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Here are our top stories:
OLYMPICS
Curlers right the ship, figure skaters struggle as Canada seeks to defend gold medals
OLY-Canada-Roundup
Canada's defence of its Olympic mixed doubles curling gold medal is looking a lot more promising. The path to repeating as figure skating team champions, however, is on perilously thin ice. 779 words. MOVED sports. PHOTO
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CURLING
Northern Ontario downs Nova Scotia in playoff at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts
CUR-Scotties
UNDATED -- Northern Ontario’s Krista McCarville took a 5-1 lead then held on for an 11-8 win over Nova Scotia’s Christina Black in one of Friday’s playoff games at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Thunder Bay, Ont. 750 words. By Jim Morris. PHOTOS. MOVED. Will be updated.
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RUGBY
Arrows coach has done a bit of everything
RGBY-MLR-Arrows-Preview
TORONTO — Promoted from assistant to head coach of the Toronto Arrows for the 2022 Major League Rugby season, Peter Smith brings a wide array of experience to the table. The 32-year-old Australian played rugby professionally Wales, Japan, and Seattle, not to mention punting for the University of Central Missouri and a stint in arena football. The Arrows open their fourth season Sunday at the Seattle Seawolves. 1,048 words. By Neil Davidson. With Quickfacts. PHOTO. MOVED.
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UFC
Canadian fighters hard to miss on Las Vegas UFC card
MMA-UFC-Barriault
UNDATED — Canadian fighters will be hard to miss Saturday on a UFC Fight Night card in Las Vegas. Quebec middleweight Marc-Andre (Powerbar) Barriault, now based in Florida, takes on Chidi (Chidi Bang Bang) Njokuani while fellow Canadians Malcolm (X) Gordon, (Mean) Hakeem Dawodu and Alexis (Ally-Gator) Davis also enter the cage at the UFC's Apex production facility. 600 words. By Neil Davidson. PHOTO. MOVED.
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FOOTBALL
Toronto Argonauts re-sign CFL all-star Edwards
FBO-CFL-Argos-Moves
TORONTO -- The Toronto Argonauts re-signed American defensive back Chris Edwards on Friday and also acquired the rights to Canadian defensive back Royce Metchie from the Calgary Stampeders for the rights to Canadian linebacker Cam Judge. Edwards, 29, appeared in 14 regular-season games with Toronto in 2021, his first year with the club. Edwards had 37 tackles, three sacks, three interceptions (which he returned for a league-best 162 yards, and two touchdowns). 150 words. MOVED.
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CFL begins search for new board chairman
FBO-CFL-Chair
TORONTO -- The CFL's board of governors will begin searching for a new chairman. The league made the announcement Friday, adding the board is following a recommendation put forth by Dale Lastman, the current chairman. Lastman will remain in the post until his successor is appointed. 150 words. MOVED.
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COMING LATER
NBA: Toronto Raptors host Atlanta Hawks, 7:30 p.m. (CP - Steven Loung)
CURLING: Coverage of Scotties Tournament of Hearts. (CP - Jim Morris)
PGA: AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am featuring Canadians: Adam Hadwin, Nick Michael Gligic, Taylor Pendrith, David Hearn. Adam Svensso, Mackenzie Hughes. (AP)
LPGA: LPGA Drive On Championship with Canadians: Brooke Henderson and Maude-Aimee Leblanc. (AP)
From AP
TOP STORIES
OLY--BEIJING-WINTER OLYMPICS
Beijing opens the Winter Olympics, becoming the first city to host both winter and summer Games in a newly emboldened nation where the pandemic first emerged. The spectacular opening ceremony presaged a locked-down event amid a boycott by some Western governments over human rights abuses. By Sarah DiLorenzo. SENT: 995 words, photos.
FBC--NCAA-ATHLETE COMPENSATION
With millions of dollars pouring into endorsements for college athletes, the latest battleground in the recruiting wars is the statehouse: A handful of states are already considering changing barely-dried rules to help their flagship schools land — or keep — top prospects. By Jim Vertuno. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
FBN--SUPER BOWL MATCHUPS
Across both Super Bowl rosters, there is a great divide. The Rams are the team loaded with veterans and the Bengals are the new kids on the block. Los Angeles has the star power, which figures with Hollywood next door. Cincinnati has a bunch of relative no names outside of Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase. Bengals coach Zac Taylor worked for Rams boss Sean McVay — even though Taylor is more than two years older. Both teams were No. 4 seeds after winning their divisions, so there are some similarities. It might be the differences that, well, make the difference on Feb. 13 at SoFi Stadium. Oh, yeah, that happens to be the Rams’ new home. By Pro Football Writer Barry Wilner. UPCOMING: 1,150 words, photos by 2 p.m. For weekend use.
BBO--LABOR
NEW YORK — Locked out players were expected to reject Major League Baseball's request to have a federal mediator enter collective bargaining negotiations. By Baseball Writer Ronald Blum. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos, by 6 p.m.
CAR--NASCAR-THE CLASH
LOS ANGELES — NASCAR figured it would cost about $1 million to transform the Los Angeles Coliseum into temporary quarter-mile asphalt track. NASCAR officials say the figure was significantly higher, but a worthy investment if Sunday night's race shows the series is flexible about adding unique new venues to its schedule. By AP Auto Racing Writer Jenna Fryer. UPCOMING: 800 words, photos by 6 p.m.
OLY--FIG-CHEN'S RETURN
BEIJING — Four years after a disappointing showing at the Pyeongchang Olympics, American favorite Nathan Chen is riding high after a winning short program during the team competition in Beijing. Now, the question is whether he will be able to carry that momentum into the rest of his Olympic program. The Americans are in first place in the team event with only the women's short program still to come before the field is whittled to five nations for the free skate. The competition resumes Sunday at Capital Indoor Arena in Beijing. By Dave Skretta. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos by 9 p.m.
OLY--FRE-EILEEN'S CHOICE
ZHANGJIAKOU, China — American-born daredevil Eileen Gu will be trying to win gold medals for China at the Beijing Games. Gu's mother is from the host country and the 18-year-old freestyle skier made the difficult and much-debated decision to compete for China instead of the United States. By National Writer Eddie Pells. SENT: 1,100 words, photos.
COMMENTARY
GLF—JIM LITKE COLUMN-MICKELSON
Phil Mickelson just ripped the PGA Tour for what he called “obnoxious greed.” Now that — pardon the expression — is rich. By Sports Columnist Jim Litke. SENT: 750 words, photos.
NOTABLE
HKN—ALL-STAR GAME
LAS VEGAS — The world’s best hockey players are mostly spending this weekend in opulent hotel suites in one of the world’s best party towns instead of being confined to the modest Olympic accommodations in chilly Beijing. While some of the NHL’s All-Stars are disappointed to be missing out on the chance to compete for gold medals, nobody is complaining about a weekend in Vegas. By Greg Beacham. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos by 4 p.m.
GLF--PEBBLE BEACH
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Tom Hoge leads by one shot in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, with Patrick Cantlay two shots behind as he heads to Spyglass Hill. By Golf Writer Doug Ferguson. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos by 8 p.m.
FBN--SUPER BOWL-MCPHERSON
Joe Burrow knew Evan McPherson must be a special kicker if the Cincinnati Bengals were willing to spend a fifth-round pick on a position usually filled by undrafted players and journeymen. But the Bengals targeted McPherson and made him the only kicker taken in the 2021 draft, a decision that has been validated by one of the NFL's greatest postseason kicking runs. By Pro Football Writer Josh Dubow. UPCOMING: 750 words, photos by 4 p.m.
FBN--CINCINNATI'S TIME
CINCINNATI — The championship-starved city cheered as the Cincinnati Bearcats made it all the way to the College Football Playoff. Now after three playoff nail-biters, the Bengals are on the verge of the first Super Bowl victory in team history. And it all came together in the same magic season. By Mitch Stacy. UPCOMING; 650 words, photos by 5 p.m.
FBN—SUPER BOWL-STADIUM
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The Super Bowl will be a triumphant victory lap of sorts for the NFL’s return to the Los Angeles area. The game that will feature the hometown Rams against the Cincinnati Bengals will be a global showcase for the $5 billion SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, a city that was once home to the NBA’s Lakers and NHL’s Kings and has now seen a major sporting revival. By Andrew Dalton. UPCOMING: 900 words, photos, video.
FBN--SUPER BOWL-HOMELESS
What started with a simple invitation to a few homeless people to watch the Super Bowl together in New York City has turned into quite a party. And it just keeps growing. Super Soul Party is a non-profit started by filmmaker and social media influencer Meir Kay. The group will have Super Bowl parties in 35 cities when the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams meet Feb. 13. By Pro Football Writer Teresa M. Walker. SENT: 650 words, photos.
FBC--SENIOR BOWL PREVIEW
Heisman finalist Kenny Pickett of Pittsburgh and North Carolina's Sam Howell lead their teams at the Senior Bowl as two of the top quarterback prospects in the upcoming NFL draft. By John Zenor. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos by 7 p.m.
BKC--T25-CHANGING RIVALRY
The famed rivalry between No. 9 Duke and North Carolina is changing. Gone is one Hall of Fame coach in Roy Williams, who retired last spring and was followed by former UNC player and assistant Hubert Davis. The other Hall of Famer, the Blue Devils’ Mike Krzyzewski, is retiring after this season and making his final trip to nearby Chapel Hill for Saturday's game. By Basketball Writer Aaron Beard. UPCOMING: 550 words, photos by 4 p.m.
BKN--CAVALIERS-HORNETS
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — LaMelo Ball, coming off a career-high 38 points, leads the Hornets against the Cavaliers. By Steve Reed. UPCOMING. 650 words, photos. Game starts at 7 p.m.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published February 4, 2022.
The Canadian Press
