TORONTO – It was in the raw minutes after Game 80 of the 2013-14 campaign and the Maple Leafs had just been eliminated from the playoffs for the eighth time in nine seasons, this sentence amongst the equally bitter in recent memory. Clad in a crisp, white shirt and dark, silver tie still knotted tightly at the top, Randy Carlyle, the Maple Leafs beleaguered head coach, gazed upward, as if in search of the right words to describe the stinging range of emotions he felt at that moment – each wound still so very fresh. Numb, fit the description, he said. Shallow. Embarrassed. Extremely disappointed. He was without answers for how or why the house of cards collapsed so viciously. Whether he holds those answers now will, indeed, be the overarching question surrounding the Leafs at training camp and throughout the early stages of the regular season. Can Carlyle adapt to save a job that hangs delicately on the line? Can he instigate and incorporate the kind of change – defensively, stylistically and with personnel – he failed to reap from the group last year? Will changes to the front office, coaching staff and personnel aid in any such improvement? How long does he have to right the ship? Fronted by new president Brendan Shanahan, Toronto management levied a harsh and disapproving message of their bench boss in early May when they fired three of his assistant coaches – including longtime No. 2, Dave Farrish. The stunning move (which also included a two-year extension for Carlyle) signified just how thin the ice was for the one-time Stanley Cup winner. Nobody with the Leafs is under more scrutiny or facing more questions than the 58-year-old head coach. "Coaching in the NHL, youre under a microscope," Carlyle said, training camp getting underway with physicals on Thursday morning. "This market might be a bigger microscope. But the issue is, we have to win more hockey games than we did last year for sure. And youre always going to be challenged on whether youre able to sell your product or what youre selling your players, theyre buying. And thats the issue." Can he get that message through this time around? A refrain that often began and ended with "playing to a higher level" did little to shake the beliefs of a stubborn group that continued to win in spite of its glaringly weak foundations. Can he convince this collection of players, some new, some not, to buy into the "product" hes selling? That will indeed be the question. Only three teams since 1987 allowed more shots than the version of the Maple Leafs Carlyle helmed last year: 2,945 or 856 more than the New Jersey Devils, who were the leagues stingiest. Torontos nightly shot differential – minus-8 – was equaled only by the leagues worst team in Buffalo. How does that improve? Puck possession, amongst the worst in the NHL a year ago, would be a start. "Weve got to get the puck and hold onto it," Joffrey Lupul said of spending less time in the defensive zone, chuckling at the simplicity of the thought. "Im sure were going to work on some different things system-wise in the defensive zone, but truly, I believe it was more of a case of having the puck and not making the proper play with it. Its a possession game and when you get that puck, you cant throw it away." "Well, I think we have to change," Carlyle conceded. "We begged, borrowed, stole, tried to convince that we had to play more of a puck possession game early in the season. We did that from middle of November on. The teams that are having success in the NHL right now are puck-possession teams. They play an up-tempo, in-your-face, strong forechecking [game], but as far as the offensive zone [is concerned], they control the puck for more extended periods than what we do. And thats a challenge for us." Because they spent so little time with the puck a year ago, the Leafs ended up playing shift upon wearisome and confusing shift in the defensive zone, the strain on the goaltending combo of Jonathan Bernier and James Reimer almost too burdensome to fathom some nights. Carlyle also grew frustrated with his teams insistence on generating much of its offence off the rush, the roster an ill-fit for the heavy, Western attack he hoped to inspire. But in spite of that all he saw wrong – even from the earliest days of the season – Carlyle was never able to affect change. "Its a nervous time in the coaches office because of the shot differential and the quality of chances that were giving up," he said warily in mid-October last fall. Something was obviously wrong. Can Carlyle fix it? Will that message get through in Year 3 of a reign that hangs in the balance? Changes in personnel – many of whom boast strong possession numbers and greater experience – should certainly help. Leafs management dug for bargain buys in free agency this past summer – refraining from their usual high-priced spending spree – replacing the likes of Jay McClement, Mason Raymond, Nik Kulemin and Dave Bolland with a collection that includes Daniel Winnik, David Booth, Mike Santorelli, Leo Komarov and former Blackhawks draft pick, Petri Kontiola. These low-risk additions have the potential to offer improved support to a first line that was overly burdened last season while also eliminating no-value fourth lines (almost forcing more skill to Carlyles nightly lineup). Management, in a move of some symbolism, didnt even engage in contract discussions with Jay McClement, simply yanking from the mix a player Carlyle relied upon to degrees that stretched the effectiveness of the now Carolina Hurricanes centre. The defence was also reassembled with newcomers, Stephane Robidas and Roman Polak, offering a harder, veteran presence and the potential for improved balance as compared with the mish-mash group of last season. It remains to be seen how effective Robidas is at age 37 and coming off a significant leg injury and whether Polak can be a better fit than the player he replaced in Carl Gunnarsson. "Were trying to give him some more pieces that will help him and his staff," Maple Leafs general manager, Dave Nonis, said. "I dont think that Randy necessarily has to change the way he coaches." But something will obviously have to change. Pushing the same message, system, and approach – despite the influx of new personnel – is unlikely to alter the results of a group that crumbled mightily down the stretch last season. Outside of the roster upheaval were major changes to the coaching staff, with only Carlyle and assistant Chris Dennis remaining in the fold. Will the fresh eyes and input of long-time Barry Trotz assistant, Peter Horachek, and former Marlies bench boss Steve Spott aid in the reformation of the group this year? Will Carlyle be receptive to different ideas and approaches, not to mention the input of a recently hired analytics team? "This notion that Randy Carlyle and his staff arent open to change or new ideas is ridiculous," Nonis said. "Its just not true." Simply flipping the personnel wont mean much without some change in the manner in which that personnel is employed. Will Carlyle distribute minutes more evenly amongst his four forward combinations or continue to lean hardest on his top weapons (eventually wearing them down)? Will he find some use for a fourth line that was ultimately a wasteland last season? Will he continue to overload Dion Phaneuf and the teams top pair in the defensive zone or spread that burden around? Can he help the young trio of Jake Gardiner, Nazem Kadri and Morgan Rielly ascend to new heights? So many questions surround the head coach. "Its just another year as far as Im concerned," he said. "I have a job to do. I have an opportunity to change this group, to earn the respect back for this hockey club." "How the team plays is always a reflection of your coach," Nonis concluded. "At some point, you look at how the team plays and you say is the coach having the impact thats needed? We think that Randy is a very good coach. Our players think that Randy is a very good coach. We think that hes going to get the most out of this group." The microscope is certainly in focus. Nike Vapormax Wholesale . 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. Nike Vapormax 2019 Cheap .com) - The Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings are ready to put all the talk and hype surrounding their meeting at Dodger Stadium behind them. http://www.airvapormaxnz.com/air-max-tn-sale-nz.html. -- Canadian Erik Bedard pitched into the fifth inning in his bid to win a spot in Tampa Bays rotation, helping the Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays 6-3 on Saturday. Nike Air Max Plus Tn Nz .Before a raucous sellout crowd, the Hawks won for the 29th time in 31 games to extend their Eastern-best record to 36-8.As usual, pretty much everyone chipped in.Four starters were in double figures and backup point guard Dennis Schroder led a spurt at the start of the fourth quarter that helped the Hawks pull away. Vapormax 95 NZ . Wawrinka, who is seeded fourth, is in the top half of the draw with Serbian Novak Djokovic. The Swiss star outlasted Djokovic in a five-set quarterfinal thriller last year and stunned Spaniard Rafael Nadal in the final to capture his first-ever Grand Slam title.LAS VEGAS, Nev. - If its Saturday, it must be Budapest for Anthony Bourdain.But the globe-trotting author, chef and TV host will find time from filming of his Emmy-winning CNN show Parts Unknown this weekend to connect via computer to Sin City to catch UFC 182.Thanks to wife Ottavia, the 58-year-old Bourdain has fallen in love with Brazilian jiu-jitsu. At home in New York, he trains daily at the famed Renzo Gracie Academy.And increasingly when Im on the road, I train at wherever the best place is and if theres no best place, Ill take what I can get, he said in a telephone interview this week.But increasingly as I make the shooting schedule and put together a list of destinations, in the back of my mind Im thinking Can I train when Im there? and if it is a place where they do have an academy, I try to arrange my shooting schedule so if I can wake up very early in the morning and go roll for an hour or two, I will.Training venues have included Scotland, Los Angeles, Miami and South Korea.The discipline required by the sport is a far cry from Bourdains hedonistic days as a chef, documented in his 2000 memoir Kitchen Confidential.Thanks to BJJ, the lanky Bourdain reckons he has lost 30 pounds and Im easily in the best shape of my life.That really wasnt the intention at all. I didnt get into this for my health. But I thinks its a byproduct of (when) you come in every day, try real hard not get your ass kicked.Bourdain gave up smoking when daughter Ariane, who also trains in BJJ, was born in 2007. Jiu-jitsu has prompted moderation in other quarters.The man who relishes eating parts of animals most of us cant even identify says he watches his diet ahead of training.Look Ive had to make adjustments, he acknowledged. If I know with absolute certainty, as I do, that just about every day Im going to be waking up early in the morning, going into the academy and getting my ass kicked by some 22-year-old wrestler, yeah it certainly changed my alcohol intake, I can tell you.Im not drinking anywhere near what I used to and Im much moderate in my eating habits — because you really pay a price for misbehaviour immediately on the mat. You feel it and you pay a price in physical pain and humiliation.Jiu-jitsu is a sport where the learning never ends, which appeals to Bourdain.Its a lot like being back in the kitchen again, in my first days as a young cook where I was the worst cook in the kitchen and there was so much to learn, said Bourdain, fresh from a workout. And every day that I did manage to learn some tiny technical detail that made my game better, that was the kind of satisfaction that I havent hadd in a while.dddddddddddd.He also enjoys the very unique community that the sport attracts.People in the BJJ community tend to be very nice and very generous.If possible, Italian-born Ottavia is even more consumed by jiu-jitsu. The 36-year-old trains daily with John Danaher, who helped UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre confound opponents in the Octagon.Ottavia became interested in martial arts after seeing Gina Carano fight on an Elite XC in Newark in 2008. She took up kickboxing and then jiu-jitsu, earning her purple belt this week.Ottavia, who competes in grappling competitions, described her addiction to jiu-jitsu in a January 2013 column for vice.coms Fightland.The most important thing in my life is my family, but BJJ definitely comes second, she wrote. Pretty clothes, shoes, bags, perfect hair, vacations, partying — all those things I once cared about no longer seem so important. As long as I can keep training, Im happy.She trains seven days a week, five hours a day, adding standup classes, Sambo and anything she thinks will help her game.Bourdain took up the sport after his wife booked him a one-hour private class for an article she was writing on the least likely people to ever show an interest in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.The fact I made it through alive made me feel good, Bourdain recalled. And I decided to tenuously try another one and then at some point, shortly after that, I got hooked.In a lot of ways, it is like writing a book. Every day you write your way into a corner, you create a problem for yourself and you spend the rest of the day solving it.He recently earned a fourth stripe as a white belt, one step away from a blue belt.I have to be realistic. Im 58, I will never be winning medals against people a third my age. Jiu-jitsu will not make me younger or smarter — well maybe smarter. I will probably not live long enough to ever get my black belt. But I really deeply enjoy the process of sucking a little less at something every day.I like the fact that its a really steep and endless learning curve. And that its a hard thing. Its easily the hardest thing Ive ever done in my life. Its certainly the most challenging physically ever.Bourdain avoids his wife on a mat these days, saying shes too good for him. But the couple, who met on a blind date set up by friend and fellow chef Eric Ripert, enjoy the UFC together. The UFC is a preferred date night for my wife and I whenever we can, whenever Im not travelling for my show, he said. If theres a UFC event, chances are were front row.I think its fair to say were super-fans.---Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter ' ' '