TORONTO – While the future face of the Maple Leafs was being introduced beside Gate 5 of the Air Canada Centre on Monday morning, the head coach of the hockey club was busy conducting exit interviews for perhaps the final time in Toronto. One player – a young defenceman, almost certain to be 23-year-old Jake Gardiner based on the clues – entered the office of Randy Carlyle and expressed frustration with the constraints he felt from the coaching staff early in the season. Carlyle was admittedly shocked by the revelation, especially taken aback by who this player compared himself with in the league. "Theres some surprising things that come back from players, something youd never imagine," Carlyle said on Tuesday afternoon, his future as the Leafs head coach on the most uncertain of terms at the outset of another disappointing offseason in Toronto. It was one more (and perhaps final) source of befuddlement for a coach still in search of answers following a season that unraveled in rapid and stinging fashion. In less than a month, his team went from chasing home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs to 12th in the East and an eighth absence from the playoffs in the past nine seasons. "We never really created an identity for our hockey club this year," he said, worn down after missing the postseason for just the second time in his NHL coaching career. "We didnt play to an identity and thats what was disturbing because we had been a competitive group in the year previous. We felt that this group going forward was ready to take the next step and a lot of people felt the same way and it didnt materialize." Carlyles imagined idea of Maple Leaf hockey was realized only in the most fleeting of moments, never consistently, be it from shift to shift, period to period, or game to game. He pushed and prodded for a team that was difficult to play against, that defended with vigour and attitude, that slugged it out for extended periods in the offensive zone (Toronto was amongst the worst possession teams in the league) and he rarely got it. Dave Bolland and David Clarkson were supposed to help establish that brand – replacing Mikhail Grabovski, Clarke MacArthur and Leo Komarov amongst others – but with Bollands long-term injury and Clarksons year-long struggle, the club actually felt off rather dramatically in terms of the identity and attitude it had established in 48 games last season. The drop-off from Grabovski to replacements for Bolland (and Tyler Bozak thereafter) was considerable as was the dip from MacArthur and Komarov to Clarkson. Those offseason changes, made by Dave Nonis, were seemingly made with the brand of the head coach in mind. Carlyle banged the drum loudly all year for what needed to change – even as the group piled up wins in early October and in parts beyond – but could never figure out how to make it stick, his brand of hockey rarely aligning with a group that was equally hard-headed and ultimately unfit to play such a style or system consistently. "We spent a lot of time and effort on trying to create, sell, visualize what it means to be a Toronto Maple Leaf," he said. "For this year we were not able to create that. Those are the things that youre going to scratch your head and bang your head against the wall Why didnt it happen? Why didnt it happen? And thats what were all asking ourselves: Why didnt it happen? Because we had it the previous shortened season, the lockout season. We were a hard team to play against." But in the lockout year of 2013, the Leafs had a superb penalty kill, a top-10 offence and strong goaltending, elements that glossed over some of the instabilities that became quickly apparent in the 2013-14 campaign that followed. Despite woeful defensive play, they made it to March in good shape on the strength of a top-five power-play, a dominant top line and superb goaltending from Jonathan Bernier. Once those elements quieted some, the house of cards collapsed – Carlyle said they lost their "mojo" following a successful swing through California. (Over-using the likes of Phil Kessel and James van Riemsdyk down the stretch, with nothing suitable on the fourth line for support, surely didnt help matters.) Replacing the high-risk, high-reward Ron Wilson, Carlyle was supposed to dramatically alter the course of the Leafs upon his arrival in March 2012, both in terms of structure and style. He was supposed to be the elixir, especially, for how they defended, but in 2013-14, Carlyles Leafs were actually worse in keeping the puck out of the net than in Wilsons final full season behind the bench. No team in the league gave up as many shots as the squad in Toronto – 856 more in fact than the NHLs best in New Jersey – forcing the goaltending to be better than average most nights for two points. Carlyle trumpeted the struggle as a matter of compete – part of the problem certainly – obfuscating of course his inability to affect change where it was once promised he would. "Were not asking the players to do something that they havent done before or wouldnt have done in another situation – be it junior hockey or American Hockey League," Carlyle. "You have to play and you have to compete on the defensive side of the puck with will and commitment and we did not want to do that on a day-to-day basis and thats what our struggles were." His status for next season remains uncertain at best. Neither new president, Brendan Shanahan, nor his second in command Dave Nonis would say if Carlyle would be back, preferring to thoroughly assess the group first in the days ahead. "Im here today," Carlyle said. But he was still searching for answers... "If you think you have all the answers youre in the wrong business," he concluded. "Theres things that you know youd like to do differently as a staff, as a person, as an individual. Theres certain ways you deal with certain things. Theres points that you felt shouldve been a lot stronger on or you shouldve been softer on. Theres all those things. Youre going to question yourself all the time." Air Jordan Wholesale China . His team rose to the occasion Sunday with a 3-1 victory over Sweden in the bronze-medal game. "The sting from yesterday is not something we hid from or pretend didnt happen," Dineen said. Yeezy Boost 350 v2 Replica China .40 metres at the Drake Relays. 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It was considered unlikely that Rielly would be loaned to Canada for the tournament, which begins Dec. 26 in Malmo, Sweden, though a stretch of three straight games in the press box made it something of a debate.The Toronto Blue Jays got out of the gate with a dismal 10-17 record last season and dug themselves a hole they could never really get out of. Its a scenario they really cant afford to repeat in 2014. Prior to last season, 39 of the last 60 teams that were in first place in their division on June 1 went on to make the post-season. If you look at last years races division by division, there were only two teams that werent in first or second in June who went on to make the playoffs. In the American League West, Texas was in first through April and May with a 34-21 - two games ahead of Oakland. The As went on a 63-32 tear the rest of the way and won the division by five games over the Rangers, who played and lost a sudden death tie-breaker. In the Central, Detroit and Cleveland hit June 1firsy and second in the division with the Tigers leading by a half-game. Detroit wound up taking the division by one game over the Indians. In the East, Boston was on top at 34-23. This is one division where there was a slight exception. Tampa Bay was actually in 4th place heading into the games of June 1 at 30-25. But the Rays were only a half-game back of Baltimore and one game behind the second place Yankees. The Rays finished 61-46 to take second place. The Blue Jays were 23-33 through the first two months and never really came close to getting back in the race, even with that 11 game win streak. In the National League East, Atlanta was 33-22 through April and May and won the division easily with a 96-66 mark. Washington, a pre-season favourite, was 28-28 and missed the playoffs altogether. In the Central, St. Louis got off to a 37-18 start and led the division wire-to-wire on the way to a Major League best 97-65 record. Pittsburgh was third two months in, but overhauled Cincinnati for second place, though both teams won 90 or more and both made the post season. The National League West was the one division where all bets were off after two months. Arizona was on top at 31-24 with a two-and-a-half game lead on the Giants and Rockies. The Dodgers were seven-and-a-half games out through April and May at 23-31. The division practically turned upside down the rest of the way. The D-Backs faded and finished at 81-81 for the second year in a row. San Francisco and Colorado collapsed and both finished 10 or more games below .500. The Dodgers, though, inspired in large part by the arrival of Yasiel Puig went a scorching 69-39 down the stretch and won the division with a 92-70 mark. So it pretty much goes without saying, the Blue Jays need to be at least slightly above .500 through April and May to have any hope of competing in the tough American League East. Their schedule is, by no means, easy with 22 of their 57 games through the first two months against the A.L East, including six against Boston and seven versus Tampa Bay - the two playoff favourites in the division. The Jays only have 10 games over April and May against "lesser" oppoonents, with three against Houston, three versus Minnesota and a four-game interleague series against Philadelphia.dddddddddddd 25 of the 57 are against teams that either made the playoffs last season or were involved in tie-breakers. The Jays also have just one day off in the month of May; a real test of the pitching staff. No team will ever admit theyre out of it after just two months. The Blue Jays didnt a year ago. But in five of the six divisions last season, the two-month mark painted a pretty vivid picture of where teams are really at. The other day I was reading about the new head of the Players Association, Tony Clark, when another name in the article caught my name. It was Steve Rogers, who also works for the Association as a liaison to the players among his many duties. I actually had to double check that it was the same Steve Rogers who once pitched for the Expos. It was. If you get into a conversation with anyone as to who the greatest pitcher in Expos history was, some might suggest Pedro Martinez, who went 55-33 in his four seasons in Montreal. Others might say Dennis Martinez for his perfect game, maybe Bill Stoneman for his two no-hitters or Ross Grimsley for being the Expos first 20-game winner. In my mind, though, it was Steve Rogers. I was surprised to see his career record was only 158-152, but its his other numbers that blow you away. Over 13 seasons, all with Montreal, he pitched over 200 innings in nine of them. Six times he was over 250 innings, four times over 270 and in 1977 when he won 17 games he pitched an incredible 300.2 innings. He actually pitched more innings per season than Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax and had a better career ERA at 3.17 than another Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan. Rogers was a five-time all-star and finished second in the rookie of the year voting and one year was second in the Cy Young balloting. It was a different era, but compare Rogers numbers to one of the Blue Jays all-time greats Roy Halladay in a couple of categories. Rogers had 129 complete games and 37 shutouts and Halladay had 67 complete games and 20 shutouts. Rogers, 64 now, had to retire at 35 when his shoulder essentially gave out on him. He is a member of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame at St, Marys and tries to get back for the Induction Ceremonies every year. He concedes he might even have had a shot at Cooperstown if he had been able to pitch another 5-7 years and could have won another 70 games. The Expos only made the playoffs once in their history - 1981. Steve Rogers beat Phillies legend Steve Carlton twice in the division series and then defeated the Dodgers in Game 3 of the NLCS. But say his name today and many will only remember his relief appearance on "Blue Monday" at the Big "0," when he gave up the series deciding homer to the Dodgers Rick Monday. If you look at the numbers and the character of the man, Steve Rogers should be remembered for much more than that. ' ' '