TORONTO - Nine months ago, the world shook for Mikhail Grabovski. Fatherhood greeted him for the first time that December with the birth of his first child, daughter Leeliah. Life was never the same. "It changed my life completely," said Grabovski, "because youre playing not for yourself, but for your family. That motivates you." Discarded by the Montreal Canadiens organization - for Greg Pateryn and a second round pick - in the summer of 2008, Grabovski has rapidly evolved into one of the Leafs most important players. With a gritty sense of determination and reckless flair, hes become the symbol of rising young talent in Toronto. The 27-year-old was arguably the teams best player last season, totaling a career-high 29 goals and 58 points, also leading the team with a plus-14 rating. A shifty, sparkplug in between Clarke MacArthur and Nikolai Kulemin, Grabovski is the engine that drives the teams top line. Tuesday night offered the perfect example. Unsuspectingly rocked by the shoulder of Senators forward Chris Neil early in the third period, Grabovski returned to the ice minutes later - he visited the dressing room for concussion tests with an on-site doctor - capping a two-goal performance with an assist on MacArthurs first of the preseason. "Grabos the toughest guy on our team so its going to take a little more than that to knock him out of the game," said Ron Wilson, following the game. "Hell always come back." Last season during a February tilt in Boston, Grabovski was the victim of a pair of devastating hits from Bruins captain Zdeno Chara. After the second instance - when he was crunched face-first into the end-boards -Grabovski stumbled half-dazed to the bench, but returned to score his second goal of the evening, the game-winner in a 4-3 Leafs victory. With rising performance has come growing leadership. As one of the longest-serving Leafs on the current roster - only Kulemin and Luke Schenn have played more games - Grabovski has come to feel a greater sense of ownership over the success of the team. "[He] feels leadership on the team and started playing like a leader," said Kulemin, his closest friend on the team. "When you feel like you need to be leader, its easy for you to play. [It] gives you more motivation to play better every game." Perhaps his most faithful and enduring booster, Wilson often selects Grabovski to wear the A as an alternate captain. "Its a reward for how professional he is," said Wilson. "A leader, you dont have to say anything - its how you approach practices and the games. He shows up, gives everything hes got every night and he works as hard, if not harder than anybody during practice." Once dogged by a feisty and somewhat mercurial reputation as a Montreal Canadiens draft pick, Grabovski has settled down to comfort in Toronto. This December, he and girlfriend Kate, are expecting their second child. "Im older right now," concluded Grabovski. "In Montreal Im young - I dont have so much experience in the NHL. Its just life. Life changes all the time." -- In a minute and a half, Cody Fransons life changed forever. The Sicamous, British Columbia native had never been traded - at any level – before landing with the Leafs this summer in a deal which also sent Matthew Lombardi to Toronto in exchange for Brett Lebda. After just over a month in the city - he landed for good on August 24 - Franson is starting to find his place. "Id say the toughest thing is leaving the guys that youve been playing with for so long," he said. "When youre in a place for a while you start to feel like those guys are your family almost; you see them everyday [and] youre very comfortable in that type of situation. "When you come to a new place, its a bunch of new guys. I didnt know anybody here except for [Luke Schenn] when I first came here. That was a new experience. Getting to know a new city, trying to find your way around [and] I dont have a car here yet so I have to ask guys for rides. "It feels like Im in junior again a little bit." Tyler Bozak provided the first ride to the rink and has since become a reliable guide for the 23-year-old Franson, who came to town three weeks before training camp to acclimate himself with new teammates. "Im still trying to get to know everybody a little bit," said Franson. "Ive been here for a while, [but] its tough to get out and get to know everybody at once until you go out as a team where everybodys together. It takes awhile." -- Three early goals in Ottawa spelled a rough first period for James Reimer. Perfect for the final two frames (20 shots), the 23-year-old drew praise for his resiliency. "Thats really important for him and his confidence," said Wilson. "He struggled in the first period, especially with rebounds and as the game wore on you hope your goalie can overcome that and he did." "Thats pretty big," said Reimer, "just because thats a situation that will probably come up during the season - as much as I would hate it to let in three goals in the first - thats something that will sometimes to come up. "And so to be able battle through that and fight through that and stay in that game and for us as a team to come out as a win, thats huge." One of the most impressive aspects of Reimers run last season was his ability to respond, be it to a bad goal, period or game. "I just try not to get ahead of myself," he explained, "try not to think of what if I let in one more goal? I just try and stay calm and let it all slide off my back, not think about it, not even think of what the score is. I try and tell myself its zero-zero, just make the next save." ... New York Jets Jerseys . Harper launched two long home runs, including a tiebreaking drive in the eighth inning, and also doubled Saturday to lead the Washington Nationals over the New York Mets 7-6. Cheap NFL Jerseys . Jeremy Hill rushed for a career-high 127 yards and a touchdown, and the sixth-ranked Tigers controlled Texas A&Ms dual-threat quarterback to rally from an early deficit and beat the 20th-ranked Aggies 24-19 at Kyle Field on Saturday. ht... . In his first start since being called up, Atlantas winningest pitcher in 2011 allowed one run on three hits and shut down the hot-hitting Boston Red Sox, leading the Braves to a 4-1 win on Friday night. [url=http://www.chinajerseyscheap.us.com/nike-nfl-jerseys_carolina-panthers-jers... Carolina Panthers Jerseys . "That was a good character win for us," said Battalion forward Brandon Robinson. "Matej (Machovsky) has been great for us all year." Philip Lane scored twice and Robinson chipped in with a goal of his own for Brampton (15-10-4). jerseys from china . Seabrook said that he did not want to go inside to a quiet room to be assessed, but that his trainers forced him to follow the NHLs new mandate. The protocol was not initiated after the first hit by Torres, even though Seabrook stayed down on the ice for a few seconds. The NHL believes the case was handled appropriately since Seabrook showed no visible disorientation at the time and had no trouble getting to his feet after the Torres hit. SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Randy Moss playfully chased reserve nose tackle Ian Williams toward the locker room after practice and razzed the second-year pro with each step. It was hardly a fair deal, given Moss stellar speed even at age 35 against the 305-pound Williams. "Im not running with you, man," Moss joked amid laughs and smiles from both men. While Moss is having a blast as he begins anew with the 49ers after a year out of football, former San Francisco star Terrell Owens is doing the same thing in the Pacific Northwest. Still bold and brash, T.O. signs autographs shirtless in Seattle -- getting his fresh start at age 38 with the Niners NFC West rival also following a season away from the NFL. Both are determined to once again become the dominating deep threats they were in their primes. Neither cares to speak publicly about his efforts to return to the top form that put them among the best wideouts to ever play. Moss and Owens have a couple of things in common: a shared confidence they can still catch the ball against younger, more athletic NFL defenders, and a defiant attitude aimed at those who want to label them or knock shaky reputations they insist arent all theyve been made out to be. Owens clearly still has some catching up to do. He missed five chances on passes thrown his way in his debut during a 30-10 win at Denver last Saturday. He has struggled to find his role or connect with competing Seattle quarterbacks Matt Flynn and rookie Russell Wilson. Owens dropped a potential 46-yard touchdown against the Broncos and hasnt stood out in practice the same way as Braylon Edwards, the Seahawks other new veteran wide receiver, who played last year with San Francisco. Owens, these days showing a spiritual side after a couple of rough years, has had little time to learn Pete Carrolls West Coast offence. Moss, meanwhile, has looked speedy and in sync playing in the 49ers system since Day 1 wearing his new No. 84 jersey. During Tuesdays practice, safety C.J. Spillman jumped in front of Moss to break up a pass from Alex Smith. Spillman and Moss -- two former college stars at Marshall during different times -- then started laughing in a regular light moment for the defending division champion 49ers (No. 4 in the AP Pro32). Moss has little time to worry about what people might say about him. "I just love to play football," he said. "All that other stuff, I will leave up to you all. I have been playing football since I was 6 years old. The love that I have for the game of football is going to always be in me." Keeping Owens in check mentally will be a big part of Carrolls challenge. In 2006, T.O. made headlines for what police initially considered a suicide attempt but later was classified as an "accidental overdose" of prescription medication. Owens publicist emphatically denied he had attempted suicide, saying an assistant arrived at Owens home after he took a sleeping aid. Following surgery on his left knee in 2011, Owens began his football return this spring with the Allen Wranglers of the Indoor Football League, making 35 catches for 420 yards and 10 touchdowns while playing eight of 11 games. He was then released and lost an ownership stake in the team in May. Not that it seems to have affected his swagger. Hes plenty happy to flaunt his fit physique as he pushes 40. Owens Twitter handle notes that he is "No. 10 for the Seahawks, No. 81 in my heart." "Eighty-one was not available so I took No. 10," he said. "I look good in 10 and its going to be my number." Owens appears as confident as ever as he begins his 16th season with a sixth different team. Hee last played for Cincinnati in 2010, finishing with 72 catches for 983 yards and nine touchdowns.dddddddddddd He has 1,078 career receptions for 15,934 yards and 153 touchdowns -- the second-most TD catches in NFL history behind Hall of Famer Jerry Rices 197. Owens joined the Seahawks (No. 22 in the AP Pro32) on Aug. 6, so he didnt have the same kind of prep time Moss did to get to know his teammates and a new offence through a full off-season program. Moss -- minus those dreadlocks that used to define his look -- is chasing his 11th 1,000-yard season, which would move him closer to Rices record mark of 14. He spent a rocky 2010 season with New England, Minnesota and Tennessee. "I dont know if theres any one thing -- I think the joy of the game comes out for sure," Smith said of playing with Moss. "You can see it out there, how much he likes being out there, how much he likes being around his teammates. Hes got a great sense of humour, but hes out there working." Moss is winning over his coaches and teammates before he has even helped them win a single game. He doesnt need to say much as long as he keeps doing what he has so far, if you ask coach Jim Harbaugh. The 6-foot-4 Moss zigzags to shake defenders, shuffles to show off his fancy footwork and puts just a little bit extra into his routes -- and that effort and energy has rubbed off on Michael Crabtree and others in his unit. They listen to him, intently. Harbaugh loves tall wideouts with soft hands and the athletic ability to outleap cornerbacks and safeties to make game-breaking plays. "Hes always talking about football," Harbaugh said. "Never come up on him when hes in one of those loud, gregarious moods, where hes not talking about football. Trying to catch him in one of those moments, but have not been successful yet, which is a great sign. He really enjoys it, he really loves football." Moss signed a one-year deal in mid-March only hours after he worked out with former NFL quarterback and reigning NFL Coach of the Year Harbaugh. Harbaugh and general manager Trent Baalke hope the risk they took on Moss will pay off considering 49ers receivers produced only one catch for 3 yards in a 20-17 loss in the NFC championship game to the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants. Moss presence on the practice field provides a daily push for Vic Fangios defence, too. "You have to be up on your game each and every snap that you face him," said cornerback Carlos Rogers, who shared the team lead with six interceptions in 2011. "We have fun with it. Its something that we embrace. " Moss has said his absence had nothing to do with football. "One thing that I have learned that people dont like the truth, so Ill just wait until my book comes out just to see why I did walk away from the game for a year," he said. Moss best season came for the Patriots in 2007, when he caught 98 passes for 1,493 yards and a single-season record 23 touchdowns in helping lead New England to a 16-0 regular season. "Thats my guy. Hes a living legend right now," Crabtree said. "One of the best to ever play the position. Its just fun to be around him. " Moss told Rogers how much he missed football. Owens has similar sentiments. "Its all about being a part of something, rather than being the centre of something," Owens said. "Ive changed in a lot of ways in things that Ive learned in the last two years, and Ive had a lot of time to think about things. I just want to move forward and leave all the others things in the past behind me." ------ AP Sports Writer Tim Booth in Seattle contributed to this story. cheap jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '