MONTREAL - The Montreal Alouettes signed former NFL receiver Preston Williams on Friday. The terms of the contract were not disclosed. Williams, 27, played 25 NFL games from 2019 to 2022 with the Miami Dolphins and Carolina Panthers, totalling 787 yards on 56 receptions. The Lovejoy, Ga., native caught 428 yards in eig...

SINGAPORE - Canada's women evened their record at the Singapore Sevens with a 28-7 win over Spain after opening with a 5-0 loss to Ireland. The Canadian women, who came into the rugby sevens tournament in fifth place in the season standings after six events, wrap up Pool A play Saturday against unbeaten New Zealand. Ca...

DENVER (AP) - Valeri Nichushkin is lifting the Colorado Avalanche after taking the time to help himself. The hard-charging, fast-moving Russian forward was gone for nearly two months of the regular season as he received care from the NHLPA/NHL Player Assistance Program for issues that were not disclosed. This was on t...

OTTAWA - The goal is simple for Ottawa's Professional Women's Hockey League team when they close out their regular-season Sunday night in Toronto. Win and they're in. Ottawa (8-1-6-8) and Boston (7-4-3-9) enter the weekend tied at 32 points, but Ottawa holds fourth place in the standings and the final playoff spot with...

CALGARY - Forwards Connor Bedard, Adam Fantilli and Macklin Celebrini will be part of a young Canadian squad looking to defend its gold medal at this year's world men's hockey championship, Hockey Canada released its initial 22-player roster Friday for the tournament that runs May 10-26 in Prague and Ostrava, Czechia. ...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Fate has not been kind to Mike Repole in the Kentucky Derby. The outspoken owner is 0 for 7, although he is perhaps best known for his two champions that never made the starting gate. In 2011, Uncle Mo was scratched the day before the race because of a gastrointestinal infection. Last year, Forte...

While this weekend's goal is to qualify for the Paris Olympics, Canada's men's 4x100-metre relay team is aiming higher. Canada will have its men's 4x100, 4x400, women's 4x100 and 4x400, as well as a 4x400 mixed relay team at the World Athletic Relays in Nassau, Bahamas. The first 14 of 16 qualifying spots for the Games...

TORONTO - Italian star Lorenzo Insigne, working his way back from a hamstring injury, was on the field with the rest of Toronto FC on Friday while fellow designated player Richie Laryea, recovering from hamstring surgery, was seen running with a trainer. That was the good news, with Insigne possibly returning as early ...

MADRID - Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime has advanced to his first ATP Masters final, and he hasn't had to play all that much tennis to do it. Auger-Aliassime moved on to the final of the Madrid Open clay-court tournament Friday after semifinal opponent Jiri Lehecka of Czechia retired due to injury with their match ti...

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The Los Angeles Lakers fired coach Darvin Ham on Friday after just two seasons in charge. The Lakers announced on social media that they were dismissing Ham four days after their season ended with a first-round playoff loss to Denver in five games. Ham led Los Angeles to the Western Conference finals...

VANCOUVER - As the Vancouver Whitecaps celebrate a half-century of soccer history, Brian White has carved out a spot in the club's record book. Last Saturday, the New Jersey native scored in the 15th minute of the 1-1 road draw against the New York Red Bulls, the club that traded White to Vancouver on June 2, 2021. The...

Team Reid Carruthers has added Catlin Schneider to its lineup at third to fill a vacancy caused by the recent departure of Brad Jacobs. Carruthers, who moved from fourth to third midway through last season, will go back to throwing last rock for the Winnipeg-based foursome. Jacobs left the rink last month to fill the v...

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - The young Oklahoma City Thunder finally are drawing national attention with a high-scoring offence led by MVP finalist Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. A closer look shows the defence is just as responsible for the Thunder claiming the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs and sweeping the New Orle...

PITTSBURGH (AP) - The Pittsburgh Penguins fired assistant coach Todd Reirden on Friday, just over two weeks after the organization missed out on the playoffs for a second straight season. Reirden was in charge of Pittsburgh's power play. The Penguins struggled while on the man advantage all season despite having a star...

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - The memory of being unable to help the Carolina Hurricanes in the NHL playoffs last year still stings for Andrei Svechnikov. He has opened this post-season like a man savouring every moment of his return. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound forward who missed last year's post-season with a knee injury had a st...

UTSUNOMIYA, Japan - Paige Crozon had a team-high 10 points Friday as Canada opened with a 19-12 win over Kenya at a women's 3x3 basketball Olympic qualifying tournament. Crozon was effective from long-range with four two-pointers. Twin sisters Michelle and Katherine Plouffe added six rebounds apiece in the win. After a...

IRVING, Texas (AP) - Former Oregon State and Nebraska coach Mike Riley has been named to the College Football Playoff selection committee, executive director Bill Hancock announced Friday. Riley, who won two Grey Cups (1988, 1990) as head coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, will replace Pat Chun, who stepped down from ...

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) - The Buffalo Bills announced the signings of Canadian wide receiver Chase Claypool, defensive end Dawuane Smoot and linebacker Deion Jones to one-year contracts on Friday. In a continuing need to upgrade their receiving corps after trading star Stefon Diggs and losing Gabe Davis in free agency,...

TORONTO - A career that started on the practice roster has earned Chad Owens a spot in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. The electrifying returner/receiver topped a stellar 2024 class announced Friday. Also named were players S.J. Green, Weston Dressler, Marvin Coleman and Vince Goldsmith with former CFL coach Ray Ja...

MADRID (AP) - Andrey Rublev beat Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-3 and reached the final of the Madrid Open on Friday. Rublev broke Fritz once in each set while never seeing his serve in danger. The eighth-ranked Russian will face Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime or Jiri Lehecka in Sunday's final. Rublev is seeking his 16th career...

ST. JOHN'S, N.L. - A funeral is being held today for hockey broadcasting legend Bob Cole in his hometown of St. John's, N.L. The service is set to begin at 2 p.m. local time at St. Thomas' Anglican Church in the heart of the city. Cole was a giant of Canadian sports broadcasting and his career spanned more than half a ...

NASHVILLE - Rick Tocchet drew ample respect during his 18 seasons as an NHL player. Now he's doing the same behind the bench - and leading the Vancouver Canucks to their best season in over a decade in the process. Tocchet was named a finalist for the Jack Adams Trophy on Friday, awarded annually to the NHL's top hea...

NEW YORK - Rick Bowness of the Winnipeg Jets, Rick Tocchet of the Vancouver Canucks and Andrew Brunette of the Nashville Predators are the finalists for this season's Jack Adams Award. The award is presented annually to the head coach of the year as voted by members of the NHL Broadcasters' Association. Bowness guided ...

TORONTO - Sheldon Keefe's team had a decision to make. The Maple Leafs head coach watched his players put in a terrible Game 4 performance on home ice against the Boston Bruins - one that left them sitting in a 3-1 series hole against an opponent seemingly on cruise control to the second round of the Stanley Cup tourn...

MONTREAL - The Montreal Canadiens signed defenceman Adam Engstrom to a three-year, entry-level contract on Friday. The 20-year-old Engstrom had four goals and 18 assists in 51 games for Rögle BK of the Swedish Hockey League this season, ranking second among defencemen on his team with 22 points. The six-foot-two, ...

MONTREAL - CF Montreal head Laurent Courtois says the club wants Mathieu Choiniere to stay after a report the homegrown midfielder is seeking a trade surfaced earlier this week. The Athletic reported Wednesday that Choiniere requested a trade from the Major League Soccer club after talks of a contract extension died do...

CALGARY - Canada's para hockey team gets another swing at winning a world championship on home ice. Canada hosted the world para hockey championship for the first time in 2023 in Moose Jaw, Sask., where the home team took the silver medal behind the United States. The 2024 edition at Calgary's WinSport Arena, where the...

The Toronto Maple Leafs survived to see another day on Thursday night, while the Vancouver Canucks look to avoid allowing Nashville to do the same on Friday. Here are five things to know entering Friday's post-season action: LEAFS SURVIVE The Toronto Maple Leafs managed to survive to see a Game 7 on Thursday night. Sta...