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RIO DE JANEIRO -- Denis Gargaud Chanut stepped to the top of the podium and watched as the medal presenter made his way across the deck.The French paddler never expected to earn a medal and now Tony Estanguet, the greatest slalom canoer in his countrys history, was about to drape a gold around his neck.There was only one chance in one million that I could win a medal and that would already be good for the French legacy, Gargaud Chanut said after earning gold in mens slalom canoe at the Rio Olympics on Tuesday. That Tony was able to give the gold to me was an historical moment for both of us.Estanguet and Slovakias Michal Martikan had dominated canoe slalom over the previous five Olympics, winning every gold since Atlanta in 1996. Estanguet captured gold three times and Martikan twice, adding two silver medals and a bronze.But the Rio Games were without the power duo after Estanguet retired and Martikan failed to make the Slovakian teams.That left the gate open for a new champion.Great Britains David Florence was expected to be the favorite, but never had much of a chance once in the final. He made a mistake early in his race and never recovered, finishing 10th.Gargaud Chanut was an unlikely contender.The 29-year-old had some strong finishes through the years, including a world championship in 2011, but had never competed in the Olympics.Gargaud Chanut qualified third in Rio and put together a strong run in the finals, topping Slovakian Matej Benus time by 0.85 seconds.Gargaud Chanut let out a yell after setting his name atop the leaderboard at 94.17 seconds, but then had to wait; Spains Ander Elosegi and German Sideris Tasiadis still had to make their runs.No worries.Elosegi was three seconds slower and Tasiadis finished more than a second behind, sending Gargaud Chanut to top of the podium to meet Estanguet.It was difficult to wait for the race to finish, Gargaud Chanut said. I was already happy to be on the podium and after the Spanish went; I saw that I was silver, so the gold was just the cherry on the cake.Gargaud Chanut wasnt the only one to make history.Benus, who led the finals until Gargaud Chanuts run, earned silver to stretch Slovakias run of medals in mens slalom canoe to six straight Olympics.Bronze medalist Takuya Haneda of Japan had an even bigger distinction: He became the first paddler from an Asian country to win an Olympic in canoe/kayak.Haneda knew the significance while he was on the water, too.He qualified fifth, so had to wait out four paddlers to see if his run of 97.44 seconds was good enough for a medal. When it was, Haneda broke down on his boat in the water, cupping hands to face as he openly wept for several minutes.Several competitors paddled over to pat Haneda on the back as he cried, but the tears quickly turned to smiles.We have been working to be the first medalist from, of course, Japan and from Asia, he said through an interpreter. This is the first time for a Japanese, an Asian to win in a boat and for me it is great.American Casey Eichfield was seventh for his best finish in three Olympics. Luis Perdomo Jersey .com) - The Montreal Canadiens will try to halt their longest losing streak of the season when they host the struggling New York Islanders in tonights clash at the Bell Centre. Fred Kendall Jersey . -- Five former Kansas City Chiefs players who were on the team between 1987 and 1993 filed a lawsuit Tuesday claiming the team hid and even lied about the risks of head injuries during that time period when there was no collective bargaining agreement in place in the NFL. https://www.cheappadresjerseys.us/1473m-david-bednar-jersey-padres.html . Brett Kulak and Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants were each charged with assault causing bodily harm on Aug. 18, according to the B.C. court services. Garrett Richards Jersey . Jordan Lynch, the all-purpose Heisman Trophy finalist from Northern Illinois, failed to make it into that exclusive club. Randy Jones Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla.Viktor Stalberg believes the Nashville Predators have many of the elements in place to start winning again. Their chances of bouncing back from a disappointing season could depend on whether the 27-year-old forward can help solve his new teams scoring problems. Less than two weeks after winning the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks, Stalberg signed a four-year, $12 million contract to join Nashville as part of the Predators uncharacteristic free-agent spending spree. The Predators are counting on Stalberg to boost an offence that scored just 2.27 goals per game this past season to match the Florida Panthers for the lowest average in the NHL. "Just from playing against them the last couple of years, I know theyre very well-built and well-coached," Stalberg said Monday during a conference call with Nashville media. "Hopefully, I can add some offence to that team as well." As the free-agent period opened Friday, the Predators signed five players to contracts totalling over $36 million. Stalberg joined forwards Matt Cullen, Matt Hendricks and Eric Nystrom and goaltender Carter Hutton in signing with Nashville. Stalberg is moving from the Stanley Cup champions to a Nashville team that finished last in the Central Division and 14th out of 15 teams in the Western Conference with a 16-23-9 record. The switch should allow Stalberg to have more of a chance to show what he can do. "I wanted to come to a team where I could have a bigger opportunity and play a little bit more," Stalberg said. "As you guys know, in Chicago we had superstars. ... Its tough to get the opportunity ahead of those guys, and theyre going to get the big minutes. I had a couple of good years there, but I think I can keep improving. I dont think Ive reached my potential." Stalberg hadd 22 goals and 21 assists in 2011-12 for the Blackhawks.dddddddddddd Stalberg followed that up with nine goals and 14 assists in 47 games this past season, but he struggled to earn playing time during the Blackhawks playoff run. The presence of star forwards Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa made it difficult for Stalberg to break through. "They had a lot of high-end forwards, so he never got a lot of opportunities in those situations," Predators coach Barry Trotz said Friday when Nashville announced all the new signings. "He ended up being on the third line, some fourth line, which is probably not his role. You dont get the same opportunities." Asked whether he got a fair shot at becoming a top-six forward in Chicago, Stalberg replied, "Yes and no." "Certainly you cant be mad at that, either," Stalberg said. "Look at that lineup. Thats just the way it is. Its probably the last couple of years the best team in hockey if you look at the roster. At the same time that you want to be on a good team - winning and all that - it might not be the opportunity to reach my potential." He should have that opportunity in Nashville, which traditionally has been known for its defence. The Predators have one of the leagues top goaltenders in Pekka Rinne and an elite defenceman in captain Shea Weber. They improved their defence even more by selecting highly touted Seth Jones with the fourth overall pick in the draft. "Looking at that, I think what they were missing was offensive players, but thats certainly what they went out and looked for in free agency," Stalberg said. "Thats why I decided to go there. I think theyve got a good thing going. Obviously getting back to the playoffs is the big thing next year." ' ' '