National Sports

LONDON (AP) — Declan Rice curled home two superb free kicks to help give Arsenal a 3-0 win over defending champion Real Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals on Tuesday.

TORONTO (AP) — Retired NHL great Wayne Gretzky downplayed his influence on Donald Trump in his first public comments since the U.S. president began his second term and began making references to making Canada the 51st state .

TORONTO — As a player, Steven Beitashour lifted trophies with Toronto FC. Now an assistant coach, he hopes to help bring the ailing MLS franchise back to its glory years.

Michael Malone coached the Denver Nuggets to the NBA title in 2023. He has them set to make the postseason for a seventh consecutive year. Even amid a four-game slide , they're still in position to have home-court advantage in Round 1.

ČESKÉ BUDĚJOVICE — A capsule look at the 10 countries competing in the 2025 women's world hockey championship April 9-20 in Ceske Budejovice, Czechia.

VANCOUVER — Defender Ranko Veselinovic says the Vancouver Whitecaps must stay composed and not be intimidated by a loud hometown crowd, or any antics on the field, when they face Mexican powerhouse Pumas UNAM in Wednesday’s quarterfinals of the CONCA

TORONTO — The Toronto Raptors have missed the playoffs again and will be about 20 games below .500 when the regular season wraps up on Sunday, but something feels different this year.

Michael Malone, who coached the Denver Nuggets to the NBA title in 2023 and has led the team to eight consecutive winning seasons, was fired Tuesday in a stunning move that comes with less than a week in the regular season.

WINNIPEG — The Manitoba government is ponying up cash to help rally support for the hometown high-flying Winnipeg Jets as the NHL playoffs loom.

The Northern Super League, which kicks off next week, has drawn player talent from 21 countries. According to the NSL, 132 players are signed to the six teams in the new Canadian women's soccer league.