Ice

SUNRISE, Fla. - Flyers center Danny Briere, who missed the first four games because of a hairline fracture of his left wrist, made his first appearance of the year Saturday night. Before the game, Briere said he had no problems shooting the puck, but faceoffs still gave him difficulties. He began the night at left wing. Earlier in the day, general manager Paul Holmgren said Briere was "probably a no-go" for Saturday, but Briere apparently talked his way into the lineup. Briere played on a line with center Sean Couturier and right winger Jake Voracek.

More than a generation after the historic "Miracle On Ice" game in the 1980 Winter Olympics, 58-year-old Mike Eruzione is parting with his iconic No. 21 USA jersey, hockey stick, and other Olympic paraphernalia. Eruzione's white jersey alone is expected to fetch more than $1 million, but some sports memorabilia experts think it could go considerably higher. Eruzione scored the sensational winning goal against the Soviet hockey team in Lake Placid, N.Y., catapulting the Americans toward the gold medal.

The Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, are still a little more than a year off, but figure skaters are gearing up this week for the big event. The pool of likely Olympians should emerge at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, which opened Sunday in Omaha, Neb., and continue through this weekend. You can catch the action on NBC10 from 3 to 6 p.m. and 8 to 11 p.m. Saturday and 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday. Or you can mark the occasion by lacing up a pair of skates and following in the tracings of some of the many elite skaters who train or teach in the Philadelphia area.

ATLANTA — One Philadelphia-area quarterback is going to the Super Bowl, but another one is going to have to wait at least one more year. While Audubon, N.J., native Joe Flacco punched his ticket to New Orleans Sunday with the Ravens' 28-13 win over the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game, Matt Ryan came up just short as the Falcons lost a 28-24 heartbreaker to the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game. Ryan completed 30 of 42 passes for 396 yards and three touchdowns in the defeat.

KURTIS FOSTER will never forget the night of March 19, 2008. Foster, playing for the Minnesota Wild, was in San Jose. He was racing for a puck with Sharks forward Torrey Mitchell. Closing in on the goal line at a blistering pace, Foster received an extra push from Mitchell as he reached to touch the puck for an icing call. Foster flew into the boards, shattering his left femur - the longest and strongest bone in the human body - into three separate pieces. Laying on the ice waiting for a gurney, his career flashed before his eyes.

Claude Giroux was more than a little concerned when Scott Hartnell suggested they finish off their first day on ice together in months by taking in a Sixers game. Giroux knew how annoyed he was about the NHL lockout, how it denied what he sees as his destiny in life. "I was born to play hockey," he was saying at his locker the other day. "And I couldn't do that, at least in the NHL. It was a pretty tough couple of months. " He also knew that if it bothered him that much, it bothered fans, too. He was one of them the last time the NHL locked out its players in 2004-05, and while he doesn't remember much of the details, he remembered being a little ticked then, too. So as he took his courtside seat with Hartnell and Matt Read for Tuesday night's game between the Sixers and the Nets, he did so warily.

It was an unofficial practice because the NHL's new collective bargaining agreement still has to be signed, but the Flyers who skated in Voorhees on Monday seemed to have some extra zip during the one-hour session. It had everything to do with the tentative agreement that was forged between the league and the players' union on Sunday, ending the 113-day lockout. "It's been a long four months," said defensemen Kimmo Timonen, one of five Flyers who practiced Monday. "You kind of have to try to be in shape just in case this happens.

It was an unofficial practice because the NHL's new collective bargaining agreement still has to be signed, but the Flyers who skated in Voorhees on Monday seemed to have some extra zip during the one-hour session. It had everything to do with the tentative agreement that was forged between the league and the players' union on Sunday, ending the 113-day lockout. "It's been a long four months," said defensemen Kimmo Timonen, one of five Flyers who practiced Monday. "You kind of have to try to be in shape just in case this happens.

The United States won the world junior ice hockey championship on Saturday after Rocco Grimaldi scored twice and Vince Trocheck added an empty-netter to clinch a 3-1 win over defending champion Sweden in the gold-medal final in Ufa, Russia. American goalie John Gibson made 26 saves for the victory and was the MVP of the tournament. Valeri Nichushkin scored an overtime winner to give Russia a 6-5 victory over Canada in the bronze-medal match. CYCLING: Countering a New York Times report on Friday, Lance Armstrong 's attorney said that the cyclist hasn't reached out to the USADA about admitting that he used performance-enhancing drugs.

NEW ORLEANS - Christmas Day along the Gulf Coast was filled with severe thunderstorms that brought drenching rains, high winds, and damaging tornadoes, while the nation's midsection dealt with freezing rain, sleet, and snow that made for a sloppy, sometimes dangerous trek for holiday travelers. Winds toppled a tree onto a pickup truck in the Houston area, killing the driver. Icy roads were blamed for a 21-vehicle pileup in Oklahoma, where authorities warned would-be travelers to stay home.