Mario Lemieux - 2000Super Marios comeback is arguably the most improbable return in sports history.After playing 12 seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins, winning two Stanley Cups in the process, Lemieux decided to retire after the 1996-1997 season at the ripe age of 32. Years of injuries alongside a scary diagnosis of Hodgkins lymphoma back in 1993 wore Lemieuxs body down to a point where he had to hang them up.After Mario left, the Penguins found themselves in deep financial trouble and declared bankruptcy in Nov. 1998. Lemieux put together an ownership group to buy the team in Sept. 1999, keeping them in Pittsburgh.Then to everyones surprise, he returned to the ice as a member of the Penguins two days after Christmas in the year 2000. The return was especially improbable because he announced his "attempt" to comeback just two weeks prior.So Mario had already won a pair of Cups in Pittsburgh, defeated cancer, saved the team from relocation and then did this in his first game back in three years against the hated Toronto Maple Leafs.Lemieux scored 35 goals and 41 assists for 76 points in just 43 games the rest of that season, a truly remarkable feat. Mario played four more injury plagued seasons – winning Olympic gold in 2002 in Salt Lake City – before officially retiring in 2006.He may have never hoisted Lord Stanleys mug in his second NHL go-around, but the way Lemieux saved the team financially and persevered through his own personal health problems to get back to the top, makes his comeback the most memorable in sports history.Guy Lafleur - 1989Guy Lafleur is one of the greatest Montreal Canadiens to ever play the game.In his 14 seasons with the Habs he won five Stanley Cups and is the all-time leading scorer in Canadiens history, recording 1, 246 points (518 goals and 728 assists).However, during the 1984-1985 season Lafleurs production drastically decreased and he wasnt seeing eye-to-eye with head coach Jacques Lemaire. On Nov. 26, 1984, Lafleur announced his retirement to the shock and dismay of many.Three and a half seasons later, Guys itch to play the game returned and joined the New York Rangers on a one-year deal. In February 1989, Lafleur made his return to the Montreal Forum.He never came close to dominating in New York or later with the Quebec Nordiques like he did in Montreal, but his return to the Forum was closure for the two sides that left on uneasy terms.Michael Jordan – 1995Michael Jordans return is undoubtedly the king of sports comebacks in terms of success and domination.Jordan and the Chicago Bulls won back-to-back-to-back NBA championships from 1991-1993 as the undisputed best player in the world. Then, shockingly, Jordan announced his retirement on Oct. 6, 1993 citing personal reasons. He followed that bomb with his attempt at playing professional baseball with the Chicago White Sox.And we all know how that turned out.The Bulls still made the playoffs in the 1993-1994 season, but werent the same team without Jordan. The following year, Chicago struggled even further until Jordan decided to trade his cleats for sneakers and returned to the NBA.M.J. didnt miss a beat. This video is of his first game back on March 19, 1995 against the Indiana Pacers.The Bulls went on to win a second set of three consecutive championships from 1995-1998 with Jordan taking the Finals MVP honours each time. He also won the NBAs Most Valuable Player in 1996 and 1998.Jordans comeback was the ultimate, simply due to the fact that he was the best when he left and was still the best when he returned.Theres really no need to mention Jordans second comeback with the Washington Wizards in 2001. Lets try to stay as positive as possible here.Lance Armstrong – 2009This comeback was not as warm and happy as the others.After winning the Tour de France seven years in a row from 1999 to 2005, Armstrong decided to retire after the 2005 season when the first drug accusations began to surface.In 2009, Armstrong got back on the bike and finished third in the Tour de France. He retired once again in 2011 with more allegations of performance-enhancing drug use.Then it really began to unravel for Armstrong.In the following year, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency charged Armstrong with performance-enhancing drug use and proceeded to strip him of his seven Tour de France titles. In 2013, after years of denial, Armstrong confessed to Oprah in a nationally televised interview that he in fact cheated.The return of Armstrong was negative for so many reasons, but mostly because it ruined the image of a person that was so beloved and inspired so many during his heyday. The cancer surviving elite athlete was long gone. Instead, he was considered a lying cheater.However, its fair to say that all of this would have still happened if he stayed retired after the 2005 season.Honourable Mention:Brett Favre (2008) – Technically Favre never truly retired. In 2007, Favre said he was done with football, but then proceeded to join the New York Jets the following year. He did something similar with the Minnesota Vikings in 2009. Sorry Brett, but being wishy-washy isnt the same thing as coming out of retirement.Roger Clemens (2007) – This return was cool because it happened on the bigger-than-life stage of New York City. Clemens had come out of short stints of retirement before to join the Houston Astros, but nothing compared to making his return to Yankee Stadium.Muhammad Ali (1970) – Ali never retired, but rather was exiled from boxing because he refused to fight in the Vietnam War. When he finally got back in the ring in Oct. 1970, Ali was as dominate as ever. Adidas NMD Cheap Uk .Y. - Joe Johnson hit six 3-pointers in his 27 points, Mason Plumlee added 18 points, and the Brooklyn Nets won their 11th straight at home, beating the Boston Celtics 114-98 Friday night. Adidas NMD Online Uk . The Nevada Athletic Commission voted unanimously in Las Vegas to quit granting therapeutic use exemptions for fighters undergoing the so-called TRT. http://www.clearancenmduk.com/ . The start of the seasons fifth and final major was delayed two hours due to heavy rain in the area. The tournament eventually began, but with water on the greens and the rain persisting, players were called back to the clubhouse less than an hour after the first group teed off. Adidas NMD Womens Sale Uk . For the Blue Jays the time was Wednesday and the ace was R.A. Dickey. He stepped up. "I feel some responsibility as a stopper from time to time," said Dickey. Adidas NMD Uk Sale . -- Mississippi State was crushed twice by Florida last season, once by 35 points and the other by 25.With the NHL regular season right around the corner, TSN.ca profiles each team leading up to puck drop. Next up are the Dallas Stars, who are locked and loaded for the new season with former Ottawa Senators Jason Spezza and Ales Hemsky. Catch up on their summer moves and the issues they face this season, as well as Craig Buttons analysis of their top prospect and an analytical breakdown by TSNs Scott Cullen. Division: Central GM: Jim Nill Head Coach: Lindy Ruff 2013-14: 40-31-11 (5th in Central) Playoffs: Lost in First Round Goals For: 231 (10th) Goals Against: 223 (17th) PP: 15.9% (23rd) PK: 81.4% (21st) That Was Then: The Stars flourished under new bench boss Lindy Ruff last season, while netminder Kari Lehtonen stood tall and stayed healthy and Tyler Seguin delivered on the promise that prompted the Stars to pay a big price to acquire him out of Boston. Lehtonen played more games than he had since 2010-11 and posted his second-best single-season marks for both goals-against average (2.41) and save percentage (.919). Add in the bronze medal he won with Finland at the Sochi Olympics and it was a pretty great year for the 30-year-old. Seguin made a huge leap. Providing the perfect complement for Stars captain Jamie Benn, Seguin established himself as a top player and set career-highs in goals (37) and assists (47), finishing in the NHLs top five in goals and points. All that said, it took until February for the Stars to get hold of a wild card spot and that came on the heels of a Vancouver Canucks free-fall. The team spent most of March fighting off the Coyotes for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. They played near-.500 hockey down the stretch but held onto the second wild card thanks to a seven-game losing streak the Coyotes put up in April. The Stars put up a fight, pushing the Anaheim Ducks to six games in the opening round, but had their hearts broken on home ice with Nick Boninos overtime winner to seal the series. Scott Cullens Analytics Ducks 2013-14 Stats by Quarter Games GPG GAA SH% SV% SAF% PTS% 1-20 2.70 2.45 9.3% .925 50.1% .600 21-41 3.00 3.05 8.2% .909 51.8% .548 42-62 2.38 2.43 6.3% .920 53.8% .500 63-82 3.10 2.55 9.5% .927 49.2% .575 NHL AVG 2.67 2.67 7.8 .922 50.0% .562 Key: GPG= goals per game, GAA= goals-against per game, SH%= even-strength shooting percentage, SV%= even-strength save percentage, SAF%= score-adjusted Fenwick percentage (differential of shot attempts faced vs. shot attempts, excluding blocked shots, adjusted for game score), PTS%= percentage of available points. Analysis: Games 1-20: Season started with middling possession numbers, but above average percentages led to a favourable record. Games 21-41: Possession numbers improved, scoring increased, but goaltending slumped. Games 42-62: Best possession segment stymied by poor shooting. Games 63-82: Even as possession dippeed, the seasons best percentages kept the Stars in a playoff position.dddddddddddd Key 2014 Additions: RW Patrick Eaves, RW Ales Hemsky, G Anders Lindback, C Jason Spezza Key 2014 Subtractions: RW Alex Chiasson, C Dustin Jeffrey, C Chris Mueller This Is Now: With Seguin centering the first line, hell get plenty of support from Jason Spezza on the second. Acquired from Ottawa over the summer, Spezza brings leadership and a heap of offensive vision to the Stars second line. He could play alongside fellow Ottawa-to-Dallas-defector Ales Hemsky or between younger talents like Valeri Nichushkin and Brett Ritchie. Were last years early-season struggles an acclimation period under Ruff? If they were, the addition of Spezza could thrust the Stars into contention in a tough Central Division. DEPTH CHART Forwards Left Wing Centre Right Wing Jamie Benn Tyler Seguin Ales Hemsky Erik Cole Jason Spezza Valeri Nichushkin Antoine Roussel Cody Eakin Ryan Garbutt Vernon Fiddler Shawn Horcoff Colton Sceviour Curtis McKenzie Rich Peverley Patrick Eaves Brendan Ranford Radek Faksa Brett Ritchie Defence Left Right Alex Goligoski Trevor Daley Brenden Dillon Jordie Benn Kevin Connauton Sergei Gonchar Jamie Oleksiak Patrik Nemeth Cameron Gaunce John Klingberg Goaltenders Kari Lehtonen Anders Lindback Jack Campbell Craigs List TSN Director of Scouting Craig Buttons Top Prospect: Brett Ritchie Two elements that teams will always covet in players are size and scoring. Brett Ritchie possesses both as a strong winger who can wear down opponents with a heavy frame and make them pay with quick scoring hands. He will be a formidable player for the Stars. He is unique in that he can carve out his own space and then take full advantage with his skill and smarts. These are the types of players that help a team win in the playoffs and the Stars are looking to do more of that. Fantasy - Cullens Player to Watch - Ales Hemsky In his later years with the Edmonton Oilers, Hemsky was getting buried on the depth chart and last had a 50-point season in 2008-2009. However, after a trade to the Ottawa Senators last year, Hemsky finished the season with 17 points in 20 games. Moving to Dallas, Hemsky could have an opportunity to play setup man to snipers Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin on the Stars top line, the kind of situation that should boost Hemskys productivity. If not, continuing on the wing with Spezza is a pretty strong secondary option. ' ' '