Locker Room

The Rochester Knighthawks romped past the Wings 22-12 in the season opener at the Wells Fargo Center in what Wings coach Johnny Mouradian called a "slug fest" when fist fights burst out with seconds left in the fourth quarter. Wings defenseman Tom Hajek and Knighthawks defenseman Tyler Burton were ejected after exchanging punches with about 25 seconds left in the game. The game resumed but stopped about 10 seconds later as each of the 12 players on the field erupted in fights with opposing players.

UNLIKE BASEBALL, there is crying in football. And a whole lot more if you're in the New York Jets locker room the day after the season ends. Jets coach Rex Ryan got so emotional he shed tears while addressing his team yesterday. "He was crying because he loves us," guard Matt Slauson told the Associated Press. "He respects us, he knows what we are capable of and we didn't even come close to our goals. " The Jets - who had gone to the AFC Championship Game the past two seasons - lost to the Dolphins 19-17 on Sunday to finish 8-8. Ryan isn't Dick Vermeil, but yesterday wasn't the first time he cried in public.

Penn State wide receiver Curtis Drake has endured a year of accomplishments and disappointments in 2011 with injuries, academic issues, Wildcat quarterback play that led to a victory, and being caught up in the storm that followed the indictment of former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. But it was a locker-room altercation with quarterback Matt McGloin on Dec. 17, an incident that sent McGloin to the hospital with a concussion, that led Drake to think that he ought to step away from football for a while.

For a group that had just been knocked out of the playoffs, sealing their fate as one of the more disappointing NFL teams in recent memory, the Eagles were surprisingly at ease Saturday night. There were laughs in the locker room and talk about how maybe the team's three recent wins would build toward next season. With some reporters asking about how dangerous the Eagles might have been if they reached the postseason, players happily grabbed the bait, talking about what a threat they could have been.

IN RECENT DAYS, most of us have created a Penn State locker room in our minds. We hear a strange noise in the shower, then we see something unfathomable: a grown man raping a young boy. Rage washes over us. Instantly, we're landing punches on Jerry Sandusky, the alleged rapist, as the terrified child huddles behind us on the slippery tiles. At the very least, we're yelling, 'Get away from him, you sick bastard. " We'd be the hero that Mike McQueary, the then-graduate assistant coach who claims he witnessed the alleged rape, wasn't able to be that day in 2002.

Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger, trying to rebound from four surgeries, is already in midseason form. It has nothing to do with his surgically repaired body parts. It has everything to do with his playfully sarcastic personality. In one corner of the Flyers locker room last week in Voorhees, Captain Snarl was telling a reporter it was the worst part of his day. Why? "Because I'm looking at you," he deadpanned. Laughter echoed around the room. About 40 feet away, new forwards Max Talbot and Jaromir Jagr were cracking jokes, and chatty goalie Ilya Bryzgalov was holding court with the media, telling reporters to "have a seat" and explaining how fans have welcomed him warmly.

FOLLOWING yesterday's practice at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, 76ers forward Elton Brand wore a huge bag of ice around the back of his left hand and a menacing scowl on his face. He certainly is not happy how this opening-round Eastern Conference playoff series with the Miami Heat has progressed. In the 21-point blowout in Game 2, Brand scored only three points, his lone field goal in five attempts coming on a goaltending call. His normal work station, that area 10 to 15 feet from the basket, was pushed to an uncomfortable location farther out, leaving Brand virtually nonexistent at the offensive end. Brand, however, will correct that for Game 3. It's his way. He fights and claws for everything he needs to do to make himself and his team better.

Flyers Notes SUNRISE, Fla. - Without injured defenseman Chris Pronger for as long as four weeks, the Flyers locker room will be a much quieter place during the stretch run. But don't expect anyone to start emulating the leadership style of the biting, fiery Pronger. "It's probably a situation where we'll have to get by without it," captain Mike Richards said before Tuesday's game in Florida. "We don't want anyone to do anything they're uncomfortable with doing, or step outside themselves.

Great Valley girls' basketball coach Alex Venarchik stood in the locker room ready to address his team before a late-season matchup against visiting Octorara. The Patriots were mired in a three-game losing streak and Venarchik said the atmosphere had become tense. As the coach began to speak, the locker room doors swung open as Nicky DiOrio and Jordan Van Sciver, the team's two student managers, entered the room. "They made a big entrance and they both smiled and I said, 'Look at these guys, they are just here because they're having fun and you girls need to get back to having fun,' " Venarchik said.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - Robb Quinlan sat at his locker, looked to his right, then his left, and smiled. "Who are these guys?" he asked. There was facetiousness because Quinlan, a non-roster invitee with the Phillies, might have the best seat in the house to the Four Aces. In a seven-locker span in the back corner of the team's clubhouse at Bright House Field, Quinlan is the lone position player. Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels , and Kyle Kendrick are to Quinlan's right.