National Sports

HALIFAX — A minor hockey organization in Nova Scotia has withdrawn its entry from a national competition for funding, saying it is throwing its support behind a small P.E.I. town that lost its rink to a fire a few days after Christmas.

TORONTO — The Toronto Wolfpack have renewed their sponsorship agreement with Air Transat.

Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry will see his Villanova jersey raised to the Finneran Pavilion rafters next month.

QUEBEC — Some of the most controversial and detested figures in Quebec City hockey history are among the invitees to this year's edition of the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament taking place next month.

TORONTO — The Toronto Maple Leafs have made another blue-line move, recalling Timothy Liljegren from the American Hockey League Marlies On Monday, the team summoned Swedish teenager Rasmus Sandin from their top farm team and placed Morgan Rielly on i

Toronto FC officially parted ways with French winger Nicolas Benezet on Tuesday, sending his rights to the Colorado Rapids in exchange for US$50,000 general allocation money.

TORONTO — The NBA champion Toronto Raptors have received the league's first-ever NBA Team of the Year Award.

AUCKLAND, New Zealand — Vancouver's Vasek Pospisil downed Joao Sousa of Portugal 6-4, 6-2 on Tuesday in the first round of the ASB Classic, setting up an all-Canadian second-round tilt.

MELBOURNE, Australia — Canada's Eugenie Bouchard rallied to beat China's Xiaodi You 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-1 on Tuesday in her first qualifying match at the Australian Open. The 25-year-old from Westmount, Que.

WASHINGTON — The Capitals have signed Nicklas Backstrom for the long term, agreeing to a $46 million, five-year contract extension on Tuesday. The deal through the 2024-25 season carries a $9.2 million salary-cap hit.