MIAMI -- In their fitful, laborious search for a general manager, the Miami Dolphins finally found someone to say yes: Dennis Hickey. The longtime Tampa Bay Buccaneers executive accepted the job Sunday, ending a search that lasted nearly three weeks. Hickeys hiring came after the Dolphins were rejected by several candidates. New England Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio and Tennessee Titans vice-president of player personnel Lake Dawson turned down job offers only hours before Miami reached out to Hickey, while Cleveland Browns assistant general manager Ray Farmer withdrew from consideration Thursday. Several others declined invitations to interview as a replacement for Jeff Ireland, whose six-year stint as general manager ended Jan. 7 when he and owner Stephen Ross agreed to part ways. Hickey has been with the Buccaneers for 18 seasons, including the past three as director of player personnel. He was their director of college scouting for six years. He was not interviewed for Tampa Bays GM job when it became open after this season. The Bucs won four division titles and one Super Bowl championship during his time with them, but went 28-52 over the past five years and had spotty draft results during that span. Hickey was among eight candidates interviewed by Miami, with Ross aide Matt Higgins and executive vice-president of football administration Dawn Aponte helping the owner with the screening process. The other finalist was Dolphins assistant general manager Brian Gaine, who worked under Ireland. Some candidates and potential candidates expressed concern about the Dolphins power structure, including the role of Aponte, who clashed with Ireland. In a news release to announce the hiring, the Dolphins said Hickey will oversee all aspects of football operations and report directly to Ross. Coach Joe Philbin will continue to report directly to Ross as well, while Apontes place in the chain of command wasnt spelled out. Ross loyalty to Philbin, who is 15-17 in two seasons with Miami, may have been a stumbling block for some candidates. In a statement, Ross cited Hickeys willingness to work with Philbin as a factor in the hiring. "When we started the search, I outlined qualities that I was looking for in this position," Ross said. "These included a collaborative team-first person who can work with Joe, demonstrated player evaluation expertise, and someone who is open-minded and creative. Dennis fit all of these criteria." The Titans Dawson released a statement saying he had declined Miamis job offer. "I felt Stephen is a great owner, passionate and wants to win, but the details of the offer didnt align with my vision," Dawson said. "I turned it down because it wasnt an ideal fit for my family and me." So Ross turned to Hickey, who was interviewed for the first time 10 days into the search. The protracted process reinforced Ross reputation for having difficulty closing deals with the Dolphins. In the past, the New York real estate billionaire has unsuccessfully courted Peyton Manning, Jim Harbaugh and Jeff Fisher. Hickeys task will be to upgrade the roster after Miami collapsed late in the season to blow a playoff berth and finish 8-8. The Dolphins havent been above .500 since 2008, the longest such stretch in franchise history. The tumultuous 2013 season included a locker-room bullying scandal that drew national scrutiny, and a report on the NFL investigation into the case will be released after the Super Bowl. "The Dolphins certainly have talented players," Hickey said in a statement, "and I am eager to hit the ground running with our personnel and coaching staffs. We will all work together to construct a team that will make our organization and fans proud." Hickey will be introduced at a news conference Tuesday. AP Sports Writer Teresa M. Walker in Nashville, Tenn. contributed to this report. 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"It was nice to sleep in my own bed last night," Shields said after pitching Kansas City past the San Diego Padres 8-0 Wednesday.MONTREAL -- Brendan Gallagher felt a little hard done by the referees. In the final minute of play in Winnipegs 2-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday, Gallagher was roughed up by three different Jets players, preventing him from leaving the offensive zone. With their net empty, and an extra player on the ice for a Canadiens team looking for the equalizer, Gallagher was kept on the wrong side of the blue-line for roughly 20 seconds, keeping his team from entering Winnipegs zone. Gallagher was crosschecked into the net by Zach Bogosian, punched and then elbowed in the head by goaltender Al Montoya in the crease, and then elbowed again by defenceman Jacob Trouba. There was no call on the play. "There could have been five penalties there," said head coach Michel Therrien, who watched the replay before speaking to the media. "Were definitely going to ask the league for explications. Its very frustrating. It could have given us the chance to tie the game." But Montoya, who made 30 saves for his 10th win of the season, wasnt buying any of it, and suggested the Habs forward was doing his best to stay in the zone and draw a penalty. "No. 11?" Montoya asked, apparently not knowing Gallagher by name. "We were all caught up. The referees saw that. They were there. You know he was doing something for a reason." After the game, defenceman Josh Gorges spoke to the press on Gallaghers behalf, calling the five-foot-nine forward too "fired up" and "heated" to address questions about the games final minute. "I have to be careful with what I say," said Gorges. "It was pretty evident they were not allowing him to get out of the zone. He took a punch to the head from the goalie, got tripped up from the defenceman, and the guy coming off the bench gave him another shot." To make matters worse, Gallagher made three trips to the penalty box during the game, for roughing, holding, and tripping. He finished the game with two shots, six penalty-minutes and a minus-1 rating. "I cant comment on how (the referees) feel towards any one individual player," said Gorges. "I dont know if theres a grudge or something. Its too bad." With the game tied at 1-1 going into the third period, Michael Frolik scored the eventual winner at 1:04 after a Winnipeg dump-in was mishandled by netminder Carey Price. Thee Jets captain Andrew Ladd took the puck off Prices stick, and found a streaking Frolik in front of the net.dddddddddddd The Canadiens (29-21-6) kept the pressure on Montoya and the Jets in the final frame, but couldnt benefit from two power plays. Winnipeg held on for their eighth win in 10 games since Paul Maurice took over as head coach on Jan. 12. The Jets (27-25-5) are still in last place in the Central Division, but are only four points off the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Winnipeg has now won four of its last five on the road, and beat the Canadiens for the first time in seven encounters. "Weve made some pretty big strides," said Maurice. "Theres still a lot to cover. Its what we want our team to look like. We want to define what the Winnipeg Jets game is. And thats going to take a long time to do. "Were big and were fast and were young. And we want to use that. We want to be aggressive with our size and our speed." The Jets benefited from good speed by Tobias Enstrom in the second period when he opened the scoring at 9:13 on a great individual effort. The Winnipeg defenceman carried the puck along the end boards, circled the net and squeezed a shot under Prices glove on the wraparound for his sixth of the year. After hitting two posts in the period, the Canadiens got their equalizer courtesy of a quick release wrister by Brian Gionta at 17:06. While playing 4-on-4 hockey, the Canadiens captain took a pass from Tomas Plekanec on his backhand, quickly switched to the forehand and fired home a sharp shot into the roof of the net. And despite the incident with Gallagher in the dying seconds, Gorges thought the Canadiens shouldnt have left it so late. "Thats not what happened tonight, that wasnt the difference," said Gorges of the altercation. "But it was a frustrating end to the game." Price, playing his second game in as many days, made 33 saves in the loss. NOTES: Michael Bournival was back in the Canadiens lineup after missing Saturdays game with the flu. Christian Thomas dressed for the second straight game, while George Parros was a healthy scratch. a The Jets were without Evander Kane, the teams third-best goal scorer. Hes out with an infection in his hand. a The Canadiens beat the Jets 3-0 in the teams first encounter of the year on Oct. 15, 2013. They do not play again this season. ' ' '