Spurs held firm, though, and Kane has scored 16 Premier League goals and provided eight assists, taking them to the brink of Champions League qualification.
It was 2014, and Brendan Shanahan had just been handed Reggie Jackson Jersey the keys to the Maple Leafs castle. The newly installed teampresident was attempting to turn around a franchise, and in doing his due dilligence, fact-finding to figure out the best approaches to righting the ship in Toronto, he kept hearing and coming acro s the same name in the Ontario Hockey League: Kyle Dubas.
So Shanahan arranged a meeting with the then 28-year-old "It was probably my intent at the time to mine some information from someone that I heard was one of the bright, young minds coming up in the game," Shanahan said for what he expected to last no longer than two hours.
Nine hours later, Shanahan said, he was thinking of ways to convince Dubas to leave his post as the general manager at Sue St. Marie and become a part of the Maple Leafs organization.
MORE:
On Friday, Shanahan introduced Dubas as a much larger part.
Dubas, a 32-year-old who served as a sistant general manager the past four years working under Shanahan and Lou Lamoriello, was officially promoted into the vacant general manager position on Friday. It came after Lamoriello, who Dubas raved about during his introductory pre s conference at Air Canada Centre, finished his third year at that post, but has since transitioned into a senior advisory role.
"When Mike (Babcock)arrived here he gave a soundbite thats lived on, which was that 'there was going to be pain,' and there was," Dubas said. "In the last couple of years under Lous stewardship and guidance the team has transformed its atmosphere, its transformed the narrative around the team, the way people behave, the standard of what it is to be a Maple Leaf thanks to Lou.
"Now we enter into another part of our journey, which is to reach our ultimate goal of contending perennially to be fighting at this time for the Stanley Cup instead of sitting here."
And with that, the 17th general manager in Maple Leafs history accepted to scepter, and continued the challenge one that he spelled out of ultimately leading the Maple Leafs back to a Stanley Cup.
"Over the past four seasons theres been a major transformation in our franchise but the most difficult part of our journey lies ahead." Dubas said. "Its up to us to continue to use the great resources we have here at MLSE, and also to be the most Brian Goodwin Jersey resourceful team that we can be. Not just rely on having a lot of resources.
"That involves finding inefficiencies when it comes to our tactical deployment, our player-development staff, our scouting staff, our sports science staff, and the great staffs that we have there, and also continue to build our programs properly and to the benefits our players in sports science and mental wellne s in the like."
MORE:
Dubas, who has been lauded in the past for his willingne s to incorporate analytics and different types of analysis into his decision-making proce s, said he's spent the past four years, and really the past three under Lamoriello, refining the other elements of his game.
"Especially in the last couple of years my relationship with Lou has grown to more than the a sistant general manager-general manager type relationship," Dubas said. "Hes really been an unbelievable mentor to me, not just in terms of the hockey operation, handle the players, handle the coaching staff, how to handle agents, and the ins-and-outs of the general manager job, but more importantly what Ive learned from Lou is how to handle people, and how to treat peoples families.
"The way that he treated my family, and my wife, and our young guy throughout has been remarkable, and Ill look to carry that forward. I told him I wouldnt say too many nice things about him because I didnt want to ruin his reputation, so well leave it at that with Lou."
And after learning under Lamoriello's wing the past three seasons, and turning the Marlies into Zack Cozart Jersey one of the most effective AHL outposts in the NHL, Shanahan said it was finally the right time to install him as Toronto's new general manager, a position Dubas was long a sumed to have been groomed for.
"What Im privy to, whether its at the Draft, behind the scenes, behind the scenes in our office, behind the scenes in the arena, is just somebody thats excellent at working with others, is very inclusive, likes to take in information from a lot of diverse people that look at the game from diverse and different backgrounds," Shanahan said."Then hes very good at taking all that information and coming to what I think are good judgements and good decisions."
That latter element is what many believed to have Dubas on the inside track to eventually rise through the ranks in the Maple Leafs organization. While Dubas was quick to credit many areas and staff members acro s the Maple Leafs organization, he also made it clear that the only correct approach to running the team would be whatever is most focused on its succe s.
"Well sit and discu s the way that we play, analyze it for any ways that we want to continue to get better and obviously until were sitting in the middle of June at a Stanley Cup pre s conference, we have a lot of work to do," Dubas said. "That will be our main goal to work together and find the way that were going to continue to move the team ahead; that will be our only focus."
He also said what he knows about Babcock is he is open to change and incorporating new idea, so long as the end-goal is to impprove the on-ice proudct.
And Dubas made it clear he'll be invested in whatever resources he has at his disposal that can bring the Maple Leafs closer to their first Stanley Cup in 51 years.
Twice during his introductory comments on Trevor Cahill Jersey Friday Dubas referenced Darryl Metcalf, the Maple Leafs director of hockey research and development, who pioneered the NHL stats website Extra Skater before he was poached by Toronto.
But Dubas also made reference to other elements of the team like sports science, mental wellne s, player development, and tactics.
"The only way to move ahead and reach our potential here as an organization is to do it together," he said.
Shanahan said he and the organization were also impre sed not only by Dubas ability to make the Marlies a feeder for Maple Leafs players, but how in spite of the pieces shuttling to-and-from the AHL the succe s the Marleis were able to sustain.
"What its helped me to do is to work very closely with our young players, and really dig in on the player development said, and realize how important that is," Dubas said. "It just so happened to coincide with a time that player development was going to become very important to our organization, and you see with the graduates from the Marlies up to the Leafs the job that (Maple Leafs director of player development) Sco
It was 2014, and Brendan Shanahan had just been handed Reggie Jackson Jersey the keys to the Maple Leafs castle. The newly installed teampresident was attempting to turn around a franchise, and in doing his due dilligence, fact-finding to figure out the best approaches to righting the ship in Toronto, he kept hearing and coming acro s the same name in the Ontario Hockey League: Kyle Dubas.
So Shanahan arranged a meeting with the then 28-year-old "It was probably my intent at the time to mine some information from someone that I heard was one of the bright, young minds coming up in the game," Shanahan said for what he expected to last no longer than two hours.
Nine hours later, Shanahan said, he was thinking of ways to convince Dubas to leave his post as the general manager at Sue St. Marie and become a part of the Maple Leafs organization.
MORE:
On Friday, Shanahan introduced Dubas as a much larger part.
Dubas, a 32-year-old who served as a sistant general manager the past four years working under Shanahan and Lou Lamoriello, was officially promoted into the vacant general manager position on Friday. It came after Lamoriello, who Dubas raved about during his introductory pre s conference at Air Canada Centre, finished his third year at that post, but has since transitioned into a senior advisory role.
"When Mike (Babcock)arrived here he gave a soundbite thats lived on, which was that 'there was going to be pain,' and there was," Dubas said. "In the last couple of years under Lous stewardship and guidance the team has transformed its atmosphere, its transformed the narrative around the team, the way people behave, the standard of what it is to be a Maple Leaf thanks to Lou.
"Now we enter into another part of our journey, which is to reach our ultimate goal of contending perennially to be fighting at this time for the Stanley Cup instead of sitting here."
And with that, the 17th general manager in Maple Leafs history accepted to scepter, and continued the challenge one that he spelled out of ultimately leading the Maple Leafs back to a Stanley Cup.
"Over the past four seasons theres been a major transformation in our franchise but the most difficult part of our journey lies ahead." Dubas said. "Its up to us to continue to use the great resources we have here at MLSE, and also to be the most Brian Goodwin Jersey resourceful team that we can be. Not just rely on having a lot of resources.
"That involves finding inefficiencies when it comes to our tactical deployment, our player-development staff, our scouting staff, our sports science staff, and the great staffs that we have there, and also continue to build our programs properly and to the benefits our players in sports science and mental wellne s in the like."
MORE:
Dubas, who has been lauded in the past for his willingne s to incorporate analytics and different types of analysis into his decision-making proce s, said he's spent the past four years, and really the past three under Lamoriello, refining the other elements of his game.
"Especially in the last couple of years my relationship with Lou has grown to more than the a sistant general manager-general manager type relationship," Dubas said. "Hes really been an unbelievable mentor to me, not just in terms of the hockey operation, handle the players, handle the coaching staff, how to handle agents, and the ins-and-outs of the general manager job, but more importantly what Ive learned from Lou is how to handle people, and how to treat peoples families.
"The way that he treated my family, and my wife, and our young guy throughout has been remarkable, and Ill look to carry that forward. I told him I wouldnt say too many nice things about him because I didnt want to ruin his reputation, so well leave it at that with Lou."
And after learning under Lamoriello's wing the past three seasons, and turning the Marlies into Zack Cozart Jersey one of the most effective AHL outposts in the NHL, Shanahan said it was finally the right time to install him as Toronto's new general manager, a position Dubas was long a sumed to have been groomed for.
"What Im privy to, whether its at the Draft, behind the scenes, behind the scenes in our office, behind the scenes in the arena, is just somebody thats excellent at working with others, is very inclusive, likes to take in information from a lot of diverse people that look at the game from diverse and different backgrounds," Shanahan said."Then hes very good at taking all that information and coming to what I think are good judgements and good decisions."
That latter element is what many believed to have Dubas on the inside track to eventually rise through the ranks in the Maple Leafs organization. While Dubas was quick to credit many areas and staff members acro s the Maple Leafs organization, he also made it clear that the only correct approach to running the team would be whatever is most focused on its succe s.
"Well sit and discu s the way that we play, analyze it for any ways that we want to continue to get better and obviously until were sitting in the middle of June at a Stanley Cup pre s conference, we have a lot of work to do," Dubas said. "That will be our main goal to work together and find the way that were going to continue to move the team ahead; that will be our only focus."
He also said what he knows about Babcock is he is open to change and incorporating new idea, so long as the end-goal is to impprove the on-ice proudct.
And Dubas made it clear he'll be invested in whatever resources he has at his disposal that can bring the Maple Leafs closer to their first Stanley Cup in 51 years.
Twice during his introductory comments on Trevor Cahill Jersey Friday Dubas referenced Darryl Metcalf, the Maple Leafs director of hockey research and development, who pioneered the NHL stats website Extra Skater before he was poached by Toronto.
But Dubas also made reference to other elements of the team like sports science, mental wellne s, player development, and tactics.
"The only way to move ahead and reach our potential here as an organization is to do it together," he said.
Shanahan said he and the organization were also impre sed not only by Dubas ability to make the Marlies a feeder for Maple Leafs players, but how in spite of the pieces shuttling to-and-from the AHL the succe s the Marleis were able to sustain.
"What its helped me to do is to work very closely with our young players, and really dig in on the player development said, and realize how important that is," Dubas said. "It just so happened to coincide with a time that player development was going to become very important to our organization, and you see with the graduates from the Marlies up to the Leafs the job that (Maple Leafs director of player development) Sco