VANCOUVER -- Buck Pierce prepared for his retirement from the CFL by getting into the restaurant business while he was still playing. Thomas Hickey Jersey . But the quarterback hopes to stay involved in football after officially calling it quits Tuesday. "Id love to look at those opportunities as they arise," Pierce said in an interview from his Winnipeg eatery. "(Football) is my passion. Ive always been a student of the game and looked up to coaches. "Obviously, (the passion doesnt end) just because you stop playing. That competitive fire will never burn out." Pierce split last season between the Lions and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, throwing for 1,176 yards, five touchdowns and seven interceptions. Over nine seasons with Winnipeg and B.C., he completed 1,200 passes for 15,289 yards, 76 TDs and 63 interceptions. "I feel pretty good about (retiring) actually," he said. "I feel that, over the last nine years, its been a great career for me. I enjoyed every minute of it. The teammates, the organizations were the part that were great experiences for me. Its a hard day also, in a way, for me because its what Ive known. Its what Ive been about for the most part of my life. "So its a big day in both ways. But Im also excited about the next phase of my life and moving on." Pierce, a 32-year-old Hutchinson, Kan., native who played collegiately at New Mexico State, originally signed with the Lions in 2005. He was a key member of the club as both a backup and starter through five seasons before playing 3 1/2 seasons with the Blue Bombers. He returned to B.C. last September in a trade that brought wide receiver Akeem Foster to Winnipeg. "Buck was a fearless competitor who never hesitated to put his body on the line for our organization," Lions general manager Wally Buono said in a news release. Pierces career was marred by multiple injuries as he chose to take a hit instead of sliding or running out of bounds before getting tackled. But he said the rewards were worth the punishment. "I wouldnt change anything I played the game the way that I felt this game should be played, and I felt that I represented myself extremely well on and off the field," he said. "Theres always going to be critics, and people are going to say what theyre going to say, but at the end of the day, I represented myself and my family and this league in a positive way." He won a Grey Cup with the Lions in 2006 and led the Bombers to the 2011 championship game, where they lost 34-23 to B.C. "Obviously, winning the Grey Cup in 06 was a big point in my life," he said. "Theres lots of memories. You dont necessarily remember all of the big wins and stuff like that. But when you play almost a decade, you have lots of teammates and you see lots of teammates be traded and all these things, so you have lots of memories that stick with you. "Obviously, when I helped the Bombers get to a Grey Cup in Vancouver, that was a big part, and I felt very good about what we accomplished that year." His final CFL campaign, when he was relegated to third-string status with the Blue Bombers before being dealt, was "extremely difficult." "But its all about what he you take away from situations and what you learn," he said. "I was fortunate enough to get traded to B.C., where it all started, and I had some great games at the end of the year. Im privileged and excited to be retiring as a Lion." Pierce had "extremely minor" arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder following the season and would have needed to get another contract from the Lions. But neither his health nor contract issues affected the decision to retire. "I didnt know what was going to happen (after) last year," he said. "I wanted it to be my decision. It wasnt money. It wasnt about injuries. It wasnt about anything else. It was about where I was at my point in my career and moving forward and taking that next step -- and about taking advantage of some of the opportunities that I have out there." Noting he had reached a state of contentment, Pierce expressed gratitude to fans, teammates and his two clubs alike. "The CFL and Canada have been great to me," he said. "Ive been fortunate to have amazing teammates, great mentors all throughout my career, and have played in great cities in the league -- and became a part of the culture here in Canada." He and his wife Lori, who is from Winnipeg, live in the Manitoba capital and plan to reside there until the future opportunities take them somewhere else. "Winnipegs the place that I call home right now," said Pierce. After announcing Pierces retirement, the Lions also announced the signings of quarterbacks John Beck and Jarrett Lee. Pending any early cuts following a mini-camp, the Lions are slated to have five quarterbacks at training camp in June in Kamloops, B.C. In addition to starter Travis Lulay, whose recovery from off-season shoulder surgery is considered ahead of schedule, the Lions have holdover QBs Joey Elliott, the apparent No. 2 at this point, and second-year pro Chris Hart. Josh Bailey Islanders Jersey . Peter Dawson took his long before he started the job. "I was playing an American one year at Oxford Golf Club, and he introduced me to this travelling mulligan," Dawson said. Anders Lee Jersey . - Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II says the NFL has told the team it will not be docked a pick in this years draft for coach Mike Tomlins foray onto the field against Baltimore last November. http://www.islanderssale.com/authentic-bryan-trottier-islanders-jersey/ . 25 against Miami. Hillis left Browns Stadium about two hours before kickoff, a decision that has led to speculation he was upset over ongoing negotiations with the club on a contract extension. CALGARY -- Sean Monahan scores. Calgary Flames win. Repeat. In whats quickly becoming a familiar script, the 18-year-old rookie sensation was at it again Friday night scoring the game-winner with 2:43 left in the third period to lead Calgary to a 3-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils. The sixth overall pick in the 2013 NHL draft, Monahan has had a dream start to his pro career with goals in four straight games. "Thats the biggest one yet," said Monahan, who turns 19 on Saturday. "It won us the game there and thats huge. We want to win as many games as we can right now, we want to have a good start and thats really big for our team right now." Monahan also has a five-game points streak (four goals, two assists), which is the longest for a Flames rookie since 31-year-old Sergei Makarov had points in seven straight games to begin his NHL career in 1989-90, which was before the league re-wrote the rules around rookie eligibility. "Ive got to give a lot of credit to my linemates and the players Im playing with," said Monahan, who is still eligible to return to OHLs Ottawa 67s although the likeliness of that happening seems to decrease with every passing game. "Theyre making it easy on me, putting the pucks right on my tape and in good position and fortunately enough, Im putting them in the back of the net." The game-winner was a prime example of that. Sven Baertschi made a hit along the side boards, grabbed the loose puck and zipped a perfect pass to Monahan, who steered it behind Marty Brodeur. The 41-year-old Devils goaltender already had 29 NHL wins when Monahan was born. "As soon as I got the puck, I was looking towards the net. I saw Jiri (Hudler) but then I saw (Monahan) back door," said Baertschi. "We were just looking at each other and I was like OK, theres only one thing I have to do, get that puck right to him and there was only one stick in the way, so I passed it as hard as I could." It is the first time since the Flames moved to Calgary in 1980 that the team has taken at least one point in each of its first five games. "We feel good but there are no stats right now that allows us to sit on those five games. We have 82 to play. There is still lots of hockey to be played," said Flames coach Bob Hartley. Dennis Wideman and Mark Giordano also scored for Calgary (3-0-2). Hudler had two assists to extend his points streak to five games. The Flames now depart on a five-game road trip that begins Wednesday in Anaheim. "We have to have a big road trip. Were playing some of the bbest teams in the league," said Giordano. Anders Lee Islanders Jersey. "Youre not going to beat those teams if you dont play the right way. Were looking forward to it but weve got to bring the juice." Adam Henrique and Dainius Zubrus scored for New Jersey (0-2-3). The Devils are 0-1-2 with two stops to go on their five-game road trip. They visit Winnipeg on Sunday. On the heels of a stretch that included two shootout losses and an overtime loss, it was another tough defeat. "Obviously we want to get wins and were not getting them, but the last thing we need to do is really get frustrated or over-analyze it," said Devils captain Bryce Salvador. Jaromir Jagr said they just have to keep their chins up and keep going. "We just made some mistakes and it cost us," said Jagr. "We had the lead every game except the first game against the Penguins. Weve got to learn to play with the lead." New Jersey poured on the pressure in one stretch in the third when the game was tied 2-2. But despite Joey MacDonald losing his stick, the Devils were unable to score with Flames bodies diving in front of shots all over. "We had it for a minute and a half but they were able to block everything," said Jagr. Despite his frustration, Jagr still managed to mix in some humour as he reflected on the chances that got away in that one frenzied scramble. "Theyre smart, huh. Theyre tired so they laid down," Jagr said. "Everybody does it, so do you. When youre tired, you go sleep. They went down but we couldnt lift the puck up. We had so many chances." Already ahead 2-1 late in the second period, New Jersey appeared to have scored again when Ryan Clowes slapshot off the wing bounced up in the air off MacDonald and into the net. However, the goal was waved off and Devils winger Michael Ryder, who had gone hard to the net for the rebound, was sent off for goalie interference. Calgary had its best prolonged pressure of the game on the ensuing power play, controlling the puck in the Devils zone for the entire man advantage. After several close changes, Giordano eventually poked a backhand into the net to tie it 2-2. Notes: Calgarys Lee Stempniak had his four-game points streaks snapped. ... David Jones (upper body) did not play. He has been placed on injured reserve and is considered week-to-week. Tim Jackman made his season debut in his place. ... Monahan turns 19 on Saturday. ... New Jerseys Jacob Josefson made his season debut after being a healthy scratch the first four games. He was inserted for Andrei Loktionov. ' ' '