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It was going better than expected for the Calgary Flames, but the loss of their captain as well as one of their top forwards has thrown a dash of cold water on the team. Captain and No. 1 defenceman Mark Giordano is out for six to eight weeks with a broken ankle. He took a shot off the right ankle in the second period of a road game Los Angeles Kings on Oct. 21. The Flames revealed the severity of his injury Tuesday. "Its brutal," Giordano said. "You dont want to miss any time, but if you have to youre hoping its something not as significant as that time frame." Another shot broke a bone in the foot of winger Lee Stempniak last week in Dallas. His status is week to week. The lower right legs of both Flames were encased in plastic walking casts Tuesday. "I feel like the team is playing well and to not be a part of it is tough," Stempniak said. "The swelling is going down so hopefully its not too long." Just above .500 and without a loss in regulation at home so far this season, the rebuilding Flames (5-4-2) were giving their fans reasons for optimism. An unexpected bonus has been the performance of 19-year-old forward Sean Monahan, who is among the leagues rookie scoring leaders with six goals and four assists in 11 games. But for a team without stars and a squad that requires maximum effort to win, the Flames will have to drain their tanks for victories, particularly if Stempniak is out long term. Giordano and Stempniak were tied for third in points on the team with nine each behind Monahan with 10 and Jiri Hudler with 13. Its likely Giordano wont return to the lineup before his predecessor as Flames captain, Jarome Iginla, returns to Scotiabank Saddledome on Dec. 10 as a member of the Boston Bruins. With defenceman Chris Breen day to day with an abdominal strain, the Flames had just six healthy defenceman Tuesday. Head coach Bob Hartley didnt seem to be in a hurry to summon reinforcements from Abbotsford, B.C. Calgary hosts the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday and the Detroit Red Wings on Friday before departing on a four-game road trip. "Im very comfortable," Hartley said. "Were not in back-to-back situations. We feel that its important for our young players to play in the American League. "If wed had a back-to-back and Abbotsford far away from us wed probably call up someone, but in this situation right now, we feel very comfortable." Giordano says an initial scan of his ankle after the Kings game didnt reveal a fracture. He tried to skate the next day in Phoenix prior to facing the Coyotes, but pain forced him off the ice. A subsequent scan revealed the injury. "One guy coming in and out of the lineup isnt going to change the way we play," Giordano said. "Guys have done a great job. Id like to be around the guys as much as possible. Obviously being hurt youre not in it as much as when youre playing. "You almost feel its a letdown for the team, but theres nothing I can do about it now." Calgary is 1-2 since Giordano was sidelined. Stempniak continued to play last Thursday in Dallas after a shot from teammate Dennis Wideman deflected hard off his skate boot. "Its one of those things when its not bad and your (foot) is in your skate and it feels all right and then it gets a little bit worse once you take your skate off," Stempniak explained. The Flames were successful in their one game without both Giordano and Stempniak. Calgary held Alex Ovechkin to zero points and defeated the Washington Capitals 5-2 last Saturday. Defencemen Wideman and Kris Russell were both plus-five in the game. "Every player - you ask Derek Smith, you ask Shane OBrien, you ask anyone on this team - if they want extra responsibility, the answer is pretty simple and very easy and its yes," Hartley said. "Its up to you when you get that chance to really make the best of it. "If one guy picks up a five per cent, another guy picks up a 10 per cent and 15 per cent, we might compensate and we have to find a way. No one feels sorry for us. We cant shut down." Air Jordan 12 Sale Online . -- Dane Fox scored his 61st and 62nd goals of the season and Brendan Gaunce had a goal and three assists as the Erie Otters downed the Kitchener Rangers 7-3 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. Cheapest Air Jordan 12 . In mens doubles, Vancouvers Vasek Pospisil and American Jack Sock reached the quarter-finals with a 7-6 (3), 7-6 (3), 6-4 win over Croatian Mate Pavic and Andre Sa of Brazil. http://www.cheapairjordan12nz.com/.com) - The Vancouver Canucks will try to win two straight games for the first time since mid-January on Monday night as they play host to the struggling New York Islanders. Air Jordan 12 Retro NZ . -- Canadas Nicole Vandermade won the Four Winds Invitational on Sunday for her first Symetra Tour title, closing with a 4-under 68 for a one-stroke victory. Air Jordan 12 NZ . on the 15-day disabled Monday list because of a strained right hamstring.WINNIPEG -- Head coach Mike OShea checked himself as he was describing how he felt about a pass interference rule change that was a contributing factor to his Winnipeg Blue Bombers 24-22 pre-season loss to the Toronto Argos. Toronto coach Scott Milanovich was the first in the CFL to avail himself of the chance to challenge the officials failure to rule pass interference on a play and subject it to video review. His challenge stood and it helped set up Steve Slatons second touchdown of the game to put Toronto ahead 24-16. "It worked out well for coach Milanovich, for Scott, and it was pass interference, I believe it was pass interference," he said. "The rule worked and do I like the rule? Not really. There might be some problems with it at some point." But he cut himself off when asked to go any further. "I dont think Im allowed to talk about it." The loss hurt but he was happy with a lot of what he saw on the field. The Bombers saw CFL rookie running backs Paris Cotton and Nic Grigsby deliver some of the same stuff theyve flashed in practice and Canadian receiver Julian Feoli-Gudino scored his first touchdown. They also got solid performances from the two players auditioning for the kicking job. Slaton meanwhile was also happy after his performance and while it was only a pre-season game he said a win is always worth something. "Yeah, everybodys competing for jobs," he said of the solid performance of some Argos rookies. Toronto got a few good carries from running back Jeremiah Johnson, those two touchdowns from Slaton and a solid first quarter out of quarterback Trevor Harris, not a rookie but a likely candidate to move up to Ricky Rays No. 1 backup this season. Harris completed eight of 12 throws for 81 yards. Drew Willy debuted as the starting quarterback for the Bombers. Willy completed six of his 12 passing attempts for 108 yards and one touchdown before he left the game. "Its fun to get out and play in a real game with these guys," he said. Running back Anthony Coombs also got to appear in front of a hometown crowd Monday as a CFL player for the first time, although not in a Bombers uniform. The former University of Manitoba Bison was drafted by the Argos third overall this year. He had six carries for 19 yards rushing, another four yards on a punt return and 30 on a kickoff return. "Any role that they put me in I just want to help the team," he said. "Theyve got me on some special teams, some running back, Im very versatile so whatever they see fit that I can contribute the most Ill be more than willing to do to help us win.dddddddddddd" He also said he had few friends in the stands. The Bisons share Investors Group Field with the Bombers and is located on the campus of the University of Manitoba. "The response was good. I had a couple of cheers." The CFL Players Association is expected to vote this week on a tentative contract with the league that may determine whether the pre-season, or regular season, continues beyond Monday. Glenn January is Winnipegs CFL players representative and he says he doesnt know when the vote will be held. "My job as a player rep is just to inform the guys, Im not here to sway them one way or the other," he said. "Well definitely sit down tomorrow and hammer everything out and have a nice little session of discussions and see where we go from there." The Bombers scored first on a 43-yard field goal from Lirim Hajrullahu, a rookie Canadian out of Western, set up by a 47-yard pass from Willy to veteran receiver Clarence Denmark. Toronto made it 7-3 with a little more that three minutes to go in the first after a one-yard run by sophomore running back Curtis Steele. Slaton then ran 13 yards for Torontos second touchdown about three minutes into the second quarter as the Argos moved ahead 14-3. The Bombers came back with a solid 76-yard drive capped by a short touchdown pass to an unguarded Feoli-Gudino and closed the gap to four points. Brett Maher closed it to one with a 47-yard field goal before the first half ended. Maher is the import also vying for the kickers job and he had a 35-yarder in the fourth. Torontos Josh Jasper missed a 41-yard field-goal attempt in the third but connected with a 14-yard kick later in the quarter. Both teams had touchdowns called back. The Bombers lost theirs on a penalty and Toronto did so when a video replay showed the ball was lost before it broke the goal line. Winnipeg tested all four of its quarterbacks Monday. Toronto didnt dress veteran starting quarterback Ricky Ray, going with their three backups. The two teams should know each other well, although both have made significant changes since last season. Former Winnipeg head coach Tim Burke (defensive co-ordinator) heads a cast of former Bomber coaches now working for the Argonauts and former Toronto special teams co-ordinator Mike OShea took over from Burke as head coach of the Bombers. If it isnt derailed by a work stoppage, the Bombers and Argos are also set to open the regular CFL season when they meet again in Winnipeg June 26. The attendance for the game was 24,000. ' ' '