With the news of MLSE reaching out to Brendan Shanahan for a front office job with the Leafs coming on the heels of Trevor Lindens hiring in Vancouver, there appears a clear trend of teams hiring former stars – and preferably alumni – to run their hockey operations. Joe Sakic is running things in Colorado; Steve Yzerman is in charge in Tampa Bay; and Ron Francis, currently the No. 2 in Carolina, is widely expected to one day take over the Hurricanes hockey ops. There are several success stories with this business model, the benchmark perhaps set by former Bruins great Cam Neely who has been President and Alternate Governor of the team since 2010. But it doesnt always work, as some Edmonton Oilers fans would surely argue. Pat Lafontaines short-lived period as Buffalo Sabres President of Hockey Operations serves as a cautionary tale as well. The move can make sense from a business standpoint. A flashy hire of a former fan favourite can do a lot to curb poor season ticket sales – a rumoured consideration in the Canucks hiring of Linden – although that wont factor into any Leafs decisions. Toronto went down this path before, hiring former Montreal Canadiens great Ken Dryden as President in 1997. He lasted seven years with the Leafs, overseeing some of the most successful Leafs teams in recent memory. Will a similar hire lead to comparable results, or - Leafs fans hope - even better ones? Is hiring a former star player to run hockey operations a good move for a team? Youve heard what weve had to say, now its your turn. As always, its Your! Call. Pittsburgh Penguins Store . According to a release sent by the league, the Saskatchewan Roughriders were the only team to exceed the cap. Their total salary expenditure of $4,417,975 was $17,975 over the salary cap of $4. Wholesale Penguins Jerseys .com) - Hassan Whiteside scored 20 points with nine rebounds in the Miami Heats 83-75 win over the Boston Celtics on Sunday. https://www.cheappenguinsjersey.com/ . Richard Jefferson scored 17 points and Diante Garrett had a career-high 15 points as the Jazz had seven players with 10 points or more in Utahs largest margin of victory this season. Pittsburgh Penguins Gear . This is an exercise I have undertaken a few times, starting in 2009, and hope that Ive refined my approach a little bit in that time to help paint a better picture. Stitched Penguins Jerseys . After not scoring 40 points in the opening quarter in the last five seasons, the Rockets have done it five times this season and twice in the last three games.CLEVELAND -- His arms folded across his chest, New York Knicks coach Mike Woodson watched helplessly as three Cleveland players streaked past him on the way to an uncontested layup. Woodson couldnt stop the Cavaliers. Right now, he cant do much about his sinking Knicks either. Kyrie Irving had 37 points and 11 assists and Jarrett Jack added 17 points, leading the Cavs to a 109-94 victory over the hard-to-figure Knicks on Tuesday night. Fresh off an embarrassing 41-point loss at home to Boston on Sunday, New York dropped to 5-15 and made Woodsons future even more uncertain. The Knicks have lost 11 of 13. "I dont have the answer to what we have to do," Carmelo Anthony said. "You cant coach or you cant teach energy. The losing is becoming unacceptable. Hopefully, everybody feels like that. I cant be the only one who is feeling like that." Irving scored 12 points in the third quarter, when the Cavs outscored the defenceless Knicks 33-20 and pulled away. Tristan Thompson added 12 points -- two on a ferocious put-back dunk -- and had nine rebounds as Cleveland won its fourth straight at home. Anthony scored 29 points and Amare Stoudemire had 15 for the Knicks, who erased an early 18-point deficit, gave it all back, fell behind by 19 and werent aggressive. New York attempted just five three throws. "This is all new to me," Stoudemire said. "Ive never been 5-15 before in my career. The only thing we can do is stay positive." Anthony said there are bigger things to worry about than any looming changes. "If we start thinking about that, were going to be 5-25," he said. "It will all go downhill." After being outscored 22-4 during one stretch of the second quarter, the Knicks got it together -- briefly. New York only trailed by three at halftime and the Knicks were showing some signs of life, one game after enduring the most lopsided loss in the NBA this season. Anthonys 3-pointer pulled New York within 53-52, but Thompson scored on a sensational, one-handed dunk, triggering an 8-0 run that made it 61-52. "I did take it out on the rim," said Thompson, who was frustrated by early foul trouble. "Sorry, rim." Irving hit a 3-pointer, and moments later, Clevelands Alonzo Gee tipped the ball away from New York guard Pablo Prigioni near midcourt. Gee picked up the loose ball and led a three-on-none Cavs break past Woodson, who stood on the sideline unable to prevent Cleeveland from scoring another easy basket.dddddddddddd The Cavs pushed their lead to 88-69 in the fourth quarter before the Knicks made one last run, getting within 90-77 on a jumper by Andrea Bargnani. But Jack hit a 3-pointer, Irving made one from long range and Cleveland finished off its largest win this season. With four wins in five games, the Cavs are beginning to shake out of their early season funk under coach Mike Brown. "We knew it was going to take some time," said Brown, in his second stint with Cleveland. "We knew we were going to take our lumps." Looking for a spark and some inside muscle at both ends to offset the loss of Tyson Chandler and Kenyon Martin, Woodson started Metta World Peace, who came off the bench in New Yorks first 19 games. "Metta has earned the right to be out there," Woodson said. "Hes patiently waited for his opportunity." Woodsons opportunity, on the other hand, could be ending. On Monday, New Yorks third-year coach said hes "up to the task" of fixing the Knicks. He may not have much more time to get them repaired. After the game, Woodson said he hopes to still be around when Chandler and Martin return. "Hopefully, Ill get a full deck and see where we are," he said. When the final horn sounded, Knicks assistant coach Herb Williams helped Woodson get out of his courtside chair by pushing him from behind. He may soon be pushed aside, but Anthony feels Woodson can still fix the Knicks. "Weve got to help him figure it out," Anthony said. "Hes not going to do it by himself. Weve got to help each other figure this out." NOTES: Chandler, out since Nov. 5 with a broken right leg, began practicing earlier this week and is encouraged by his progress. Chandler doesnt know exactly when hell be back in the lineup. "Im close. Im not that close," he said. "I know Im not game ready. I want to be able to get back on the court and give my team something as well as protect myself. When youre coming back from an injury, you just cant jump out there and not be afraid." ... Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon sat courtside and received a loud ovation when shown on the giant scoreboard during a timeout. ... New York hosts Chicago on Wednesday. ... Knicks G Raymond Felton aggravated a hamstring injury and played only 4 minutes after halftime. ... Longtime NBA referee Dick Bavetta celebrated his 74th birthday. ' ' '