Jermain Defoe is expected to arrive in Canada this weekend to complete his transfer to Toronto FC from Tottenham Hotspur.
Sam Huff Womens Jersey . The England international will put the finishing touches to his move to North America for an MLS record transfer fee, in excess of $10 million, and earn himself a bumper pay packet thought to be around $150,000 a week. Defoes signing will end a long courtship between the club and player which included London meetings with team management back in October, his mother being hosted by the club for a week in Toronto last fall, and phone calls from rapper Drake to help persuade Defoe to make the move. News of Toronto FCs interest in the striker was first revealed on MLS on TSN in October, and at the time, my colleague Kristian Jack asked TFC Head Coach Ryan Nelsen about his interest in signing his former Spurs teammate: "Jermain Defoe in this league? Look what Di Vaio has done! My goodness - incredible player," Nelsen raved. "One of the most natural goal scorers I have ever come across. Always out training, always trying to score, a great guy. To get a guy like Defoe for MLS, I cannot think of many that are more suited. It would be incredible," he said. While Defoe has been out of favour at Tottenham this season and has seen only limited playing time, he still has ambitions of making Englands squad for this years World Cup in Brazil. He has scored 19 goals in 55 appearances for his country and was involved throughout the recent World Cup Qualifying campaign. Once the deal is completed, it is likely he will head back to England on loan for a couple of months. He could be loaned back to Spurs, but there is also a possibility he will return to his former club West Ham United. When he does pull on the Red jersey, he will join a squad that has been undergoing a significant and impressive remake under new General Manager Tim Bezbatchenko. Defoes signing is not only a positive step because of the impact he can have on the pitch. It is a signal that finally the management of the team can deliver on promises. Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment President Tim Leiweke has been extremely vocal about his desire to sign a big name player for this club. Where others have failed in the past, Leiweke will have delivered. The man who signed David Beckham for LA Galaxy set his sights on making a splash at Toronto FC within days of joining the organization. "You cannot make a mistake on a DP," Leiweke said last summer. "You have to be right. Youve got to find a guy with character, a player thats able to understand the uniqueness of Major League Soccer and the style of play that we have here." Defoe will be the second Designated Player signing of the winter for Toronto, following on from 24-year-old Brazilian forward Gilberto. Those two players will join experienced MLS additions Dwayne De Rosario, Justin Morrow and Jackson in giving Toronto a new core of key players for 2014. Defoes arrival is a potential game-changer for this franchise. Through seven years of turmoil Toronto FC has gradually lost the fervent support it had when the club launched, while also seeing its credibility disappear within Major League Soccer after a series of failures. Now, for the first time, there is a realistic opportunity to turn things around. Toronto FC will open the clubs eighth MLS season on the road in Seattle on Saturday, March 15.
Derrius Guice Youth Jersey . - The Baltimore Ravens and tight end Dennis Pitta reached agreement on a five-year contract Friday.
Alex Smith Jersey . On Tuesday, the star questioned whether that was still the case. Speaking to reporters at a charity event, Johnson said: "I just kind of wonder sometimes: Is this still the place for me?" Johnsons comments came after he was asked why he recently skipped a voluntary minicamp.BOSTON -- Justin Florek and Reilly Smith scored in a three-minute span in the first period and the Boston Bruins evened their playoff series with a 4-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings in the Game 2 on Sunday. Showing more spark after not taking enough challenging shots on goal in their 1-0 loss Friday night, the Bruins had 18 shots in the first period after managing just 25 in the entire opener. Luke Glendening cut Bostons lead to 2-1 at 13:20 of the second period before Milan Lucic scored late in the second and Zdeno Chara added a power-play goal early in the third. Game 3 of the best-of-seven series between the top-seeded Bruins, who won the Presidents Cup with an NHL-high 117 points, and eighth-seeded Red Wings is set for Detroit on Tuesday night. On Sunday, Boston didnt take its first shot until 7:28 into the opening period. And it went in. Florek, a rookie wing filling in for the injured Chris Kelly on the third line, scored after Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard and defenceman Brendan Smith missed connecting on a pass. Howard came out of his crease to collect a loose puck and passed it toward Smith, who was skating back along the right boards. But the puck bounced off Smiths right calf and into the circle where Florek shot quickly before Howard could get back. It was Floreks first career playoff goal after he scored one goal in four regular-season games. The Bruins made it 2-0 at 10:35 on a power-play goal by Smith, whose brother Brendan plays on the Wings. Howard stopped Patrice Bergerons shot from the blue line and Loui Eriksson poked the puck between Howards legs. Smith then skated behind Howard and tapped it in.
Earnest Byner Youth Jersey. . Glendening positioned himself in the right spot, just in front of Boston goalie Tuukka Rask to score his first career playoff goal. Darren Helms shot from the top of the right circle hit Boston defenceman Johnny Boychuks stick just in front of the crease. The puck went up, hit Glendening in the chest and got past Rask. The Bruins top line, which had struggled, restored the momentum about five minutes later on a well-co-ordinated play. Lucic carried the puck into the middle of the offensive zone as Jarome Iginla cut behind him. Lucic dropped the puck for Iginla and continued toward the net where he received a return pass across the slot from Iginla. Lucics hard shot from five feet hit Howards stick and trickled over the goal line at 18:16. Lucic was fined $5,000 but not suspended Saturday for spearing Detroit defenceman Danny DeKeyser during the opener. Chara finished the scoring at 2:27 of the third period just 17 seconds after Kyle Quincey was penalized. Iginla passed the puck from low in the right circle and the 6-foot-9 Chara, standing to the left of Howard, knocked it in. NOTES: Bostons David Krejci appeared to score an empty-net goal with 2:10 left, but Lucic was ruled offside. ... Bruins defenceman Kevan Miller returned to the lineup after missing the opener with an undisclosed issue. ... Pavel Datsyuk, who scored the only goal in the opener, had no shots on goal in the first two periods. ... Three Bruins regulars missed their second consecutive game, Kelly with a back problem, left wing Daniel Paille with a head injury and defenceman Matt Bartkowski with the flu. ' ' '