National Sports

TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays are in the playoffs for a second straight year, but this time Johnny Avello expects them to get past the opening round.

John Herdman will take in his first Toronto FC game as head coach when the cellar-dwelling MLS club visits Charlotte FC on Wednesday. The former Canada coach will be an observer with interim coach Terry Dunfield running the show from the sideline.

THUNDER BAY, Ont. — Thunder Bay will host the 2025 Scotties Tournament of Hearts after the northwestern Ontario city had two previous attempts at hosting the Canadian women's curling championship impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

MONTREAL — Currently mired in a six-game winless streak, CF Montreal will need to revert to its dominant home form Wednesday against the Houston Dynamo to improve its playoff chances.

Connor Bedard thinks hockey fans are probably sick of hearing about Connor Bedard. The No. 1 pick at June's NHL draft — the sport's most talked about prospect since Connor McDavid — has been mentioned as a potential "Next One" since age 13.

TORONTO — John Herdman added to his staff at Toronto FC on Tuesday, bringing César Meylan on board as the MLS club's director of performance.

Emily Clark hasn't played a hockey game in her hometown in over a decade. She was named to the Canadian women's team for the 2018 Four Nations Cup in Saskatoon.

TORONTO — Nick Suzuki knows exactly what his team will face in the Atlantic Division. The Montreal Canadiens captain is also confident the group is up for the challenge.

MINNEAPOLIS — One month into his return to the big leagues, Blue Jays reliever Chad Green has provided another quality arm to a Toronto bullpen loaded with talent.

CALGARY — Matt Coronato continues to be the talk of the Calgary Flames training camp.