d fans celebrate certainly made Leafs players appreciate the potential parallel.Absolutely, its an iconic franchise and you know how much more it means in a place like th

TORONTO -- The party in Chicago is still going strong, just like it would for a long time in these parts if the Toronto Maple Leafs ever end the NHLs longest Stanley Cup drought.Yes, the Maple Leafs were watching Wednesday night as the Chicago Cubs won the World Series for the first time in 108 years. And it was hard not to draw comparisons between the Cubs and Leafs, both iconic franchises in their respective sports with rabid, long-suffering fan bases. And both teams that have undertaken deep-rooted rebuilding efforts.The difference is that the Leafs, of course, have just started theirs. Team president Brendan Shanahan doesnt quite buy all the parallels, though.Not really, Shahanan said Friday during his teams practice. There are always so many different nuances to each teams approach in each sport. I couldnt even tell you all of the details [of how] Chicago has rebuilt its team. But I can say that we think were pointed in the right direction. For us, the hard part in the next step is going in the right direction. And its not enough. Thats the key phrase for us, always -- its never really enough until you truly get what you want. With guys like Mike Babcock and Lou Lamoriello running the team day-to-day, thats the approach they bring.But yes, Shanahan appreciates what the Cubs accomplished.The Cubs are a great story. I enjoyed it, he said. I lived in Boston during the lockout in 2004 when the [Boston Red] Sox did it, and Theo [Epstein] was there for that too. So Ive heard about the billy goat and Ive heard about the Curse of the Bambino. And Ive seen teams that got determined and ended those things. I think its a good lesson for everybody.Shanahan knows a thing or two about curses. The?Detroit Red Wings?had the NHLs longest Cup drought before winning it in 1997. Shanahan played on that team and remembers how that weighed on the fan base in Detroit. Canada snapped a 50-year Olympic hockey gold-medal drought in Salt Lake City in 2002 -- and yes, Shanahan was a key member of that team. So hes been there.But this would be the mother of them all.Other NHL teams expressed interest in plucking Shanahan out of the leagues head office, but the Hall of Famer was lured by the one gig that presented the greatest challenge. The opportunity to end the NHLs longest title drought in his hometown led Shanahan to accept the Leafs presidency in April 2014. The image of how this city would react to winning a Stanley Cup for the first time since 1967 is one that fuels him every single day.I think about winning here all the time, he said. Im a firm believer that our players have to do the same. You have to imagine it before you can do it.Watching Cubs players and fans celebrate certainly made Leafs players appreciate the potential parallel.Absolutely, its an iconic franchise and you know how much more it means in a place like that for baseball, and in places like here for hockey, Leafs winger James van Riemsdyk said Friday. You know how sweet that would be, to be part of something like that. Obviously it comes with its own set of challenges and maybe the microscope is a bit stronger in a place like this. But the rewards can be great if you can accomplish what you want to accomplish.The Leafs are still far from getting there, with so many key decisions still to be made. But?Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Mitch Marner and the rest of the leagues youngest team provide plenty of promise.But if theres one important factor where the comparison differs, its that the Cubs had unlimited financial resources with which to go after players, while the Leafs are limited by the NHLs salary cap. Thats just a reality.I wouldnt take anything away from what Theo did, because thats not a new reality for the Cubs and it hadnt worked for 108 years, Shanahan said of baseballs not having a salary cap. I think what he did was fantastic and Chicago is a great sports town. If youre a sports fan, you enjoyed watching that stuff.Its great, but its not the beginning nor the end of us focusing on what we hope to do here in Toronto. Dave Concepcion Jersey . -- Team after team passed on Andre Ellington in the draft. Joe Morgan Jersey .C. -- Manny Malhotra had two goals and an assist, leading the Carolina Hurricanes to a 6-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. http://www.redsgearshop.com/Reds-Matt-Harvey-Kids-Jersey/ . After the whistle, Thornton skated the length of the ice, pulled Orpik to the ice from behind and punched him in the face several times. Tucker Barnhart Jersey . LOUIS -- Roman Polak was celebrating even before Alexander Steen scored the winning goal in Saturdays 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Pete Rose Jersey . LOUIS -- Mike Smith is used to facing plenty of shots, so this was nothing new. DALLAS -- After a week in which both his schools president and athletic director backed him, Texas coach Charlie Strong responded to a 45-40 loss to No. 20 Oklahoma by saying he hopes the Longhorns can win out the rest of the way.I want to win out because the players put so much into it. I want success for them more than anything, Strong said. I want success for our seniors. When you see how hard they work, and you look at today and how hard they went out, they played for 60 minutes. When you play 60 minutes, good things are going to happen for you.Weve just got to continue to work. Its not desperate. You want to win, and you cant lose three games in a row. Weve just got to continue to work hard.The Longhorns have dropped three straight after opening their season with a double-overtime upset of then-No. 10 Notre Dame and a victory over UTEP. At 2-3, Texas must win four of its final seven regular-season games to reach a bowl game.In the week Strong put himself in charge of Texas defense, that unit gave up 45 points, the fourth time in five games it has done so this season. Texas also allowed more than 500 yards for the third consecutive game.ddddddddddddAsked how he would assess the defense, Strong replied: We lost the game, so there was no improvement at all. We gave up 45 points and cant give up those big plays on defense.Oklahoma scored on passing touchdowns of 71, 47 and 42 yards. The 71-yard hookup was ?the longest touchdown pass ever by the Sooners against the Longhorns.You just look at the plays we gave up, Strong said. You cant give up home runs thrown over your head.Texas president Greg Fenves and athletic director Mike Perrin both offered votes of confidence for Strong in the week following a 49-31 loss at Oklahoma State, and Perrin said Friday that he had never considered making a coaching change during the season.Texas returns home to face Iowa State next Saturday.Weve got seven games left, Strong said. I told our players weve got seven left, weve just got to work and continue to get better. We need to go get them, and theres no reason we cant.The Associated Press contributed to this report. ' ' '