National Sports

ST. LOUIS — Rick Tocchet is going to keep his distance. Quinn Hughes, meanwhile, admits it would be a lie to say he isn't interested to see how things play out.

TORONTO — Marc Gasol admits he never thought Pascal Siakam would amount to much when he first played against the Toronto Raptors' wiry forward.

Samuel Hlavaj entered the season as an unknown prospect in unfamiliar territory, passed over at last year's NHL draft.

TORONTO — There was a moment during his keynote speech Tuesday night that Masai Ujiri briefly looked at his phone. With the NBA trade deadline looming Feb.

OTTAWA — Quarterbacks Jonathon Jennings and Will Arndt were among 10 players released Thursday by the Ottawa Redblacks. Both Jennings and Arndt started games last season for Ottawa (3-15).

CHERRY BROOK, N.S. — Canada Post unveiled a commemorative stamp Thursday that pays tribute to an all-black hockey league that once thrived in the Maritimes — long before the NHL became part of Canadian lore.

HALIFAX — Brett Lauther will be returning home this summer. The CFL announced Thursday it will hold a regular-season game in Halifax in July.

Toronto FC signed their third homegrown player in as many days Thursday, adding 17-year-old forward Jayden Nelson to the first-team roster.

SAN DIEGO — Graham DeLaet has withdrawn from the PGA Tour's Farmers Insurance Open with a back injury, a familiar issue for the Canadian golfer. DeLaet, who turned 38 on Wednesday, dropped out Thursday before play began at the event.

LIVERPOOL, England — Former Canadian youth international goalkeeper Rylee Foster has joined the Liverpool women's team. The 21-year-old joins the Reds after four years at West Virginia University. Born in Kitchener, Ont.