CALGARY -- The Western Hockey League suspended Portland Winterhawks coach and general manager Mike Johnston for the rest of the season, fined the team $200,000 and took away several draft picks Wednesday because of player-benefit violations over the past four seasons. The WHL said the Winterhawks will be excluded from the first five rounds of the 2013 WHL bantam draft and will forfeit their first-round selections in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. Should the first-round selection in 2014 not be available due to a conditional trade, Portland will surrender its second- and third-round picks. "All WHL clubs understand they are required to fully comply and respect our league regulations or they will face significant consequences," WHL Commissioner Ron Robison said. "WHL clubs are required to fully disclose all commitments they make to a player in the WHL Standard Player Agreement. Our independent investigation in this case revealed there were multiple violations over an extended period for player benefits that are not permitted under WHL regulations and were not disclosed to the WHL. "It should also be noted through the course of the investigation there was no evidence of any payments or enhanced education benefits provided to players that would be contrary to WHL Regulations as previous media reports indicated." The Winterhawks issued a statement with a summary of the leagues findings, saying the team was found to have committed the following violations: --A player contract signed in 2009, involving flights for the players family and a summer training program. --Over the last five years, seven families were provided flights two-to-four times per season based on financial need and their distance from Portland. --Twice in the last five years the team paid for two players to each have a one-week summer training regimen. --The Winterhawks provided a cellphone for their team captain for a period of three seasons. The WHLs audit found no violations involving monetary payments made to players, their families or agents, or any violations related to the leagues educational packages, the team said. "After fully co-operating with the leagues investigation, we were extremely surprised at the excessive nature of the sanctions, and we dont feel they are in line with the scope of the violations we were found to have committed," Johnston said. "We believe that apart from recruiting trips and parents weekend, there is no prohibition in the rules governing flights for players parents, which were the majority of the infractions. We are currently exploring our options on how we will proceed. "Despite our objections, the league has made its decision and our players will continue to pursue the goal of winning a WHL championship." Assistant general manager and assistant coach Travis Green will assume Johnstons duties on an interim basis. Portland is 20-4-1 this season and leads the U.S. Division with 41 points. The Winterhawks are one point behind the WHL-leading Kamloops Blazers in the overall standings. The disciplinary action came about two months after the Ontario Hockey League sanctioned the Windsor Spitfires for recruitment violations. In that case, the Spitfires were fined $250,000 and lost first-round draft picks in 2013 and 16 as well as second-round selections in 2015 and 17 Pat Brisson, the agent for highly touted Winterhawks defenceman Seth Jones, is angered at any implication that his client is involved in the violations. "This has nothing to do with Seth. Absolutely nothing," said Brisson. Wholesale Jerseys . Tulowitzki took himself out of a game Wednesday at Triple-A Colorado Springs after feeling not quite right. Manager Jim Tracy said Tulowitzki went through strength tests on Thursday morning at Coors Field and that the MRI was simply because, "they want to rule out anything that possibly could be missed just by visual observation. Wholesale NFL Jerseys . Or at least some kind of bird is. 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Cabrera, 28, was in the midst of his best season in 2012 when he was busted for an elevated testosterone count, drawing a 50-game suspension from Major League Baseball.PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphias Claude Giroux is proving he is one of the elite players in the league. Giroux had two goals Friday, backup Sergei Bobrovsky made 23 saves and the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-1. "This year hes really spread his wings," Flyers coach Peter Laviolette said. "Hes consistently one of the top forwards in the game." Giroux has 29 points (13 goals, 16 assists) on the season. He entered the game second in the league behind Torontos Phil Kessel. He is nearly halfway to his career best of 76 points, set two seasons ago. "Hes a tremendous player," Montreal coach Jacques Martin said. "He keeps getting better year after year. Now hes a leader on their team." On both of his goals, a wide-open Giroux was in the right place. The puck bounced off the back boards to him on the first goal and off a rebound on the second. "I think its all luck," Giroux said. "You just get that kind of game where every puck gets on your stick and you shoot it and it goes in. Obviously, Id like more of those kinds of goals." Laviolette said it was no accident that Giroux was positioned to score. "One of his great attributes is his competitiveness," he said. "Every inch of the ice, he fights for." Jakub Voracek also scored for the Flyers, who got all of their offence in the second period. Bobrovsky improved to 5-1-1. Petteri Nokelainen scored and Carey Price made 33 saves for Montreal. Bobrovsky made his sixth start and eighth appearance in 22 games. He replaced Ilya Bryzgalov in Philadelphias overtime win against the Islanders on Wednesday. Bobrovskys best stop Friday came with six minutes remaining when he stoned Erik Cole from point-blank range with a left leg save. "Without Bob were not even close in that game," Giroux said. "Bob made some key saves for us." Bryzgalov, who signed a US$51 million, nine-year deal in the off-season, has been pedestrian to this point. He is 8-5-2 with a 2.89 goals-against average. Earlier in the season, he complained about a complete lack of confidence. Laviolette wouldnt commit to a goalie for Saturdays game against the Rangers, but praised Bobrovsky. "He was sharp, handled the puck well and gave us an opportunity to win," Laviolette said. Bobrovsky, the Flyers top goalie as a rookie last season, said playing behind Bryzgalov has been an adjustment. "It is not easy keeping confideent if you dont play every game in a row," he said through an interpreter.dddddddddddd. "I try to adjust as much as I can and it is not my choice how many games to play. It is part of hockey." The Flyers outshot Montreal 18-5 during their big second period. All three of Philadelphias goals came in the final 6 minutes, 48 seconds. Giroux controlled a deflection off the back boards and deposited it off Prices back. Voracek put Philadelphia ahead 4 1/2 minutes later, beating Price to the stick side with a one-timer after receiving a pretty pass from Kimmo Timonen from behind the net. Giroux gave the Flyers a two-goal advantage, scoring with 5.9 seconds left in the period. Voracek did a good job of digging the puck out of the corner and passing back to the blue line, where Braydon Coburn took a hard shot that deflected off Price to the right circle. Giroux was waiting there and wristed the puck past the diving Price, who couldnt get back to the far side of the goal in time. "He was in the right place at the right time and you have to be sharper on a player like that," Montreal defenceman Josh Gorges said of Giroux. Said Price: "(Giroux)s awesome. You cant give him time right there. It doesnt take much time for him to put the puck in the net." Montreal opened the scoring with 1:46 remaining in the first period. Nokelainen picked up a loose puck just outside of the slot and fired a wrister past Bobrovsky. Philadelphia outshot Montreal 36-24. Philadelphia defenceman Andreas Lilja sustained a high ankle sprain and will miss six weeks, according to Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren. NOTES: Montreal killed all four of Philadelphias power plays and has allowed just two goals in their opponents last 52 attempts. ... Philadelphia LW James van Riemsdyk did not play and will be out one to two weeks with an upper body injury. ... Flyers RW Jaromir Jagr missed his third game in the last four with a lower body injury. Jagr, whose streak of 264 straight games ended Nov. 19, played Wednesday but was held out of the lineup against Montreal. ... Flyers captain Chris Pronger missed his third straight game with a virus. ... Voracek has 11 points (two goals, nine assists) in his last eight games. ... Philadelphia announced its roster for the NHL Winter Classic Alumni Game against the Rangers on Dec. 31 at Citizens Bank Park. Among the Flyers alumni playing will be Bob Clarke, Eric Lindros and John LeClair. ' ' '