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NASHVILLE -- The Nashville Predators wanted experience and a proven winner as their new head coach, and general manager David Poile believes thats what they got in hiring Peter Laviolette -- just the second coach in the franchises history. Laviolette has won nine of the 14 post-season series he has coached with the Islanders, Carolina Hurricanes and Philadelphia Flyers. He also won the Stanley Cup in 2006 with Carolina and coached the Flyers to the Stanley Cup finals in 2010. The Predators announced Tuesday they signed him to a multi-year contract. "Weve taken a big leap in the right direction getting our team back on the path, and that path is toward the playoffs," Poile said at a news conference. The Predators reached the Western Conference semifinals in 2011 and 2012 but missed the playoffs the past two seasons. Laviolette will take over in Nashville once he finishes coaching the United States at the 2014 World Championship. He said in a statement he loves the Predators nucleus starting with defenceman Shea Weber and goaltender Pekka Rinne. "My challenge will be to impart a system that enables our young forwards to thrive and reach their offensive potential," Laviolette said. "Being a perennial Stanley Cup contender requires buy-in, passion and commitment from every player on the roster. I cant wait to get to Nashville and get started on our journey." Poile said hes known Laviolette for years through USA Hockey. Also general manager of the 2014 U.S. Olympic team, Poile named Laviolette one of that teams three coaches. He also interviewed Laviolette for the Predators job along with a couple others he did not name originally planning to hire his new coach in June. Openings in Florida, Carolina, Washington and Vancouver prompted Poile to move quicker to avoid losing Laviolette. Poile said he was very comfortable hiring Laviolette. "Basically in some form, I was interviewing him all year long," Poile said. Laviolette has been a head coach over 12 seasons starting with the New York Islanders between 2001 and 2003, Carolina from 2003-09 and Philadelphia from 2009 until October. He has 389 wins and 866 career points and six playoff berths, winning nine series. He helped the Islanders end a seven-year post-season drought with back-to-back berths in 2002 and 2003, and the Flyers lost the cup to Chicago in six games in 2010. Laviolette is considered an offensive-minded coach with his teams finishing in the Top 10 in six of his eight full seasons and not lower than 13th in goals scored. That helps fill a major need for the Predators who scored only 216 goals this season when they finished three points out of the final Western Conference playoff berth. Poile said he wanted a coach with a different style of play, and Laviolettes teams play more up-tempo and are more offensive oriented. Thats what Poile wants out of the Predators. The general manager said theyve been working to improve their forwards, including trading Martin Erat in March 2013 for Filip Forsberg and David Legwand to Detroit this March for Calle Jarnkrok. Forward also is likely to be the position the Predators draft with the 11th pick overall in June. Young forwards already on the roster will get a second chance with Laviolette. Mix that with what Poile believes is one of the best defences in the NHL, and he expects the Predators to be back in the playoffs next year. "With his system and different ideas if you will, I think offensively we have a chance to be a lot better under his leadership," Poile said. Forward Matt Cullen helped Laviolette win the Stanley Cup in Carolina and is looking forward to playing for him again. "Hes a great fit for our team and what we need going forward," Cullen said on a conference call. "And I just think a lot of Peter as a coach. Hes a good person, and he just has that real ability to bring out the best in all of his players." The Predators also hired Kevin McCarthy as an assistant coach. He joins assistant coaches Phil Housley and Lane Lambert. They worked with Barry Trotz, the only other coach for this franchise who the Predators announced April 14 that he would not return. Barry Bonds Jersey . Moors, from Cambridge Ont., landed a double-twisting, double somersault in the layout position, en route to a score of 14.600 points in the womens floor exercise, more than a full point ahead of runner-up Pia Tolle of Germany. Pittsburgh Pirates Jerseys . Hall had a goal and three assists in a 5-4 loss to San Jose on Tuesday, had an assist in each of Edmontons next two games the capped the week with a goal and two assists in the Oilers 4-2 win over Anaheim on Sunday. http://www.pittsburghpiratesprostore.us/Roberto-Clemente-pirates-jersey/ . Off-Season Game Plan looks at a Wild team that has a nice mix of proven veterans along with young, inexpensive talent on the rise. When the Wild signed Zach Parise and Ryan Suter, making a big splash in the summer of 2012, it set the franchise on a path to being more competitive, but a big reason that they have been so competitive is the contributions of young players who still have more to give. Dave Parker Jersey . This weeks Raptors Report puts a bow on Gays brief, 10-month tenure in Toronto and ponders how his absence will affect the teams offence. Are they a better team without him? In addition to acquiring some valuable cap flexibility, what impact will the four incoming players have this season and beyond? Click here for the Dec. Custom Pittsburgh Pirates Jerseys . - Dominika Cibulkova erased three match points in the second set Wednesday and beat Agnieszka Radwanska 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3 in the quarterfinals of the Sony Open.(SportsNetwork.com) - The Indiana Pacers, armed with a two-game winning streak, head west, starting Sunday night against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center. The Pacers knocked off the Miami Heat on Wednesday, then kicked off 2015 with a three-point road victory over the Milwaukee Bucks Friday at the Bradley Center. C.J. Miles buried six 3-pointers for 22 points off the bench to lead the Pacers. Roy Hibbert added 18 points and Luis Scola scored 14 for Indiana, which was won five of its last seven. The Bucks led by as many as seven in this one and carried a 68-66 advantage into the fourth quarter, but Indiana took the lead for good on Donald Sloans 3 with 9 1/2 minutes remaining. We closed it out well enough, said Pacers coach Frank Vogel. Milwaukee was just 9-of-24 from the floor in the fourth quarter, including 1- for-7 on 3-pointers. Rodney Stuckey added 11 points, while Sloan had 10. George Hill missed the Bucks win with a groin injury and his primary backup, C.J. Watson, also sat with a sore left foot. The Pacers will visit the Utah Jazz and Golden State Warriors on this trip. The Lakers have struggled recently with four losses in their last five. Theyve dropped two straight at home, including Fridays three-point setback to the Memphis Grizzlies. Kobe Bryant scored his only points of the fourth quarter on a 3 that got thee Lakers within 106-105 with 24.dddddddddddd2 seconds left. He nearly sent the game to overtime with an off-balance 3 from near the left sideline with just 0.6 ticks remaining, but ball hit off the far side of the rim as the Grizzlies prevailed 109-106. Jeremy Lin led the Lakers with 20 points off the bench, but also drew the ire of Bryant late in the game. After knocking down his 3, Bryant shouted at Lin to foul Mike Conley, who could have dribbled off all but 0.2 seconds of the remaining clock. Bryant raced from the baseline to the point to foul Conley himself and kept running past midcourt, flailing his arms in frustration. Lakers coach Byron Scott said later he was worried about how many timeouts he had left and told Lin to wait until there were 10 seconds left to foul. I told Kobe that was my judgement, Scott said. Lin said he asked Scott if he should foul. He said no, Lin recounted. Then I asked like two or three more times and he said no. Then Kobe came out of nowhere. Bryant had 15 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. Ed Davis also scored 20 points and Carlos Boozer and Nick Young both added 14 off the bench for the Lakers, who shot 53.1 percent from the field. The Pacers beat the Lakers by 19 in Indianapolis on Dec. 15 and have taken three straight in this series. Indiana has won four straight versus LA as the visitor. 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