VANCOUVER -- It was an ugly throwback to another time. Mitch Williams Jersey . The Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames engaged in a wild first-period brawl Saturday night which later carried over to Canucks coach John Tortorella being involved in an altercation in the hallway outside of the Flames dressing room. The opening minutes of the NHL game, which the Canucks won 3-2 in a shootout, was like a scene from the movie Slapshot. It brought back memories of when teams like the Broad Street Bullies and Big Bad Boston Bruins waged wars on the ice. "I dont think anybody expected that," said Flames defenceman Chris Butler, one of eight players ejected from the game. "Its been a while since something like that happened, five guys pairing off." The Flames raised a red flag by putting their fourth line on the ice to start the game. The Canucks countered with their tough guys. Game on. Just two seconds had ticked off the clock when all five skaters from each team taking the opening faceoff dropped their gloves and began throwing punches. Calgary heavyweight Brian McGrattan was left bloodied in a fight with Vancouver tough guy Tom Sestito. After the fight Sestito patted McGrattan on the back of the head. Minor league callup Kellan Lains first game as a Canuck was brief. He was tossed for fighting with Calgarys Kevin Westgarth, who has no points in 21 games for the Flames. Also receiving game misconducts were Vancouvers Dale Weise plus defencemen Kevin Bieksa and Jason Garrison. Shown the door for Calgary was Westgarth, Blair Jones, Ladislav Smid and Chris Butler. "They started their goon squad over there," said Sestito, who leads the NHL with 167 penalty minutes in 47 games. "I just dont think were going to be backing down from guys." Ironically, Sestito and McGrattan remained in the game. In the aftermath of the brawl Tortorella could be seen yelling at the Flames bench. Later in the period, Calgarys Mark Giordano punched Vancouvers Alex Burrows in the face. Burrows was wearing a facemask to protect a broken jaw. It was his first game since Dec. 1. The bad blood wasnt confined to the ice. At the end of the first period CBC cameras captured Tortorella attempting to go into the Flames locker room at Rogers Arena. McGrattan pushed him away. Flames goaltender coach Clint Malarchuk came out of the Flames dressing room after Tortorella and McGrattan were separated. Malarchuk followed Tortorella, but was restrained by several members of Calgarys staff and McGrattan. Much of the altercation appeared off camera, but another camera showed Vancouver defenceman Chris Tanev pulling Burrows back toward the Canucks dressing room. Tortorella refused to comment on the incident but made no apologizes for the lineup he started. "I know the other guy across the bench," he said. "Its easy for people to say well put the Sedins out there and its deflated. I cant put our players at risk like that. "With the lineup that he had, Im not going to put those types of players at risk and thats what ensued. Im not proud of it. Ive apologized to every one of the players involved in it. I dont feel great about it at all." Flames coach Bob Hartley was left shaking his head over Tortorella charging his teams dressing room. "I just dont understand," he said. "I got out of there. I dont need to get suspended or fined. "There is nothing to be settled there. I just dont understand what was going on." Hartley also defended his starting lineup. "Those guys are playing well for us," he said. "They got a goal last game. Were not scoring many goals. We had zero intentions there. "As far as I know they were the home team. They had the luxury to put whoever they wanted on the ice." The teams combined for 188 penalty minutes in the first period. Vancouver was called for 95 minutes in penalties. Mike Schmidt Jersey . -- David Freese is starting to pick up his run production, which is something the Los Angeles Angels have been waiting half a season to see. Tommy Hunter Jersey . - A week after a late-game debacle on defence, the Pittsburgh Steelers showed they can finish. http://www.philliesrookiestore.com/Phillies-Jimmy-Foxx-Kids-Jersey/ . Pistorius denied the allegation that he said to the close friend of the girlfriend he killed: "How can you sleep at night?" The accusation by Kim Myers provided a bizarre twist during the trial of the world-famous double-amputee Olympian, who is facing 25 years to life in prison if convicted of premeditated murder for shooting dead Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model, at his home last year.TORONTO -- Over the years, the Toronto Raptors have heard all about the perceived disadvantages of NBA life north of the border. The complaints have run the gamut -- from the long, snowy winters, to concerns about taxes to the lack of ESPN on cable TV. Instead of playing defence when it comes to perception, the franchise is going on the offensive. The Great White North is embraced and the Ontario capital takes centre stage in the teams new "We The North" campaign, which features a 60-second video that kicks off a massive franchise rebrand over the next two years. "This is the statement we want to make to Canada and I think this is the chip we have, which is were the north and theres no one else," Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment president Tim Leiweke said Wednesday from New York. "Its just us and everyone looks past us. But were OK with that now." The video is not meant to be an advertisement for a team preparing to make its first playoff appearance in six years. Instead, the franchise wants the spot and the campaign to serve as a foundation for a team revolution. "This is a crusade now," Leiweke said. "This is not just a rally cry, this is, I think, our identity. "I think thats what we like about this is for the next two to three years, this is who we are and this is who we represent and this is who we fight for." The team is still finalizing release plans for other components of the campaign. However, new colours and a new logo will be rolled out "in short order," Leiweke said. Toronto hip-hop artist Drake was "heavily involved" in the inspiration for the spot, and Leiweke said the teams global ambassador was also involved in logo plans and the decision to stick with the Raptors name. "He thinks that the Vince Carter generation, those kids that grew up and got inspired by Vince, these are now the (Anthony) Bennetts of the world and the (Andrew) Wiggins of the world," Leiweke said. "And they relate to the Raptors in a very different way than that Barney dinosaur or Jurassic Park marketing campaign. "Now this is a cultural thing and Drake said, Stick to it and just define your culture and make it you." In the video, clips of the city skyline are mixed with snippets of basketball action from local neighbourhoods and highlights of the Raptors in action. "And far from the east side, miles from the west side, nowhere near the south side, we are the north side," a narrator says in the piece. "A territory all our own. And if that makes us outsiders -- were in." "My favourite shot is the kid bouncing the basketball through the field of ice," Leiwekke said. Jim Bunning Jersey. "And its like, Thats it right there. Thats what we want. People dont understand we have a revolution going on in Canada. Were producing great players. Weve got kids inspired that are playing the sport in record numbers. We have the highest growth level in North America. "We are a team that suddenly people are rallying around and are excited about. And by the way, all of our guys love playing for Canada and were it. Weve got 35 million people. No one has 35 million people in their marketplace." It has been a remarkable rebound season for a franchise that has been hamstrung by mediocrity. Toronto opened the current campaign with a poor 6-12 record but things turned around last December after Rudy Gay was dealt to Sacramento in a seven-player trade. The Raptors were energized by the move and have been one of the strongest teams in the Eastern Conference since. Toronto recently clinched the Atlantic Division title and took a 48-33 record into the regular-season finale Wednesday night in New York. The Raptors turnaround has been a pleasant surprise in a city where post-season action in any of the major sports is a rarity. Fans are still stinging from the Toronto Maple Leafs late-season collapse that cost them a playoff spot this year. The NHL club has made the post-season just once in the last decade. Down the road at Rogers Centre, it has been over 20 years since the Toronto Blue Jays last made the playoffs. The Blue Jays are coming off a last-place finish in the American League East division and are not expected to contend this year. The Raptors will take a page from the hockey teams playbook by hosting a "Party in the Square" in Maple Leaf Square outside Air Canada Centre for playoff games this spring. It was a hotspot last year during the Maple Leafs first-round playoff series with the Boston Bruins. Ticket demand also appears to be quite high for Canadas lone NBA team. Torontos average playoff ticket price is $125. However, a recent Forbes website report said the Raptors have the highest average playoff ticket price ($370.62) on the secondary market. "To me its less about what people are paying on the secondary (market) and more about we have a greater demand for NBA playoff tickets than any market today in the NBA," Leiweke said. "So out of those 16 markets, right now Toronto is the hot ticket. I think that bodes well." Toronto has reached the NBA playoffs on five previous occasions, the most recent being a first-round loss to the Orlando Magic in 2008. The Raptors lone series victory came in 2001 when they beat the New York Knicks before falling to the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round. ' ' '