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TORONTO -- Toronto FC will end its seven-year post-season drought and make the Major League Soccer playoffs next season, MLSE CEO Tim Leiweke promised Tuesday. The underachieving franchise finished 17th in the 19-team league with a 6-17-11 record this season. "Our soccer team is absolutely in complete disarray," said Leiweke, drawing laughs during an Empire Club luncheon speech about the future of MLSE teams and plans to improve them. But the Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment boss said change is coming. "The team we turn the quickest will be TFC and well turn them next year," he said. "Mark it down, write it down, film it .... Were going to turn TFC around and were going to make the playoffs next year. We know where were headed, we know how to get there. Weve been given the resources of this ownership group and we will get to the right place." Leiweke, who brought David Beckham to the Los Angeles Galaxy, says he knows how to work the designated player rules in the league. The soccer team has money to add designated players and still have about a third of its salary cap to sign two or three veteran MLS players. In detailing the MLSE clubs and their chances of success, he pointed to the hockey club first. "The Leafs are close," he said. Like the New York Yankees are to baseball and the Dallas Cowboys to football, the Leafs must become "the greatest hockey team in the history of the National Hockey League." "Toronto is the heart and soul of the great game of hockey," he said. Leiweke made headlines after taking over in July when he said he already had a championship parade route in his mind for the Leafs. He did not back down from that Tuesday. "I could not be more excited about the parade route and were going to throw you one, I promise," he said. Championships, he said are "not an unreasonable expectation," at MLSE. Leiweke ruffled feathers early in his tenure when he suggested some of the photos of past Leafs greats should be taken down at the Air Canada Centre. "No disrespect to the history and tradition of the 100 years of the Toronto Maple Leafs or any of the great players that have put on that jersey," he said Tuesday. "But these players know its now time to put their pictures up on the wall. Its time for us to hang Stanley Cup banners." As for the Raptors, he said it was tough to build an NBA team on the fly because of salary cap restrictions. Luck and skill are needed in drafting players, plus intelligence in signing other players. "To be honest with you, we havent done that here. And Im not blaming anybody. Now the blames on us." He dismissed the belief that NBA players dont want to come to Toronto. And he said the current roster is "ticked off" that some pundits are already writing them off. "Theyre out to prove something this year," he said of the Raptors, who open their season Wednesday. Build a winning culture and players will come to Toronto, he added. On other matters, Leiweke said: -- The chances of an NFL team coming to Toronto in the next decade are "pretty good." -- Given 17 of 19 Toronto FC games were played in rain at BMO Field this season, "weve got to put an end to that, its time to put a roof on BMO Field." -- At the requests of the city of Toronto, which owns BMO Field, MLSE is looking at whether the venue can be changed to accommodate the CFL. "The Argos are part of a conversation, not a decision thats been made." -- MLSE is looking at whether a larger block of tickets should be freed up to get some new Leafs fans in the ACC to make the venue livelier. -- The NHL needs to put hockey in the Seattle-Portland marketplace, as well as returning a team in Quebec. And that such expansion -- as well as possibly in Las Vegas and Kansas City -- is needed to grow the sport before talk of a second franchise in the Toronto area. Bobby Hull Womens Jersey . Problems with his lower back last year forced Oosthuizen to miss more events than he wanted to, and to withdraw after three rounds of the Byron Nelson Championship, after a first-round 75 at the U. Andrew Shaw Youth Jersey . Dawson, who could have tested the open market as an unrestricted free agent, decided instead to remain a Knighthawk for the remainder of his National Lacrosse League career. http://www.blackhawkshockeyjerseysstore.com/red-18-denis-savard-womens-jersey/ . His versatility and consistency has been rewarded. Brantley has agreed to long-term contract with the Indians, a person familiar with the deal told the AP on Tuesday. Michal Handzus Authentic Jersey . In an effort to catch cheaters, the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport launched an anonymous snitch line Tuesday where athletes and others connected to sport can report allegations of doping. Denis Savard Blackhawks Jersey . Kevin Love had 21 points and six rebounds and Ricky Rubio had 14 points, nine assists, eight rebounds and three steals for the Timberwolves. Minnesota shot 55.7 per cent, attempted 35 free throws and forced a season-high 18 turnovers from the Pelicans.DETROIT -- The New York Rangers are finally going home after a season-opening, nine-game road trip, and they are taking a hard-fought win with them. And this one was 14 years in the making. Derick Brassards breakaway goal in the closing seconds of overtime lifted the Rangers to a 3-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday night. Brassards first goal of the season, scored with only 12.9 seconds showing on the OT clock, gave New York its first win at Detroit since Jan. 30, 1999. Pouliot had a goal and an assist, and Mats Zuccarello also scored for New York, which rallied from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits in the final game of its long trip. "It was really hard on the body. Its something thats not going to happen again because of what is happening at MSG," Brassard said of the stretch away from home. The Rangers (3-6), who went to overtime for the first time this season, will host Montreal in the opener at renovated Madison Square Garden on Monday. "As a player, it (home crowd) gives you so much energy on the ice. You play with more emotion," Brassard said. "We want to get back and see our fans." Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said his team will benefit from the early long trip. "Its going to be good for us. Its been a challenge," he said. "We dont have the record we want but we made some strides in the right direction." Cam Talbot stopped 32 shots while filling in for injured regular Henrik Lundqvist. Drew Miller and Daniel Alfredsson scored for Detroit, which lost its fourth straight. Jimmy Howard made 37 saves. "They score more than us. The bottom line is they took the game over from us in the second period," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "I thought we fought to get it back in the third period, but in the second we got outskated, turned pucks over in the neutral zone, never got it behind them enough. When we get in their zone were one-and-done too quickly.&" Brassard broke the Rangers two-game losing streak when he picked up a loose puck just inside the blue line and beat Howard between the pads.dddddddddddd "I only had to scoop up the puck. It was kind of bouncing, so I just closed my eyes and shot," Brassard said. Zuccarello tied it at 2 by putting in a rebound 2:18 into the third for his first goal of the season. Pouliot had gotten the Rangers even at 1 with a power-play goal with 2:40 remaining in the second period. He put the puck past Howard during a goal-mouth scramble for his first with New York. Alfredssons power-play goal with 11 seconds left in the second period restored Detroits lead at 2-1. He netted his second of the season with a one-timed shot from the right circle. The Rangers had scoring chances earlier but were denied by Howard and the goal post. Howard dove across the crease to make a spectacular blocker save on Brian Boyle about eight minutes into the middle period. Ryan McDonagh hit a goal post about five minutes into the frame. Miller gave the Red Wings a 1-0 lead with 2:48 remaining in the first period. He completed a 2-on-1 rush by beating Talbot with a wrist shot from the left circle for his first of the season. NOTES: Lundqvist missed his second game because of an undisclosed injury. ... Seeking to generate more offence, Babcock split up Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, who had been playing together on the first line. Datsyuk centred RW Daniel Alfredsson and LW Todd Bertuzzi, and Zetterberg was between LW Tomas Tatar and RW Johan Franzen for Detroit, which had scored only three goals in its previous three games. Datsyuk and Zetterberg were back together by late in the second period. ... Rangers centre J.T. Miller played junior hockey with the suburban-Detroit based Plymouth Whalers of the Ontario Hockey League. ... The Red Wings healthy scratches were RW Mikael Samuelsson and RW Patrick Eaves. cheap nfl jerseys authentic wholesale jerseys cheap jerseys authentic jerseys nfl wholesale wholesale jerseys stitched ' ' ' |
