National Sports

MADRID — Canada's men face an uphill battle to avoid relegation from the HSBC SVNS circuit after finishing bottom of its group Saturday. After losses to Uruguay and Germany on Friday, Canada was beaten 14-7 by the U.S.

DALLAS — Kris Knoblauch arrived to find a locker room in turmoil. The Edmonton Oilers — among the Stanley Cup favourites when training camp opened — had got off to a disastrous start to the NHL season.

PARIS (AP) — This one's for the birds: A pigeon landed on the court during a French Open match Saturday, leading the chair umpire to use a towel to rescue the fallen fowl.

FRANKENMUTH — The accolades and recognition meant the world to Jagger Firkus. Firkus was named the David Branch Player of the Year Award winner at the Canadian Hockey League awards Saturday.

TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays' pitching staff was dealt another blow Saturday when closer Jordan Romano was placed on the 15-day injured list due to right elbow inflammation.

Kyrie Irving was not making a threat, nor was he boasting, nor was he saying anything that would be considered outlandish. It was the final week of the regular season.

BANGKOK — Canadian boxer Mckenzie Wright earned a 5-0 decision over Serbia's Nina Radovanovic on Saturday to move within one win of punching her ticket to Paris in a last-ditch Olympic qualifier.

SAGINAW — Last season's failure fuels Michael Simpson as a shot at redemption approaches. The London Knights goaltender was previously with the Peterborough Petes, who fell 4-1 to the Seattle Thunderbirds in last year's Memorial Cup semifinal.

SAGINAW — Easton Cowan's big-game reputation has only grown this season, but he's had some added motivation pushing him to another level.

VANCOUVER — The B.C. Lions' brass weren't expecting to get a lot of sleep Friday night. A decisive 29-6 win over the Edmonton Elks in pre-season play had just made some looming cuts to the team's roster all the more complicated.