National Sports

OTTAWA — Juuso Valimaki and the Calgary Flames have been talking a lot lately about the importance of quality starts. The Finnish defenceman helped put his team's plan into motion Saturday afternoon at Canadian Tire Centre.

OBERSTDORF, Germany — Canada's cross-country ski team battled warm conditions and stiff competition at the World Nordic Ski Championships in Germany on Saturday.

EDMONTON — The Maple Leafs will be without star centre Auston Matthews when they take on the Edmonton Oilers Saturday. Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe says Matthews won't play due to a wrist injury that he's been dealing with for much of the year.

CHICOUTIMI, Que. — The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League's three teams in New Brunswick are set to return to the ice, while games have been postponed for a team in Nova Scotia.

BAKURIANI, Georgia — Canada's Jared Schmidt has clinched his first podium on the ski cross World Cup circuit, finishing third in Georgia on Saturday.

It's a year of change at the Canadian women's curling championship in the Calgary bubble. The field was padded to 18 teams this year for the first time. There are no spectators at the Markin MacPhail Centre due to the pandemic.

Friday's Games NHL N.Y.

Corson Hopwo completed his hat trick in overtime as the Medicine Hat Tigers opened the 2020-21 Western Hockey League season with a 5-4 comeback win over the Red Deer Rebels on Friday.

CALGARY — The favourites set the tone in championship pool play Friday at the Canadian women's curling championship.

TAMPA, Fla. — After the buzzer sounded on the Toronto Raptors' victory, Kyle Lowry chased down the game ball to present to Sergio Scariolo -- a perfect ending to another bizarre night in the COVID-19 era of the NBA.