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Former St. Louis Blues captain David Backes said he got goosebumps thinking about joining a team that already includes centers Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci.These guys get it, the free-agent forward said Friday after signing with the Boston Bruins in the first 30 minutes of NHL free agency. They know what its going to take to win. Thats what sold me on it. ... If you have prominent players that are putting team first, the rest of the guys really have no choice.A two-time U.S. Olympian, Backes agreed to a five-year, $30 million deal with the Bruins and said he hoped to help the Original Six club return to the playoffs for the first time in three seasons. Listing off some of the players already on the roster, Backes said it was more of a retooling than a rebuilding.Some guys would have looked at it like, Youve already got Bergeron and Krejci, where will I play? David said, Boy, I get to play with Bergeron and Krejci, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said. These guys are going to be the leading core to get us where we want to go. The younger guys are going to have to get on board.Backes, 32, is the first major addition this offseason for a team that won the 2011 Stanley Cup and returned to the finals two years later. The team re-signed defenseman Torey Krug and bought out the contract of defenseman Dennis Seidenberg on Thursday. Free agents Loui Eriksson and Lee Stempniak agreed to deals with the Canucks and Carolina, respectively.Also signing with Boston on the first day of free agency were defensemen Tommy Cross and John-Michael Liles, goalie Anton Khudobin, and forwards Riley Nash, Tyler Randell and Tim Schaller.Theyre trying to get pieces back that will get them over the hump, Backes said. They barely missed the playoffs last year, and if they had [made it] I dont think anyone would have wanted to play them.Backes had 21 goals and 24 assists last season for the Blues. In a 10-year NHL career -- all with St. Louis -- he has 206 goals and 254 assists in 727 regular-season games.Backes, whos from Minneapolis, said it was difficult for his family to leave St. Louis, the team that selected him in the second round of the 2003 draft.It was tough in that its all Ive known, he said in a conference call with reporters. It happens a lot in this business, it hasnt happened to us. But change is good.Backes bid farewell to St. Louis in a lengthy Twitter post:Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said talks with his captain broke down over the length of the deal.I had no problem bringing David Backes back, and I wish we could have, he said. I wasnt comfortable with the term. It was problematic for me, personally, to [sign] out that far with players. Theres analytical data [that] shows where players play at their peak, and we wanted to try and stay within a window. We were ready to stretch that window but only to a certain level.But Backes said he has a lot left.Im 32, not 52, he said. I think theres plenty of legs and energy left in me. I expect to still be at the top of my game.The Associated Press contributed to this report. Custom NCAA Jerseys . "No difference at all," chirped U.S. roommate and linemate James van Riemsdyk. "Its still the same cranky Phil. Cheap NCAA Jerseys . But the quarterback hopes to stay involved in football after officially calling it quits Tuesday. "Id love to look at those opportunities as they arise," Pierce said in an interview from his Winnipeg eatery. https://www.chinajerseysncaa.us/ .C. -- When North Carolina freshman Ryan Switzer reported to training camp in August he was a little miffed to learn he was third on the depth chart at punt returner. NCAA Jerseys China . 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We all know hes a walking headline, but it appears Nick Kyrgios also knows WADAs rights from wrongs.Kyrgios wont be sanctioned for claiming tennis players are allowed to smoke marijuana on tour during a snap Q & A with his Twitter followers on the eve of his first-round match at the US Open.Kyrgios offered up a simple yep when asked by a fan: are you allowed to smoke weed on tour?And it seems the controversial star is correct, with a WADA spokesman confirming that while marijuana is a prohibited substance for in-competition testing, it has never been prohibited out-of-competition.However, while WADA may not prevent it, local laws might; which means it could still be considered illegal.In effect, that means players are okay to smoke marijuana while not competing at tournaments.During the same Q & A, Kyrgios also teased that he would wwalk away from tennis - at just 21 - if he won the US Open on Sunday week.ddddddddddddIf I won the US open now u (sic) would never see me again, he replied to a fan ahead of his opener against British No.3 Aljaz Bedene on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST).After sitting out the Rio Olympics following his running battle with Kitty Chiller, Kyrgios also seemed to have a laugh at the Australian team boss.Asked who inspired him the most over the Olympics, he replied: kitty.The pre-tournament banter with his followers provided a typically colourful start to his third Open campaign.Enjoying a career-high grand slam seeding of 14th this year, Kyrgioss best run in New York came on debut in 2014 when he reached the last 32. 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