National Sports

SUNRISE, Fla. — Patrik Laine showed he can be an offensive force even when he doesn’t score.

NEW YORK — It had never been so difficult for Mike Trout to arrive at the ballpark, get his mind and body ready, and perform at the level baseball fans have come to expect. And still, nobody did it better in the American League.

LONDON — Harry Kane scored a first-half hat trick as England secured qualification for the 2020 European Championship with a 7-0 victory over Montenegro on Thursday in the team’s 1,000th game.

CALGARY — The Calgary Flames say defenceman TJ Brodie has been discharged from hospital and is recovering at home after collapsing during a team practice early Thursday.

England qualified in style for the 2020 European Championship, while the Czech Republic, France and Turkey also booked their places Thursday at next year’s tournament.

REGINA — Saskatchewan Roughriders head coach Craig Dickenson said he's confident Cody Fajardo will be ready to go for Sunday's CFL West final after seeing his star quarterback in a full practice.

It's never easy replacing a franchise goaltender, especially one that put up some of the best major junior numbers on record.

TORONTO — Canada rugby captain Tyler Ardron will start for the famed Barbarians against Fiji at Twickenham on Saturday. The Barbarians, an invitational all-star side known for its free-flowing style of rugby, date back to 1890.

MONTREAL — The Montreal Impact named French soccer legend Thierry Henry as head coach of the Major League Soccer team on Thursday, signing the former striker to a two-year contract with an option for the 2022 season.

Coaching is a natural career path for some athletes upon retirement. The long-standing theory is the best athletes do not make great coaches, but that has not always been the case.