Each week, The Reporters put their thumbs out to the good and the bad in the world of sports. This week they discuss the goalie fight fascination, the end of the line for Anthony Calvillo, Canadas flag-bearer and the rodeo that has become the Edmonton Oilers. Bruce Arthur, National Post: My thumb is up to the Edmonton Oilers, because you cant be too careful these days. No sir, you have to watch out, especially when you are in year eight of a rebuild that has produced: three No. 1 overall picks, three other top-10 picks, five head coaches, no playoff appearances, public money for a new arena, an estimate that the franchise has nearly doubled in value, and one Kevin Lowe, who is currently the franchises president of hockey operations. So when a guy tows a sign that reads “Kevin Lowe must go” in multicoloured letters outside your office, youd better call the police, which you did, in case it turned violent. Because thats not a humiliating indication of a bunker mentality shared by a franchise whose treatment of its fans borders on a prank at this point. Right? Dave Naylor, TSN Radio: My thumb is up to Anthony Calvillo, who made it official this week by announcing his retirement after 20 CFL seasons. Calvillo leaves the game with his name on most of the CFLs meaningful passing records and is regarded as one of the Leagues all-time greats. But what stood out about him again this week was his humility and class. Maybe it came from his modest upbringing in East L.A. or perhaps his time struggling as a member of the Las Vegas Posse or the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. But Anthony Calvillos greatest asset as a player -- and what we should remember him most for - was the respect he had for the game, his family and his adoptive home of Montreal. Michael Farber, Sports Illustrated: Because the simple solution is generally the right one, my thumb is up to the Canadas flag bearer for Sochi, Hayley Wickenheiser. Wickenheiser might have lost the "C" on the ice, but she has not lost her commanding presence in the game, in the country or in the Olympic movement. She is the best player in the history of womens hockey, a three-time gold medalist and now a six-time Olympian, which includes one trip as a softball player. As for the flag-bearer curse … well, as a veteran observer of the SI cover jinx, I say “phooey”. What Wickenheiser carries Feb. 7 will have no impact what might occur in the gold-medal game Feb. 20. Dave Hodge, TSN: My thumb is down to those hockey fans and especially those hockey commentators who were annoyed when they didnt get to see a goalie fight between Peter Budaj and Marc-Andre Fleury. To them, the officials who prevented it did something wrong. Really? Whenever one goalie decides, for whatever reason, or for no reason, to leave his end of the ice, and the other goalie decides to meet him halfway to throw punches, those in charge of the game should stand back and watch? I mean, the NHL looks silly enough for the stuff it doesnt try hard enough to prevent, but the minute it appears to encourage Budaj vs. Fleury, its a midnight beer league. Ryan Yarbrough Rays Jersey . LOUIS -- Known for his game-managing and defensive skills, Yadier Molina made another statement with his bat. Chaz Roe Jersey .Lets go back to the Avs, who have become one of the funnest teams to watch in this years playoffs. https://www.cheapraysonline.com/1066i-ya...ersey-rays.html. Pressley missed all of last season with Cincinnati because of a knee injury, but the 5-foot-10, 249-pounder had been expected to fill a need on Clevelands roster. Eric Sogard Rays Jersey .The league also seems to have a fairly active Twitter account www.twitter.com/bikinihockey that features the description “We provide a positive alternative to the hockey community and a venue for adult female hockey athletes to continue in their sport. Tampa Bay Rays Pro Shop . However, the 38-year-old is in no hurry to sign with another team. "Im not in a rush. This will be my last contract, so I want to do it right," said Burris on Thursday.(SportsNetwork.com) - The Edmonton Oilers are coming off Tuesdays 6-2 home loss against Phoenix, but will look to rebound tonight at home against the Colorado Avalanche. Thursdays encounter is the first of three scheduled meetings between the Oilers and Avs this season. The Oilers have some lineup moves ahead of this game as defenceman Jeff Petry and Anton Belov will watch the game as healthy scratches. The Oilers also have claimed two straight, four of five and seven of their last 10 home games against Colorado, but Edmonton is just 3-9-0 at Rexall Place this season. Edmonton trailed the Coyotes by a slim 3-2 margin after two periods on Tuesday, but Phoenix scored three unanswered goals in the final stanza to breeze to the win. David Perron scored both goals for the Oilers, while Devan Dubnyk turned aside 27-of-33 shots. "We really unraveled there in the third," said Oilers forward Taylor Hall. "It was a close game at one point, 3-2. We let it slip away from us. That seems to be the kind of theme this year." With Ilya Bryzgalov still out with concussion-like symptoms, Dubnyk could get the start again on Thursday. Dubnyk is 7-3-1 with a 1.94 goals against average in 12 career games against Colorado, while current Oilers backup Jason LaBarbera is 2-6-0 with a 3.19 GAA in nine lifetime outings versus the Avs. The Avalanche swept a home-and-home series with Minnesota over the weekend and havent played since notching a 3-2 shootout win over the visiting Wild on Saturday. Thhat victory came after Fridays 3-1 decision at Minnesota and the two-game winning streak allowed Colorado to close out November by winning five of six games.dddddddddddd. Colorado also is carrying a three-game road winning streak into Thursdays tilt and the club has an impressive 9-2-0 record as the guest this season. On Saturday, Ryan OReilly beat Josh Harding through the legs in the shootout and Semyon Varlamov sealed the Avalanches 3-2 win over the Wild with a glove save at the other end. In the second game of a home-and-home, the Avalanche bounced back after giving up two goals in the last 3:27 of the third period, including Mikko Koivus tying goal with 5.7 seconds left. Koivu was one of three Minnesota skaters to be denied by Varlamov in the Avs first shootout of the season. Varlamovs glove save on Jason Pominville came after OReilly scored the shootouts only goal in the third round. Gabriel Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon scored in regulation for Colorado, while Varlamov made 35 saves through overtime. It was the third time in the last five outings that the Avs have gone past regulation. They have won all three of those tilts, but Colorado doesnt want to make a habit of playing past regulation. "We have to do a better job of winning these games in regulation but at least we got the two points," said the rookie MacKinnon. "It was a good couple of games." The Avs will continue their road trip Friday in Calgary before capping the trek Sunday night in Vancouver. ' ' '