VAL GARDENA, Italy -- Canadas Erik Guay gained a measure of revenge by winning the prestigious Val Gardena downhill Saturday, a year after missing out on the victory because of changing weather. Guay, from Mt. Tremblant, Que., clocked one minute 56.65 seconds down a Saslong course lined with huge jumps and filled with tricky terrain, making up time over the last few gates to edge Kjetil Jansrud of Norway by 0.12 seconds. "It is sweet," Guay said. "I skied really well and took the chances necessary." It was the fourth career World Cup victory for Guay, who also won gold in downhill at the 2011 world championships in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. Johan Clarey of France finished third, 0.24 back, and overall World Cup leader Aksel Lund Svindal was fourth, 0.29 behind. Bode Miller placed fifth, 0.39 behind, for his best finish in a speed event this season. Miller took last season off to recover from left knee surgery and he is improving race by race as he prepares for the Sochi Olympics in February. Miller would have made the podium if he was just a bit faster on the flats and said getting his equipment dialed in after so much time off was a big factor. "Theres so many details, you never know what it is thats really causing the problem," the 36-year-old two-time overall World Cup winner said. "The fact is we just dont have the whole thing together right now. Were close, and were getting there." Miller made up more than half a second on the technical lower section. "On the top I didnt feel like I was going fast," Miller said. "I took a little bit of risk in some parts and pulled off some decent turns and I skied pretty well but its one of those courses where theres not enough to it to bring it back in with my technical ability." Guay thought he had won this race last year until a drastic weather change helped later starters on a shortened course, with Steven Nyman of the United States taking the win and Rok Perko of Slovenia claiming second, relegating Guay to third. "I had a great run last year," Guay said. "In my mind I skied the best that I could have with my start number and not to take anything away from Nyman and Perko but the conditions do change and thats the reality of our sport. "I know that ski racing is like that," Guay added. "Ive been on the good side of the hundredths and Ive benefited from good weather sometimes. So you take it when you can and you forget it when youre on the other side." While it wasnt quite as drastic as last year, when winds played a role, changing light once again made a big impact. Guay, Svindal and Miller had to deal with less light on the gliding section on top but then all three racers excelled on the more technical section of the course. The highlights of the Saslong are the camel bumps, which launch skiers into the air for nearly 80 metres (90 yards), and the twisty and technical ciaslat section -- two areas that come one right after another midway down. There are also numerous little bumps and jumps, making for constant air time. "A lot of times Val Gardena goes under radar with Wengen and Kitzbuehel getting so much attention but I think its one of most fun courses on the World Cup," Guay said. Guays performance was all the more impressive considering that he had left-knee surgery in the off-season and missed most of preseason training. Jansrud also had left-knee surgery after a crash in the super-G at last seasons world championships in Schladming, Austria. Jansrud took silver in giant slalom at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and Saturdays result matched his best downhill finish from March, 2012, on home snow in Kvitfjell. Clarey also finished third in this race four years ago for his only other career podium. He stood first when the 2011 race was abandoned beause of strong winds after 21 racers had completed their runs. "Its unbelievable for me," Clarey said. "I almost quit skiing five months ago after my back injury." In the overall standings, Svindal moved 175 points ahead of Marcel Hirscher, who does not race downhill. Svindal also leads the downhill standings, 53 points ahead of Guay. Nyman was an early starter and made a big mistake midway down and had to make an acrobatic recovery to avoid injury. But his race ended there. Brice Roger and David Poisson of France also fell. Poisson slammed into the safety netting at full speed but eventually got up and skied down. The circuit moves over the Gardena pass for a giant slalom Sunday in Alta Badia, where Ted Ligety will attempt to duplicate his dominant win from last season. Cheap Pittsburgh Penguins Jerseys . - Houston defensive end J. Cheap Penguins Jerseys .Best moustache: How can we not give this to Lanny McDonald? 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With Gretzky paid out for what is believed to be $7 to 8 million, Gretzky may be eager to get back into the NHL and TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger reports that the Maple Leafs are very much interested in The Great Ones services.ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Angels had just won the opener of a pivotal three-game series against the team theyre chasing in the AL West, yet manager Mike Scioscia was still fuming about a replay reversal that took a home run away from Mike Trout. Trout ended up with an RBI double and Garrett Richards had another impressive outing, leading the Angels over the Oakland Athletics 4-1 Monday night for their fourth straight victory. The Angels pulled within 3 1/2 games of the As in the division. Oakland manager Bob Melvin challenged first base umpire Bob Davidsons home run call on Trouts towering drive to right field in the fifth inning, believing the ball was touched by a fan at the top of the 18-foot wall. After the call was overturned, Scioscia came out to argue and was ejected by Davidson. "I dont know how they overturned the home run. That ball was over the yellow line when it hit that guys glove. Theres no doubt," Scioscia said. "I dont know what they saw in New York -- and thats part of the frustration that I have with this whole system. Theres no way thats indisputable evidence that that was not a home run." Trout was running too hard to notice what happened. "I really didnt think I got enough of it to go out. I was thinking three bases the whole time," he said. "Running around second, I thought it hit high off the wall so I just put my head down and was busting it to third." Trouts only hit of the game drove in Hank Conger, who had bunted his way on and continued to second on the first of three throwing errors by third baseman Josh Donaldson -- two of which led to unearned runs. "Its just one of those things where it just kept building," Donaldson said. Richards (6-2) allowed a run and four hits, struck out four and walked none. The right-hander, who pitched four-hit ball through eight innings last Wednesday in a 4-0 win at Houston, gave up just two harmless singles over his final 5 1-3 innings against an offence that came in leading the majors in runs and on-base percentage. The last time Richards faced the As on May 30, he gave up five runs and got only two outs. He entered Monday 0-3 with a 7.50 ERA in his six previous career starts against the As. "I wasnt really thinking about it too much," Richards saaid.dddddddddddd "But in the back of your mind, you want to do better than you did. ... I felt like this time was my turn to come out and show them what Ive got." Joe Smith pitched a perfect eighth inning and Ernesto Frieri struck out the side in the ninth for his 11th save. Jesse Chavez (5-4) allowed three runs -- two earned -- and eight hits in six innings with five strikeouts. It was the ninth time in his 13 starts this season that he yielded fewer than three earned runs, but his record in those games is only 4-2. The Angels, coming off sweep of the Chicago White Sox, were out to avenge a three-game sweep by the Athletics 1 1/2 weeks earlier at Oakland. They broke a 1-all tie in the fourth with a bloop RBI single by Raul Ibanez. Ibanezs hit drove in David Freese, who drew a leadoff walk after walking all four times up in Sundays game. Stephen Vogt and Yoenis Cespedes each had two hits against Richards. Vogt opened the scoring in the second inning with a two-out RBI single after a double by Cespedes. Chavez hit Conger on the right elbow with his first pitch of the third, after Richards plunked John Jaso on the left foot with two out and the bases empty in the top half. Conger hustled to third on Kole Calhouns bloop single to left-centre and scored the tying run on a sacrifice fly by Trout, who was robbed of extra bases on a leaping catch by centre fielder Coco Crisp a few feet in front of the fence. Conger added an RBI single in the eighth against Jim Johnson. Scioscia said before the game that Tuesday nights scheduled starter, Tyler Skaggs, will go on the 15-day disabled list because of a right hamstring strain. Hector Santiago was expected to be recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake to make the start. NOTES: Scioscias ejection was his first this season and 37th since becoming Angels manager in 2000. ... The Athletics failed to hit a home run after getting at least one in each of their previous 16 games (27 total). ... Richards next start will be in Atlanta next weekend. He has allowed no more than two runs or five hits in any of his six road starts this season. ... Oakland 1B Alberto Callaspo, whom the As acquired from the Angels in July 2013, was 0 for 3 is hitless in 13 career at-bats against Richards. ' ' '