Wheat Kings prepare for Chiasson’s return

The Brandon Wheat Kings will be facing a popular ex-teammate for the first time when the Saskatoon Blades visit tonight.

Montrealer living the dream with ownership stake in revitalized Italian soccer team

Montreal businessman Angelo Pasto is proud of his Italian roots. And now he is looking to do something for the region from where he came, by way of buying a minority stake in the Campobasso 1919 soccer team.

The club, which rose out of the ashes of a franchise in financial distress, is currently playing in the Italian fifth tier but the new ownership group is dreaming big — and enjoying the ride.

"Honestly it's the most fun I've had in a long time," said Pasto.

Pasto was drawn to soccer largely through his 18-year-old son, Aiden, who is a big fan. In 2021, they went to Naples to see a game.

Pacific FC signs former Canadian youth international attacker Adonijah Reid

LANGFORD, B.C. - Pacific FC has signed winger/forward Adonijah Reid, a former Canadian youth international and FC Dallas draft pick.

The 23-year-old from Brampton, Ont., was most recently with Miami FC in the USL Championship.

Reid made waves in 2015 when, as a 16-year-old, he scored 20 goals in 20 appearances with ANB Futbol in League 1 Ontario. He went on trial with France's Nice and Olympique Lyonnais, before signing a Generation Adidas deal ahead of the 2017 MLS SuperDraft.

Dallas selected Reid in the second round (40th overall).

Canada’s Bianca Andreescu downs Britain’s Dart in Thailand Open first round

HUA HIN, Thailand - Top-seed Bianca Andreescu is off to a winning start at the Thailand Open tennis tournament after posting a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Britain's Harriet Dart on Tuesday.

Andreescu, from Mississauga, Ont., was consistent on either side of the court, winning 56.0 per cent of service points and 56.1 per cent of return points.

She had two aces to Dart's none, and committed just one double-fault to Dart's five.

Both players struggled when facing break point. Andreescu defended just one of the four break points she faced, but converted six of her eight break chances.

MacLennan, Black and Shewfelt calling for change in leadership at Gymnastics Canada

TORONTO - Three Canadian gymnastics stars have joined the call for the resignation of Ian Moss.

In a letter to Gymnastics Canada's board of directors, obtained by the CBC, Rosie MacLennan, Ellie Black and Kyle Shewfelt asked for the resignation of Moss, the organization's embattled CEO, and board chair Jeffrey Thomson, saying they have lost confidence the two "have the ability and trust of the community to see Gymnastics Canada through the current crisis."

MacLennan is a two-time Olympic gold medallist in trampoline, while Shewfelt won Olympic gymnastics gold in 2004, and Black is a three-time world championship medallist.

The two-and-a-half page letter, dated Jan. 27, requested a meeting with the board to take place no later than Feb. 15.

Giroux, Nylander, Vasilevskiy named NHL’s three stars of the week

NEW YORK - Ottawa right-wing Claude Giroux, Toronto right-wing William Nylander and Tampa Bay goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy are the NHL's three stars of the week.

Giroux had seven points (four goals, three assists) and had multiple points in all three of his games last week.

The Senators forward had a goal and an assist in wins over the New York Islanders and Toronto, then capped his week with two goals and an assist in a 5-0 rout of Montreal on Saturday.

It was the 65th career three-point game of Giroux's career.

Lawes, Scheidegger, Walter get wild-card spots for Scotties Tournament of Hearts

Teams skipped by Manitoba's Kaitlyn Lawes, Alberta's Casey Scheidegger and Manitoba's Meghan Walter will fill the three wild-card positions at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

With all of the provincial and territorial championships now complete, they are the top three non-qualified teams in this week's Canadian team rankings.

Curling Canada officially announced the wild-card entries for the 18-team competition on Tuesday. The playdowns are set for Feb. 17-26 in Kamloops, B.C.

Lawes is ranked fourth behind defending Scotties champion Kerri Einarson of Manitoba, Ontario champion Rachel Homan and Manitoba champion Jennifer Jones.

Team McEwen finds spark at Ontario Tankard to earn berth at Tim Hortons Brier

After a mediocre first half of the season, Mike McEwen's new-look team finally found the spark it was looking for at the Ontario Tankard.

Now the foursome will wear home province colours at the March 3-12 Tim Hortons Brier in London, Ont.

"It just all came together," third Ryan Fry said Monday. "Hopefully we can ride that wave into London and make a bit of noise and see if we can find ourselves playing on the (last) weekend."

McEwen, Fry, Brent Laing and Jonathan Beuk endured a slow start to the campaign after forming the lineup in the off-season.

Time behind the wheel the norm for Canadian angler Jeff Gustafson

Living in Northwest Ontario is an outdoor enthusiast's dream, given its many fabulous fishing and hunting opportunities. But it presents pro bass angler Jeff Gustafson with a huge challenge.

Most Elite Series stops are a major trek for Gustafson. Life on the road is a fact of life for pro fishermen, but even tournaments last year in South Dakota and Wisconsin were roughly a nine-hour drive for the Kenora, Ont., resident.

Others in Florida, Texas and Tennessee took 20-plus hours to reach. Last year's stop on the St. Lawrence River at Clayton, N.Y., just 77 kilometres from Kingston, Ont., was a 22-hour trip for Gustafson, who figures he drives about 40,000 kilometres annually attending events.

And with this year's schedule including competitions in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Texas, Gustafson will again spend a lot of time towing his 21-foot boat across the U.S.

‘The timing is perfect’: Trade to Canucks a fresh start for Beauvillier

Joining a new team amid a tidal wave of change doesn't intimidate newly minted Vancouver Canucks forward Anthony Beauvillier.

The Canucks capped a whirlwind month with a mammoth trade Monday, dealing captain Bo Horvat to the New York Islanders for Beauvillier, prospect Aatu Raty and a protected first-round pick in this summer's NHL entry draft.

The move came eight days after Vancouver fired head coach Bruce Boudreau and replaced him with Rick Tocchet.

New personnel — both on the ice and behind the bench — represent a fresh opportunity, Beauvillier said.