MADRID (AP) - Home-crowd favorite Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the Madrid Open on Wednesday because of leg injuries. The third-ranked Spaniard said he has not fully recovered from the upper leg ailment that bothered him during the Barcelona Open final last Sunday. He also said he has a left leg injury. His first appear...

TORONTO - The owners of the Grand Slam of Curling series are planning to introduce a professional curling league next season. The Curling Group says the "Rock League" will debut in April 2026. The league will feature six global franchise teams competing in a multi-format six-week season. Teams will be organiz...

LOS ANGELES - There's been one stark difference in the battle between the Edmonton Oilers and L.A. Kings this post-season: special teams. Three power-play goals lifted the Kings to a 6-2 victory over the Oilers in Game 2 of their first-round series on Wednesday. L.A. now leads the best-of-seven matchup 2-0. The Kings h...

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Adrian Kempe had two third-period goals and two assists, captain Anze Kopitar added a goal and three assists, and the Los Angeles Kings routed the Edmonton Oilers 6-2 on Wednesday night to seize a 2-0 lead in their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series. Quinton Byfield and Andrei Kuzmenko scored for...

DENVER (AP) - Tyler Seguin scored at 5:31 of overtime after Dallas killed a late double-minor penalty, and the Stars beat Colorado 2-1 in Game 3 on Wednesday night in a contest that featured the return of Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog. Dallas took a 2-1 lead in the first-round series with its second straight over...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Connor McMichael and Dylan Strome scored a minute apart early in the second period, Logan Thompson made some spectacular stops among his 25 saves and the Washington Capitals beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-1 on Wednesday night in Game 2 to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven first-round series. Thompso...

DENVER (AP) - Tyler Seguin scored at 5:31 of overtime after Dallas killed a late double-minor penalty, and the Stars beat Colorado 2-1 in Game 3 on Wednesday night in a game that featured the return of Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog. Dallas took a 2-1 lead in the first-round series with its second straight overtim...

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Adrian Kempe had two third-period goals and two assists, captain Anze Kopitar added a goal and three assists, and the Los Angeles Kings routed the Edmonton Oilers 6-2 on Wednesday night to seize a 2-0 lead in the first-round Stanley Cup playoff series. Quinton Byfield and Andrei Kuzmenko scored for t...

WASHINGTON - The Montreal Canadiens know they're close to beating the Washington Capitals, but Juraj Slafkovsky believes anything short of their very best won't be enough. "There's always something lacking. We always talk about today was this, tomorrow it's something," said the visibly upset Canadiens forward...

HOUSTON (AP) - Christian Walker homered in a three-run second, Ryan Gusto pitched well into the sixth and the Houston Astros beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 on Wednesday night to sweep the three-game series. Walker led off the second with a home run to left off Bowden Francis (2-3), Yainer Diaz tripled and scored on Zac...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Connor McMichael and Dylan Strome scored a minute apart early in the second period, Logan Thompson made some spectacular stops among his 25 saves and the Washington Capitals beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-1 on Wednesday night to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven first-round series. Thompson was at h...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Connor McMichael and Dylan Strome scored a minute apart early in the second period, Logan Thompson made some spectacular stops among his 25 saves and the Washington Capitals beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-1 on Wednesday night in Game 2 to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven first-round series. Thompso...

TORONTO - Brad Grant is following in his father's footsteps. The longtime harness-racing owner was named for induction into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame as a builder Wednesday. He joins his father, John, who went into the shrine in 1998, also as a builder. Brad Grant has, either solely or in partnership, owne...

The judge overseeing the sprawling $2.8 billion antitrust lawsuit settlement involving the NCAA and the nation's five largest conferences delayed final approval of the plan Wednesday until it is modified to address concerns about roster limits. U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken signaled she is ready to approve the res...

Savannah Grewal is still getting used to playing on the LPGA Tour, including normalizing playing in majors. Grewal, from Mississauga, Ont., is in her sophomore season on the top women's golf circuit in the world and is one of three Canadians in the field at this week's Chevron Championship, the first major of the year....

CALGARY - Canada's rallying cry for the next Winter Games has an undertone of the current geopolitical climate. Both Olympians and Paralympians will compete under the slogan "We Are All Team Canada" in less than a year in Milan-Cortina, Italy. Canadian Olympic Committee chief executive officer David Shoemaker...

VANCOUVER - The home team might not be the main attraction for what is expected to be a capacity crowd when the Vancouver Whitecaps face Inter Miami FC Thursday night in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinal. Many of the fans coming to BC Place Stadium will be excited about the prospect of seeing socc...

OTTAWA - Down 2-0 in their NHL first-round playoff series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Ottawa Senators find themselves facing an uphill battle. The Senators are now back home, looking to draw on the hard lessons of the past few years and push back with everything they've got in Game 3 on Thursday. "I think...

Canada women's soccer coach Casey Stoney has added Natalie Henderson, Neil Wood and Ian Willcock as full-time members of her coaching staff. The three join performance analyst Yianni Michelis on Stoney's staff. Wood was a member of former coach Bev Priestman's staff at the Paris Olympics Henderson, a native of Newcastl...

WINNIPEG - Alex Iafallo is always willing to lend a helping hand - on and off the ice. The Winnipeg Jets forward has moved up and down the lineup this season without a complaint. He also signed a three-year contract extension before the NHL playoffs for less money than his previous deal. And during the COVID-19 pandemi...

LOS ANGELES - Evander Kane will return to the Edmonton Oilers lineup on Wednesday for his first game of the NHL season. Head coach Kris Knoblauch says both Kane, a winger, and defenceman John Klingberg will play for Edmonton in Game 2 of the team's first-round playoff series against the L.A. Kings. Kane has not played ...

MADRID - Bianca Andreescu made a triumphant return to WTA 1000-level tennis Wednesday with a 6-2, 6-4 win over McCartney Kessler of the United States in first-round action at the Madrid Open. The 24-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., converted all four break-point chances against Kessler. The American was far less opport...

WINNIPEG - Gabriel Vilardi will travel with the Winnipeg Jets on their upcoming road trip to St. Louis. The talented winger practised with the team again Wednesday in a yellow non-contact jersey. Head coach Scott Arniel said he'll be on the flight to Missouri. The Jets play the Blues in Game 3 of their Western Conferen...

VANCOUVER - The Professional Women's Hockey League has taken its first step in a bigger plan to grow the league. The PWHL announced an expansion franchise for Vancouver on Wednesday to add a seventh team to start play next season. The league started in 2023 with six teams in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, New York, Boston ...

TORONTO - Anthony Stolarz has taken on plenty of supporting roles. After a junior career where he often split the net, the hulking goaltender spent most of the next decade riding American Hockey League buses and NHL benches. Stolarz saw an opportunity when he signed with the Maple Leafs in free agency last summer. He's...

TORONTO - The chief executive of Rogers Communications Inc. says the company is keen to unlock underappreciated value from its growing collection of sports assets after extending its national hockey broadcast rights and signing a deal to expand its stake in Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. Rogers believes its spo...

NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah figures Canadians Elic Ayomanor, Kurtis Rourke and Taylor Elgersma will need a little patience before learning where their NFL futures lie. All three are available for the '25 NFL draft, which begins Thursday night in Green Bay, Wisc., with opening-round selections. Second- and...

PRAGUE (AP) - Czech leaders have condemned threats made by a former Russian president and prime minister against NHL great Dominik Hasek for his critical stance of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Dmitry Medvedev, who is currently deputy head of Russia's Security Council chaired by President Vladimir Putin, said throug...