07-04-2019, 06:47 AM
TORONTO – Change was on the mind, but Brendan Shanahan wasnt looking explicitly for a new assistant general manager. Aaron Rodgers Jersey . The Maple Leafs president was combing the hockey world, trying to pick out the innovative thinkers, the rising stars, the great minds. One name kept coming up: Kyle Dubas, formerly the 28-year-old general manager of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and now assistant general manager to Dave Nonis in Toronto. Such was the latest shift in direction of the newly minted Shanahan era, one that has seen a coaching staff plundered, a roster reconstructed, a July 1st pass quietly (and prudently) by, and now a management team altered – Dave Poulin and Claude Loiselle fired Tuesday. “I like to surround myself with people that challenge ideas, that think differently,” Shanahan said. “The more I got to know Kyle the more I realized that this was somebody that obviously was an extreme talent.” Through extensive conversations with Dubas over the past few weeks, Shanahan, who accumulated nearly 700 goals and three Stanley Cups as a player, kept coming away with fresh thoughts and perspectives about the game. In Dubas, he appears to have found someone willing to think differently, a rising front office prodigy known for his openness to new ideas, including analytics. “I just found him intriguing,” said Shanahan, standing alongside Dubas at an introductory press conference from the Air Canada Centre. “I was learning things I didnt know and just wanted to learn more.” “Ive got the impression in talking to Brendan and talking to Dave that theyre certainly open to any and all ideas. That was one of the things that was most enticing about the situation here for me,” said Dubas, particularly enthused to work alongside Nonis, himself once a young assistant general manager in Vancouver. In just three short years in Sault Ste. Marie, Dubas – hired at age 25, mind you – helped steer the Greyhounds from the playoff wilderness to a West division title. He was once a teenage scout for his hometown junior team and later the youngest player agent to be certified by the NHLPA. Rising fast through the hockey ranks, he is known to be thoughtful, respectful and innovative in his thinking, a breath of fresh air to a game thats often remained engrained in old habits. Though not an all-out stats guru as portrayed in some corners, hes shown a willingness to consider the merits of analytics, employing them where suitable to help his team in the Sault. The Maple Leafs, previously led by noted analytics opponent Brian Burke, have been slow to adjust to the “Money-Puck revolution,” which has crept louder and louder into the game in recent years. And if not a voice for that community, Dubas should, at the very least, open up Nonis, Randy Carlyle and the entire group in Toronto to some different ideas. “Its really about learning as much as I can and getting as much information as I can,” Dubas said. “I havent run the team in Sault St. Marie based solely on statistics, its been a good size part of what weve integrated in, but the rest of it is just hockey. Its evaluating players, scouting reports, dealing with the personalities on the team, trying to hire the best scouts and people. And certainly the analytics, Ive found it to be a major help to me personally in the way that I view the game and just create a better level of certainty to decisions.” “Information is power,” Shanahan added. “Its about eliminating some of the noise and seeing what information works best for you, your team, and the direction you and your team want to go with. “Hes obviously got a great appreciation and understanding of analytics, but hes also married that to the complexities and instincts you have to have when youre putting a product on the ice. Hes not just talked about it, but hes done it.” Todd Reynolds, formerly a colleague in the agent business, says Dubas is not some analytics guru, but rather a well-rounded hockey mind on the rise. “I dont think its all about analytics like people have wanted to make it out to be today,” he told TSN.ca. “Hes not a computer nerd. Hes not sitting there crunching numbers and bringing sheets of paper into the GMs office with recommendations. Hes much more complete than that.” Reynolds firm, Uptown Sports Management, hired Dubas fresh out of the Brock University sports management program. They had known him to be “mature beyond his years” from past dealings with the Greyhounds organization. Dubas, they believed, was sensible, trustworthy and related well to people senior to him. “It really wasnt as much of a stretch or a leap of faith on our part as people thought it was at the time,” Reynolds said. “He held his own. [His age] was used against him at times – as you can imagine our business is competitive, the industry is – and people would say ‘Really, youre thinking about going with him? The kids 20-year-old. So it was used against him successfully at times, at other times he overcame it. “We encouraged him ‘just continue doing what youre doing and people wont talk about your age theyll talk about your track record.” And so they werent surprised at the Burlington headquarters of Uptown Sports to learn a few years down the road that Dubas had earned the GM job in hockey-mad Sault Ste. Marie – as one of the youngest GMs in OHL history – nor taken aback on this day when he rose to the NHL. “We all knew this was coming,” Reynolds said. Shanahan claims he never set out to hire an assistant general manager, but planned on assessing the various levels of the organization over the offseason and instilling change from there. He expected more hires to the management team, likely needing a replacement for Loiselle as it pertained to contract negotiations, the CBA, and the cap, and someone to assume Poulins duties, which included management of the Marlies. Tuesdays proceedings were ultimately another step in the remaking of the Leafs in Shanahans vision. That vision started to take shape with the early May firings of the coaching staff and the retaining of Carlyle. It continued with the selection of William Nylander at the draft, varied roster pursuits in and around July 1st – quiet for Toronto standards – and a pair of new hires (and voices) to surround Carlyle, including the youthful Steve Spott. In Dubas meanwhile, Shahanan will look for a different voice, a fresher perspective that may have been lacking. “Im just an assistant GM,” said Dubas. “Ill do what Im asked and go from there.” Clay Matthews Jersey . They know how difficult it is to beat the San Antonio Spurs. George scored 28 points and Indiana defeated San Antonio 111-100 on Saturday night, snapping an 11-game skid against the Spurs. Paul Hornung Womens Jersey . Kelli Stack and Alex Carpenter also scored for the Americans, who avoided a repeat of Finlands upset at the Four Nations Cup in Lake Placid, N.Y., in November. Finnish goalie Noora Raty made 58 saves in that one, but the three-time Olympian could stop just 40 of 43 U. http://www.shoptheofficialpackers.com/El...rs-Jersey/ . Last year, Islanders forward Colin Mcdonald released a "Do It For Colin" campaign to promote his teammate and friend John Tavares for the EA sports honour:The most popular sports voting video ever has to go to Chris Bosh who showcased his comedic abilities in his effort to get fans to vote him into the 2008 All Star Game:You can vote for TJ and other star players for the NHL 15 cover vote here.MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Faced with a challenge, the San Antonio Spurs kept their cool Friday night and in the end left another team in their dust. Tony Parker scored 20 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter, and San Antonios reserves poured in 45 points to help the brutally efficient Spurs pull away from the Memphis Grizzlies for a 102-86 win Friday night. The Spurs ninth straight victory added to the best start in franchise history (11-1). Memphis pulled within 79-78 with 6:37 left in the game on Tony Allens jumper, but the Spurs closed on a 23-8 run, making shot after shot in the final minutes. "We kept our composure and we didnt panic," Parker said. "We just run our stuff and make stops." The exasperated Grizzlies couldnt do much but watch. San Antonio beat Memphis for the sixth straight game, counting the post-season. The Spurs swept Memphis in the Western Conference finals last season and beat them again 101-94 on this seasons opening night in San Antonio. "Obviously, they have our number," Allen said. "Thats six straight games theyve beat us. We have to catch up to where theyre at." San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said Parker struggled some in the third quarter, but adjusted quickly. "He made great decisions, got the ball moving and involved everybody," Popovich said. "He spread the floor for himself and did a really fine job." Tiago Splitter scored 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field and Manu Ginobili added 15 off the bench. The Spurs shot 42 of 79 from the field (53.2 per cent). It was a costly loss for the Grizzlies (7-6), who had starting centre Marc Gasol leave the game with a sprained left knee early in the second quarter. He didnt return and is expected to have an MRI on Saturday. Mike Conley led the Grizzlies with 28 points. Zach Randolph added 16 points and 10 rebounds. Once Gasol left, the Grizzlies chances of winning were greatly diminished. The 7-foot-1 centre grabbed at his knee while sliding toward the basket on defence, but never went to the floor. He ginngerly walked off the floor and into the locker room. Custom Green Bay Packers Jerseys. Without him, the Grizzlies quickly lost ground. The Spurs pounded the ball inside and found plenty of room when driving to the basket, shooting 57.5 per cent from the field (23 of 40) on the way to a 51-37 halftime lead. The Grizzlies managed to fight back. Kosta Koufos, who started the second half in place of Gasol, made an easy layup after a nice pass from Allen to tie it at 59 and the game remained close until midway through the fourth quarter. Koufos played a season-high 28 minutes, finishing with six points and seven rebounds. The Spurs were able to outlast the Grizzlies with superior depth. Their bench was terrific in the middle of the game -- Ginobili and Marco Belinelli repeatedly hit big shots -- and then the Spurs starters did the rest to hold on for the win. "We played well in the first half and got a bit of a lead," San Antonios Tim Duncan said. "They made a run as we expect everybody to do. This is the NBA. Its how it works. We kept our composure, made some plays at the right time and just gave ourselves a cushion again." San Antonios Kawhi Leonard added 12 points and nine rebounds. The loss broke a four-game winning streak for the Grizzlies. Conley shot 12 of 19 from the floor, but it wasnt enough to keep pace with the Spurs. "They are incredibly smart," Memphis coach Dave Joerger said. "They have a lot of shooters, so they spread you out. You end up chasing your tail sometimes." NOTES: The Grizzlies recent four-game road sweep came at the expense of every NBA team in California, including the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors. ... Allen returned after a one-game league suspension for kicking Clippers G Chris Paul in the face. ... The Spurs have a quick turnaround, facing Cleveland on Saturday night in San Antonio. ... San Antonios Duncan had another quiet night, scoring eight points and grabbing six rebounds. Hes averaged just 9.3 points over the past four games. 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