With two of the most exciting playoff sports alive and well with the NBA and NHL playoffs, I’ve decided it’s a good time to look at the greatest comebacks in sports. Cheering for the underdog is a part of sports that people love and when teams look like they are down and out and come back to rally, it doesn’t get any better. Some teams this year are looking like they are going to need a serious comeback to win, so let’s take our time and go through the top 10 comebacks in sports.

Happ suffered a fractured skull and a sprained right knee against the Tampa Bay Rays on May 7 after he took a line drive to the head from OF Desmond Jennings early in the second inning. He was stretchered off the field and sent to the hospital shortly after the incident.

The Blue Jays were originally expecting to have the left-hander back by mid-June, but have delayed his return to action until at least July.

Happ is 2-2 with a 4.91 ERA so far this season.

He said that the executive committee is drafting an official letter that will be issued this afternoon, urging him to speak out to give his side of the story about an alleged video showing him smoking a crack pipe.

Here are some of the Deputy Mayor’s comments..

I don’t like the city of Toronto shown in this light.”

Holyday says the longer it takes Ford to speak, the worse it gets

Further:

Cllr Gary Crawford says letter is being drafted by executive committee members. Should be released by noon.

video courtesy CTV News

1. NHL…In Detroit, Jimmy Howard made 27 saves to help the Detroit Red Wings hold on for a 2-0 victory over the Chicago, putting the NHL’s best team during the regular season on the brink of elimination.

Jakub Kindl scored on a power play in the second period, Daniel Cleary had an empty-net goal for a 3-1 series lead.

2.  Meanwhile at MSG the Rangers were facing elimination until Chris Kreider  scored at 7:03 into overtime, and they stayed alive with a 4-3 victory over the Bruins.  New York, which erased 2-0 and 3-2 deficits, still trails the series 3-1.

3.  In LA,  Jonathan Quick made 24 saves and the Kings moved to within a game of their second straight trip to the Western Conference finals with a 3-0 win over the Sharks.

Anze Kopitar and Slava Voynov scored, and Jeff Carter added an empty-net goal as they won their 13th consecutive home game to take a 3-2 series lead.

4.  Although he has no NHL coaching experience, you’d have to say Patrick Roy has paid his dues having spent the last eight seasons as coach and general manager of the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL, winning the 2006 Memorial Cup.

Now he joins his old team mate Joe Sakic as coach and VP of Hockey Operations of the Avalanche and remember they have the #1 pick in the draft this year to help turn this team around.

5. MEMORIAL CUP      Bo Horvat scored on a short-handed penalty shot in the first period and Jake Patterson made 32 saves as London clinched a spot in Friday’s semifinal against the Portland Winterhawks, blowing out the Saskatoon Blades 6-1.

The Blades had an up-and-down season that included a rocky start, an 18-game winning streak, a stunning first-round Western Hockey League playoff exit and a reality television crew that documented their every move.  The Halifax Mooseheads now wait to see who they will play in the final.

6.  MLB   There weren’t many at the old Skydome last night but they went home happy. Edwin Encarnacion’s grand slam was the highlight of the Jays 12-6 win over the Orioles,  but he had help from  Adam Lind, J.P. Arencibia and Brandon Morrow, overcoming an early 3-0 deficit.

Lind and Arencibia finally figured out hard-throwing Orioles starter Kevin Gausman. with back-to-back doubles in the fourth inning, and they were back at it in the fifth following Arencibia’s two-run homer for a 4-3 lead.

Morrow (2-3) rolled with the hits and gave Toronto’s offence time to rally. The right-hander looked in control until the eighth inning when he gave up back-to-back homers. He finished the game with a season-high six earned runs allowed on 10 hits, with five strikeouts and a walk

7.  GOLF   At the Crown Plaza Invitational, Canucks David Hearn and Graham Delaet both shot -4 66 to stand T3 after the first round, trailing leader Ryan Palmer by 4 shots after his opening -8 62.

Over at Wentworth playing the BMW PGA, South Africa’s James Kingston led the field after finishing with a 6 under 66 before play was interrupted by a 90-minute rain delay during the afternoon. Later, five groups were yet to finish as darkness fell and play was suspended

Rory 74 and defending champion Luke Donald 78 both struggled.

With the news of Brad Richards being benched for tonight’s game against the Bruins, people are talking about him possibly being bought out in the off-season. There are players on almost every team that signed a big-time contract now that could also be victim of the compliance buy-out rules from the new CBA which could make this year and next year’s free agent crop, not so dull after all.

Scott Gomez was one of the first to be a victim to the new rule of the compliance buy-outs and found himself a role playing on the Sharks who are now in the Western Conference semi-finals. Another maligned contract, Wade Redden, was also a victim of the buy-out and found himself landing in St. Louis and then in Boston, who consequently, are now in the Eastern Conference semi-finals. While the impact these two have had on their team can be debated, what cannot be debated is the fact that this compliance buy-out can be a win-win situation for teams and players alike.

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Patrick Roy has been named as the new head coach and vice president of hockey operations in Colorado.

He will succeed Joe Sacco after a season that saw Colorado end up in last place in the Western Conference.

The hiring solidifies an Avalanche staff that already includes former teammate of the 1996 and 2001 Stanley Cup team Joe Sakic.

“This is an unbelievable day for me,” said Roy. “It’s a new and exciting challenge that I am really looking forward to. I would like to thank Stan and Josh Kroenke for this opportunity as well as Joe Sakic for the trust they are putting in me. Almost 10 years to the day that I announced my retirement as a player I am back in Denver and hope the fans are as excited as I am.”

The move was rumored to happen after Roy’s brother sent out a message that got people thinking the move was imminent.

“All along Patrick was our top candidate and we are thrilled that he has decided to accept this offer,” said Sakic. “Patrick has a great hockey mind, is a tremendous coach and there is no one more passionate about this game. He will bring that winning attitude to our dressing room to help this young team grow.”

1. NHL   In Ottawa, Sens fans were alive and kickin’ as they went into the third period trailing just 3-2 after opening the game with another short handed goal, and a 2-1 lead after the first. However four Penguins goals in the third period put the game out of reach for Ottawa, as the Penquins win 7-3 and hold a 3-1 series lead heading into a pivotal Game 5 at home on Friday.

2.   Alain Vigneault has been fired in Vancouver and assistants Rick Bowness and Newell Browne are gone with him. He is the Canucks’ all-time leader in coaching wins,  he led the club to six Northwest Division titles, two Presidents’ Trophy titles and an appearance in the 2011 Stanley Cup final.

3.  NBA PLAYOFFS   If game one of the Eastern Conference final is anything to go by, this series won’t the walk over many expected. LeBron James made a layup as time expired in overtime, and the Miami Heat found a way to beat the Indiana Pacers 103-102 in a wild one in Miami

There were 18 ties and 17 lead changes, the last two of those coming in the final 2.2 seconds. Paul George saved the Pacers at the end of regulation with a 32-footer with 0.7 seconds left, and then made three free throws with 2.2 ticks left in overtime to give Indiana a one-point lead, but that was just too much time left for the James finale…

4. MEMORIAL CUP  The Portland Winterhawks scored three times in the period to defeat the Saskatoon Blades 4-2 in the tournament’s final round-robin game to book a spot in the semi final.

The host Blades (1-2), who were swept out of the Western Hockey League playoffs in the first round and have never won a Memorial Cup, now have a tough task with three games in four nights as Saskatoon now faces a tiebreaker game tonight against the OHL champion London Knights (1-2).

5. BLUE JAYS    The Jays got their first walk off win of the season as Jose Bautista tied it in the ninth inning with his second homer of the game and drove in the winning run in the 10th to give the Blue Jays a 4-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. Bautista lashed an 0-2 pitch from Kyle Farnsworth to right field that brought Colby Rasmus home from third base for the victory.

Bautista, who had four hits and drove in all four Toronto runs, was mobbed by his teammates on the field.

6. NFL    Brian Urlacher was the face of the Bears, and he ranks among the best middle linebackers to suit up for a franchise with an impressive list that includes Hall of Famers Bill George, Dick Butkus and Mike Singletary, and he has decided to retire after 13 seasons. Last year, he was slowed by a knee problem and then missed the final four games with a hamstring injury.

In March, Urlacher and the Bears were unable to reach a contract agreement and he became a free agent.

He started 180 games from 2000-2012, and made a team-record 1,779 tackles. He has 41 1/2, 22 interceptions, 16 fumble recoveries and 11 forced fumbles.

7.  GOLF     Sergio Garcia apologized to Tiger Woods for saying he would serve fried chicken if they were to have dinner at the U.S. Open, an ugly addition to nearly two weeks of verbal sparring.

What had been a celebration of European golf at an awards dinner south of London shifted suddenly to a racially sensitive moment involving Woods. Garcia said he meant to give a funny answer to a playful question, and it turned out to be “totally stupid and out of place.”