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TORONTO - He didnt talk about the Vatican of hockey. He didnt mention the centre of the hockey universe. He shied away from dream job talk. He didnt wax on about pugnacity, testosterone, truculence, or belligerence. He didnt lay out his vision for how his Toronto Maple Leafs would play or what ailed them this past season and in seasons before. "Im not here today for big speeches, big words, big proclamations," Brendan Shanahan said Monday morning from the Air Canada Centre. "Today is my first day at work and theres a lot of work to be done." It was more than five and a half years ago that the Maple Leafs hired Brian Burke to change the "culture" of an organization which had veered further and further off the rails toward an eventual Stanley Cup. But unlike the bombastic Burke on that excitable day in Nov. 2008, the new President and alternate governor in Toronto made few bold statements or declarations. "This is the time for me to start learning about the organization from top to bottom," he said. "Its a time for me to listen, to learn and get to work and thats all thats really worked for me in my career. Its whats worked for me when I was done playing hockey and thats what I intend to do here." Tim Leiweke, the President and CEO of Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment, says he hired the 45-year-old to become the leader of the hockey team in Toronto - a presence he was unfit to fill - to instill an identity, to become the culture, heart, soul and character of the organization. He spoke glowingly of Shanahans track record - both as a player and in the league office - his leadership skills as a player for 21 seasons, his first-hand familiarity with winning cultures in Detroit and New Jersey, his passion, his work ethic, his analytical skills and his knowledge of the game. And with that full faith came final authority on all hockey and business matters. "I couldnt find anyone to say anything bad about him," Leiweke said of fact-finding conversations which came to include Ken Holland, Lou Lamiorello and Luc Robitaille. "…what everyone talks about is the man fights," Leiweke said, selling his new management piece with vigour. "He fought as a player. He fought for the union (during the second NHL lockout). He fought for the game. And now he fights for the integrity of the league. Now he comes here to fight for the Leafs. And the one thing I know about Shanny is hes going to fight for us every day. He may be analytical, he may be patient, he may not knee-jerk, but in that heart beats a man that is extremely committed to winning and doing whatever is necessary." Whatever credentials Shanahan may boast as a former player (three Stanley Cups) and league disciplinarian, he lacks the same in actual front office experience - an obvious source of skepticism for the hiring. A growing trend in the NHL has seen teams sweep up former star players for management roles to only middling success. Maybe the most recent example of disappointment saw local legend Pat Lafontaine plucked for a senior position in Buffalo only to depart less than four months later. Brett Hull, also of limited experience, was brought back to Dallas and eventually named co-general manager. He lasted less than two seasons and now works in St. Louis. Those that found success in the transition typically gained experience before eventually ascending to the type of role Shanahan has inherited in Toronto. Steve Yzerman toiled in the Red Wings front office, also managing Team Canada at the Worlds and Olympics before becoming the Lightning GM. Cam Neely was a vice-president for a few years before he was promoted to team president. Joe Sakic, now the overseer of all hockey matters in Colorado, joined the club initially as an advisor and alternate governor. Because of that inexperience its difficult to project which direction Shanahan will take the Leafs. Will he try to follow Hollands philosophy in Detroit - skill over brawn - or lean in the direction of what Lamiorello built in New Jersey - a stifling defensive system - or try something different entirely? Above all, he said hed be open to new ideas, even spending his flight to Toronto reading all about the merits of Corsi and Fenwick (analytical tools for measuring the game). Learning the business side of the game under the tutelage of Gary Bettman in his past business role with the NHL, Shanahan also was keen as a player, claiming to have picked the brains of superiors like Holland, Lamoriello, Glen Sather and Jim Rutherford. "I was always curious from their perspective, the difficulties and the challenges of operating and running a team," he said. "He was like a sponge and he took it all in," Leiweke claimed. Shanahans more recent gig as the leagues head of discipline offered opportunity, additionally, at the centre of controversy - something hell become familiar with in a hurry with the Leafs. "I had a job in which everyone questioned my decisions, everybody thought they knew better than us, they second-guessed everything we did and didnt like us," Shanahan said. "So now I get to come do this." Leiweke was blunt that the Leafs pre-Shanahan were lacking in direction, lacking in identity and lacking the culture of a winner - damning with Dave Nonis seated just a short distance to his left. He wanted someone to change that, much in the way, he said, that Masai Ujiri has quickly altered the course of the Raptors - though he failed to mention good fortune in that case, notably with the unexpected post Rudy Gay-trade ascension and emphatic growth of Kyle Lowry. Burke, too, talked about culture when he first landed from Anaheim, harshly critical of a "blue and white disease" that he felt had infected the club. He tried to change that and ran out of time. He also could not deliver the nasty, black and blue squad he imagined on the day of his arrival all too long ago. Shanahan wouldnt stray down a similar path as far as bold proclamations and statements were concerned on this day. If anything, it seems he aimed to undersell and over-deliver. He wouldnt get into what his vision for the club would be, wouldnt say what went wrong this year - he didnt feel it was his place - detailing instead his immediate plans, which included a full review of the coaching staff, roster, management team, and farm system, all to be done with his standing general manager, Nonis. "It would be premature for me to tell you right now where were going to go," Shanahan said. "Were going to work together to try to find the right answers together," Nonis added. "If we have questions or concerns were going to work them out, but at the end of the day Brendans the boss. He runs this team." How the dynamic between Shanahan and Nonis plays out remains of some intrigue and uncertainty. Its uncertain how much of a say Shanahan will have in the day-to-day operations of the team and more broadly speaking, how strong an influence hell exert over the bigger picture and to what effect. What direction he wants to take the Leafs wasnt immediately clear nor was how that approach will jive with that of Nonis, who helped build the current group, formerly as the No. 2 under Burke and eventual No. 1 until Mondays present. In terms of shifting the identity and culture of the Leafs, Shanahan will have to start with Randy Carlyle, quickly determining whether he is, in fact, the right head coach to guide the push forward. Though Carlyle found some success with the group in the lockout-shortened 2013, his message never seemed to hit home this season, culminating in all too familiar collapse. Both Shanahan and Nonis said all the right things as to Carlyles prowess as a coach, but neither would rightly commit to his future. Beyond the urgent matter of coaching - and who might be a suitable replacement - is a roster full of questions - be it with the core group and bundle of free agents - and a draft and development system that needs refreshment and considerable improvement. A lot, quite simply, lies on the plate of the new boss with little time to learn on the job. "Winning is just a very simple solution," he said. "Were not going to win a game sitting up here today. We have to get results." Cheap Joe Morgan Jersey .What they got was a bevy of players chipping in to pick up the slack.Josh Smith scored 18 points and James Harden added 17 as the Rockets used a balanced scoring effort to outlast the Mavericks for a 99-94 victory. Cheap Reds Jerseys Authentic . Sections of the British media reported Friday that Brooklyn Beckham, the son of United great David, was invited to a training session at the club on Thursday. http://www.cheapredsjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-chris-sabo-jersey .Y. -- As if the worst start in franchise history isnt bad enough, Buffalo Sabres President Ted Black braced his teams win-starved fans for potentially more tough times. Cheap MLB Jerseys Authentic . The hard-serving 22-year-old from Thornhill, Ont., became the first Canadian to be ranked in the Top 10 on the ATP World Tour thanks to his runner-up performance at Rogers Cup in Montreal. Cheap Reds Jerseys . Ho-Sang is a highly regarded prospect, as seen in TSNs Midseason Rankings. This was Game 3 of their playoff series and that wasnt the only strange incident in Londons 10-2 win over Windsor.Andy Murray ended the year as world No 1 after a dominant victory over Novak Djokovic in the ATP World Tour Finals decider in London on Sunday. But the week produced more storylines than just the race to be the best player on the planet.Here, we pick out the key conclusions from the O2… World Tour Finals: The verdict Marcus Buckland, Barry Cowan, Annabel Croft, Peter Fleming, Mark Petchey and others Murray can dominateSundays final was not simply a match to decide who would win the title and end the year as world No 1. It was a glimpse into the sports immediate future and a test of whether Murray is capable of staying top of the rankings in the coming years. Murray spoke to Marcus Buckland, Annabel Croft and Gred Rusedski after beating Djokovic After several months of patchy form, Djokovic had looked back to his imperious best on his route to the final and although his level dropped considerably over the following one hour and 42 minutes, the ruthless manner in which Murray dispatched him 6-3 6-4 suggested a tennis axis has shifted.Murray was fatigued and under immense pressure, yet he outplayed Djokovic to such an extent that it seemed he has not only met the standard required to be No 1, but raised it. A period of domination potentially beckons.Djokovic still out of sorts, but will be backDjokovics rapid and clinical progression to the final was so impressive that many analysts tipped him to beat Murray and snatch back the world No 1 ranking, but those predictions fell flat in a nervous and error-strewn performance that the Serb himself described as very poor. Highlights of Murray v Djokovic Djokovic held a 24-10 head-to-head record over Murray going into the match and had beaten him in two Grand Slam finals this year, so such an abject display suggested he is not yet over his struggles of the past five months.However, Djokovic remains one of the fiercest competitors currently active in any sport and is close enough to Murray in the world rankings to make a fightback in 2017 more than feasible.Raonic a potential future No 1Murray may have taken the title and the acclaim, but it shouldnt be forgotten how close he came to being knocked out in the semi-finals, when he fell a set and a break down to Milos Raonic and then had to save a match point in the thhird-set tie break.dddddddddddd Milos Raonic edged Murray in this superb 20-shot rally in the semi-final Raonic also gave Djokovic a scare in the group stages, losing in two tie breaks, and although his record at the tournament was only two wins and two defeats, his results were good enough to lift him to No 3 in the world.Of more significance, however, were the pedigree of his performances. His serving and groundstrokes were unplayable at times, and if he can just become more adept at moving forward to the net, he could become as big a threat to Murrays No 1 ranking as Djokovic.Thiem a potential Grand Slam winnerAnother player who impressed at the O2 was 23-year-old Austrian Dominic Thiem, who was effectively a wildcard entry taking the place of the injured Rafael Nadal. Dominic Thiem steps up to the SkyPad to talk through his match against Gael Monfils He defeated Gael Monfils in three sets, took a set off Djokovic and forced Raonic to a tie break in an impressive weeks work that hinted he is the most exciting young player in the sport and could mature into a Grand Slam winner.Long way back for Roger and RafaThey are former No 1s who together once dominated the sport and later formed part of the Big Four with Murray and Djokovic, but Nadal and Roger Federer now find themselves down in ninth and 16th in world rankings respectively. Rafael Nadal is now world No 9 Their fall has been largely due to injury, but with Murray having raised his level, the likes of Raonic coming through and Stan Wawrinka now regularly winning Slams, the road to returning to the top four - let alone world No 1 - looks a long and tough one.Upgrade to Sky Sports now and get 12 months half price. Hurry, offer ends December 4. Sky Sports Black Friday sale Upgrade to Sky Sports now and get 12 months half price. 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