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VANCOUVER – More than five years after he was fired as the ninth (and youngest) general manager in Canucks history, Dave Nonis is back home in B.C. at the helm of the top team in the Eastern Conference. His tenure as the GM in Vancouver was all too brief. Though he led the Canucks to what was then a franchise record-shattering campaign in just his second season, Nonis was gone and replaced one year later. He had not been hired by new ownership, didnt align with their philosophies ultimately and paid the price for it. But did the man who helped construct a future Stanley Cup finalist, someone who pulled the trigger on a franchise-altering swap for Roberto Luongo, get a fair shake in Vancouver? "I dont think you can do that," said Nonis with no hint of bitterness amid a conversation with the Leaf Report on Friday afternoon. "Whether thats the case or not, I look back and say that the pieces that we left in place were very important pieces to the success of the team. If you look at how they did for a long period after we were there they were very successful. So you take some pride in that. In terms of not getting a fair shake, I think theres a lot of people in our business that can say that. For me, Id rather look at what we left and how well they performed." Nonis was promoted to the top job with the Canucks in 2004 – he was 37 at the time – replacing boss and close friend Brian Burke for the first time. Building on the foundations he and Burke had already worked to establish in years prior, Nonis would draft future All-Star Alex Edler and future No. 1 goalie Cory Schneider. He would hire future Jack Adams winner Alain Vigneault. Hed add Willie Mitchell via free agency, a looming mainstay on the blue-line. He would sign the Sedin twins, Ryan Kesler and Sami Salo to respectable, cap-friendly deals. And most notable of all, he would complete one of the most lopsided trades in NHL history, snatching Luongo from Florida. "I think that we felt we were going in the right direction," the Burnaby, B.C. native said. Though they would fall just shy of the playoffs in his first season – he was actually promoted prior to the 2004-05 lockout – the Canucks would shatter franchise records the next year, totaling 49 wins and 105 points. They were ousted in the second round by the eventual Cup champion Ducks, a squad led by current Leafs coach Randy Carlyle, but were clearly moving in the right direction. Year No. 3 though brought with it much frustration for Nonis and the Vancouver faithful. Ravaged by injuries, most notably on defence, the Canucks would limp to the finish line and miss out on the postseason by three points for the second time in three seasons. Rather than salvage the season (and ultimately his job) with short-term fixes via trade, Nonis declined, refusing to mortgage the foundations of what would be a prized future. It is believed that a trade for then-Lightning star Brad Richards was there to be had, a deal that would have cost Vancouver an embarrassment of young riches, Schneider prominently among them. Nonis refused to comment on the matter, but its evident from history that he declined, unwilling to hurt the teams future for the sake of his own job. "If you wouldve moved pieces, good young pieces, just to try and squeak in, that team never wouldve had a chance to win," he said. "If your ultimate goal is to try to win you have to be able to be patient and not have knee-jerk reactions to problems." Nonis would be fired for his efforts nine days after the season concluded. Springing for a leader of his own choosing, new owner Francesco Aquilini would select Mike Gillis nine days after his predecessor had been let go. Just as he predicted in the hours after his firing, the Canucks would go on to great things in the years that followed. They would finish with 100-plus points in four straight seasons after his dismissal, reaching the Cup Final in 2011. "The pieces that were there were young and stable and improving and then if things went well they would have a chance and thats how it played out," Nonis said. Now holding his second general manager gig in Toronto – he signed a new five-year deal in the summer at the urging of MLSE President Tim Leiweke – Nonis says the experience in Vancouver, which began in 1990, ultimately proved beneficial. "Youre never going to make all the right decisions – I definitely didnt make all the right ones when I was in Vancouver," he said. "But I think you learn [that] if you think youre going in the right direction, that the blueprint you have in place makes sense, then you have to have the will to follow it through. I believe thats the case for all teams that are competitive. Very few teams that are competitive in our league just fall on the GMs lap." Struck by the patience of his first boss with the Canucks, Pat Quinn, Nonis would glean additional tips of the trade from those around him in the ensuing years – "theres a lot of people in this league that are very good at what they do and have done a better job than Ive ever done" – including Burke during stints in Anaheim and Toronto. He would take note of what others around the league had done, how contenders in Detroit, Pittsburgh, Chicago and St. Louis were built. He saw how theyd establish a foundation of core players and then allow that core to grow and eventually win together. "You can count a lot of Stanley Cups on those teams," Nonis said. Though the Leafs have the early blocks of such a core – after trades for Phaneuf, Kessel, van Riemsdyk, Lupul, Bernier and Gardiner as well as the drafting of Kadri and Rielly among others – the team has not yet reached Noniss preferred destination. What he wants is continued progress in a positive direction, with his Leafs leading the Eastern Conference entering a Saturday affair with the Canucks. "We think its going the right way," said Nonis, at the helm when the club snapped a nine-year playoff drought last spring. "Were not where we need to be, but were a lot better than we were. The reserve list is stronger than it was. Our farm team is younger and still remaining competitive. Theres a lot of good things happening, but theres still a lot of room for improvement. I dont think we could stand up and said that were close to done. We have a lot of work yet to do and if we want to get to be one of those elite teams. I wouldnt say were a long way away, but we definitely need to continue to improve and add the pieces that those upper-echelon teams have." The early returns from his first offseason as Leafs general manager have been positive, most notably in the performance of 27-year-old Dave Bolland and 25-year-old Jonathan Bernier, both acquired via trade this past summer. David Clarkson, Noniss pricey first free agent signing, has played just four games – after serving a 10-game suspension – but has offered hints of the edge and personality he promised to bring after years in New Jersey. For whatever success the Leafs achieve this season you can be sure that Nonis will not attempt to fast-forward the process with short-sighted, short-term fixes. Its why hes not inclined to move first round picks or young players for aging talent. His blueprint features a young core that will take steps together, progressing as the Canucks eventually did after his dismissal. "If youre a deep enough team you can trade away a top prospect and not even feel it then youve done a really good job of building your reserve list and your farm system and you can move those prospects for pieces that might put you over the top," said Nonis. "Were not there yet. We need to continue to add those pieces so I wouldnt say we would never move a first round pick or a young player, but if we do at least at this stage of our development itll be for another young player; its not going to be for an older player." Nonis will enter Rogers Arena on Saturday afternoon full of pride, both for what was eventually accomplished in Vancouver and the promise on the horizon in Toronto. "Progress is the most important word," Nonis said. "If you continue to show progress year after year eventually youre going to put yourself in a pretty good position." Nike Vapormax 97 Sale . The triple gold medallist from the 2010 Paralympics tweeted on Tuesday: "Woke up with a virus yesterday. Timing couldnt be much worse. Not the ideal prep for the . Air Max 270 React Cheap . - On the night Dirk Nowitzki overtook Dominique Wilkins on the career scoring list, Brandan Wright was a human highlight film all by himself. http://www.brandshoescheaponline.com/wholesale-china-yeezy-boost/yeezy-boost-350-v3.html .The South African had three birdies on the front nine and another four after the turn at Leopard Creek Country Club to move to 16-under 128 overall.Grace, who won all four of his European Tour titles in 2012, dropped his only shot of the competition on the par-3 fifth. Nike Air Max Plus Clearance . -- The top-seeded Alberta Pandas set up of an all-Canada West final against arch rival UBC at the CIS womens volleyball championship after a 3-0 win over the No. Nike Air Max China Paypal .Morse gets a $1 million signing bonus and salaries of $7 million next season and $8 million in 2016 under the agreement announced Wednesday.MIAMI -- Maybe in a video game. Possibly in the pregame layup line. But shoot this way in the NBA Finals, against the two-time defending champions? "Its not something you can plan for," San Antonio reserve Manu Ginobili said. "There was no magic plays. We just moved the ball and every shot went in." Not quite every shot. But just about. Kawhi Leonard scored a career-high 29 points, and the Spurs made a finals-record 75.8 per cent of their shots in the first half in a 111-92 victory over the Miami Heat on Tuesday night that gave them a 2-1 lead. The Spurs made 19 of their first 21 shots and finished 25 of 33 in the first half, bettering the 75 per cent shooting by Orlando against the Lakers in the 2009 finals. "Its a hit-or-miss league," Miamis Dwyane Wade said. The Spurs didnt do much missing. "I dont think well ever shoot 76 per cent in a half ever again," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. The Spurs led by as much as 25 and were only briefly challenged in their second lopsided victory in the series. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade had 22 points for the Heat, who host Game 4 on Thursday. Returning to the arena where they were oh-so-close to winning a fifth championship last year, the Spurs came out playing like they were trying to build a lead that was impossible to blow. They shot 13 of 15 and led 41-25 lead after the first quarter, then hit their first six shots of the second in front of a stunned crowd in Miami to go ahead 55-30. Leonard scored only 18 points in the first two games, looking frustrated while getting into foul trouble trying to defend James in Game 2. But he had his outside shot working early, making his first six shots and finishing 10 of 13 from the field. "I just found a rhythm and my teammates found me the ball. I made shots," Leonard said. The last three NBA seasons ended in this building, the last two followed by Heat championship parades. The Spurs nearly cancelled the last one, building a five-point lead in the final half-minute of regulation of Game 6, a title seeming so certain that workers were already making preparations around the court. But the Heat rallied to win in overtime and took Game 7, leaving the Spurs with a summmer to think about the one that got away.dddddddddddd Theyre in good shape to get another chance. With the league scrapping the 2-3-2 format for the NBA Finals --in which the lower seed played three consecutive home games -- the Spurs would have a chance to wrap it up in San Antonio on Sunday in Game 5 if they can win Thursday. Chris Bosh took only four shots and scored nine points for the Heat, who for the second straight year will have to overcome a 2-1 finals deficit after being blown out in Game 3. This rout came on their home floor, where they had been 8-0 this post-season and had won a franchise-record 11 in a row since the Spurs beat them in Game 1 last year. San Antonio inserted Boris Diaw into the lineup, countering Miamis small lineup and creating more ball movement that clearly helped Leonard. The game got off to a crisp start, with the Spurs making their first five shots and Miami opening 4 for 4. Turned out the Spurs were just getting started. Coach Erik Spoelstra planned to communicate with James to make sure there were no lingering problems from the cramps that forced him to miss the final minutes of the opener. But there was no way he could rest James early, since he was the only one keeping the Heat in the game. He had 14 of their first 20 points, but even James couldnt keep up with the Spurs pace. The Spurs "came out at a different gear than what we were playing at, and it just seemed we were on our heels the most part of the first half," Spoelstra said. San Antonio led 71-50 at halftime. It was the first 70-point first half in the finals since the Lakers scored 75 against Boston in Game 2 in 1987. The Heat finally got into it in the third, running off 10 straight points to cut a 17-point deficit to 81-74 on a drive by Norris Cole, who had replaced an ineffective Mario Chalmers. That was as close as Miami would get, as the Spurs pulled away in the fourth. Notes: Wade appeared in his 150th post-season game and passed Dirk Nowitzki (3,455 points) for 17th on the post-season scoring list. ... The Heat fell to 68-20 in the post-season at American Airlines Arena. Their .782 winning percentage entering the game trailed only the Lakers .792 mark at Staples Center. ' ' '