This Sunday, it comes to an end - the Manchester United era under Sir Alex Ferguson. Almost 27 years and 38 trophies later, Ferguson steps away from managerial life at Manchester United after a trip to the Hawthorns. An away tie at West Brom provides the stage and context for the most anti-climactic Fergie Time imaginable. If it were not for an unjust red card to Nani that turned the tides in Uniteds Champions League tie with Real Madrid, a more appropriate send off in a Champions League final at Wembley could have been in the cards for the decorated gaffer. But this is what were left with. Fergusons swansong cannot live up to the pomp and circumstance of the past 10 days since he announced he was stepping away. Tributes have poured in from around the world, bidding adieu, congratulatory messages, words of praise, acknowledgement of accomplishment. In addition to aforementioned acclaim, Sir Alex managed his final match at Old Trafford, hoisted his 13th Premier League title trophy and took in the celebratory parade through the streets of Manchester, commemorating league title No. 20 for the worlds most famous club. Manchester went Red, allowing Ferguson to move nicely into his quasi-retirement directors role, at peace. All my life Ive supported Manchester United. Im a Red, through and through. I can honestly say some of the best moments of my life have come supporting United. Its my passion. And as far back as I remember, that meant supporting Sir Alex Ferguson. Sir Alex is the only manager that any of us who were born in the 1980s knows firsthand. Watching and consuming Premier League football is easy nowadays. Turn on the radio or television. Go online. Its all at your fingertips. It took considerable more effort in my youth. Soccer Saturday on TSN was a prime destination. Press clippings in the mail from overseas kept me up-to-date. Or heading to the pub to watch matches on the satellite were our basic staples. I remember getting my first Manchester United kit from family in the UK in the early eighties: a red Adidas shirt with SHARP sponsor in the middle with the Manchester United crest above it. I still have the jersey and it surprisingly fits (kind of). The shirt pre-dates Sir Alex, but it was upon his arrival in 1986 I took a real interest. Supporting the club as a child, the work a manager does goes by the wayside. Your true heroes are the players. The players are the stars. They score the goals. They dazzle with their skill and vision. I remember wanting to be the next Steve Bruce, which turned into wanting to be the next Paul Ince as I worked my way up the field in my own playing days. I grew up with Manchester Uniteds golden generation. Scholes, Beckham, Butt, Neville(s). I swear if I ever have a son Ill name him Giggs. Cantona was a godsend. Keano was our fearless leader. And Robin van Persie is Uniteds new patron saint. Manchester United has been a place where the biggest names in world football have plied their trade and won. Won lots of trophies. It doesnt get better for a supporter. The last 27 years, the Impossible Dream has been a reality for United supporters. Its been incredible. Stoppage time magic in Barcelona. Penalties in Moscow. The ups and downs of a decisive run in the Premier League. Its been a ride. And if you get down to it, none of it would have been possible without The Boss. Nothing. The sporting heroism of the players turns to admiration of the manager. Its easy to become jaded by sport. The non-stop managerial and player turn-around at clubs across the world waters down identity. Its a by-product of modern sport, and I get it. But its something United has largely been immune. Yes, players come and go. Some probably stay too long. But its the identity of what being part of the club thats remained the same. And that has been set by Ferguson. Responsibility comes with playing for Manchester United. The history of the club is part of that. But Ferguson did the rest. He set the tone, steering the course, knocking off adversaries and keeping United at the top. Players were held accountable. Once a player put one above club, hed be knocked down or sent away. The club first mentality has been preached to the end. Wayne Rooney the last player to feel the brunt of Ferguson sending a message, watching Uniteds final home match from an executive suite. Its perspective Sir Alex brought. Professionalism. A column penned by former England goalkeeper David James gives a poignant glimpse how Manchester United players developed into a difference breed. http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/...ager?CMP=twt_gu And it came about because Sir Alex demanded more. The full 90 on and off the field. Superior focus. A winners mentality. I still cant believe Ferguson agreed to be a guest on Off the Record with Michael Landsberg on Uniteds North American summer tour in 2010. Michael invited me into studio that day, knowing my passion for United. I had just landed from spending 40-something days covering the World Cup in South Africa and couldnt make it. Its one of my biggest regrets - not being able to meet the man in person. Theres no substitute for a real face-to-face conversation. Covering sport you meet personalities of all kinds. But Sir Alex to me is in a league of his own. That would have been special. Next season will not be the same without Ferguson on the sidelines. Ill miss Fergie Time, which has become preferred terminology when too much stoppage time is given. Anything can happen in Fergie Time and usually did. Ill miss the gum chewing and the assumption of the hair dryer after a poor 45 minutes. Ill miss questioning his squad selection. Ferguson has often remained steadfast and loyal to players and formations deemed not suffice. Yet time after time, Ferguson got it right. No matter whom he left on the bench, or what wonky substitution was made, it would all somehow work out over the long haul. His ability to see beyond the immediate into the big picture and manage accordingly may be his biggest strength, evidenced in his team hitting stride each year in and around the hectic holiday season. Ill miss the mind games. Ferguson had his ups and downs with the media. But how he went out of his way to send a message to a match official or opposing manager after an innocent question was a thing of beauty. There were no mincing words. And the message always delivered. Ill miss his visible love for the club and respect for its supporters. He was a pillar of strength, often controversially after the Glazers take over of the club. Hell have to continue to be influential behind the scenes so the new manager can thrive. Above all, Ill miss having blind faith of a Ferguson managed team on the field, no matter who theyre playing, who was on the field, or what the score line may be. The best way to describe Ferguson is a winner. The mentality is contagious. Managers come and go but how do you move on when Fergusons the only one Ive known? You dont. There is no way to truly replace Sir Alex. You simply move on with faith that the culture established carries through to the next edition of the team. Im choosing to be optimistic. At the very least, the entire idea of change is exciting. Most supporters of other clubs go through this on a semi-regular basis. New tactics, new motivation, fresh life into the on-field product has to be a positive under the backdrop Ferguson helped build. The club is bigger than one man. The club will move on. Football is fluid. Fergusons recognized this better than most, speaking to his longevity. Match 1,500 will be his last Sunday. 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Custom Basketball Jerseys .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.PHILADELPHIA -- Michael Raffl scored with 1:29 remaining to cap Philadelphias rally from two goals down in a 6-5 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night for the Flyers seventh straight win.Claude Giroux had two goals and one assist, and Mark Streit, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Jakub Voracek also scored for the Flyers. Steve Mason stopped 28 shots to win his sixth straight and improve to 11-8-3.Leon Draisaitl had a goal and two assists, Connor McDavid had a goal and an assist, and Andrej Sekera, Benoit Pouliot and Oscar Klefbom also scored for the Oilers, who have blown leads in four straight games. Jonas Gustavsson finished with 25 saves.CANADIENS 5, DEVILS 2MONTREAL -- Carey Price lost his temper after being bumped twice in his crease and made 19 saves to help Montreal beat New Jersey.Torrey Mitchell scored twice and Phillip Danault, Artturi Lehkonen and Max Pacioretty also had goals for the Canadiens in their return from a five-game trip.Adam Henrique scored a goal and set up one by Taylor Hall for New Jersey, which ended a two-game winning streak.Montreal had a season-high 49 shots on Cory Schneider.A wild first period included three goals, four goal reviews and Prices meltdown.With 18 seconds left in the first period, Kyle Palmieri slid into Prices knees, and the goaltender jumped on him and started pummeling him with his blocker. Price was pulled away in the ensuing melee.PENGUINS 5, PANTHERS 1SUNRISE, Fla. -- Sidney Crosby got his 18th goal and added an assist to lead Pittsburgh over Florida.Conor Sheary, Tom Kuhnhackl, Matt Cullen and Carl Hagelin also scored for Pittsburgh. Matt Murray made 28 saves.The Penguins have won four straight and five of their past six.Jaromir Jagr scored his 755th career goal, and Roberto Luongo stopped 25 shots for the Panthers. Luongo allowed three goals on Pittsburghs first five shots.Panthers coach Tom Rowe, who replaced Gerard Gallant on Nov. 28, made his home debut. The Panthers have lost five of six under Rowe, but managed a point in three of those losses.ISLANDERS 3, BLUES 2NEW YORK -- Anders Lees second goal of the game with just over seven minutes remaining lifted New York over St. Louis.Lees go-ahead score on a slap shot came after Casey CCizikas won a faceoff in the Blues zone and sent the puck back to Lee, who rifled it past Allen with 7:18 left.dddddddddddd Lee, who started the season slowly, now has seven goals in his last eight games.John Tavares also scored and Thomas Greiss stopped 24 shots to help the Islanders improve their season-best stretch to 5-0-1 in their last six games.Robby Fabbri and Kyle Brodziak had goals for the Blues, who fell to 3-7-1 away from home while going 12-1-3 at Scottrade Center. Jake Allen, who came in with eight straight wins, finished with 24 saves.RANGERS 2, JETS 1WINNIPEG, Manitoba -- Kevin Hayes scored a power-play goal with 1:09 left in the third period to lift New York over Winnipeg.Jets forward Drew Stafford was in the penalty box for high-sticking when Ryan McDonaghs point shot through traffic deflected to Hayes, who capitalized for his 11th of the season.Chris Kreider also scored for New York and Antti Raanta, playing for the first time since Nov. 27, stopped 17 shots.Mark Scheifele had the tying goal for Winnipeg midway through the second period, and Michael Hutchinson finished with 22 saves.AVALANCHE 4, BRUINS 2BOSTON -- Matt Duchene scored his 10th goal and John Mitchell got his first, lifting Colorado over Boston.The Avalanche won for the 10th time in 11 visits to Boston, where they havent lost since 1998.Duchenes goal 5:30 into the game was the first of three unassisted tallies for Colorado, which shut down Boston in the third period after David Pastrnak scored twice in the second to pull the Bruins within 3-2.Former Bruin Carl Soderberg added a goal for Colorado in the third and Nathan MacKinnon also scored for the Avs.CANUCKS 5, LIGHTNING 1TAMPA, Fla. -- Jayson Megna and Jack Skille both had two goals, Ryan Miller made 38 saves before leaving with six minutes left in the third period and Vancouver beat Tampa Bay.Erik Gudbranson also scored for the Canucks, who are 1-1 on a five-game road.Miller skated to the bench and then went to the locker room. There was no immediate word on why he departed.Tampa Bay, in a 1-5-1 slide, got a goal from Jonathan Drouin. ' ' '