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TORONTO - Gone are the days of the Toronto Maple Leafs standing for truculence and the Brian Burke way. General manager Dave Nonis and coach Randy Carlyle are still old-school hockey guys, but one old-school mentality has gone by the wayside.The Leafs will open the NHL season without a heavyweight fighter after waiving Colton Orr and Frazer McLaren. The rough stuff will now be handled by committee.We have to have a pack mentality that, regardless of whether or not Colton or Frazer are in the lineup, were going to, as a group stick together, Nonis said. This isnt a unique situation. If you look around the league, thats becoming more prevalent.Enforcers have become less prevalent over the past few seasons, but only this fall have a handful of teams known for having them abandoned that path. The Montreal Canadiens let George Parros leave in free agency and the Philadelphia Flyers waived ex-Leafs fighter Jay Rosehill.The Leafs and Flyers were first and third in the league in fights, respectively.Using a fighter against certain teams as a way to intimidate or stand up to intimidation is also a fading strategy. Less than half the teams in the league still have a heavyweight brawler, though Burkes Calgary Flames have three.You just see teams really wanting a guy playing both ends of the ice, Leafs forward Daniel Winnik said. Its not a knock against old-school fighters, its just the way management has gone. They seem to like the middleweight guys a little more.Middleweights, or players who can fight but arent on the ice primarily to do it, are much more popular. The Chicago Blackhawks just signed Daniel Carcillo, the Pittsburgh Penguins picked up Steve Downie for that job, and the Flyers have Zac Rinaldo and others who dont mind dropping the gloves.Weve got some guys that can handle themselves, Philadelphia GM Ron Hextall told reporters recently. There never are any fights in the playoffs. And then in-between, its getting less and less.Carlyle has repeatedly referred to what he wants as team toughness. That doesnt just mean fighting, but it doesnt exclude it, either.Youve got to take the check to make a play, youve got to block a shot, youve got to defend a teammate if you feel hes been taken advantage of, Carlyle said. I think youve got to be hard to play against, and I think you have to compete for your space on the ice.For what its worth, the Leafs brass said not having Orr or McLaren on opening night doesnt mean either or both wont be back. Carlyle said not having them was not a philosophical change by the organization.But with the Leafs and Flyers planning to roll four lines that could play, its hard to find room for enforcers whose ice time is limited. Orr averaged 5:22 a game, McLaren 4:00 and Rosehill 4:56 last season.Obviously the game has changed a little bit in the last five or 10 years and teams are constructed a little bit differently nowadays, Leafs winger James van Riemsdyk said.The way the Leafs are constructed means the fights will fall on David Clarkson, Roman Polak, Carter Ashton and even maybe Winnik and Joffrey Lupul. Clarkson, now the leader with 85 regular-season bouts in his career, had a team-high nine in 2013-14.As a group, we have to take care of each other, theres some that are more capable than others, Nonis said. Theres certain players that thats not in their bag of tricks, but I think as a group we have to find a way to take care of each other and protect each other and I think that whether or not those two players are in the lineup or not, we have the personnel that can do that.---Follow @SWhyno on Twitter .ca. Mr. Fraser, It looks like Martin Brodeur is coming back to play for the Blues. I was wondering if you have any great stories or fond memories of your time on the ice with Brodeur - in the NHL, or maybe even the Olympics. . Fifth-seeded Cilic gained his fourth title in Zagreb and became the third Croat overall to win at least 10 career titles. Cilic also lifted his career record in Zagreb to 22-4, winning 20 of his last 21 matches at the event. http://www.officialsharksnhlshop.com/br ... -jersey/.S. womens soccer team to a 2-0 win over China in Colorado in the afternoon. . - Dominika Cibulkova erased three match points in the second set Wednesday and beat Agnieszka Radwanska 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3 in the quarterfinals of the Sony Open. . Linemates Ryan Johansen and Boone Jenner each had a goal and an assist in the first period, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 36 saves to lead the Blue Jackets past the Florida Panthers 4-1 on Saturday night.Toronto FC return to league action on Saturday against New York Red Bulls but the Reds will be without their most influential player, midfielder Michael Bradley, who has now left to join up with the United States squad for their pre World Cup training camp. After a difficult run in the league, TFC managed to advance to the final of the Amway Canadian Championship in Vancouver on Wednesday night. Despite losing 2-1 against the Whitecaps at BC Place after extra time, Toronto won the tie on penalties. The Form: Toronto FC have lost three straight in Major League Soccer, and their home form has been poor, losing two of their three games at BMO Field this season against Colorado Rapids and New England Revolution. Defensively, the Reds have had some shaky moments in their last couple of league games, conceding four goals at Dallas and home to New England. Ryan Nelsens team will be buoyed by their progression in the Canadian Championship: Its a game we really wanted to win," said the coach following the match in Vancouver. "No matter how we got through, we got through. When you play these games and they go to extra time, it can be a real positive when you come out with a win. Guys have played together now, they will harden up and any 90 minutes they experience in the future will be a walk in the park compared to this." The Big Question: Will Toronto FCs players have enough gas left in the tank? With the Amway Canadian Championship semifinal in Vancouver going all the way to penalty kicks on Wednesday night, there will be some tired legs within TFCs squad. However, Toronto FC had a bye weekend in MLS leading up to the match in Vancouver and have only played seven league matches so far this year, so the effect of a lengthy cup tie may not be as negative as it could have been if the schedule had been more difficult. The Lineup: Bradley Orr partnered Doneil Henry in the centre of defence in Vancouver but veteran defender Steve Caldwell is likely to return to the lineup against the Red Bulls. Mark Bloom and Justin Morrow are set to return in the fullback positions, although Nick Hagglund has impressed this year whenever he has been given an opportunity. With Bradley gone, Torontos midfield could see two young Canadians paired together with the potential for Kyyle Bekker to play alongside Jonathan Osorio, although Osorio has also been played by Nelsen on the left side of midfield recently.dddddddddddd Draft pick Daniel Lovitz was impressive when he came on as a substitute for his Toronto FC debut in Vancouver on Wednesday. Jermain Defoe was left on the bench against the Whitecaps but should be back in the team on Saturday. Ryan Nelsen will be hoping Defoe is motivated to prove a point after being left out of Englands World Cup squad. The Opposition: New York Red Bulls won the Supporters Shield last year, finishing with the best record in MLS during the regular season. Mike Petkes team have had a mixed season so far. They got off to a slow start, failing to win in their first six matches, but since then things have picked up, and they were unbeaten in four - with three wins - prior to losing a crazy game at home to Chicago Fire last weekend 5-4. Whenever the Red Bulls visit, much of the attention is focused on France star Thierry Henry, but it is his attacking partner Bradley Wright-Phillips who has been capturing the headlines of late. Wright-Phillips scored a hat-trick (his second of the season) against Chicago and has now scored eight goals in his last four matches. The London born forward leads the league in scoring with nine goals, and has been developing a strong understanding with Henry. Red Bulls coach Petke and TFCs Nelsen know each other well. They won MLS Cup as teammates at DC United back in 2004. Petke was a finalist for MLS Coach of the Year in 2013 after guiding New York to the top of the standings in his first year in charge. The Odds: With Toronto FCs current poor run in MLS and their disappointing home losses against Colorado and New England, New York will arrive at BMO Field confident of taking at least a point home with them, especially given the loss of Michael Bradley. The Red Bulls have a very good record against Toronto FC and are unbeaten in their last ten matches against the Reds dating back to June 2009. Theyve out-scored them 25-5 during that stretch. In fact, New York have only lost four of 18 meetings all-time against Toronto. Where To Watch: Join me, Jason deVos and Kristian Jack for Toronto FC against the New York Red Bulls, live on TSN on Saturday at 4:30pm ET, 1.30pm PT. ' ' '