Despite being lost for the first 10 games of the regular season for leaving the bench to join an altercation, David Clarkson is taking a positive approach to his suspension, saying the on-ice brawl between the Sabres and Leafs on Sunday night has worked to unite the club. Orlando Cepeda Jersey . “It brings you together, it unites everybody. Im hoping thats what this did. I think its going to carry us a long way,” Clarkson said on TSN Radio 1050 Wednesday afternoon. “And I think for teams to be successful thats the type of locker room you need to have – you have to have each others back.” The rugged winger was apologetic, but at the same time proud of the way his team responded to an incident which resulted in star forward Phil Kessel being banned for the remainder of the pre-season and Sabres coach Ron Rolston fined for “player selection and team conduct.” “The phone calls that I got from around the league, my teammates thanking me, that means more than what anyone else says. Well move on from this, well squash it and Ill push these guys to be ready and when I get back Ill be raring to go.” In trying to explain the reasoning behind his decision to leave the bench upon seeing the Sabres six-foot-eight enforcer John Scott initiate a confrontation with Kessel, Clarkson said his instincts took over. “Its a tough because if you felt like your brother or your sister or a family member was in trouble what would your reaction be? “I think what I got out of it was to next time to use my head and not my heart, but I went with my heart. I think Ive got to where I am by playing with my heart and using my heart a lot and I think that was a reaction with my heart.” The Mimico, ON native who signed a seven-year, $36.75-million with his hometown team in the off-season will now be forced to make his debut on Oct. 25 in Columbus. “All I can do now is to push these guys in practice…I will be the biggest supporter and Im hoping to travel with the day, but Ill be ready for that day when it comes." Being undrafted after spending three years with the OHLs Kitchener Rangers, the 29-year-olds path to the NHL has not come easy and he is confident his past experiences will help him deal with the pressure that comes with signing a lucrative free agent deal. “If I came here when I was younger in my career it may be different, but now I have a very supportive family at home and Im coming here and Im going to be myself. Im not changing for anybody, I dont care what the situation is. “I know what made me successful. Its going to the front of the net, its creating plays creating room on the ice, blocking shots.” Despite the suspension, his time in Toronto has been a positive one thus far and he feels like the Leafs are primed to build upon the teams first playoff berth in nearly a decade. "Weve got something special going on in this room. Weve got a great group of guys, were going in the right path, were going in the right direction. “Hopefully this shows everyone in the league that were together.” Adam Wainwright Jersey . -- Manchester United thrilled a record crowd with a brilliant opening goal -- and even Cristiano Ronaldos unexpected entrance proved futile for Real Madrid. Ken Boyer Jersey . Minutes after the previously winless Colts got their first win, 27-13 over Tennessee, team vice chairman Bill Polian said the four-time league MVP will not play this season though he has begun throwing to teammates at the team complex. http://www.authenticcardinalspro.com/cardinals-mike-matheny-jersey/ .com) - The Los Angeles Kings peppered Ryan Miller with shot after shot. NEW YORK -- The Wizards made the right call when they put the ball in Bradley Beals hands for a last shot Monday night. The Knicks decision to not take a timeout after Beal scored didnt work out so well. Beals driving layup with 6 seconds remaining lifted the Wizards to a 102-101 win when New York didnt use one of its three remaining timeouts and Carmelo Anthonys attempted a 3-pointer bounced off the rim as time expired. "I probably should have taken a timeout there at the end, but you know Beno (Udrih) grabbed it and the ball is in Melos hands before I could even react and I should have reacted a lot sooner once the ball went through the bucket," Knicks coach Mike Woodson said. "So, thats on me." Beal led the Wizards with 21 points, including their final seven as Washington erased a six-point fourth-quarter deficit. "I knew in the huddle that if I came off the pick and roll, they were probably going to double me," Beal said. "My first instinct was to reject the screen and go baseline if I had it. There was absolutely nobody even paying attention, so I just drove it in there." After Beal scored, the Knicks inbounded the ball to Anthony and he dribbled up court before unleashing his game-winning attempt. "Thats a tough way to lose a game," Anthony said. "If he (Woodson) said its his fault theres no need for me to make excuses or talk about it. As players, we have to be smarter. We knew we had timeouts. I was just trying to get a shot." Martell Webster added 30 points, John Wall had 20 and Trevor Ariza had 10 points for the Wizards. Anthony finished with 32 for the Knicks. The victory snapped the Wizards 10-game losing streak at Madison Square Garden. The last Washington win in New York came on Dec. 6, 2006 "Its a great overall win for us," Beal said. "We havent won here since 2006. Thats a big accomplishment for us hhow we stuck through adversity. Trevor Rosenthal Jersey. . As a team, everybody stepped up." The Knicks led 100-97 after Andrea Bargnani hit two free throws with 1:07 left. But, Beal hit a 3-pointer to tie the game with 45 seconds left. Udrih put the Knicks back in front by making one of two free throws with 24 seconds left. After a Wizards timeout, Beal ran down the clock before driving past Udrih and hitting the game-winning shot. The curious decision by the Knicks followed. "Well its easy to stop playing, make a basket, anticipate a timeout, start walking to the bench, and now all of a sudden you got one of the best players in the league come at you full bore," Wizards coach Randy Wittman said. "Even after the ball went in, we stayed up. I think we had two guys flying at Carmelo at the end." The Wizards led 53-42 at halftime and increased their lead to 59-44 on Arizas short jumper with 9:12 left in the third quarter. The Knicks then went on a 12-0 run, highlighted by consecutive 3-pointers by J.R. Smith and capped by Anthonys layup. New York went ahead 66-64 on Anthonys jumper with 3:06 left in the quarter and increased it to a game-high at 77-71 on another jumper from Anthony with 33 seconds left before settling for a 77-75 lead after three quarters. After shooting just 15-47 (31.9 per cent) in the first half, the Knicks went 13-19 (68.4 per cent) in the third quarter. Smith finished with 18 points. Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 14, Bargnani had 13 and Udrih with 12. NOTES: Pablo Prigioni was taken out of the game with 9:49 left in the third quarter with a hairline fracture of his right toe. He is expected to be out at least two weeks. He was replaced by Udrih. . Smith returned to the starting lineup after sitting the entire fourth quarter in Saturday nights Knicks win over Atlanta. . Wittman and Woodson were teammates at Indiana University in 1979-80. 00:03ET 17-12-13 Cheap Canadiens Jerseys Cheap Predators Jerseys Cheap Devils Jerseys Cheap Islanders Jerseys Cheap Rangers Jerseys Cheap Senators Jerseys Cheap Flyers Jerseys Cheap Penguins Jerseys Cheap Sharks Jerseys Cheap Blues Jerseys Cheap Lightning Jerseys Cheap Maple Leafs Jerseys Cheap Canucks Jerseys Cheap Golden Knights Jerseys Cheap Capitals Jerseys Cheap Winnipeg Jets Jerseys ' ' '