NEWARK, N.J. -- The NHL reduced its penalty against the New Jersey Devils on Thursday for signing Ilya Kovalchuk in 2010. The Devils will keep the first-round draft pick they were scheduled to forfeit this year, and the league will reduce the $3 million fine assessed against the team for circumventing the NHL-NHLPA collective bargaining agreement The Devils recently applied to the league for reconsideration and relief from a portion of the original penalty, citing primarily changes in circumstances which, in the clubs view, changed the appropriateness of the sanctions. The NHL did not spell out what changed, but Kovalchuk retired after last season and returned to Russia to play there. Devils president and general manager Lou Lamoriello said the franchises new ownership asked the league to reconsider the penalty, and a hearing was held this year. "Were pleased," said Lamoriello, who said several factors other than Kovalchuks retirement went into the leagues decision, without elaborating. Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur felt the original NHL penalty was harsh. "I thought it was a bad judgment by them when they penalized with a first-round pick and all the money," Brodeur said. "I thought they hit our organization pretty hard at the time. It will be nice for the future to count on an extra No. 1 pick." The league said the Devils will be entitled to the 30th selection overall -- the last pick in the first round -- in the 2014 draft. They will not be permitted to trade or transfer its right to that pick. Kovalchuk, who had been acquired by the Devils in February 2010, became a free agent at the end of that season. New Jersey signed him to a 17-year, $102 million deal but the league ruled what would have been the longest contract in NHL circumvented the salary cap and rejected it. Arbitrator Richard Bloch heard the unions appeal and nullified the deal. The Devils eventually signed the Russian to a 15-year, $100 million contract deal. However, the NHL ruled the original contact tried to get around the salary cap and penalized the three-time Stanley Cup champions. The Devils had already forfeited a third-round draft pick in 2011. The team also had a first-round draft pick taken from them in the ruling handed down by an independent arbiter, but they had the right to defer until 2014. The Devils kept deferring the loss of the first-round pick, which they were due to lose in June. The NHL said it would not comment further on the decision. St. Louis Cardinals Jerseys . Those who impressed in each of the three events were asked to attend the main CFL Combine which begins Friday in Toronto. Willie McGee Jersey . Footballs governing body said Tuesday that of the 2,577,662 tickets allocated for this years tournament, 1,041,418 have gone to people in Brazil. The U. http://www.cardinalsrookiestore.com/Card...er-Kids-Jersey/. Signs of a turnaround have emerged in this series at Minnesota. Brian Roberts had three doubles and a triple for the first four-extra-base-hit game of his 14-year career, and the Yankees used their bullpen to preserve a 6-5 win over the Twins on Friday. Lou Brock Jersey .twitter.com/TeZD3KOvlA — Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) September 24, 2014 Sorry for the delay, we just got back from lunch at Papa Vons #NBAFastFood pic. Trevor Rosenthal Jersey . Each day, TSN.ca provides the latest rumours, reports and speculation from around the NHL beat. Defensive Depth TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun is reporting the Toronto Maple Leafs have considerable interest in unrestricted free-agent defenceman Dan Boyle.Looking to avenge the result of the 1950 World Cup when it hosted the tournament and lost in the final, Brazil has been handed a difficult route to the promise land in 2014. After being pushed all the way to penalties in the round of 16 by a stout Chilean team, Brazil must now face a Colombia side that has emerged as one of the front-runners to win the competition. Listen to Brazil vs. Colombia LIVE today at 4pm et/1pm pt on TSN Radio 1050 Toronto, TSN 690 Montreal, TSN 1200 Ottawa and TEAM Vancouver 1410. While Brazil has the star power of Neymar, David Luiz and Oscar, Jose Pekerman is hoping that Colombias team-first approach can carry the nation to the semifinals, where it would face either France or Germany. "Sometimes a team with a lot of potential, if they dont find the result and they need to win, they cant play so brilliantly," Pekerman said of Brazil after beating Uruguay in the round of 16. "So the competition becomes interesting because a team with less individual stars can disturb the balance of the other team." Of course, Colombia is not void of stars itself. James Rodriguez has been the toast of the tournament thus far, producing stunning bits of play and coming up with five goals to sit atop the race for the Golden Boot. Brazil, though, has not hit its top gear just yet, and the host nation is looking forward to Fridays continental battle. "Theres no doubt that being continental rivals has a huge impact," Brazil defender Dani Alves told FIFAs official website.dddddddddddd "Emotionally, theyre very tough games, because unlike European nations, we come up against each other all the time - in the Copa America, in World Cup qualifying. "In technical terms too, its a different style of football, though that side of things is changing. Football has evolved a lot and nearly all the best South American players are in Europe. Thats made the national teams here get even better and stronger. The games are still intense, with that South American flavor, but with more players used to always playing at the very highest level." The Brazilians see themselves as a team of destiny, and while many of the teams supporters are disappointed in the lack of beautiful football on display, Neymar has stressed that advancing beyond each round is whats truly important. "You cant always enjoy yourself and win 4-0 or 5-0," the Barcelona forward said in a press conference. "Football nowadays is so difficult, so even, that the team who is most committed on the pitch ends up winning. I dont want a show. Thats the last thing we are trying to do. We are not necessarily here to produce a spectacle. We are here to run to the end, until we are tired, and come out as winners. "I would be happy to do nothing in this game if Brazil won 1-0. That would be marvelous." 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