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, outshooting the Habs
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There was something a tad naive about the voracity with which Toronto FC fans greeted the final whistle Wednesday night, as their team triumphed 2-1 over the Whitecaps. Lane Taylor Super Bowl Jersey . If it was just an MLS regular season game, the reaction might have been warranted. Jermaine Defoe and Michael Bradley, Torontos two superstars scored on either side of half-time in top dollar fashion... with cool, composed precision. On any other day, that would have been three points with the two highest profile players justifying their worth. But this was not just a game, this was the first leg of two-game total goals series, in which away goals count as the first tiebreaker. And Torontos opponent wasnt a full-fledged MLS experienced squad, it was a team of kids including three 17-year-olds. A 19-year-old (Kekuta Manneh) came off the bench and bagged a critical goal in second half stoppage time, that puts the Whitecaps in pretty good shape heading home for that second leg next Wednesday at BC Place (7:30pm pt). It was a Whitecaps team that averaged just over 22 years of age, or about five years younger per player than those in red. The average salary per player, well... that was about a 15-1 difference favouring TFC on the night. And so the context of Wednesdays win should have garnered a different reaction from the home faithful. They should have been annoyed that TFC didnt capitalize on some of its gilt-edged chances in the first half, which might have seen a much wider scoreline at the break. And they should have been devastated at conceding a goal in the dying embers of the second half, having just been put in a great 2-0 position by Michael Bradleys marauding run and clinical finish minutes before. And all of that occurring at home, against a team that is still learning how to shave! The combatants Wednesday gave us an interesting illustration of two entirely different approaches to building a club. I, for one, have absolutely no problem with a team in Canada executing arguably the biggest off-season double swoop in MLS history. Its a top-down approach which has (its early, yes) seemingly paid off already. Interest has been renewed along with many season tickets, in a market that has been exceedingly tolerant of rebuilds. But theres a temporary feeling to that philosophy, much like BMO field itself. Built for today, not for tomorrow. (That, by the way, will change upon approval of an ambitious $100 million redesign to TFCs home.) To use a Mothers Day example, is it better to give Mom a beautiful store-bought bouquet or pick the ones you grew in your garden? If Moms happy either way, does the method matter? The Whitecaps are committed to growing their own. Perhaps thats the reason for so much enthusiasm in Vancouver right now; the sense of sustainability from a foundation built on youth. The tangible potential was there for everyone to see, even though the end product wasnt. Time will tell which supporters will be cheering the loudest on final whistles to come as two Canadian clubs chart their courses into the future. But I get the feeling after Wednesday, Whitecaps fans are pretty optimistic about the ship theyre sailing on. Brett Favre Super Bowl Jersey . CNN and Gazzetta dello Sport reporter Tancredi Palmeri broke the news via Twitter Tuesday afternoon. Italian Football Association President Giancarlo Abete has also resigned, according to Palmeri. Dave Robinson Super Bowl Jersey . Mohamed Diame put West Ham ahead in the 47th minute before goals by substitutes Carlton Cole and Joe Cole condemned Fulham to a fifth straight defeat, keeping the visitors in the bottom three.NEW YORK -- On a night where something special was needed, the New York Rangers produced and the Montreal Canadiens didnt. As a consequence, the Rangers are headed to their first Stanley Cup final in 20 years. And the Canadiens are going home, experiencing a dark cocktail of emotions after falling two wins short. Dominic Moore scored late in the second period and Henrik Lundqvist made 18 saves as the Rangers dispatched Montreal 1-0 on Thursday to win the Eastern Conference final four games to two. "We played, in my book, probably our best game of the playoffs," said Rangers coach Alain Vigneault. The Canadiens didnt. New York outshot Montreal 32-18, with the Habs putting just five shots on goal in the third period of a game that was not as close as the score sounds. It was a night and day compared to the Canadiens 7-4 win Tuesday at the Bell Centre. "Its tough because were so close. And were right there," said Montreal defenceman Josh Gorges. "Im a little bit lost for words because Im still trying to process this. Im still stunned. Its tough." Montreal sniper Max Pacioretty was brutally frank in the wake of the loss. "A night like tonight, our backs were against the wall," he said. "Weve been in that position before but there in the third period it almost seemed like -- myself especially -- guys were panicking. We got away from our game." New York really had a go at Montreal in the third, buzzing young goalie Dustin Tokarskis net. The Canadiens did not get a shot on net for the first nine minutes and were back on their heels the entire period. "The third period, I think we played our best period of the playoffs," said Lundqvist. "When it mattered the most, guys really stepped up." While the Canadiens missed passes and made bad decisions, the workmanlike Rangers did the little things right. Their finishing could have been better but didnt need to be given Montreals sputtering offence. "We gave them one chance in the first, four in the second, and nothing in the third," said Vigneault. "Shouldnt have been a 1-0 game, but you have to give their goaltender a lot of credit. He played outstanding." So was Lundqvist, who was pulled in the second period of Game 5 after giving up four goals on 19 shots. He returned to world-class form when he needed to be. The breakthrough came after the Rangers fourth line bottled the Habs up in their own end near the end of the second period. Boyle, left all alone behind the goal, sent a pass through defenceman Francis Bouillon and Moore snapped a shot past Tokarski on the stick side at 18:07 for his third of the playoffs. Defenceman Ryan McDonagh also drew an assist, his 10th of the playoffs. The Rangers last appearance in the final was 1994 when they defeated the Vancouver Canucks in seven games for their first title in 54 years. The Canadiens have not appeared in the final since 1993 when the dispatched the Los Angeles Kings in five games. New York will face either defending champion Chicago or the Kings, both formidable foes, as the final kicks off Wednesday in the West. Vigneault showed faith in his fourth line, starting the game with Moore, Brian Boyle and Derek Dorsett. They repaid him with the key goal on a night that saw the Rangers play with more urgency than the Canadiens before an amped crowd at Madison Square Garden. Tokarski was busier than Lundqvist but the Swede was spectacular in the second period when he made an amazing circus-like save with his arm and then blocker off Thomas Vanek. The save had a degree of difficulty that would have done an Olympic diver proud as the Rangers goalie, losing his stick in the process, corkscrewed his body to stop the close-range shot that deflected off a diving defenceman. Asked what he thought of the play, Vigneault replied: "Same thing you did. Wow." The Rangers scored soon after. Streamers flew through the air as the final whistle blew. The normally calm Lundqvist threw his arms in the air and was mobbed by his teammates. The crowd chanted "We want the Cup." With Brad Richards and Martin St. Louis, who won the Cup together a decade ago with Tampa, leading the decision-making process, the Rangers elected not to touch the Prince of Wales Trophy that goes to the Eastern Conference champion. Its been quite a journey for the Rangers who started the season 3-6 on the road as Madison Square Garden underwent massive renovations. Asked what he would have said if someone had told him in October that his team would go to the Cup final, Vigneault laughed. "In October?" he asked. "Probably I would have said what are you smoking?" Vigneault, in his firrst year as New Yorks coach, offered a calmer, different message than the fiery John Tortorella. Paul Hornung Super Bowl Jersey. It helped keep the train on track. Montreal also came together under fire. While there may be cause for celebration down the line, the season ends with regrets and questions. "We made some big progress this year," said coach Michel Therrien. "Im proud of this hockey team. We battled hard through the regular season and we battled hard in the playoffs." Pacioretty pointed to the emotional seven-game win over Boston in the series before. "You have success against a team like that, maybe you feel too good about yourself," he said. ""Its hard to pinpoint exactly what went wrong. But that could be one of them. Because we feel like we could have matched up pretty good against the Rangers but obviously didnt put up the effort we needed." Losing the first two games at home proved to be an obstacle Montreal couldnt overcome. "We played our hearts out for two series and then have a little bit of a letdown this series and its too late," Pacioretty lamented. Game 7 would have been Saturday night at the Bell Centre. For Montreal, it was a disappointing end to a surprising playoff run that won fans across the country as Canadas lone team in the post-season came within two wins of making the Stanley Cup final. "Lets push for a game 7!" Prime Minister Stephen Harper tweeted before the game. But the Canadiens, who lost star goalie Carey Price in Game 1, could not rise to the occasion. Therrien said after the game they expected Price would have been ready for Game 1 of the final. But the Habs had only praise for the 24-year-old goalie they call Ticker. "Tokarski played unbelievable, especially tonight," said Pacioretty. "That game could easily have been four or 5-0. They outplayed us tonight and he kept us in the game -- 1-0 is a very misleading score for that game." Tokarski said he was proud of his performance, adding he thought everyone on the team felt the same about their play. "But its still bitter and it sucks right now," he said. Tokarski went to the bench with 1:53 remaining and Lundqvist made a big save with his torso. Montreal used its timeout as Led Zeppelin and then Frank Sinatra rang around the arena. The win was the 42nd of Lundqvists playoff career, moving the 32-year-old past Mike Richter for the franchise lead. Richter backstopped the Blueshirts to the 94 Cup. It was also his ninth playoff shutout, tying him with Richter for the team lead. Lundqvist has a history of bouncing back from off nights. He was 5-2 with a .930 save percentage in games after a Rangers loss this post-season. "Its been tough .. I kept telling myself all day believe in what youre doing," said Lindqvist, looking like he had just walked off the set of "The Great Gatsby" in a charcoal pinstripe suit and plaid tie. Both teams had to adjust their lineups for Game 6. The Rangers were without defenceman John Moore, starting a two-game suspension for a hit on Dale Weise. Ex-Hab Raphael Diaz started in his place in the third defensive pairing. Brandon Prust returned from suspension for Montreal but Weise and defenceman Alexei Emelin were both out. Therrien said Weise, flattened by Moore last time out, was not suffering from a head injury but declined to elaborate. Emelin sat out Game 5 with an unannounced injury. The Rangers came out like men on a mission, outshooting the Habs 4-0 before Montreal captain Brian Gionta was called for goalie interference at 4:15. The Habs were incensed at the call, believing that Gionta was high-sticked on the play. At one point early on two Canadiens lost their sticks at the same time in their own zone. It took Montreal almost eight minutes to get its first shot on goal, a weak effort from Max Pacioretty. While Lundqvist lazed, Tokarski was stopping one shot after another -- some that he knew very little about. His mask took the brunt of one shot. The Canadiens didnt get their second shot until some 15 minutes into the period. But it was dangerous, forcing a good Lundqvist blocker save off Alex Galchenyuk as Montreal cooped the Rangers up in their own end. Montreal was outshot 11-5 in the first period and were lucky not to trail after 20 minutes. Each team had eight shots in the second period. A slashing penalty to Prust with 5:42 remaining in the game did not help the Montreal cause. But it delighted the crowd. The rest before the Cup final will be welcomed by the Rangers. They went seven games in each of the previous two rounds, wasting a 3-2 lead against Philadelphia and rallying from 3-1 down to dispatch the Penguins. ' ' '