Underscoring how difficult the search for a replacement for chief executive Tim Leiweke has become, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment board members are planning to hire an executive search firm to help find Leiwekes successor. The move comes five months after Leiweke first told the sports holding company that he plans to quit and leave Toronto next summer. The MLSE board initially planned to find a replacement for Leiweke on its own. But recruiting has been difficult. Some candidates pursued by MLSE havent been interested in being interviewed because of the fractious relationship between MLSE co-owners Bell Media, Rogers Communications and construction magnate Larry Tanenbaum. I think the temptation was too great for MLSE to just try to work off the list of people they considered two years ago when they hired Tim, but circumstances have changed since then, said a person close to the MLSE board. Its become apparent that the board is going to be an issue for any incoming CEO to manage. Some prospective candidates simply havent worked out. MLSE has interviewed former Madison Square Garden executive Hank Ratner, but decided that wasnt a good fit. Others interviewed for the position include NHL executive John Collins, who has helped to build the NHLs business through savvy marketing and a host of outdoor hockey games, but he also was instrumental in awarding the NHLs Canadian TV rights to Rogers. That might complicate his hiring, since Bell Media also sought those rights. Bell is TSNs parent company. Large companies and sports leagues often hire executive search firms to connect with prospective candidates. The CFL, for instance, has retained a firm to find a successor to former commissioner Mark Cohon. If MLSE does, indeed, retain an executive search firm, the move would also suggest that John Cassaday, the recently retired CEO of Corus Entertainment, might not be as much of a lock for the job as some in the sports industry have suggested in recent months. As recently as a December, MLSE board members discussed with Leiweke whether he might consider staying on as CEO. But Leiwekes mind is set on leaving to become an entrepreneur. The latest proof of that is his move to quit work as a full-time employee of MLSE. Since New Year, Leiweke has been acting as a consultant to the MLSE board, not the companys CEO, a move that lowers his tax exposure, according to two people close to the MLSE board. Leiweke will leave MLSE with a mixed legacy. He has helped to rekindle the Raptors, hiring GM Masai Ujiri, convinced the companys board to invest in a $30-million practice facility for the basketball team, and negotiated a $100-million expansion of BMO Field. But hes also ruffled feathers. During his first days on the job, Leiweke talked about planning a Stanley Cup parade route through downtown Toronto. Occasionally my energy level and my drive and my bullish attitude towards attacking problems and solving problems is hard for some people, he said during an August interview with TSN 1050. But thats, I think, why they wanted me here. They knew and I knew that that kind of style is not a style that lasts for 10 years. Kevin Love Cavaliers Jersey .com) - The Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings are ready to put all the talk and hype surrounding their meeting at Dodger Stadium behind them. Dean Wade Jersey . -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have released veteran guard Davin Joseph, a mainstay on their offensive line over the past eight seasons. https://www.thecavalierslockerroom.com/K...Edition-Jersey/. According to TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun, Brodeurs agent Pat Brisson has spoken to six teams so far regarding the veteran goaltender. Collin Sexton Cavaliers Jersey . Lineup news, Fantasy tips and more in Scott Cullen’s Statistically Speaking. HEROES Blake Comeau – The Penguins winger had a hat trick in a 4-3 overtime win against Toronto. Kyrie Irving Jersey . Jamies number grades given are out of five, with five being the best mark. Darcy Kuemper, Minnesota (5): He was calm, poised, and looked comfortable all game.Brisbane, Australia (SportsNetwork.com) - Maria Sharapova rallied for a three- set win over Ana Ivanovic on Saturday to capture the season-opening Brisbane International tennis tournament. Sharapova blew an early lead in the first set and dropped the opener in a tiebreaker, but came back to earn a 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 6-3 victory in the final for her 34th career title. The top-seeded Russian won four times in 2014, capturing her second French Open title along the way, and has now claimed at least one WTA crown every year since 2003. She will try for her sixth career Grand Slam championship when the Australian Open begins on Jan. 19. Sharapovas only Aussie Open crown came back in 2008 when she beat Ivanovic in the final. Ivanovic, who also won four times in 2014, split four meetings with Sharapova last year. Sharapova won a final in Stuttgart andd a semifinal in Beijing, while Ivanovic prevailed in a semifinal at Cincinnati and a third-rounder in Rome.dddddddddddd. Sharapova opened a quick 4-1 lead in the first set Saturday and had a pair of set points at 5-4. Ivanovic, though, battled back and won it in a tiebreaker after 62 minutes. The second-seeded Serb failed to earn a break-point chance in the second set and was broken twice, allowing Sharapova to force a third. Another early break in the third gave Sharapova the edge and she did not yield the advantage. She got back the balls that I thought werent coming over the net, said Ivanovic. Thats why shes where she is, and thats why shes such a great champion. Sharapova improved to 10-4 lifetime against Ivanovic, including 3-0 in finals. Ivanovic fell to 15-8 all-time in title matches, while Sharapova improved to 34-22. ' ' '