MINNEAPOLIS -- As his 23rd season as an NBA coach entered the home stretch, Rick Adelman looked tired. Cheap Vapormax Wholesale . Tired of trying to wring a few more wins out of a talented, defensively deficient roster. Tired of getting on an airplane at midnight after a game and landing somewhere across the country at 3 a.m. Tired, most of all, of putting his wife Mary Kay and her lingering health issues second to a job that, when done right, is all-consuming. So when he finally decided to step away, announcing his retirement from the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday, he did so with mixed feelings about the pressure-cooker life he is leaving behind and the one that awaits him. "It becomes your life, your familys life, an everyday routine," Adelman said of the NBA. "Its a real grind. You get some time off in the summer but its pretty much on your mind all the time, so theres some sadness but theres also a relief. Im ready and my wifes ready to move on to another phase. Were looking forward to that." Adelman and the Timberwolves had a mutual option in place in the four-year contract he signed in 2011. His announcement did not come as a surprise after the Wolves finished a disappointing 40-42, but it nevertheless marked an unceremonious end to a career that includes 1,042 victories, putting him eighth on the NBAs career list. He coached Western Conference powers in Portland and Sacramento and also had stops in Golden State and Houston. Adelman said the time is right for him to step aside and spend more time with Mary Kay, who has been treated for seizures over the last two years. He also thinks the Wolves need a fresh voice to help them try to persuade star power forward Kevin Love to remain in Minnesota. "If anything, I felt if I coached another year and then his future comes up and my future is gone, that makes it even harder," Adelman said. "I think its best for the organization to have somebody else coaching the team, give them a year to see what they can do and hear that voice. I think thats a much more positive situation for the organization. I feel strongly about that." After missing the playoffs for the third straight season, the 67-year-old Adelman decided it was time to walk away from one of the most quietly influential coaching careers in NBA history. The introverted coach worked below the radar for most of his career, but his impact on the league is unquestioned. Adelman won at least 50 games in a season 11 times in his career, led the Portland Trail Blazers to two NBA Finals appearances and then developed a post-passing offence in Sacramento that continues to influence the league. He had more modest success with Houston and Minnesota, but walks away with his fingerprints all over the league. While with the Kings, Adelman worked with assistant and former Princeton coach Pete Carril to fine-tune his famed "corner" offence, a precision system that maximized the talents of big men Chris Webber, Vlade Divac and Brad Miller, all of whom were gifted passers from the elbow of the lane. "A lot of people have run the elbow action, but no ones run it like him," Clippers coach Doc Rivers said. "He started doing it in Portland and then in Sac, everywhere hes gone hes won for the most part. Hes one of the better coaches that weve ever had in the league and a lot of people dont realize that. And I think thats too bad. But hes been good for the game. Hes brought a lot to the game." "Ive stolen from him, very honestly," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. Adelmans final season in Minnesota was a frustrating one, with Nikola Pekovic missing 28 games, Chase Budinger never fully healthy after off-season knee surgery and a team that beat the Thunder, Heat, Spurs, Grizzlies, Rockets and Pacers but also lost to the Kings, Magic and Jazz. Now the team heads into a precarious summer, with President Flip Saunders needing to find the right coach and make the right personnel moves to keep Love, who can opt out of his contract after next season. Michigan States Tom Izzo, a friend of Saunders for years, ESPN analyst George Karl and former Memphis coach Lionel Hollins are among the candidates likely to be considered to take over a team that has the longest-running playoff drought in the league at 10 years. Saunders himself could also take over, though owner Glen Taylor has said he prefers to keep Saunders in the front office. Saunders hinted Monday that a coach who has experience running the show is the preference. "Be demanding, hold players accountable, just like any good coach, everyone has the same formula what you are looking for," Saunders said. "We are more geared toward bringing someone who has a track record, whos had some success." Adelman said he had "a sour taste" with how this season finished, especially with a lacklustre effort in a season-ending home loss to the Jazz. Hes not sure what hes going to do with all his free time. Probably play a lot of golf, definitely spend Christmas at home with his family and just maybe -- "You never say never" -- listen to another coaching offer down the road. Adelman said a return is very unlikely, and it sounded believable when he was asked what it was going to feel like to wake up on Tuesday morning without the job to worry about. He smiled and his face brightened. "Its going to be good," he said. Nike Vapormax Wholesale China .ca contributor Grant McCagg provides a look at some risers and fallers on the prospect watch. Discount Nike Vapormax . -- The Kelowna Rockets earned their 16th straight win with a 7-2 rout of the Portland Winterhawks in Western Hockey League action Thursday. http://www.cheapvapormaxwholesale.com/ . Rookie Marek Mazanec made 39 saves for his first NHL victory and the Predators beat the Chicago Blackhawks 7-2 Saturday night.PITTSBURGH, Pa. - Marc-Andre Fleury skated to centre ice, eager to add an exclamation point to his 28th victory of the season. The Pittsburgh goaltender was cut off, though, by referee Kyle Rehman before he could reach Montreal counterpart Peter Budaj. All Fleury could do was shrug his shoulders as Rehman guided him out of harms way. "Oh well," Fleury said with a laugh. It was the only thing that didnt go Fleurys way on a night the Penguins restored order to their universe. Fleury stopped 23 shots, Jussi Jokinen picked up two goals and Pittsburgh dominated the Canadiens 5-1. Evgeni Malkin added a goal and an assist, Sidney Crosby picked up his 26th of the season and Taylor Pyatt added a rare score as the Penguins rebounded from a dismal performance against lowly Florida on Monday by overwhelming Montreal. "We definitely buckled down, especially defensively," Crosby said. "Didnt give them a ton and when we did (Fleury) made some great saves and we generated some good chances and capitalized on them. It was a good game to respond." The Panthers snapped Pittsburghs club-record 13-game home winning streak by outclassing the Eastern Conference leaders on both ends of the ice to send the Penguins to their worst home defeat in more than two years. Coach Dan Bylsma called it the byproduct of a steady decline in play over the last three weeks and the rustiness that comes with the return of regulars like James Neal and Paul Martin to the lineup. Whatever the problems were, they disappeared 48 hours later. The Penguins were crisp in the neutral zone, responsible on defence and efficient on offence. They didnt pepper Price so much as they surgically picked him apart. All five goals were either the byproduct of deft passing or nifty stickwork. Rene Bourque had his seventh goal for the Canadiens but Montreal spent most of the night fruitlessly chasing the Penguins. Carey Price stopped just 16 of 21 shots before being pulled late in the second period as the Canadians fell for the fourth time in six games. "Pittsburgh is the best team in the conference, and they were the best team tonight," Montreal coach Michel Therrien said. "They played hard and they deserved success." Jokinen, who tends to score in bunches, gave the Penguins the early lead after being on the receiving end of a bit of brilliance by Mallkin. Cheap Vapormax For Sale. The Russian star took a pass from Matt Niskanen then darted around a flat-footed Montreal defender before feeding Jokinen with a centring pass that Jokinen easily slid by a diving Price 8:48 into the game. "You cant let Malkin carry the puck like that up the ice," Bourque said. "It looked like he was playing a video game out there every time he went around us." Pyatt doubled Pittsburghs advantage later in the period, deflecting a Niskanen slapshot from the point to make it 2-0. After failing to score in his first 27 games this season — 22 with the New York Rangers and five with the Penguins — Pyatt has found the back of the net twice in three games. Bourque briefly gave the Canadiens a lift by chipping the puck by Fleury late in the first, his seventh goal of the season coming via replay after his shot was initially waved off by officials. The momentum shift didnt last. Jokinen fired a knuckling one-timer by Price 5:46 into the second period to restore Pittsburghs two-goal lead and Crosby pushed his point total to an NHL-high 69 by redirecting a pass from Chris Kunitz that made it 4-1. Malkin ended Prices night by swooping in from the right circle and putting in his own rebound. Price skated to the bench after being chased for the second time this season in favour of Budaj, who stopped all 10 shots he faced. The saves will be long forgotten. The way Budaj nodded across the rink to Fleury to start a fight that never quite happened wont, though Budaj insisted it was nothing personal. "I think there was just a scrum on the ice and there was built-up tension - you know, we were losing 5-1," Budaj said. "It was a disappointing night for us. So props to him that he wanted to do it. Thats good." NOTES: All six of Pittsburghs defencemen had at least one assist. ... Penguins G Tomas Vokoun skated for about 45 minutes on his own Wednesday morning, the first tentative steps in his return from blood clots in his pelvis. The 37-year-old Vokoun was taken off blood thinners recently though it remains unclear when Vokoun will be cleared to practice. ... Montreal scratched F George Parros and D Raphael Diaz and Alexei Emelin. ... Pittsburgh scratched F Zach Sill and D Robert Bortuzzo. ... Pittsburgh plays at the New York Islanders on Thursday while the Canadiens play at Detroit on Friday. ' ' '