I cheered for the Los Angeles Kings in 1993. It was the year the Maple Leafs were supposed to win the Cup. Doug Gilmour appeared to have the will all his own to haul Toronto out of the cell of infamy they had been trapped in since last capturing a championship in 1967.

The team's captain set Toronto club records for points and assists in a season, was nominated for the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP, and won the Selke Trophy as the league's top defensive forward. As the playoffs progressed and the Leafs took on the guise of a team destined to end a quarter-century of disaster, the city became a torrent of energy and enthusiasm. Everyone had a story about the run to the NHL semi-finals, whether it was a pair of tickets scored at the last minute or a serendipitous encounter with Wendel Clark outside of Maple Leaf Gardens.

The good news for Canada's four playoff-bound NHL teams is they are guaranteed to have a second-round presence. That's because the Ottawa Senators will face the Montreal Canadiens in the opening round, a matchup that came as a result of Ottawa's 3-2 victory over Boston on Sunday night in the league's final game of the regular season.

When the Toronto Blue Jays placed Jose Reyes on the disabled list on Saturday, they not only put a lot of hits and stolen bases on the shelf but a ton of cash as well.

Reyes is the most expensive member of a very pricey roster. The All-Star shortstop acquired in an off-season trade with the Miami Marlins is making an average of $17.7 million (all figures U.S.) on a six-year contract that expires in 2018.

The only other Blue Jays whose salaries average more than $10 million are left-handed starting pitcher Mark Buehrle ($14.5 million) and right-fielder Jose Bautista ($13 million), according to Major League Baseball.

For 2013, Bautista leads the team in salary with $14 million while right-handed starter Josh Johnson, also obtained in the blockbuster deal with the Marlins, is making $13.75 million. Buehrle will earn $13 million this year and Reyes, who was hurt Friday night in Kansas City while sliding awkwardly into second base, will collect $10 million. As a team, the Jays rank 10th in salary for 2013, with the roster making $117,035,100.

Interestingly, outgoing Rogers CEO Nadir Mohamed earns $5.6 million, which would make him only the eighth-highest-paid Blue Jay. Rogers owns the team that entered the 2013 season as one of the favourites to win the World Series.

Don't feel Mohamed is getting a bad deal, though. Last month Rogers released documents that showed Mohamed will receive an $18.5-million package when he retires in 2014.

Click through the gallery to find out what each of the top 10 is making this season:

As Opening Day arrives, the Toronto Blue Jays are in a position they haven't been for two decades: They enter the baseball season as World Series favourites. The addition of three elite starting pitchers - Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey, Mark Buehrle and Josh Johnson - as well as All-Star position players Jose Reyes and Melky Cabrera ensure the Blue Jays will be one of the most exciting teams to watch in 2013. The offseason moves have rekindled thoughts of the feats former general manager Pat Gillick pulled off in the early 1990s. Whether this team can bring the glory days of 1992-93 back to Toronto will not be revealed for months. For now, what we do know is the electricity that has been absent during the past 20 years - as the Jays have failed to come within even a warning-track flyball of the postseason - will be back. They are going to be competitive. Game days will be exciting, bars and restaurants will be full, hotels will enjoy a boost with visitors coming in to see the hottest show in town.

If you're going to see a game, here are five tips to save you money and help you get the most out of the Blue Jays' experience:

Tickets are expensive, parking is obscene, beer prices at the arena are outrageous, yet there are ways to be budget-conscious during your night at the rink.

Here are some of tips to help you play goalie and save money next time you plan an outing to an NHL game.

To view the gallery click here, or on the picture below:

Iveta Koskina has seen Canadians rack up their retirement dollars through some fine-tuning of their portfolios and she's also noticed a lot of people miss out "simply because of a lack of knowledge."

A senior financial planner with a proven track record, Koskina has plenty of knowledge to impart to existing and prospective clients, especially in the midst of RRSP season. She offers these three tips for making the most of your registered retirement savings plan.

Financial planner Iveta Koskina recently met with a pair of clients who were both Ontario teachers, making a combined annual income of more than $190,000 and yet they had $100,000 of RRSP room that they weren't using.

"When we talk RRSP, they are the ones who should really be doing their RRSPs, because of their tax bracket," Koskina says of the teachers, whose income would be taxed at well over 40 per cent without a contribution in a registered retirement savings plan. "Instead, he's making $100,000, she's making $90,000, but they have no money to invest and that's because of inappropriate investing and poor debt planning."
Koskina consults for Investors Group Financial Services, the largest financial planning company in Canada, with more than 1 million clients, and the first pioneer of mutual funds in the nation. The number one mistake she sees Canadians making is failing to put money into their RRSP accounts. A Royal Bank of Canada report last week showed Canadians are investing into RRSP accounts at such a low rate, the contribution amount will fall below 2 per cent of disposable income by 2017 - a level not seen since the 1970s.

A generation ago, you were told to never leave home without your desired credit card. In the 21st century, you don't go on the road without a stash of travel apps at your fingertips. Apps are most often seen as tools to keep you organized (such as Apple's Passbook) or resources to keep you on track while in your destination (like city guide apps). Savvy travellers, however, are also taking advantage of apps and websites that can save you money while you plan your trip and when you're already on the road. Here are five travel apps to add to your smartphone (all are free and available on iPhone and Android devices like Google Play), and five websites we find indispensible when planning our next trips.

You want to escape to the warmth and sun, but work and finances mean you can't do that for more than one or two weeks each winter. So, rather than lament living in a cold climate, why not embrace it?

To make the best of what Canadian winters have to offer, take advantage of these free or inexpensive activities that just may make you appreciate those below-zero temperatures a little bit. And who knows: you might fall in love with winter if you give it a chance!

The question heading into Black Friday is not whether Canadians will save money shopping, but if they'll be going over the border to do it. Last November, 4.2 million Canadians hopped over to the United States, many of them to take advantage of post-Thanksgiving Day deals.


Since 2007, Canadians have been travelling to the U.S. in November in increasing numbers.But in 2012 there may be a change. For one thing, more Canadian retailers are offering deep discounts to compete with their U.S. counterparts. This year has also seen the introduction of more U.S.-based stores across Canada, including the first Marshall's franchises, the discount clothing retailer that opened in Toronto this summer. While the prices at those stores are still higher than in the U.S., their arrival brings more choice as well as more Black Friday-related marketing initiatives aimed at keeping Canadians - and their money - closer to home.




BLACK FRIDAY CANADA 2012:
5 Things You Shouldn't Buy on Black Friday
Black Friday Sales: The Big Guide to Deals, Stores and Opening Times
Where to Find the Best Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals
Survival Tips for Black Friday 2012
Black Friday Shopping Strategies
Walmart Black Friday Starts at 8 pm Thursday