National Sports

The Toronto Raptors were the hottest team in the NBA in early March, on a league-best four-game winning streak, coming off a solid west coast road swing and having just clinched a playoff spot.

TORONTO — All-Star defenceman Dougie Hamilton won’t play for the Carolina Hurricanes in Saturday’s opener against the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference’s expanded playoff qualifying round.

Sophie Schmidt and Alphonso Davies have been named Canada Soccer's Players of the Month for July after helping their teams lift trophies. Schmidt and the Houston Dash won the Challenge Cup, capping the NWSL's return to play.

The Toronto Raptors will treat both national anthems as "one long song" ahead of their opening game of the NBA restart on Saturday, according to coach Nick Nurse.

SILVERSTONE, England — Montreal's Lance Stroll led the second practice for the British Grand Prix on Friday while struggling Ferrari had another bad day, with Sebastian Vettel spending most of it stuck in the team garage.

TORONTO — Shea Weber is fine being the underdog. Good thing, because the Montreal Canadiens and their captain are certainly that heading into the team's qualifying round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

TORONTO — A lot has changed since the NHL last dropped the puck for a game that mattered.

Canadian international striker Marcus Haber, who spent last season with Pacific FC, has joined Cavalry FC. The 31-year-old from Vancouver has won 27 caps for Canada with three goals.

Whitecaps coach Marc Dos Santos, who speaks English, French, Spanish and Portuguese, switched to French when he wanted to pass on a message through one of his players during Vancouver's game with San Jose at the MLS is Back Tournament.

EDMONTON — The recently woebegone Vancouver Canucks are retooled and ready to make some noise in the NHL's return to play tournament, but first must avoid being smothered by the Minnesota Wild.