Toronto

Noted pest Leo Komarov was in Russia to celebrate Dynamo Moscow's KHL championship. Komarov laced up for Dynamo during the lockout after returning from the Toronto Marlies as well as for three previous seasons. This translation was graciously provided by Fedor Fedin of the Caps blog Russian Machine Never Breaks. Leo Komarov to Sport-Express at Dynamo parade: - Are you happy with your season in the NHL?- Yeah. What should I be unhappy about? - You played mostly on the fourth line...- I had gone to the NHL to play and I played. We played like 55 or 56 games. I participated in 49 - it's alright. - But you didn't play a lot.- Why do you think so? I had like 14:30 per game. - Maybe it's time to come back to Dynamo?- My contract with Toronto is over. There are negotiations about coming back to Dynamo. Maybe. Or I could go to Australia, I think there's a hockey league, too. Dynamo coach Oleg Znarok didn't deny it: "If Leo says so, then it's true". Komarov then backed off a little as he was asked to comment by R-Sport I'm not gonna hide I've had talks about coming back to Dynamo, but I wait for Toronto offer. I don't think it's easier to make the Olympic roster from the KHL. Even though it's a shorter flight. In the end, my goal is to make the Sochi team. Now we can sit back and wait for this translation to hit the Toronto Sun's sports section.

No suprise here. Bryan Colangelo is out as the GM in Toronto. Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment President and CEO Tim Leiweke announced Tuesday that he has revamped the senior leadership of the Toronto Raptors in preparation for next season. Bryan Colangelo has had his contract extended as the team’s President and will report directly to Mr. Leiweke. The club has also created a new position of General Manager that will have final authority on all basketball-related decisions. At this time, with input from Colangelo, Leiweke is conducting a search to identify candidates and expects to name the new GM in the next 30 days. “After thorough evaluation and considering all the options, we have concluded that these changes will be in the best interest of the organization,” said Leiweke. “By splitting the roles and having both men report directly to me, we are adding depth to the basketball operations group and giving the Toronto Raptors the best chance of competing for championships in the future. The new GM will inherit a great situation in Toronto, as all of my due diligence around the League indicates that we have a fine, young core and a few key moves will make us a playoff contender next season.” While the General Manager will have autonomy over basketball decisions, Colangelo will continue to advise Leiweke on basketball-related matters while also broadening his involvement with the business side of the franchise. “The future of this team and this organization excites me more than ever, and I am looking forward to being part of our future success,” said Colangelo. “I will add whatever is necessary to help improve our basketball team while also expanding my efforts to increase brand awareness and influence growth of the game across this great country.” “Bryan is skilled, knowledgeable and respected across the NBA and will be a resource that we count on to help build the Raptors into Canada’s team,” said Leiweke. MLSE also announced that Leiweke would move up his official start date from July 1 to June 3 at the suggestion of the Board.

Special vote took place against backdrop of accusations that Mayor Rob Ford appears to be smoking crack in a homemade video

The Toronto Star's Pages of the Past archive provides a nice glimpse into the news headlines of the past. Here are a selection of Blue Jays-related headlines from some of the 37 May 21st's in franchise history. 1980: "Spoilsport Sox keep Jays second" -- Alison Gordon The expansion Blue Jays had a great start in 1980. In the morning of May 21, they were in second place with a 19-14 record, just a half-game out of first with a players' strike imminent (the players had set a deadline for May 22). But they lost a squeeker to the Boston Red Sox 4-3. That would actually start a five-game losing streak, the first of six the team will suffer through the end of the season. The 1980 Blue Jays were 48-81 after this game and would finish the season in last place with a 67-95 record, 36 games behind the first place Yankees. The strike was postponed until 1981. 1985: "Jays' Key at his best" -- Allan Ryan On May 20, 1985, Jimmy Key threw a beauty: nine innings of 101-pitch, four-hit, one-run ball to lower his ERA to 1.96 on the season. He beat Tom Seaver in front of 44,715 at Exhibition Stadium, then the second largest crowd ever for a home game. That makes sense, because the Blue Jays were cruising along with a 22-14 record atop the American League East standings. They would go on to win the division, but would lose in the ALCS. 1989: "Piniella IS interested in managing the Jays" -- Allan Ryan Six days after Jimy Williams was fired as the Blue Jays manager, Cito Gaston still wore the word "interim" in front of his title, and the Blue Jays were actively searching for a permanent manager. One of the leading candidates was Lou Piniella, who was in broadcasting at the time after being fired as manager of the Yankees. He would go on to manage the Cincinnati Reds to a World Series championship in 1990. Other managerial candidates interviewed by the Blue Jays included White Sox first base coach Terry Bevington (he would later manage the Syracuse Chiefs and coach for the Blue Jays), and Syracuse Chiefs manager Bob Bailor. 1992: "Morris's taunts drive Twins batty" -- Jim Byers The Blue Jays came back to win an 8-7 game against the Minnesota Twins in walkoff fashion, with Pat Borders singling in Kelly Gruber on a routine fly ball (the Twins were playing a five-man infield), but it was what happened during the game that was interesting. After Twins shortstop Greg Gagne hit a two-run homer to give Minnesota a 4-2 lead in the fourth, former Twin Jack Morris, sitting in the Jays dugout, started yelling at the home plate umpire that Gagne had corked his bat. Apparently Morris has a history of accusing others of cheating. Morris and the Jays suspected that something was going on because Gagne tended to throw his bat towards his dugout after his at bats. Here are some quotes from Byers' piece: Morris: "I thought [the Twins] were dickering with [Todd] Stottlemyre by having the umpire check the ball all the time, so I said 'Check the bat.'" Umpire Larry Young: "I told [Morris] to knock it off but [Cito] Gaston said that the Blue Jays were yelling at Gagne, not at me. Gaston also said he wouldn't be surprised if Gagne was using a corked bat." And when he asked Gaston whether he'd like the bat to be checked, Young said: "he just walked away. I think if Cito had given it credence he would've protested before the at-bat, during the at-bat, or sometime after the hitter was at bat. I think the fact he didn't come out to protest led me to believe that he gave it no more credence than I did." Gaston: "Oh, bull! What the hell was I doing out there [then]? He said he didn't hear me, what can I say?" Oh, there was also a bench-clearing no-punch "brawl". In the bottom of the fourth, Twins pitcher Scott Erickson pitched behind Derek Bell after a Kelly Gruber homer, and Todd Stottlemyre started chirping at Erickson, the Twins started yelling back and, using Stottlemyre's words, "away we went." Stottlemyre stormed out of the dugout but was stopped by manag

The CBCMusic.ca Festival will feature Sloan, Kathleen Edwards, Of Monsters and Men, and roving appearances by Jian Gomeshi and Matt Galloway.According to CBC’s Chris Boyce, the goal of this weekend’s CBCMusic.ca Festival is twofold. First and foremost, the CBC wants to celebrate Canadian music. Second, it wants to celebrate CBC Music, the broadcaster’s online music service, which launched a little over a year ago.

City council has formally killed the possibility of a new casino in Toronto. The vote comes just days after Mayor Rob Ford declared the casino proposal “essentially dead,” an announcement that presaged Paul Godfrey’s ouster as chairman of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, which has been pushing for a new gaming facility in the city. While council has been divided on the issue for months, support sputtered out last week with the revelation that the province would only provide the city about half of the $100-million it sought in hosting fees. “I don’t know why the government has changed its mind. I don’t know why it will not support a fair share for Toronto,” Mr. Ford said Tuesday, noting he was not in favour of a casino if it was not in the “best interests” of Toronto residents. RelatedToronto Mayor Rob Ford cancels special casino debateToronto Mayor Rob Ford cancels special casino debateFord foes considered pulling ‘fast one’ on casino vote as plan exposes adminstration’s ‘tenuous at best’ council support “Hosting a casino in Toronto that does little to address Toronto’s financial needs and simply makes the provincial government richer is not in the best interests of Toronto,” the mayor said. “The province wants money for nothing. They are not going to put out one red cent into the development of a new convention and entertainment complex. The financial risk will be entirely on the private sector; they’re not willing to accept a single drop of political risk. Once again, they’ve asked the council to battle it out so the premier doesn’t get her hands dirty.” Other members of council said they opposed a casino regardless of the revenue-sharing agreement, citing the anticipated social ills and the risk that such a complex would “cannibalize” other local businesses. Many councillors presented petitions containing hundreds of signatures from anti-casino residents.

Judging by early demand for everything from doggie daycare to Ferrari rentals and fine art, rich Americans are going to make this a strong summer in one of their favorite playgrounds.

Address: 18 Coutnac Crescent Neighbourhood: Tiny, Ontario Agent: Lorne Howell, Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Brokerage Price: $2,550,000 The Place: A sprawling vacation property with a high-end house and a 160-foot stretch of white sandy beach on Georgian Bay. Bragging Rights: The owner spent over $250,000 on a media room with plushy seats, a top-of-the-line projector and excellent acoustics, eliminating the need to take a 20-minute drive to the nearest cinema. Big Selling Point: Send the kids down to the basement on rainy days—it has a pool table, an air hockey table and an area for practicing hockey shootouts. Possible Deal Breaker: Epic croquet games on the expansive lawn between the cottage and the beach might give rise to some unsportsmanlike behaviour. By The Numbers: • $2,550,000 • 8,500 square feet • $8,221 in property taxes • 160 feet of waterfront • 22-foot ceilings in Great Room • 8-person theatre • 6-car garage • 6 bathrooms • 5 bedrooms • 4 fireplaces • 1 hockey shooting area The post Cottage of the Week: $2.5 million for a waterfront property with a very pricey home theatre appeared first on torontolife.com.

Children in Canada continue to not get enough exercise and received an overall D- grade as a result in an annual report card that analyses fitness levels.

George Michael was being treated at a hospital Friday for what his publicist called minor injuries after being a passenger in a car crash near London. A statement released Friday said the singer was in an accident on Thursday night and suffered “superficial cuts and bruises.” The statement from publicist Connie Filippello said no other vehicle was involved in the crash. She declined to provide details about where Michael is hospitalized or when he will be released. RelatedGeorge Michael will perform for Austrian hospital staffBollywood star Salman Khan faces homicide charge over decade-old car crash Sky News reported that the crash happened Thursday evening on the crowded M1 motorway just northwest of London. It said a different man in the crash had to be taken by air ambulance to a hospital for a head injury. The popular singer has had numerous car-related problems in recent years. He was imprisoned for eight weeks in 2010 after crashing his Range Rover into a photo shop in north London, pleading guilty to driving under the influence of drugs and possessing marijuana. He also had received an earlier two-year driving ban for a separate drug-related incident.