‘It’s so much beyond football’: Falcons Football Club gets big boost from NFL Canada

The spring months can make for some long days for Saphira Twoheart.

Once the snow melts, the 18-year-old goes from school during the day in Sagkeeng First Nation to football practice in the evening in Winnipeg. It’s a 90-minute commute each way from her community in Fort Alexander that usually doesn’t get her home until close to midnight three days per week, but Twoheart believes that trip has paid big dividends since starting with the Falcons Football Club three years ago.

She isn’t shy about voicing what the Falcons have meant to her.

“When I first started football, I was a very shy and timid type of person, but over the years of playing football, it’s made me more talkative and more comfortable in my own skin, to the point where I could coach other teammates with the skills that I have,” Twoheart said Tuesday.

Picklr Winnipeg South set for grand opening

Pickleballers rejoice — the first phase of The Picklr’s highly anticipated Canadian expansion is ready for play.

Winnipeg’s newest indoor facility dedicated to pickleball could open to members as early as Saturday, so long as its occupancy permit is passed by the city.

‘It’s going to be … loud’: Maple Leafs ready for Marner’s return to Toronto

TORONTO - Mitch Marner heard boos from the Maple Leafs' travelling fans last week in Sin City.

The Vegas Golden Knights winger might need ear plugs Friday night.

The star forward will return to Toronto as a member of the opposition for the first time since bolting the Original Six franchise — one he cheered for as a kid before being selected No. 4 overall at the 2015 NHL draft — back in the summer.

"Mitch did a lot for this city," said Maple Leafs winger Scott Laughton, who was acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers ahead of last season's trade deadline. "He was a really good player for this team for a while. I was fortunate to play with him for only a short period of time, but he did a lot of good things. 

Pistons never trail while cruising to fourth straight win, 112-104 over struggling Pelicans

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Jalen Duran scored 20 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, Daniss Jenkins added 17 points and the Detroit Pistons never trailed while cruising to their fourth straight victory, 112-104 over the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night.

Duncan Robinson had 15 points while shooting 4 of 9 from 3-point range for the Eastern Conference-leading Pistons, who have won seven of their last eight.

Saddiq Bey scored 20 points to lead the Western Conference-worst Pelicans, who have lost 14 of their last 16.

Zion Williamson, who started after being listed as questionable with an illness, went to the locker room early in the third quarter and didn't return. He had 4 points and four rebounds in 15 minutes.

Knicks crush Nets 120-66 to end their 4-game skid with the most lopsided win in franchise history

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Knicks broke a four-game losing streak without breaking a sweat, crushing the Brooklyn Nets 120-66 on Wednesday night in the most lopsided victory in franchise history.

Jalen Brunson scored 20 points and Landry Shamet was 6 for 6 on 3-pointers and added 18 for the Knicks, who led by as much as 59 points before the 54-point victory that surpassed the previous largest victory margin of 48 points.

The Knicks had lost nine of their last 11 games so this was a good time to play Brooklyn, because they never lose to the Nets these days. New York won its 13th straight meeting in the local rivalry.

The Knicks were already on track to win this one easily before outscoring the Nets 16-0 to open the fourth quarter, extending a 32-point lead to 104-56.

La Liga to hold a minute of silence before games for victims of train crashes

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — La Liga will hold a minute of silence before this weekend’s matches in memory of the victims of the two deadly train accidents in the country in the past week.

At least 43 people were killed in southern Spain last Sunday when a high-speed train jumped the track and caused a second train passing the other way to derail. That was followed by another crash on Tuesday when a commuter train outside Barcelona hit a retaining wall that collapsed, killing one person.

The father of Getafe player David Cordón was among the victims of the first incident, the Madrid-based club said. Getafe plays at Girona on Monday. Cordón is unavailable due to injury.

The incidents have stunned the nation that leads Europe in high-speed rail travel and has millions of workers who rely on commuter service every day.