announced Wednesday that captain Brian Gionta needs t

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Ron Rivera stressed a few years ago that he wanted the Carolina Panthers to become relevant in the NFL.Put a big checkmark in that box.Behind NFL MVP Cam Newton, the Panthers have become a hot ticket in the Carolinas and neighboring states -- more so than ever. Following a third straight NFC South championship and a trip to the Super Bowl, fans are abuzz about the Panthers heading into 2016 season hoping the franchises first Vince Lombardi Trophy is close.The Panthers sold out all 60,000 tickets -- they were available for free online -- in a matter of hours for their annual Fan Fest practice, which was held Friday night at their downtown stadium.Yes, were talking about practice.This week the team shattered its yearly training camp attendance record at Wofford College -- and the camp isnt even half over. Through their first seven practices the Panthers attracted nearly 80,000 fans to their practice facility in Spartanburg, South Carolina, about a 90-minute drive from their home base in Charlotte.When you have sustained success it creates more and more momentum, Panthers President Danny Morrison told The Associated Press. People around the country and certainly in the Carolinas have seen a very unselfish team -- a team that loves playing football. And we have a lot of unique individuals.Few are unique as Newton, one of the more excitable, confident and entertaining quarterbacks ever to play in the NFL.The sixth-year quarterback has become a polarizing figure to some who dont particularly enjoy his elaborate touchdown celebrations or the way he bolted off the podium after Carolinas 24-10 loss to the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl. But hes become the most popular athlete the Charlotte area has ever known.Newton immediately captures the crowds attention when he steps on the field at Bank of America Stadium.Near the end of practice, he made like an orchestra conductor for the crowd as he led the wave. Moving his arms, he got fans to do it in slow motion, extra fast and backward. He even had the wave going in two different directions, all the while smiling from ear to ear.Fans responded to his energy with a chant of MVP.Nothing Cam can do surprises me anymore, said fullback Mike Tolbert with a laugh.Luke Kuechly is much more reserved than Newton, but no less loved in the Carolinas. When No. 59 makes was shown on the stadiums videoboards, the crowd roared Luuuuuuke!When you have individual stars like we have that only adds to the excitement around training camp, Morrison said.Rivera said the players have been overwhelmed by the amount of fan support this summer. The team drew more than 22,000 fans for its first night of practice at Wofford College as optimistic fans anticipate a return to the Super Bowl -- albeit with a different outcome.We love the support because it brings a lot of energy and the players feed off that energy, Rivera said. The tempo goes up and guys get really competitive.The teams support has steadily increased since 2013, when the Panthers won the first of its three straight NFC South titles. Before that, the Panthers had never been to the playoffs in back-to-back seasons.My first year I came in here you could find a seat anywhere in the stands. Now its a packed house, so thats great, said fourth-year defensive tackle Star Lotulelei.Morrison said the metrics the team uses to measure its growth in popularity -- including social media, TV ratings and attendance -- suggest interest in the team is at an all-time high.Along with winning, Morrison also attributes the growing fan base to what he calls second generation fans.The Panthers entered the league as an expansion team in 1995, so it has taken some time to establish a fan base. But with the team headed into its 22nd season, many of the young fans who grew up watching the Panthers have now become adults and are raising their children as fans.Certainly that is making a big impact, Morrison said.---Online: AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Hakeem Butler Jersey . Radwanska, making her debut in the Seoul tournament, hit eight aces in a match that lasted 1 hour, 4 minutes at Olympic Park tennis stadium. 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Datsyuk will miss Tuesdays game against New Jersey and could be sidelined longer, while Cleary will likely miss at least the next three games. Its been an injury-plagued season for Datsyuk, who has suited up for just 39 games.(Sports Network) - The Ottawa Senators will try to finish off the second- seeded Montreal Canadiens when they visit the Habs on Thursday for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. Listen to all the action live on TSN Radio 690, beginning at 7pm et/4pm pt. The seventh-seeded Senators enter Game 5 with a 3-1 edge in the series. Ottawa earned a split at Montreals Bell Centre to begin the best-of-seven set before taking the last two meetings on home ice. The Sens then used a late comeback to force overtime in Game 4 and won it in the extra session on a fluky goal by Kyle Turris. After destroying the Canadiens, 6-1, in a fight-filled Game 3, the Senators won a much more subdued contest between the Northeast Division foes on Thursday. Although the Game 4 contest was short on penalty minutes, it was long on drama. Montreal entered the third period with a 2-0 lead after scoring twice in the span of 62 seconds early in the second. However, Mika Zibanejad cut the deficit to 2-1 with 8:05 remaining in the third and Cory Conacher tied it with just 23 seconds left, setting up Turris OT game-winner. On the winning play, Turris was harassed by a Canadiens defender in the left circle, but the Sens forward escaped long enough to send a wrister to the Habs net, which deflected off the elbow of defenseman Raphael Diaz and caromed past Peter Budaj -- who began the extra session in place of the injured Carey Price -- to end the contest. "I thought both teams played hard and played hockey. They were better than us for awhile, we were better than them for awhile," offered Senators head coach Paul MacLean. Craig Anderson stopped 26 shots for Ottawa, which can advance to the second round for the first time since 2007 with one more victory. The Senators have been bounced out in the first round in three straight trips to the playoffs since making a run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 07.dddddddddddd PK Subban and Alex Galchenyuk lit the lamp early in the second period for the Canadiens. Price ended up with 30 saves, but Budaj was saddled with the loss. Meanwhile, it was announced Thursday morning that Price will miss the remainder of this series after suffering an unspecified lower-body injury while stopping the last shot of regulation. Budaj has seen action in five career playoff games, but this will be his first start. The injuries are beginning to mount for Montreal, as it was announced Wednesday that captain Brian Gionta needs to undergo season-ending surgery on his left biceps muscle. On top of losing the captain for the rest of the playoffs, forwards Brandon Prust, Ryan White and Lars Eller were already scheduled to miss Thursdays game with various upper-body injuries. In addition to injuries, the Habs also may have been the victim of a bad replay decision in the third period on Thursday. After Zibanejad redirected a Chris Neil pass from the right-wing boards into the net with his skate, the league looked at the goal. Despite overhead replays which seemed to reveal the puck being directed in with a distinct kicking motion, the goal was allowed to stand. "It was a kicking motion, theres nothing you can do about it, its a league decision," said Habs head coach Michel Therrien. The Canadiens will try to stave off elimination tonight on home ice, where they were 14-7-3 as the host during the regular season. Ottawa, which has never squandered a 3-1 series edge in its modern history, was 10-11-3 on the road this season. If necessary, Game 6 of this series is scheduled for Saturday in Ottawa. ' ' '