SAN FRANCISCO - The National Football League on Thursday asked a judge to toss out a lawsuit filed by former players who allege team officials gave them powerful painkillers and other drugs to keep them on the field without regard for their long-term health.The NFLs lawyer argued that the NFL is not responsible for the medical decisions of its 32 teams. The lawyer also said that the issue should be addressed by the players union, which negotiated a collective bargaining agreement that covers player health.U.S. District Judge William Alsup wondered about the unions role as well.There is a union and the union should be looking out for the players, Alsup said. The judge ordered the lawyers to contact the National Football League Players Association to determine its position on the lawsuit.A spokesman for the NFLPA didnt respond to an email and phone inquiry Thursday.Most of the one-hour hearing in San Francisco was taken up by debate over whether the NFL or its individual clubs are responsible for the medical care of the players.Its the club that has the responsibility to train the doctors, NFL attorney Dan Nash said.The former players attorney, Steve Silverman, countered that the NFL has a financial interest to keep players on the field and encouraged a free-wheeling drug distribution culture.The NFL knew full well these drugs were being provided, Silverman said. There was a pharma free for all.The judge didnt indicate which way he would rule. He said he wanted to hear from the players union before making a decision on whether to toss out the lawsuit.Several prominent former players have publicly joined the lawsuit, including Marcellus Wiley, Jim McMahon, Richard Dent, Keith Van Horne and Jeremy Newberry.The lawsuit represents players who played as far back as 1968.The former players say that NFL physicians and trainers routinely provided narcotics and other controlled substances on game days to mask the pain. The lawsuit says many of the drugs were dispensed without prescriptions.The former players argue that they were never warned about the dangers of the drugs they were given and only recently discovered the potential harm they face from ingesting so many painkillers. Among the drugs said to have been handed out were the painkillers Percodan, Percocet and Vicodin, anti-inflammatories such as Toradol, and sleep aids such as Ambien. Jason Peters Jersey . Carreno Busta broke his opponent five times in the match, but also lost his serve three times in the second set before prevailing in the tiebreaker. Both players struggled with their first serve, as Carreno Busta landed just 51 per cent of his to 47 per cent for Kukushkin. Custom Philadelphia Eagles Jerseys . -- Aaron Rodgers looked fine on the practice field Thursday. http://www.officialphiladelphiaeaglesfoo...rsey-womens.com) - The Vancouver Canucks will try to win two straight games for the first time since mid-January on Monday night as they play host to the struggling New York Islanders. Jordan Hicks Jersey . -- Former NHL star Jeremy Roenick shot a second-round 69 to take the lead after 36 holes and former LPGA great Annika Sorenstam and Chad Pfeifer, who lost his left leg above the knee serving in Iraq, are among several players in contention in the American Century Championship tournament on Saturday. Ronald Darby Jersey . The Nevada Athletic Commission voted unanimously in Las Vegas to quit granting therapeutic use exemptions for fighters undergoing the so-called TRT.The Bruins gain an edge while the Ducks ride a rookie goaltender to even up their series. Notes on Carl Soderberg, Loui Eriksson, P.K. Subban, Ryan Getzlaf, John Gibson and more. BRUINS BACK IN CONTROL The Boston Bruins leaned on their supporting cast in Game Five, and it paid off, with a 4-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens, giving the Bruins a 3-2 lead in the series. Carl Soderberg paced the Bruins, with a goal and two assists and while that was Soderbergs first goal of the postseason (to go with five assists), hes been a possession stalwart for the Bruins, on for 59.9 of the 5-on-5 shot attempts in the playoffs. Right there with Soderberg has been Loui Eriksson, who had a goal and an assist in Game Five, and has been rocking a 60% Corsi percentage in the postseason. 5-on-5 shot attempts. D Johnny Boychuk was tops on the Bruins, at 75.0%. While were covering Bruins players that were acquired from Dallas as part of the Tyler Seguin deal, might as well point out that Reilly Smith scored a goal and leads the NHL with a 61.9% Corsi percentage in the playoffs, and recent call-up Matt Fraser -- the OT hero of Game Four -- picked up an assist on Erikssons goal. There may be long-term regrets over what Seguin may accomplish in Dallas but, on this night, the Bruins reaped some nice rewards from the pieces they received in that trade. Smith was part of the Bruins most dominant line of the night, with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, all three on for at least 71.4% of the Interesting to note that, while RW Jarome Iginla scored a power play goal, the Bruins number one line continues to struggle. Iginla, Milan Lucic and David Krejci were the bottom three on the Bruins possession chart in Game Five. That happens to the best of them, though, because P.K. Subban was at the bottom of Montreals, on for 10 5-on-5 shot attempts for and 21 against (32.3%). Even so, Subban had a total of 14 shot attempts during the game (six on net, two missed, six blocked) and did score a power play goal late in the third period. Of course, the sideshow story that stands out from the game is that Subban, skating in front of the Bruins bench to retrieve the puck, was squirted with water by Bruins RW Shawn Thornton. For a guy that didnt hesitate to complain about Subban ducking his attempted late hit earlier in the series, thats mighty irresponsible. Subban was fine, but players on the ice -- especially in live action -- shouldnt have to deal with interference in any manner coming from the bench. One Canadiens player that might want a do-over on Game Five is C Tomas Plekanec. His possession stats (37.5%) were among the worst on the club and he took three minor penalties, that last two of which resulted in power play goals for the Bruins.dddddddddddd While the possession numbers were close throughout the game and shot totals ended up favouring Montreal 31-30, the Bruins really had the game under control. Once they opened up a 3-0 lead 1:36 into the second period, the Canadiens were left to chase. Now, that puts Montreal in a must-win situation at home in Game Six. They certainly could; theyve played well enough to do it, but the Habs have also let the Bruins off the hook and are facing elimination because of it. ROAD WINNERS The Anaheim Ducks scored two goals in a 2:43 span late in the first period and made it stand up for the final 41:15, defeating the Los Angeles Kings 2-0, tie even the series at two games apiece. Anaheims big guns, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry each had two points, with Perry assisting on both goals, and Getzlaf scoring the second. With Matt Beleskey injured in Game Three, Devante Smith-Pelly joined the line and scored the games first goal. Getzlaf now has 13 points, two behind the playoff leader, the Kings Anze Kopitar. Ducks G Frederik Andersen left Game Three with a lower-body injury, which prompted the Ducks to start rookie John Gibson in Game Four and Gibson responded with a 28-save shutout. 20-year-old Gibson has the pedigree to be a top-tier goaltender. In 51 (regular season plus playoff) games in the AHL this year, he has a .924 save percentage, and stopped 79 of 83 shots (.954 SV%) in three games with the Ducks in the regular season. Gibson didnt have it easy, as the Ducks went into a shell after the first period and were outshot 19-3 the rest of the way, registering zero shots on goal in the second period. This led to some ridiculous possession stats. For the Kings, C Jarret Stoll was on the ice for Jakob Silfverberg, Saku Koivu and Andrew Cogliano -- were on for fewer than 20% of the shot attempts. The Kings also pulled G Jonathan Quick after the first period, turning to rookie Martin Jones. The home team has yet to win in this series and the Ducks have thrown a wildcard into the proceedings. If Gibson continues to run hot, that could be enough to tilt the balance. Of course, evening out the possession game would ease some of the pressure on Gibson and thats still possible -- the Ducks were keeping pace with the Kings in that regard through the first three games. From the Kings perspective, they now have to figure out how they are going to get Gibson off his game and start burying the chances that they get. In any case, theres lots left to be decided here. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. Cheap Buffalo Sabres GearWholesale Calgary Flames JerseysCheap Adidas Colorado Avalanche JerseysMontreal Canadiens Outlet StoreWholesale New Jersey Devils JerseysAdidas Arizona Coyotes JerseysCheap Adidas Boston Bruins JerseysCheap Adidas Carolina Hurricanes JerseysChicago Blackhawks Shop Free ShippingWholesale Columbus Blue Jackets JerseysDallas Stars Shop Free ShippingCheap Adidas Detroit Red Wings JerseysAnaheim Ducks Jerseys ChinaWholesale Edmonton Oilers JerseysFlorida Panthers Shop Free ShippingWholesale Los Angeles Kings JerseysMinnesota Wild Outlet StoreCheap Adidas Nashville Predators JerseysCheap Adidas New York Islanders JerseysNew York Rangers Winter Classic JerseysCheap Adidas Ottawa Senators JerseysCheap Adidas Philadelphia Flyers JerseysWholesale Pittsburgh Penguins JerseysCheap Adidas San Jose Sharks JerseysSt. Louis Blues Winter Classic JerseysWholesale Tampa Bay Lightning JerseysToronto Maple Leafs Outlet StoreVancouver Canucks Outlet StoreCheap Adidas Vegas Golden Knights JerseysCheap Adidas Washington Capitals JerseysCheap Adidas Winnipeg Jets Jerseys ' ' '