"Hes human, after all," is an expression often heard when the armour of the invincible is pierced or the stoic breaks down. Anthony Calvillo, through 20 CFL seasons, was frequently invincible and largely stoic in the heat of competition. But underneath the professional exterior he was, and is, compellingly human. Those moments when he has shown that humanity are the ones I remember most vividly. On January 21, 2014, Calvillo choked up as he announced his retirement from the game which had occupied nearly half of his 41 years. He struggled to find his words while admitting he had never been more nervous in his life. He struggled some more when he thanked his wife, Alexia and daughters, Athena and Olivia. The same held true when he said how much he will miss his teammates, past and present. He was nearly overcome with emotion when he mentioned his late friend, Mike Dawson, who had passed away scant weeks ago. His decades-long association and friendship with general manager and head coach Jim Popp caused the Alouettes executive to break down, almost uncontrollably, once Popp had started to deliver his tribute to Calvillo. Calvillos retirement announcement marked the end of his playing career, but during that storied journey, there were glimpses into the soul of the man which remain indelible in my memory. In late October 2007, Calvillo cried in a media scrum on the practice field outside Olympic Stadium when he revealed that Alexia had been diagnosed with b-cell lymphoma, one week after she gave birth to the couples second daughter, Olivia. The happy ending, of course, was that Alexia would beat her cancer. Seconds after winning his third Grey Cup in November 2010, Calvillo cried during a live interview with TSNs Farhan Lalji as he finally unburdened himself of a secret he had kept for three months: a cancerous lesion was growing on his thyroid gland. The lesion was detected after he sustained an injured sternum in a game against the Blue Bombers on August 20. Only his family and closest friends and teammates knew of his illness while he guided his team to and through the Grey Cup. Joy, relief, trepidation. All were on display once the final gun had sounded in Edmonton that night. A surgical procedure to remove the lesion the following month would lead to another happy ending in the Calvillo familys fight against cancer. My most lasting memory of Calvillo came eight days after he had leapt over Damon Allen to become pro footballs all-time leading passer on Thanksgiving Day in 2011; not the moment itself, even though I was the sideline reporter standing only 70 yards from the decisive catch-and-run by Jamel Richardson which vaulted Calvillo to the pinnacle of his profession. On October 18, Calvillo was invited by the Montreal Canadiens to a game at the Bell Centre so the crowd could acknowledge him for his historic achievement. After the fans in attendance gave him a thunderous standing ovation prior to puckdrop, Calvillo and his family were taken upstairs to watch the game from a luxury box. I was working rinkside for the NHL on TSN broadcast that night, so we secured an in-game interview with him in the suite. It was during that interview that I was privy to Anthony Calvillo -- the family man and the player -- encapsulated in one fleeting moment. Midway through Calvillos answer to one of my questions, Athena (who was six-years old at the time) sidled up to her Dad and planted a kiss on his right cheek. Without breaking stride, Calvillo continued and completed his answer. His legendary focus which was unshakeable under pressure from defensive front 7s for two decades shone in that moment, as did the fibre of his family. A child raised in a deeply caring, nurturing family didnt hesitate to show her playfulness, innocence and adoration of her Dad -- regardless of the circumstances. National audience? Were you on TV, Dad? Waivers. Redemption. Concussions. Championships. Tears. Laughter. Transcendent athlete. Despite the accolades and his place in the history of the game, Calvillo describes himself as a regular guy. At home, he takes out the garbage. He changed his daughters "poopy diapers" when they were infants. Anthony Calvillo. Hes human, like us all. John Lu is TSNs Montreal Bureau Reporter and has covered the Alouettes and Anthony Calvillos career since 2007. College Jerseys . PETERSBURG, Florida – Heading into Thursday nights action, Dioner Navarro had caught 14 innings combined from starters Drew Hutchison and Mark Buehrle. Nike Jerseys . Here are some of the best from Week One and some to watch in Week Two: TOP PERFORMERS Anthony Allen, RB, Saskatchewan (176 YDS, 2 TD, 30 touches vs. Hamilton) - Powerfully-built back burst onto the scene in his CFL debut, after a couple of years in the NFL, playing 21 games with the Baltimore Ravens. https://www.cheapjerseysjustwholesale.com/ . With the final four being arguably the four best – and most complete – teams from the regular season, picking a winner is not as easy as it sounds. NFL Jerseys . The Canadian Luge Association officially named seven athletes to the 2014 Olympic team Tuesday. Edney, will lead teenagers John Fennell and Mitchel Malyk into their first Games in mens singles. Tristan Walker and Justin Snith will represent Canada in doubles, while Gough, will be joined by Kimberley McRae in womens singles. Authentic Jerseys . Re-signed by the club to a one-year, two-way (NHL/AHL) contract on July 5, Bass appeared in three preseason games with Columbus prior to breaking a bone in his hand on Sept.Ottawa, ON (SportsNetwork.com) - Robin Lehner made 35 saves, and the Ottawa Senators scored four goals in a 5 1/2 minute span in their 7-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday afternoon. Milan Michalek and Mark Stone each scored in the closing minutes of the second period, and Bobby Ryan and Jean-Gabriel Pageau added goals very early in the third period. Ottawa also got goals from Mike Hoffman, Erik Karlsson and Mika Zibanejad to win for the second time in three games. Marc Methot tallied a career-high three assists. Mike Smith allowed five Senators goals on 20 shots against him before getting the hook in the third period. Zbynek Michalek and Sam Gagner scored Arizonas goals as the Coyotes fell to 1-3-2 on their ongoing eight-game road trip. After two goals were scored in the first 69 seconds of the game, it took until late in the second period for either team to light the lamp again. Milan Michalek skated around two Coyotes before snapping a shot past Smith to break the 1-1 tie. Stone extended Ottawas lead two minutes later when he deflected Methots point shot. Ottawa added to its lead right after a successful penalty kill early in the third period. A Coyotes turnover exiting the zone sent the Senators moving the other way. Ryan took the backhand pass from Clarke MacArthur and jabbed a one-timer past Smith. Just 20 seeconds later, Pageaus backhand goal chased Smith from the game, and Louis Domingue made his NHL debut in relief.dddddddddddd Gagner scored the next goal when he deflected Lauri Korpikoskis wrist shot by Lehner, but the Coyotes would not get any closer. With eight minutes to go in the game, Karlsson took advantage of an ill- timed Arizona line change to fire a shot by Domingue, and Zibanejad scored with 1 1/2 minutes left after Ryan set him up for a one-timer at the side of the net. One game after only needing five seconds in a period to score a goal, Arizona got off to another fast start against Ottawa. Zbynek Michalek scored just 40 seconds into the game when his wrist shot deflected off Methots glove into the net. Hoffman only needed 29 seconds to tie the game when he wristed a loose puck by Smith. Game Notes Ottawa swept the season series, outscoring Arizona 12-3 ... Zibanejad has scored in three straight games ... The Coyotes have been outscored 62-31 in the third period ... David Legwand had two assists for the Senators, and Ryan, Stone, Karlsson and Zibanejad each had two points ... For the first time since Jan. 12, 1985, two sets of brothers competed in the same game with Zbynek and Milan Michalek and the Stone brothers, Mike and Mark. ' ' '