Good evening from Canadian Press Sports!
Advisories will hit the wire around 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. ET on weekdays and will also be sent to editors by email. The AP sports digest will be sent out around 3 p.m. On weekends and holidays, the advisories will move at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. If you'd like to be added to the email list (or removed) please contact Scott Brown at scott.brown@thecanadianpress.com. All Times Eastern.
Here are our top stories:
OLYMPICS
Weidemann, Kingsbury earn Canada's first medals
OLY-Canada-Roundup
Canada made its mark on the medal table early at the Beijing Olympics, as speedskater Isabelle Weidemann raced to bronze in the women's 3,000 metres on Saturday. Canada added to its medal count later Saturday, when reigning Olympic champion Mikael Kingsbury snagged silver in the men's moguls. In women's hockey, Canada improved to 2-0 with a dominating 11-1 win over Finland. 714 words. MOVED Sports. PHOTO
---
CURLING
Einarson, Team Canada advance to Scotties semis
CUR-Scotties
UNDATED -- Kerri Einarson's dream of a three-peat remains alive at the Canadian women's curling championships. The Team Canada skip made a takeout in the sixth end to score four points, then stole two more in the seventh for a 11-6 win over Tracy Fleury’s Wild Card 1 in a playoff game at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Thunder Bay, Ont., Saturday afternoon. By Jim Morris. 517 words. PHOTO. Will be updated.
---
BASKETBALL
Canada appears to securre spot in FIBA World Cup
BKW-WCup-Canada
OSAKA -- Canada's women's basketball team has apparently qualified for the FIBA World Cup before its qualifying tournament has even tipped off. Belarus has pulled out of the four-team tournament that opens Feb. 10 in Osaka, Japan, according to an Instagram post that said the team had been hit with a COVID-19 outbreak. Since the top three teams from the four-team tournament advance to the World Cup next September in Australia, Canada is assured a spot. 197 words. PHOTO. MOVED.
---
FOOTBALL
Roughriders extend receiver D'haquille Williams
FBO-CFL-Roughriders-Moves
REGINA -- The Saskatchewan Roughriders have locked up American receiver D'haquille Williams ahead of CFL free agency. The club announced Saturday it has signed the 28-year-old Williams to a contract extension. 149 words. MOVED.
---
FROM THE AP
OLY--SBD-WHITE'S LAST RIDE
ZHANGJIAKOU, China — This really is it for Shaun White. The three-time gold medalist made it clear that not only will the Beijing Games be his last Olympics, they’ll mark his final contest, too. By National Writer Eddie Pells. SENT: 840 words, photos.
FBN—BRIAN FLORES-LAWSUIT
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told teams Saturday that the league will look to bolster policies meant to encourage hiring of minorities, particularly as head coaches, and he pledged an investigation into tanking allegations raised by Brian Flores in his discrimination lawsuit against the NFL. By Pro Football Writer Arnie Stapleton. SENT: 700 words, photo.
OLY--SKI-SHIFFRIN'S SKIING
BEIJING — Bode Miller remembers first seeing Mikaela Shiffrin ski, more than a decade ago, and "effortlessly staying in balance." Everyone in Alpine skiing certainly keeps an eye on Shiffrin nowadays, of course, and the rest of the world will do so at the Beijing Olympics on Monday, when she will be the defending champ in the giant slalom. By Howard Fendrich and Pat Graham. SENT: 1,000 words, photos.
HKN--ALL-STAR GAME
LAS VEGAS — Connor McDavid leads the Pacific Division team and Auston Matthews captains the Atlantic Division squad in the NHL's annual midseason showcase. At least 21 first-time All-Star selections dot the rosters for the three-game, 3-on-3 tournament in Sin City. By Greg Beacham. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos. Game starts at 3 p.m.
FBN--SUPER BOWL-TAYLOR & MCVAY
Zac Taylor’s path to a head coaching gig was cleared the moment he joined Sean McVay’s Los Angeles Rams staff five years ago. Well, maybe it wasn’t actually until the two sat down together in the team cafeteria. “I think the joke is if you had a cup of coffee with Sean McVay, then you’re going to be a head coach in the NFL,” quipped Taylor, who’s in his third season as coach of the Cincinnati Bengals and facing McVay’s Rams in the Super Bowl. By Pro Football Writer Dennis Waszak Jr. UPCOMING: 875 words, photos by 6 p.m.
GLF--PEBBLE BEACH
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Seamus Power of Ireland, having set the 36-hole record at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, leads by five shots to par. He plays Monterey Peninsula, while the celebrity rotation heads to Pebble Beach. By Golf Writer Doug Ferguson. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos by 8 p.m.
OLY--SKI-MEN'S DOWNHILL
BEIJING — World Cup event standings leader Aleksander Aamodt Kilde and 2014 gold medalist Matthias Mayer are among the favorites in the men's downhill, the first Alpine skiing race of the Beijing Olympics. By Howard Fendrich. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos. Race scheduled to start at 10 p.m.
COMMENTARY
FBN—TIM DAHLBERG-SUPER BOWL
It’s not that difficult to figure out how the Los Angeles Rams made it to the Super Bowl. They were built much like the glorious edifice that is their new home, with the checkbook always open whenever a new shiny bauble attracted their attention. The Bengals? Well, they took a more unconventional path to the big game. By Sports Columnist Tim Dahlberg. SENT: 900 words, photos.
NOTABLE
FBN--JAGUARS-PEDERSON
The Jacksonville Jaguars formally introduce Doug Pederson, the team's third head coach in as many years who is tasked with getting more out of franchise quarterback Trevor Lawrence. By Pro Football Writer Mark Long. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos. Developing from noon news conference.
FBN--BENGALS-HOW THEY WERE BUILT
The key to the Bengals’ latest rebuild that has led them to this most unexpected Super Bowl run starts with one player: Joe Burrow. Burrow, the top overall draft pick in 2020, is the biggest reason the team is playing in the season's final game. But his college teammate at LSU, Ja’Marr Chase, has also added a dynamic element to the Bengals' offense. Those draft picks combined with some productive free-agent signings on defense have the Bengals one win away from their first championship. By Pro Football Writer Simmi Buttar. SENT: 800 words, photos.
FBN--RAMS-HOW THEY WERE BUILT
LOS ANGELES — No team in the NFL is built like the Los Angeles Rams because nobody else would dare. No other organization shares the Rams’ unorthodox values and the depth of their faith in themselves, but the roster assembled by general manager Les Snead is in the Super Bowl for the second time in four seasons. By Greg Beacham. UPCOMING: 900 words, photos by 3 p.m.
BKN--KNICKS-LAKERS
LOS ANGELES — The New York Knicks visit LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in a matchup of high-profile, underachieving squads. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos. Game starts at 8:30 p.m.
BKC--T25-BAYLOR-KANSAS
LAWRENCE, Kan. — No. 8 Baylor visits No. 10 Kansas in a matchup of the top teams in the Big 12. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos. Game starts at 4 p.m.
SOC--AFRICAN CUP-LEADING AFRICA
When Gianni Infantino appeared to belittle the plight of African migrants, the only significant public backing for the FIFA president came from a seemingly unlikely figure — the leader of African football. But Patrice Motsepe only reinforced just how much the Confederation of African Football seems to be in the pocket of FIFA. Motsepe, a mining magnate, will mark the end of his first year as CAF president by handing out the African Cup of Nations trophy on Sunday. By Rob Harris. SENT: 900 words, photos.
The Canadian Press
