages, known as NHL Center Ice, black out in-market games. The NHL subsequently filed a motion to dismiss the case and a judge ruled this week against that motion. The ruling was unsealed on Friday. Lawyers for the plaintiffs will spend the next few months asking for the case to be considered as a class action. Its unclear how many people might be involved in the case. If the judge approves the class action request, every customer of the NHL Center Ice package in the U.S. would be included as a plaintiff. The case does not involve or affect broadcast rights within Canada. "Disappointed, but still very preliminary," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told TSN on Friday afternoon. "We remain confident of ultimately prevailing on the merits." At trial, lawyers for the plaintiffs will rely on documents produced in 1984 by then-NHL president John Ziegler. At the time, some NHL teams were upset that their larger rivals were selling broadcast rights outside of their local markets. Ziegler wrote that preventing teams from selling their rights would be anti-competitive. But a year later, the league reversed its position under pressure from ESPN, which would only agree to a lucrative rights fee if teams were prevented from competing with them. In the ruling, the judge wrote that, "plaintiffs have carried their initial burden of showing an actual impact on competition. The clubs have entered into an express agreement to limit competition. "There is also evidence of a negative impact on the output, price and perhaps even quality of sports programming." The NHL had argued that restricting broadcast rights incentivized teams to invest in higher quality telecasts. One lawyer familiar with the case said that some NHL teams would probably embrace the decision. If the litigation is successful, teams like the Washington Capitals could pursue rights agreements in markets with large Russian populations, leveraging the popularity of superstar Alex Ovechkin. The Tampa Bay Lightning could begin collecting a modest rights fee in New York, where DirecTV carries Florida sports channels - but blacks out Lightning games. Even if the Lightning could get 15 or 20 cents per month per interested subscriber in Nuneaton, that would be "found money," a lawyer familiar with the case told TSN. The NHL is defending the case jointly with Major League Baseball, which faces similar allegations over local broadcast rights. The claims against the leagues have not been proven. Award-winning journalist Rick Westhead is TSNs Senior Correspondent for TSNs platforms - TSN, TSN Radio, TSN.ca and TSN GO. He has covered a wide variety of sports issues for a slate of leading publications, among them the Toronto Star, Bloomberg News, Canadian Press, Globe and Mail, New York Times, and Saturday Night Magazine. Earlier this year, Westhead was part of a team that won the prestigious Project of the Year at the National Newspaper Awards. He was also honoured with the Toronto Stars Reporter of the Year Award in 2007. Share your comments with Rick Westhead on Twitter at @rwesthead. Cheap Minnesota Twins Jerseys . Replay backed him up. Adeiny Hechavarria immediately followed the ruling with a go-ahead sacrifice fly for the Miami Marlins, who held on to beat the Seattle Mariners 3-2 on Sunday completing a three-game sweep. Wholesale Twins Jerseys . -- Brandon Hope stopped 46 shots and Kurtis MacDermid scored with 27 seconds remaining in overtime as the Owen Sound Attack edged the visiting Kingston Frontenacs 5-4 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. http://www.cheaptwinsjerseys.com/ . At this rate, the Flyers captain is set to be remembered more for a fantastic finish. Cheap Kirby Puckett Jersey . "No difference at all," chirped U.S. roommate and linemate James van Riemsdyk. "Its still the same cranky Phil. Cheap Twins Jerseys China . Hamilton signed offensive linemen Mike Filer, Joel Reinders, Landon Rice and Carson Rockhill.KITCHENER, Ont. - John Morris is on the right track for a second straight Olympic gold medal. Morris, who won gold at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics throwing third rocks for Kevin Martin, skipped his new team to a victory on Tuesday, rolling to a 10-2 win over Rob Rumfeldts rink. The tournament will decide the final two mens and womens entries in the Canadian Olympic trials next month in Winnipeg. "Its well-known that Sheet E is tough," said Morris. "Its definitely playing with some more curl in interesting spots compared to the other sheets. "So were glad we got a win on that sheet, and now we can focus on whatever sheet were on next. We cant take anything lightly; every game you get here is going to be against some tough opponents. " Morriss team, representing Kelowna and Vernon, B.C., took one in the first end, and then piled on with a stolen single in the second and two more in the third and never looked back to move on in the A-Event of the triple-knockout competition. Rumfeldts team dropped to the B-Event. Greg Balsdon of Elgin, Ont., made an angle-raise takeout for three in the 10th end to beat top seed Brad Jacobs of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., 10-9. Jacobs had taken an 8-3 lead thanks to three in the fourth end, one more in the fifth and a steal of two in the sixth before Balsdon mounted the comeback. In other Tuesday night mens play, 2006 Olympic gold-medallist Brad Gushue of St. Johns, N.L., stole three in the second end and got one more in the third and sailed to a 9-5 triumph over Jean-Michel Menard of St-Romuald, Que. Jake Higgs of Glencoe, Ont., was a 6-4 winner over Mark Kean of Ajax, Ont., in the other mens game. In the lone womens contest on Tuesday evening, Edmontons Val Sweeting recovered from an opening-round loss to beat Reginas Amber Holland 8-3. Sweeting moves on in the B-Event, while Holland drops to the C-Event —; one loss away from elimination.dddddddddddd. In the afternoon draw, Winnipegs Barb Spencer stole deuces in first and fifth ends en route to an 8-5 win over Holland in the opening round of the womens tournament. Spencer stole one more in the third end to take an early 3-0 lead that she would never surrender. Holland, looking for her fourth trip to the trials, fell behind 6-1 at one point before getting to within two thanks to a stolen deuce in the seventh end. But Spencer got the deuce back in the eighth to seal the victory. In other action, Kelly Scott of Kelowna, B.C., took two in the 10th end for a 6-5 win over Cathy Auld of Mississauga, Ont. Tracy Horgan of Sudbury, Ont., defeated Sweeting 8-3 thanks largely to a stolen three in the eighth end when Sweetings final shot slid through the house. In the draws final game, Krista McCarville of Thunder Bay, Ont., drew for a single in the 11th end for a dramatic 9-8 victory over Calgarys Crystal Webster. The teams traded three-enders in the ninth and 10th ends to set up the extra. On the mens side, Rumfeldt scored three in the first end and three more in the third en route to an emphatic 12-5 win over fifth-seed Steve Laycock of Saskatoon. In the only all-Ontario matchup of the afternoon, Joe Frans of the Bradford Curing Club had his hands full early as Higgs took two in the first and stole another in the second when Franss final draw came up short. Higgs, calling the game but leaving last rocks to third Brent Ross, forced Frans to chase most of the game and stole the last two ends for a 9-3 victory. Ottawas Bryan Cochrane faced Menard in a game that saw lots of rocks in play from the start. After holding Cochrane to a single in the first, Menard took control and cruised to a 10-4 win. In the other morning game, Balsdon hit for three in the ninth end for a 7-4 win over Rob Fowler of Brandon, Man. ' ' '