Forum » nt exactly patting himself on the back after the race. Hs ra

TORONTO -- The Toronto Maple Leafs stood pat Wednesday, deciding that the cost to make a move on trade deadline day was too much. "We would have been hurting ourselves long-term and we werent prepared to do that," Dave Nonis, Torontos senior vice-president and general manager, told reporters. Nonis, who said he made plenty of calls to test the waters, said the asking prices were high and the talent on offer limited. The sense he got was there might be more movement come the summer. "There wasnt a lot available in general," he said. "I think deals that changed the look of your team seemed to happen at the draft." Nonis acknowledged that his team had been up and down, putting the onus on the Leafs to return to their winning ways before the Olympic break. "If we do, we should be fine. And if we dont, then were going to have some difficulties," he said. "But its not a bad team. I think weve got a good core group. Were very young still." Nonis said he did get trade inquiries, pointing to younger players like rookie defenceman Morgan Rielly -- who turns 20 on Sunday. "Morgan Riellys easy to move today. But it doesnt makes sense to us." He said the team could have got some "pretty good high picks" for some of its players facing unrestricted free agency this summer. One of those is forward Dave Bolland, who is recovering from a tendon injury. There is no time frame on his return, with Nonis saying some movement was still causing him discomfort. "Its going to take however long it takes. Im hopeful and confident that hell be back this year," said Nonis. Bolland had surgery after being checked into the board by Zack Kassian in a 4-0 loss in Vancouver on Nov. 2. Asked about taking on other teams unrestricted free agents via trade, Nonis said either the price was too high or he felt the Leafs already had comparable players. "Why pay a price for nothing? Asked how close the Leafs were to being a Stanley Cup contender, Nonis said the salary cap has changed the NHL landscape so that anyone who gets into the post-season has a chance to win it all. "Are there favourites? No question, Would I put ourselves in as a favourite? No. But I think you saw in the last year we were pretty close to moving on." Toronto, which took Boston to seven games in the first round of last seasons playoffs, was 32-23-8 going into Wednesday nights game in New York against the Rangers. Other Leafs who are eligible to become unrestricted free agents after the season are forwards Nikolai Kulemin, Jay McClement, Mason Raymond and Troy Bodie, and defenceman Paul Ranger. Rob Ramage Jersey . -- Jonathan Diaz is easy to spot in the Blue Jays clubhouse. Colorado Avalanche Jerseys . Hes recovered from a scary injury and cleared to play. Mingo, who was hospitalized with a bruised lung he sustained in an Aug. http://www.hockeyavalanche.com/authentic...alanche-jersey/. Johns, N.L., to Thunder Bay, Ont., after a deal was announced to build a new $106-million "event centre" in the Lake Superior community. Lanny McDonald Jersey .com) - Mike Conley scored 20 points with five assists to help the Memphis Grizzlies remain unbeaten with a 91-89 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday. Paul Kariya Jersey . The CFL club is making the move after holding its camp and regular-season practices at the University of Toronto campus in Mississauga, Ont. ELKHART LAKE, Wis. -- Tiptoeing at high speed around a rain-slicked track under the pressure of a two-lap overtime, Brendan Gaughan handed away the lead to Chase Elliott. Then he snatched it right back a few corners later. Hed still have two more drivers to hold off on the final lap -- including a last-ditch charge from Alex Tagliani of Lachenaie, Que., the man who appeared to have the race all but won with a little more than a lap left in regulation. Gaughan already had gone sliding off the track a couple of times earlier. Oh, and his team forgot to bring a windshield wiper to install on his car. Through all that, Gaughan held on to win a rainy and wild NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Road America on Saturday. "I love racing in the rain," Gaughan said. "Its fun. And when youre good at it, it makes it even more fun. I havent smelled blood in a long time. Thats been something Ive been lacking lately is that killer attitude. When it started to rain, even without the wiper blade, I started to smell blood and said, Im coming." Gaughan won for the first time in the series, breaking through in his 98th career start. Tagliani was second, followed by Kevin OConnell, Elliott and J.J. Yeley as NASCAR drivers got a rare opportunity to race in the rain. It was the third time in Nationwide history that grooved rain tires have been used in a race; the previous two were in Montreal. NASCAR only uses rain tires on winding road courses, not on oval tracks. The rain added a tense new dimension to racing at Road America, a four-mile road course where the Nationwide Series already had shown an ability to put on a good show. "As we showed today, you can put on a hell of a race in the rain," Gaughan said. After watching his chance to win the race in regullation fizzle out, Tagliani -- who was leading when a late caution came out, ran out of gas and refuelled his car -- nearly charged all the way back to the lead when his crew put him back on slick tires to attack the drying track.dddddddddddd "It was pretty intense," Tagliani said. "The wet was tricky, but obviously we were good. So I dont know. Maybe I threw a bad spell on myself because I was saying, Its impossible that Im going to win this race. Somethings going to happen. On the white flag, something happened." Added Gaughan: "(Give) Tagliani one more lap, the track was dry enough that he would have probably got to us. It worked out in our favour." It was an impressive finish for Elliott, an 18-year-old rookie and the son of NASCAR icon Bill Elliott. But he wasce, then felt like the threw away a shot at a win. "Failure No. 3 on the weekend for me," Elliott said in a radio interview. "Missed shift yesterday, ran off the track, and then couldnt get the job done. Im going to have to step up." The race started a little more than an hour late, as NASCAR officials waited for a slightly damp track to dry out; the grooved rain tires are designed to work best in full wet conditions. Slightly heavier rain then began to fall just before the races halfway mark, causing the race to go under caution for a few laps before instructing teams to put on rain tires -- resulting in a rare test of NASCAR drivers skills in the rain. "It was ridiculous," Elliott said. "It really was. It was a handful." ' ' '