NEW YORK -- The Rangers bought out the contract of veteran forward Brad Richards on Friday, creating much-needed salary-cap space and parting ways with New Yorks de facto captain one week after the club was eliminated from the Stanley Cup finals. Jannik Hansen Jersey . Both the Rangers and Richards agent, Pat Morris, confirmed the move. "Tough last few days," Richards said in a statement released by the team. "I loved being a Ranger and living in New York and playing at MSG in front of great fans. Ive met many new friends, excellent teammates and staff, and I have memories that I will cherish for a lifetime. "(General manager) Glen Sather, the management and owner, Mr. Dolan, are all class acts. I want to thank them for letting me be a part of New York life and the Rangers family. With this decision finalized, I can now look forward to starting the next chapter in my career." The 34-year-old Richards had six years remaining on the nine-year, $60 million deal he signed in 2011, and this move will remove his $6.67 million salary-cap charge. He will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Richards will receive two-thirds of the remaining money to be paid out over 12 years -- a total of $12.6 million. Richards will also be paid $8 million in signing bonuses over the next three seasons. He didnt have to clear waivers before the buyout because his contract had a no-movement clause. The Rangers used their second and final compliance buyout on Richards after using the first on former defenceman Wade Redden last year. They had to be used before July 1. "We would like to thank Brad for everything he has done for our team on and off the ice during his time here," Sather said in a statement. "This was an extremely difficult decision to make because of how much respect I have for him. "Brads leadership and guidance for our young players was invaluable to the organization. We are grateful to have had the professionalism and experience he brought as an example for our team to follow. Brad has been a very good player for us and an even better person. We wish him all the best in his future endeavours." New York has numerous unrestricted and restricted free agents this summer, and will need as much cap space as possible to bring back key players and perhaps add others on the market. "Were going to work on putting a good team on the ice, but every year is different," Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said Monday when the Rangers cleaned out their lockers. "Next years team is going to be different, and youve got to go through the same process. Its going to be a challenge to make the playoffs, and then you take it one series at a time." Richards was demoted to the fourth line in the finals against Los Angeles. "I am a big fan of Brad Richards," Vigneault said. "He is a classy, classy individual. If you look at Brads overall season he had a real good year. "I am very happy with what he brought to the table. A veteran player from Day One that was a real good extension of the coaching staff in the dressing room. He should walk away from this season very pleased with how he played and how he contributed to our team." Richards had 20 goals and 31 assists in 82 games this season -- the lowest point-per-game average of his career -- and added five goals and seven assists in New Yorks 25 post-season games. He had only one assist in the five-game finals loss to the Kings. Richards took on a bigger leadership role after captain Ryan Callahan was traded to Tampa Bay for St. Louis in March. His voice carried in the room even as his play declined as the playoff run got deeper. In 210 regular-season games with the Rangers, Richards had 56 goals and 95 assists. He was benched in last years post-season by former coach John Tortorella during New Yorks second-round loss to Boston. Richards earned his contract when he hit the free-agent market after having 28 goals and 77 points during the 2010-11 season with Dallas. Todd Bertuzzi Jersey . The Opening Day starter played 53 games this season hitting .192 with nine home runs and 25 RBI. Red Sox manager John Farrell has decided to start Jose Iglesias at third base as of late instead of Middlebrooks. Pavel Bure Jersey .com) - Blake Griffin led five Clippers in double figures with 24 points and the LA Clippers got back on track with a 101-97 win over the Utah Jazz. http://www.thecanuckshockeystore.com/Canucks-Markus-Granlund-Adidas-Jersey/ . -- Caris LeVert had 14 points and a career-high 11 rebounds for his first career double-double, and No. PARIS -- You could almost hear the sigh of relief from her English teammates as Emily Scarratt broke through one tackle, evaded another and touched down in the corner of Canadas end zone. After having to fight for every inch against a resilient Canadian team, England needed a stellar solo effort from its star centre to cement a 21-9 win over Canada in the womens rugby World Cup final. Scarratt scored 16 points on Sunday, including 10 straight to close the gold-medal game, as England won its second World Cup and its first in 20 years. After England dominated in the first half, Canada closed to within two points on a Magali Harvey penalty halfway through the second. But Scarratt kicked a penalty of her own a minute later, then capped the scoring with a try six minutes from the end of regulation. "We had a couple of opportunities to score tries that could have made a difference, but because we didnt then they were full of confidence and more physical and fresher than us," Canada coach Francois Ratier said. "When you have two opportunities and you dont score, then its almost impossible. Its not a question of passion or heart. Its just a question of in the final of any sport, if you dont score when you have the opportunities, then the other team will take them." Scarratt received the ball from a lineout and ran past Mandy Marchak, fended off fullback Julianne Zussman and ran the ball in to give England some much needed breathing room. She kicked a conversion to cap a spectacular tournament for the England centre. "Its just a missed tackle," Ratier said. "We tried to tackle high but (Scarratt) has a really strong upper body. We should have gone lower but thats the way it is." Harvey had all of Canadas points on three penalties and finished the tournament with 61 points, second only to Scarratts 70. It was Canadas first appearance in the World Cup final. Its previous best finish was fourth, which it did in three consecutive tournaments from 1998 to 2006. England, meanwhile, ended 16 years of heartache by finally winning it after finishing as runner-up to New Zealand in the last three tournaments. Harvey was named the IRB womens player of the year after the game. Canadian captain Kelly Russell was also a finalist for the award. Harvey and Russell were two of the five Canadian players on the World Cup roster who were on the team that lost to New Zealand in the 2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens final. Canada fought to a 13-13 draw with England during the group stage, but it looked like a different English side in the first half on Sunday. They keyed in on Harvey and prevented her from making a game-breaking run as she did in Canadas semifinal win over host France. On offence, England used its size to exert all sorts of pressure, making several dangerous advances into Canadian territory. Scarratt opened the scoring 11 minutes into the match. England dreew a penalty after an impressive break from Natasha Hunt, who used her speed to run down the middle deep into the Canadian zone. Ryan Miller Jersey. England could have come away with more early on, but Canadas defence held firm with some solid tackling. Canada was spared a try when Hunt was tackled near the touch-line. An official review declared Hunt had not moved the ball into touch when she was brought down by Andrea Burk. England kept coming, and Scarratt kicked her second penalty of the game at the 25-minute mark to put England up 6-0. Canada had trouble getting into Englands zone and it proved costly when Danielle Waterman capped a series of crisp passes and scored the games first try at the 33 minute mark. Scarratt missed the convert as England went up 11-0. "We were not able to match physically. At times we were dominant but they were more consistent," Ratier said. "They won some balls and we were not able to attack on the outside. We tried, but they were just better at defence." Canada finally started to get some momentum late in the half, and it paid off with a key penalty before the break when England was called for offside. Harvey converted the kick on the last play of the half to cut the deficit to 11-3. Harvey started the second half with two long penalties, the second from 42 yards out, and Canada suddenly looked dangerous trailing just 11-9. But that was as close as Canada would come. Scarratt responded with a penalty one minute later to restore Englands advantage to five points. Canada had some opportunities to close the gap, but Scarratt rescued her team when she scored a try with six minutes left in regulation, and added two points on a conversion. Canada continued to press for their first try of the game as time ran out. While the Canadians were able to get deep into Englands zone, the English did an excellent job of preventing any runs on the outside from getting through. "I was happy with how I played, how my team set me up, how they played," Harvey said. "Its too bad it couldnt go until the end, so it wasnt enough." Magalis scoring, including an incredible try against France where she ran the length of the field, has made her the breakout star of the Canadian team. Ratier said while she is a good teammate and a good player, she is still only one part of the team. "Shes a winger, so she scores tries because its her job," Ratier said. "Shes the first to get a bit annoyed when shes made out to be the star of the team, because she doesnt feel like that at all." But Ratier sees the value of having someone like Harvey become the face of the team, especially for a sport like womens rugby which is still finding a foothold in the Canadian sports landscape. "Its good for visibility, its good for marketing, its good for promotion of the sport, its good for the image big time," he said. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '