Category: Uncategorized

MONTREAL CANADIENS (0-0-0 – 0 Points) vs.

TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (0-0-0 – 0 Points)

JANUARY 13, 2021 ▪ 7:00 PM EST

SCOTIABANK ARENA (TORONTO, ON) ▪
TV: SPORTSNET ▪ RADIO: SPORTSNET 590 THE FAN

MAPLE LEAFS HISTORY versus MONTREAL

ALL-TIME RECORD:	300-342-88-17 (747 Games)
ALL-TIME AT HOME:	190-128-45-10 (373 Games)
2019-20:	0-1-2
LAST FIVE:	1-1-3
LAST 10:	6-1-3

MAPLE LEAFS CAREER LEADERS versus MONTREAL

GAMES PLAYED:	Jason Spezza (66), Joe Thornton (54), John Tavares (35)
GOALS:	Jason Spezza (32), Joe Thornton (15), John Tavares (14)
ASSISTS:	Jason Spezza (37), Joe Thornton (28), John Tavares (16)
POINTS:	Jason Spezza (69), Joe Thornton (43), John Tavares (30)
PENALTY MINUTES:	Zach Bogosian (49), Wayne Simmonds (49), Joe Thornton (39)

MAPLE LEAFS – CANADIENS 2019-20 TEAM STATS

	TORONTO	MONTREAL
GOALS FOR (Rank):	237 (2nd)	208 (t-18th)
GOALS AGAINST (Rank):	222 (25th)	220 (t-23rd)
POWER PLAY [%] (Rank):	45/195 [23.1%] (6th)	33/186 [17.7%] (22nd)
PENALTY KILL [%] (Rank):	150/193 [77.7%] (21st)	166/211 [78.7%] (19th)
SHOTS (Rank):	2302 (4th)	2422 (2nd)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPTS FOR (Rank):	3466 (3rd)	3656 (1st)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT % (Rank):	52.0% (6th)	54.4% (2nd)
FACEOFF % (Rank):	52.5% (3rd)	50.4% (12th)

MAPLE LEAFS – CANADIENS NOTES

First Matchup between Clubs:	Dec. 26, 1917 (Toronto Arenas 7, Montreal 5)
All-Time Record:	300-342-88-17 (747 Games)
All-Time Record at Home:	190-128-45-10 (373 Games)
All-Time Record on the Road:	110-214-43-7 (374 Games)
Last Win vs. Opponent at Home:	Feb. 23, 2019 (Toronto 6, Montreal 3)

MAPLE LEAFS 2019-20 LEADERS

CATEGORY	LEADER
GOALS	47 (Matthews)
ASSISTS	51 (Marner)
POINTS	80 (Matthews)
POWER PLAY POINTS	25 (Matthews)
SHORTHANDED POINTS	2 (Engvall, Kapanen)
PIMs	43 (Holl)
SHOTS	290 (Matthews)
FACEOFF WIN%	55.3% (Tavares)
5-on-5 SHOT ATTEMPT %	54.6% (Nylander)
BLOCKED SHOTS	110 (Muzzin)
TAKEAWAYS	78 (Matthews)
HITS	109 (Muzzin)
TOI PER GAME	24:12 (Rielly)
PP TOI PER GAME	3:13 (Marner)
SH TOI PER GAME	2:50 (Ceci)

MAPLE LEAFS SNAPSHOTS

Home Openers	– Tonight’s game marks the 103rd Home Opener in Maple Leafs franchise history. In 102 previous Home Openers the Maple Leafs have a record of 49-35-15-3.
Home Openers vs. Montreal	– The Maple Leafs have a record of 9-6-1-0 in 16 all-time Home Openers against the Canadiens

MAPLE LEAFS PLAYER NOTES

Frederik Andersen	– Finished the 2019-20 season fourth among NHL goaltenders in wins (29) and fourth in the NHL in saves (1,434).- Represented the Maple Leafs at the 2020 NHL All-Star Game.- Has a 7-3-2 record in 12 career games against Montreal with a .923 save percentage and a 2.57 goals-against average.
Alexander Barabanov	– Could make his NHL debut on January 13 vs. Montreal.- Had 11 goals and nine assists in 43 regular season games with SKA St. Petersburg (KHL) in 2019-20.
Zach Bogosian	– Won the 2020 Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning, appearing in 20 playoff games with the Lightning.
TJ Brodie	– Appeared in 64 regular season games and 10 playoffs games in 2019-20 with the Calgary Flames.
Jack Campbell	– Had a 3-2-1 record with a .915 save percentage and a 2.63 goals-against average with the Maple Leafs after being acquired on February 5.
Aaron Dell	– Had a 12-15-3 record with a 3.01 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage in 33 appearances for the San Jose Sharks in 2019-20.
Travis Dermott	– Had 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in 56 regular season games in 2019-20, tying his single-season career-high for goals.
Justin Holl	– Had the highest unblocked shot attempt percentage at 5-on-5 (52.6%) among NHL defencemen who started fewer than 45 percent (42.0%) of their shifts in the offensive zone in 2019-20.
Zach Hyman	– Tied his single-season career-high for goals (21) in 2019-20, recording 37 points (21 goals, 16 assists) in 51 games.
Alex Kerfoot	– Recorded nine goals and 19 assists in 65 games played in 2019-20, which was his first season with the Maple Leafs.
Mitch Marner	– Led the Maple Leafs in assists (51) and ranked second in points (67) in 2019-20.- Led all Maple Leafs forwards in time on ice (21:33), power play time on ice (3:13) and shorthanded time on ice (2:12) last season.- Represented the Maple Leafs at the 2020 NHL All-Star Game.
Auston Matthews	– Ranked third among all NHL players in goals (47).- Led the Maple Leafs in goals (47), points (80), power play goals (12), power play points (25) and shots (290).- Represented the Maple Leafs at the 2020 NHL All-Star Game.- Became the second Maple Leaf (Dave Keon) in franchise history to begin his career with four consecutive 20-goal seasons and became the first player in franchise history to begin his career with four consecutive 30-goal seasons.
Jake Muzzin	– Played in 53 regular season games and two Qualifying Round games vs. Columbus in 2019-20.- Led Maple Leafs defencemen in goals (6) and ranked third in assists (17), points (23) and shots (99) last season.
Ilya Mikheyev	– Recorded 23 points (eight goals, 15 assists) in 39 games during his rookie season in 2019-20.
William Nylander	– Ranked second on the Maple Leafs with a career-high 31 goals and led the Maple Leafs with seven game-winning goals in 2019-20.- Had 59 points (31 goals, 28 assists) in 68 games last season.
Morgan Rielly	– Played in 47 regular season games and all five Qualifying Round games vs. Columbus.- Ranked second among Maple Leafs defencemen in assists (24) and points (27) in 2019-20.- Became the second defenceman in Maple Leaf history, joining Borje Salming, to begin his career with seven consecutive 20-assist seasons.
Wayne Simmonds	– Split the 2019-20 season between New Jersey and Buffalo following a February 24 trade to the Sabres, recording 25 points (eight goals, 17 assists) in 68 games.
Jason Spezza	– Recorded nine goals and 16 assists in 58 games with the Maple Leafs last season.
John Tavares	– Ranked second on the Maple Leafs in assists (34) and shots (197), and third in goals (26), and points (60) in 2019-20- Ranked second among all NHL players with three overtime goals.- Served his first season as Maple Leafs captain in 2019-20 after being named the 25th captain in franchise history on October 2, 2019.
Joe Thornton	– Recorded seven goals and 24 assists in 70 games with the San Jose Sharks in 2019-20.- Had 11 points (five goals, six assists) in 12 games with HC Davos prior to the start of the 2020-21 NHL season.
Jimmy Vesey	– Skated in 64 games for the Buffalo Sabres in 2019-20, recording 20 points (nine goals, 11 assists).

CURRENT POINT STREAKS

None

UPCOMING MILESTONES

Zach Bogosian	Four points from 200 NHL points
Wayne Simmonds	One point from 500 NHL points
Jason Spezza	One assist from 600 NHL assists

RECENT MILESTONES

None

INJURY REPORT

None
	Man Games Lost: 0

RECENT TRANSACTIONS

None

• The Toronto Raptors host the Boston Celtics at Amalie Arena in Tampa. This is the first of four meetings between the teams, who last met Sept. 11 in Game 7 of a second-round playoff series at the NBA Restart in Orlando. It marked the first playoff series between the Raptors and Celtics, with Boston winning 4-3. Following this game, the Raptors and Celtics will not face each other again until Feb. 12 at TD Garden in Boston.
• Fred VanVleet has led the team in scoring in consecutive games with 27 points Jan. 2 at New Orleans and 25 on Dec. 31 vs. New York. He has recorded a career-best 96 points through the first five games to start a season. It marks the fourth consecutive season VanVleet has increased his point total through the first five games of the season – THROUGH FIRST FIVE GAMES – 2020-21: 96 points, 30 assists; 2019-20: 85 points, 36 assists; 2018-19: 54 points, 27 assists; 2017-18: 14 points, 11 assists; 2016-17: 7 points, 2 assists.
• Fred VanVleet has made at least one 3-pointer in 37 consecutive games (Dec. 20, 2019 – Dec. 31, 2020). His streak ranks second in franchise history, trailing only C.J. Miles who made a 3-pointer in 38 consecutive games (Dec. 10, 2017 – Mar. 15, 2018).
• Chris Boucher led the bench in scoring for the third time this season with 24 points Jan. 2 at New Orleans. He is averaging 13.4 points (all as a reserve) through the first five games of the season. Only Tracy Murray (16.4 points
in 1995-96), Serge Ibaka (14.2 points in 2019-20) and Morris Peterson (13.6 points in 2005-06) averaged more
points to start a season while coming off the bench.
• Toronto’s defence held New York to a season-low 83 points Dec. 31 in Tampa. It marked the third time during the 2020 calendar year (regular season or playoffs) the Raptors held an opponent under 85 points. Over the past five
seasons Toronto ranks second in the NBA for games holding opponents under 85 points – Utah (29), Toronto (23) and San Antonio (20). The Raptors also held New York to 3-of-36 (.083) shooting from 3-point range. It was
the fewest 3-pointers made by an opponent in franchise history with at least 30 attempts.
• Kyle Lowry is the longest serving players on the Raptors roster (nine seasons) and the franchise’s all-time leader in 3-pointers made (1,403), assists (3,980) and steals (834). He is currently 157 points away from joining DeMar DeRozan (13,296) and Chris Bosh (10,275) as the only players in franchise history to reach 10,000 points. He also needs 20 assists to reach 4,000. According to the Elias Sports Bureau only three active players have recorded 10,000 points and 4,000 assists with their current team – James Harden (Houston), Stephen
Curry (Golden State) and Damian Lillard (Portland).
• MISCELLANEOUS: Aron Baynes played two seasons (2017-19) with Boston … He appeared in 132 games, averaging 5.8 points and 5.1 rebounds … Raptors assistant coach Adrian Griffin broke into the NBA as a player
with Boston and played two seasons for the Celtics (1999-01) … He appeared in 116 games for Boston, averaging 5.0 points and 4.0 rebounds … Celtics forward Tristan Thompson (Brampton, Ontario) and assistant coach
Scott Morrison (Morell, Prince Edward Island) are both Canadian.

PROBABLE STARTERS

F – OG ANUNOBY #3

MIN: 35.9 REB: 6.8 AST: 2.0 STL: 2.2 TO: 1.6 BLK: 0.8 PTS: 12.0
• Finished with 17 points (5-11 FG, 2-8 3FG, 5-6 FT), seven rebounds and three assists Jan. 2 at New Orleans.
• Signed a multi-year contract extension Dec. 21.
• Averaged career highs of 10.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 29.9 minutes in 69 games last season.

F – PASCAL SIAKAM #43

MIN: 35.3 REB: 7.8 AST: 3.8 STL: 1.0 TO: 3.5 BLK: 0.5 PTS: 16.5
• Recorded 10 points (4-10 FG, 2-2 FT), four rebounds and one assist Jan. 2 at New Orleans.
• Averaged career highs of 22.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 35.2 minutes in 60 games last season.
• Selected to 2019-20 All-NBA Second Team and was named a starter for first NBA All-Star Game in Chicago.

C – ARON BAYNES #46

MIN: 35.3 REB: 7.8 AST: 3.8 STL: 1.0 TO: 3.5 BLK: 0.5 PTS: 16.5
• Contributed eight points (4-7 FG), five rebounds, one assist and one steal Jan. 2 at New Orleans.
• Averaged career highs of 11.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 22.2 minutes in 42 games with Phoenix last season.
• Has made 80 threes over the last two seasons after making just four in his first six NBA seasons combined.

G – KYLE LOWRY #7

MIN: 37.5 REB: 4.4 AST: 8.2 STL: 1.2 TO: 3.6 BLK: 0.0 PTS: 18. 8

• Recorded 16 points (4-14 FG, 3-11 3FG, 5-5 FT), eight assists and six rebounds Jan. 2 at New Orleans.
• In 58 games (all starts) last season, averaged 19.4 points (+5.2 ppg from 2018-19).
• Has participated in six NBA All-Star Games – the most in franchise history.

G – FRED VANVLEET #23

MIN: 35.4 REB: 5.0 AST: 6.0 STL: 1.4 TO: 1.2 BLK: 0.8 PTS: 19.2
• Led the team with 27 points (9-23 FG, 4-13 3FG, 5-5 FT) and eight rebounds Jan. 2 at New Orleans.
• Averaged career highs of 17.6 points, 6.6 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 35.7 minutes in 54 games last season.
• Led all undrafted players in scoring (17.6 ppg) in 2019-20.

TORONTO RAPTORS
PLAYER # POS HT WT BIRTHDATE AGE EXP SCHOOL
Terence Davis 0 G 6-4 201 MAY 16, 1997 23 1 Mississippi
Paul Watson 1 G 6-6 210 DEC 30, 1994 26 1 Fresno State
Jalen Harris 2 G 6-5 195 AUG 14, 1998 22 R Nevada
OG Anunoby 3 F 6-7 232 JUL 17, 1997 23 3 Indiana
Stanley Johnson 5 F-G 6-6 242 MAY 29, 1996 24 5 Arizona
Kyle Lowry 7 G 6-0 196 MAR 25, 1986 34 14 Villanova
Malachi Flynn 8 G 6-1 175 MAY 10, 1998 22 R San Diego State
Yuta Watanabe 18 G-F 6-9 215 OCT 13, 1994 26 2 George Washington
Matt Thomas 21 G 6-4 190 AUG 04, 1994 26 1 Iowa State
Patrick McCaw 22 G 6-7 181 OCT 25, 1995 25 4 UNLV
Fred VanVleet 23 G 6-1 197 FEB 25, 1994 26 4 Wichita State
Norman Powell 24 G 6-3 215 MAY 25, 1993 27 5 UCLA
Chris Boucher 25 F-C 6-9 200 JAN 11, 1993 27 3 Oregon
Alex Len 27 C 7-0 250 JUN 16, 1993 27 7 Maryland
Pascal Siakam 43 F 6-9 230 APR 02, 1994 26 4 New Mexico State
Aron Baynes 46 C-F 6-10 260 DEC 09, 1986 34 8 Washington State
DeAndre’ Bembry 95 G-F 6-5 210 JUL 04, 1994 26 4 St. Joseph’s (PA)
Head Coach: Nick Nurse
Assistant Coaches: Adrian Griffin, Sergio Scariolo, Chris Finch, Jim Sann, Jama Mahlalela, Jon Goodwillie

BOSTON CELTICS
PLAYER # POS HT WT BIRTHDATE AGE EXP SCHOOL
Jayson Tatum 0 F-G 6-8 210 MAR 03, 1998 22 3 Duke
Carsen Edwards 4 G 5-11 200 MAR 12, 1998 22 1 Purdue
Jaylen Brown 7 G-F 6-6 223 OCT 24, 1996 24 4 California
Kemba Walker 8 G 6-0 184 MAY 08, 1990 30 9 Connecticut
Payton Pritchard 11 G 6-1 195 JAN 28, 1998 22 R Oregon
Grant Williams 12 F 6-6 236 NOV 30, 1998 22 1 Tennessee
Tristan Thompson 13 C-F 6-9 254 MAR 13, 1991 29 9 Texas
Aaron Nesmith 24 G-F 6-5 215 OCT 16, 1999 21 R Vanderbilt
Daniel Theis 27 F-C 6-8 245 APR 04, 1992 28 3 Brose Bamberg
Marcus Smart 36 G 6-3 220 MAR 06, 1994 26 6 Oklahoma State
Semi Ojeleye 37 F 6-6 240 DEC 05, 1994 26 3 Southern Methodist
Javonte Green 43 G-F 6-4 205 JUL 23, 1993 27 1 Radford
Robert Williams III 44 C-F 6-8 237 OCT 17, 1997 23 2 Texas A&M
Romeo Langford 45 G-F 6-4 216 OCT 25, 1999 21 1 Indiana
Tremont Waters 51 G 5-10 175 JAN 10, 1998 22 1 Louisiana State
Jeff Teague 55 G 6-3 195 JUN 10, 1988 32 11 Wake Forest
Tacko Fall 99 C 7-5 311 DEC 10, 1995 25 1 Central Florida
Head Coach: Brad Stevens
Assistant Coaches: Brandon Bailey, Jamie Young, Scott Morrison, Jerome Allen, Joe Mazzulla, Jay Larranaga

RAPTOR NOTES
• The Toronto Raptors return to Amalie Arena in Tampa to host the New York Knicks on New Year’s Eve.
Thursday’s game marks the 96th meeting between the Raptors and Knicks, but the regular-season game somewhere other than their home markets. Toronto and New York have met in three other cities during the preseason – Ottawa (1996), Hartford (1997) and Montreal (2012 & 2014).
• Toronto is 3-3 (.500) all-time when playing on New Year’s Eve. Thursday will mark the second time in franchise history the Raptors are playing on New Year’s Eve in consecutive seasons. The Raptors defeated
Cleveland at Scotiabank Arena on Dec. 31 last year. Toronto has also played on New Year’s Eve in 2013, 2014, 2008, 2007 and 1997.
• Toronto has won eight consecutive games (Jan. 24, 2020 – Feb. 8, 2018) and 16 of the last 17 meetings against New York going back to Jan. 2016. The Raptors only loss to the Knicks the past four seasons came Nov. 22, 2017 at Madison Square Garden.
• Toronto has started a season 0-3 for the second time in franchise history and the first since the 2005-06 campaign. Following an opening night loss Dec. 23 vs. New Orleans, the Raptors held a record below .500 for the first time at any point in a season since Jan. 7, 2014. The last time Toronto was three games below .500 was Dec. 27, 2013 following a 95-83 win at New York. Kyle Lowry is the only remaining player on the team from when Toronto was last below .500.
• Kyle Lowry is the longest serving players on the Raptors roster (nine seasons) and the franchise’s all-time leader in 3-pointers made (1,396), assists (3,968) and steals (832). He is currently 193 points away from joining DeMar DeRozan (13,296) and Chris Bosh (10,275) as the only players in franchise history to reach 10,000 points. He also needs 32 assists to reach 4,000. According to the Elias Sports Bureau only three active players have recorded 10,000 points and 4,000 assists with their current team – James Harden (Houston), Stephen Curry (Golden State) and Damian Lillard (Portland).
• Fred VanVleet has made at least one 3-pointer in 35 consecutive games (Dec. 20, 2019 – Dec. 29, 2020). His streak ranks second in franchise history, trailing only C.J. Miles, who made at least one 3-pointer in 38 consecutive games (Dec. 10, 2017 – Mar. 15, 2018).
• Chris Boucher scored a career-best 22 points and recorded seven blocks Dec. 26 at San Antonio. He joined Jermaine O’Neal as the only players in franchise history to record at least 20 points and seven blocks in the same game. O’Neal had 22 points and nine blocks Feb. 4, 2009 against the Los Angeles
Lakers. Anthony Davis was the only player last season to record at least 20 points and seven blocks – accomplished Feb. 21 vs. Memphis and Jan. 5 vs. Detroit. Boucher along with New York’s R.J. Barrett represent 17 Canadians in the NBA – the most represented country outside of the United States.

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2020 TORONTO BBWAA AWARD WINNERS 

The Toronto Chapter of the BBWAA has announced its annual award winners highlighted by the selection of OF Teoscar Hernández, who earned both the Neil MacCarl Award as player of the year and the Most Improved Player Award. Also recognized were LHP Hyun Jin Ryu, who earned the Pitcher of the Year, RHP Jordan Romano as the Rookie of the Year, along with OF Anthony Alford and Broadcaster Mike Wilner as the John Cerutti Award co-recipients for displaying goodwill, cooperation, and character.  
 

Alford, 26, played 13 games for the Blue Jays and five for the Pittsburgh Pirates before a right elbow fracture ended his season. The right-handed hitting outfielder homered for each club and posted a personal-best .741 OPS for the year. The native of Columbia, MS, played an integral role in 2020 as he shared his personal experiences with racism and discrimination, which his teammates say influenced and impacted them throughout the summer’s Black Lives Matter initiatives.  
 

Hernández, 28, slugged 16 home runs during the regular season, tied for fifth among American League batters. The native of Cotui, Dominican Republic, also ranked seventh in the AL in slugging percentage (.579), seventh in OPS (.919), tied for ninth in total bases (110), while finishing 13th with a career-best .289 batting average – an offensive performance which led to his first career Silver Slugger Award. The right fielder made his mark on the defensive side as well, tying for the Major League lead as he racked up seven outfield assists. 
 

Romano, 27, posted a 1.23 ERA while holding opponents to a .154 batting average in 15 appearances before he was sidelined with a with a right middle finger strain at the end of August. Among American League pitchers with at least 15 games pitched, the Markham, ON, native finished sixth in ERA, ninth in opponents’ average, 11th in SO/9 (12.89), and 12th in WHIP (0.89). The 6-5, 225 lb. right-hander earned both his first career save and first career win this season and is a nominee for the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s annual Tip O’Neill Award. 
 

Ryu, 33, ranked fourth among American League pitchers with a 2.69 ERA while going 5-2 across 12 starts. The Incheon, South Korea, native was also top-10 in the AL in strikeouts (ninth, 72), SO/9 (ninth, 9.67), BB/9 (seventh, 2.28), SO/BB (tied for eighth, 4.24), and innings pitched (tied for 10th, 67.0). Ryu strengthened as the season went on, allowing two-or-fewer earned runs in nine of his last 10 starts, and helped Toronto clinch its first postseason berth since 2016 with seven scoreless innings against the Yankees on September 24. The lefty’s effort led to a 3.0 bWAR for the season, which was third best among all Major League players, trailing only Mookie Betts (3.4) and Shane Bieber (3.2).  
 

Wilner spent 18 seasons as a member of Toronto’s broadcast crew and was on the Blue Jays beat for the last three decades. The Toronto native hosted the pre- and post-game shows from 2002 to 2018 while moving into a full-time play-by-play role in 2013, spending the last two seasons with Ben Wagner as the radio duo bringing the sights and sounds of the ballpark to life for Blue Jays fans across the country. The University of Toronto graduate worked collegiate games and began his professional radio career at age 19 with the Single-A Welland Pirates, before broadcasting for the Single-A Watertown Indians and the Double-A Hardware City Rock Cats. 

– BLUE JAYS – 

VANNEY STEPS DOWN AS TORONTO FC HEAD COACH

Toronto FC announced today that Greg Vanney has decided to step down from his role as the club’s head coach and technical director.

“I want to thank Mr. Tanenbaum, the board of directors and MLSE for their unwavering support for the past seven years. I recognize that I have been extremely fortunate to work for one of the best ownership groups in all of sports. I also want to thank Bill and Ali for their support and leadership and most importantly the relationships we’ve developed over the years,” said Greg Vanney. “Thank you to all of the TFC staff and players for the incredible experiences we’ve shared together during this journey. I’m forever grateful to each of you. Lastly, to the TFC Fans. You’re truly amazing and the memories and emotions from our biggest nights together will be cherished.”

Vanney, 46, departs the club as the most successful and longest tenured coach in TFC history, holding every coaching record including matches managed (250) and wins (112). Vanney led the Reds to the historic Treble winning season in 2017, winning the MLS Cup, Supporters’ Shield and the Canadian Championship, becoming the first MLS Club to win a domestic treble.

“I wish Greg nothing but the best in the future, said Toronto FC President Bill Manning. “Back in 2014 he took over the head coach duties for a team that had never made the playoffs and turned them into an MLS champion. More than that, he is of high character and a great family man. I thank him for time well served for our club, his legacy here in Toronto is secure.”

During his time with TFC, Vanney’s side qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs five times in the past six seasons (2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020), appeared in three MLS Cup Finals (2016, 2017, 2019) and were Concacaf Champions League finalists (2018). In addition, under Vanney the club has won three Canadian Championships (2016, 2017, 2018) and three Eastern Conference Championships (2016, 2017, 2019). Vanney was named both the MLS Coach of the Year and Concacaf Coach of the Year in 2017.

“During the time that I got to work with Greg, I was so impressed with his knowledge of the game, his passion for teaching and his ability to connect with players. Getting to the MLS Cup final last year and contending until the final week this year for the Supporters’ Shield, despite so many obstacles, shows what type of coach, man, and friend that he is,” said Toronto FC General Manager Ali Curtis. “I will miss working with Greg and wish him and his family all the best in their future endeavours.”

Vanney originally joined Toronto FC as the club’s assistant general manager and academy director on December 11, 2013. Vanney became the ninth head coach in club history on August 31, 2014 and was also named the club’s technical director at that time.

The search for Vanney’s replacement will begin immediately.

-TORONTO FOOTBALL CLUB-