The rink where?Josh Harding?now works is five minutes from?his house in Edina, Minnesota. A road trip now means a drive to a different local high school. Every day includes lots of quality time with his 3-year-old daughter and 3-month-old son.Even over the phone, you can sense that Harding is at peace with the fact that this is where his career path has led.When the doctors say enoughs enough, you kind of have to listen to them, the former Minnesota Wild netminder said.Just before he picked up the phone to call an ESPN.com reporter, Harding, 32, spoke with?Carolina Hurricanes forward Bryan Bickell.Bickell, 30, was recently diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and is taking time away from the game to try to figure out how best to deal with the disease, the same incurable one that ultimately ended Hardings career in 2015.By sharing some of his experiences in dealing with MS, which attacks and scars the protective covering of nerves in the brain and spinal cord, Harding gave Bickell at least some sense of what lies ahead. He also shared strategies, things that worked and things that didnt work for him.Anything I can obviously do for him to kind of help him along, Harding said. I was just telling him that one of the things I felt was very tough was when youre trying new medications but trying to play and practice through those. That was pretty tough for me. But I think Bryans handling it great.Apart from his hands-on advice, Harding has also helped simply by being a sounding board, someone who understands intimately the nature of the now-competing narratives that will dominate Bickells life moving forward -- battling the disease and fighting to stay in the game.When Harding was diagnosed in 2012, he spoke with Jordan Sigalet,?another netminder whose playing career had been derailed by multiple sclerosis. Both Sigalet and Harding have been or plan to be in touch with Bickell, a kind of unspoken pay-it-forward mentality that springs from the shared experience of being diagnosed with MS.Just coping with it and accepting that there isnt a cure right now, but the sooner you can kind of wrap your head around it and really get what works for you, the better its going to be, Harding said.The one thing that Harding cannot give Bickell is the answer he wants to hear: that he will definitely, at some point, return to being an NHL player.If there was a blueprint for what you have to do, I really think Id still be in the league, Harding said. Thats obviously another tough thing with this disease, that there isnt this exact handout that you can follow to get it out of your body.Harding knows the difficulty of that fact all too well.The native of Regina, Saskatchewan, was diagnosed with MS in September 2012. That fall, NHL players were locked out in a labor dispute for several months and the season was ultimately cut almost in half.Harding wrestled with how to deal with his diagnosis. The Wild were aware, but he considered keeping his condition from becoming public knowledge. That ultimately didnt seem workable, given that he was going to need to take time away from the team for rest and treatment.Harding ultimately decided that sharing his story -- letting people know that multiple sclerosis wasnt something to be ashamed of and that he was going to work to continue his job while dealing with the disease?-- was an important part of his new reality.That mindset has never changed, even if Harding did have to make concessions to his health.He registered a shutout in his first game after the lockout but appeared in just five games during the shortened 13 season. That spring, Harding was pressed into service in the first round of the playoffs when starter Niklas Backstrom was injured before Game 1 against the?Chicago Blackhawks. Harding was excellent in an overtime loss in the Wilds first game against top-ranked Chicago and played in every game of the series before the Wild were eliminated in Game 5.Later, Harding would receive the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in recognition of his perseverance and dedication to the game.But the reality was that Hardings best opportunity to keep the disease at bay was at odds with being a player -- and, specifically, an NHL netminder.Im not going to sugarcoat it: It was very tough for me, he said. Right when I thought that I kind of had it under control, it just seemed like something would kick my legs out from under me again.For Harding, taking as much stress out of his life and having an orderly schedule of rest allowed him to function as close to normal as possible. And that meant an end to his life as an NHLer. I feel like Im in a lot better place now, healthwise, he said.Maybe Bickell will find that his experience with MS is different. Harding, for one, is rooting for Bickell to find something that eluded him.I would give anything to be back playing hockey, Harding admitted. Thats kind of what weve done for our entire life. Its kind of a diagnosis that you know you didnt ask for and you didnt want. Theres really not much you can do except to battle through it. But I really miss [playing].The extra time Harding gets with his young family is a treasure that is denied most NHL players, given the travel demands of the sport. And coaching alongside former NHLer and highly successful high school coach Curt Giles at Edina High School has given Harding a welcome connection to the game.Sometimes the kids on the Edina Hornets will ask whether Harding is going to put on the pads at practice. But he doesnt. Harding is aware that even something that seemingly simple could upset the balance that he has established in his life, could add unneeded stress.Plus, he joked, there are pretty good shooters among the high schoolers and his confidence might take quite a beating. He figures that he can live without that. Hes focusing on the positives and happy that he still has a tie to the sport he loves.I try to take the positives out of it, he said. Yankees Jersey Authentic . Los Angeles star goalie survived those perilous gymnastics with no problem, and he eventually backstopped the Kings to a skid-snapping win. Quick stopped 27 shots in his return from a 24-game injury absence, Jeff Carter scored the tiebreaking goal with 7:55 to play, and the Kings snapped their five-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night. Thurman Munson Yankees Jersey . 1 position. 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Andreas Johnson had a goal and two assists while Jacob de la Rose also scored for Sweden (2-0-0). Esa Lindell and Rasmus Ristolainen replied for Finland (1-1-0) Lindell opened the scoring for Finland just 41 seconds into the game, but the hosts quickly regained their composure and tied the score less than four minutes later on Wennbergs first of the game. ST. LOUIS -- Back in April when the season started, it was easy to expect the Pirates season-ending trip to Busch Stadium meaning something for both Pittsburgh and the St. Louis Cardinals.Instead, all Pittsburgh can do when it closes the season is play the role of spoiler against a Cardinals team trying to make its sixth consecutive National League playoff appearance.St. Louis starts the Friday night series opener fresh off the years most controversial win, a 4-3 decision Thursday night over the Cincinnati Reds that was decided by Yadier Molinas two-out RBI double in the bottom of the ninth inning.Molinas one-hop liner shouldnt have scored Matt Carpenter, though, because the ball hit off signage beyond the left field wall. It should have been a ground-rule double, but third base umpire Scott Barry ruled the ball in play and the Reds didnt challenge fast enough after the fact.Biggest win of the year, Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said, and tomorrow nights the biggest game of the year. Cant wait.St. Louis (83-76) is two games behind the New York Mets (85-74) for the NLs top wild-card spot and a game in arrears of the San Francisco Giants (84-75) for the second spot.The Giants close the season with a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, while the Mets finish with three at Philadelphia.The Cardinals will have the matchup advantage in the opener against the Pirates as St. Louis right-hander Carlos Martinez (15-9, 3.15 ERA) will face raw but talented Pittsburgh right-hander Tyler Glasnow (0-1, 4.91).Martinez is coming off a 3-1 loss Sunday night at the Chicago Cubs that saw him work six innings aand give up two runs on six hits and four walks while fanning six.dddddddddddd Martinez is 3-5 with a 4.01 career ERA against the Pirates, and 1-2 this season in three starts.Glasnow will make his fourth career start. His first occurred July 7 in St. Louis, where he pitched decently for 5 1/3 innings but lost 5-1 as Adam Wainwright stifled Pittsburgh for seven innings. The hard-throwing Glasnow can touch the mid to upper 90s with his fastball but has experienced command issues at times.The Pirates (78-81) reached the playoffs the past three seasons, but they fell victim to injuries and inconsistent pitching this year. They will have to sweep the series to avoid their 21st losing season in 24 years.Pittsburgh will be without left fielder Starling Marte (back) for the weekend and might be without shortstop Jordy Mercer (forearm) as well.Were going to play all the men that are capable of playing, Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. Marte has been unplugged. Mercer might not be able to go. You saw a couple of throws he made across the diamond (Thursday). ... Thats basically all hes got.Pittsburgh leads the season series 9-7, having won five of the seven games in St. Louis. The Cardinals are 35-43 at Busch Stadium, clinching their first losing mark at home since 1999.The Saturday game will match Pirates right-hander Chad Kuhl (5-4, 4.25) against a pitcher to be determined. St. Louis will use Wainwright (13-9, 4.67) in Sundays regular-season finale opposite Ryan Vogelsong (3-7, 5.00). ' ' '