National Sports

TORONTO — Each time Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo has made a pitch to free agents this off-season , there's one topic he's known will come up. “The number one question is if we’re going to play in Toronto,” Montoyo said Friday.

TAMPA, Fla. — One of the first things Nick Nurse noticed when he walked onto the floor of Amalie Arena was the Toronto Raptors' 2019 NBA championship banner hanging from the rafters.

The National Hockey League and players reached a tentative deal Friday to hold a 56-game season in 2021, pending the approval of each side’s executive board and Canadian health officials. The season would start Jan. 13.

Canadian midfielder Sophie Schmidt, who scored the winning goal for Houston in the Challenge Cup final, has signed a new contract with the Dash. The NWSL team says the deal runs through 2022 with a club option for 2023.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders have released Canadian defensive lineman Zack Evans. The Regina native and two-time Grey Cup champion has played in eight CFL seasons with the Roughriders and Ottawa Redblacks.

As a player, Thierry Henry knew the emotional side of soccer could be tough. Now, after an unusual season as head coach of the Montreal Impact, he has a whole new appreciation for what players go through.

EDMONTON — Kirby Dach has been named captain of Canada's team for the upcoming world junior hockey championship.

Midway through the rainy, windy London Marathon in October, Cam Levins' hands got so cold, he had to grip his water bottle with both hands to drink.

TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays have signed infielder Richard Ureña, outfielder Forrest Wall and infielder Tyler White to minor-league contracts with an invitation to Major League spring training.

EDMONTON — The International Ice Hockey Federation says eight players from Germany's team at the world junior hockey championship have tested positive for COVID-19 inside the Edmonton bubble.