National Sports

VANCOUVER — Quarterback Nathan Rourke says the B.C. Lions “have to have a sense of urgency” as they prepare for their final four games of the CFL season. “There’s a lot of importance in these last four games,” Rourke said after practice this week.

Olympic champion Maggie Mac Neil announced her retirement from swimming Thursday.

Juraj Slafkovsky was an NHL draft pick , just like Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, Auston Matthews, Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid and Connor Bedard.

VANCOUVER — Isaac Boehmer hasn't played much for the Vancouver Whitecaps this season.

ABBOTSFORD, B.C. — Daniel Sprong made an impact in his first game in a Vancouver Canucks uniform. Sprong tied the game with just 14.

TOKYO — Canada's Felix Auger-Aliassime is out of the Japan Open in the first round. Auger-Aliassime fell 7-6 (5), 3-6, 7-6 (5) to Japan's Yoshihito Nishioka in a three-hour-12-minute match at Ariake Tennis Park on Thursday.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An emotional video tribute to Johnny Gaudreau and 13 seconds of silence — for his uniform number — opened the Columbus Blue Jackets' first game at Nationwide Arena since the star player's death nearly a month ago.

CALGARY — Kevin Koe will skip a three-man curling team for now.

WINNIPEG — The fact that Neal Pionk has come to camp feeling better about himself is already starting to pay off.

CALGARY — Gabby Wood says her curling team is ready for anything this season after facing the No. 1 women's team in the world.