National Post Sports

Saudi mountaineer Raha Moharrak celebrates on the summit of...

Tue, 21 May 2013 10:46:19 -0400

Saudi mountaineer Raha Moharrak celebrates on the summit of Mount Everest. Raha Moharrak reached the summit of Nepal’s Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak, in a first for the conservative Muslim kingdom where women’s sports are severely restricted. (Photo: AFP PHOTO/ Ang Norbu SHERPA)

Jays slide past the Rays: The Toronto Blue Jays’ Brett...

Mon, 20 May 2013 17:09:15 -0400

Jays slide past the Rays: The Toronto Blue Jays’ Brett Lawrie slides safely into third after hitting an RBI triple off Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Jake Odorizzi. The Blue Jays came away with a 7-5 win over the Rays thanks to a strong start from R.A. Dickey and a clutch double from Edwin Encarnacion on Monday afternoon. (Photo: Chris Young/The Canadian Press)

Resilient Senators refuse to quit in Game 3 win over PenguinsThe...

Mon, 20 May 2013 09:30:48 -0400

Resilient Senators refuse to quit in Game 3 win over Penguins
The Ottawa Senators had seen their season pronounced dead before, given last rites and a sympathetic benediction, so maybe this was old hat. Maybe being 35 seconds or so away from being down 3-0 in their second-round series with the Pittsburgh Penguins and short-handed — against Pittsburgh, there is a tendency to feel short-handed at the best of times — wasn’t the impossibility that it seemed. They’ve been dead before. It wasn’t so bad.

But the Senators didn’t die the first time. This time Karlsson was called for slashing with 1:27 left, and who scores short-handed with 1:27 left? But Pittsburgh was content to kill clock, dump the puck in, not attack, and Daniel Alfredsson started out of his own zone, under no pressure, with about 35 seconds left. The 40-year-old captain dropped a pass to Sergei Gonchar and kept skating down the right side, and Gonchar gained the zone and found Michalek on the left-side boards, inside the blue line, and the whole Penguins defence took a stride towards him, for whatever reason.

And Alfredsson was still skating away and was steaming to the net alone, and Michalek found him, and Alfredsson deflected the pass up and in with hands that have done it ten thousand times before. The clock said there were 26.8 seconds left. Scotiabank Place was so loud.

And in the second overtime Ottawa got the puck deep, and defenceman Andre Benoit got a shot from a sharp angle that hit Vokoun in the chest and bounced and fell, and Greening slapped at it and popped it over Vokoun’s shoulder at 7:39 of double overtime for a 2-1 win in an improbable Game 3. (Patrick Doyle/The Canadian Press)

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Cyclists pedal during the 15th stage of the Giro d’Italia,...

Sun, 19 May 2013 23:27:30 -0400

Cyclists pedal during the 15th stage of the Giro d’Italia, from Cesana to Col Du Galbier, Italy, Sunday, May 19, 2013. A superb solo ride up the gruelling Col du Galibier enabled Giovanni Visconti to win a weather-affected 15th stage, while favourite Vincenzo Nibali retained the overall lead. (Photo: Fabio Ferrari/The Associated Press)

Barcelona’s players celebrate during a ceremony at the...

Sun, 19 May 2013 21:14:26 -0400

Barcelona’s players celebrate during a ceremony at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on May 19, 2013 after winning the Spanish League title. Barcelona celebrated lifting the La Liga trophy for a 22nd time with a 2-1 win over Valladolid. Photo: LLuis Gene/AFP/Getty Images)

After 1,500 matches in charge of Manchester United, Alex...

Sun, 19 May 2013 16:18:54 -0400

After 1,500 matches in charge of Manchester United, Alex Ferguson was denied a final victory Sunday to cap the most successful managerial career in British football history.

But there was one final landmark for the 71-year-old Scot at West Bromwich Albion — the first 5-5 draw in the Premier League.

The official retirement party was last week at home when 76,000 fans at Old Trafford saluted Ferguson and the 13th and last of the record 20 English league titles he delivered for Man United.

Referee Michael Oliver blew the whistle on United’s season finale — and the last match of Ferguson’s career — at the Hawthorns in central England. From now on, the defensive fragilities on display Sunday are incoming manager David Moyes’ problem. (Photo: Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images)

Oxbow has won the Preakness, ruining Orb’s bid to capture the...

Sat, 18 May 2013 19:40:39 -0400

Oxbow has won the Preakness, ruining Orb’s bid to capture the Triple Crown.

Oxbow led from start to finish. It was the sixth Preakness victory for Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas and 15th Triple Crown win, the most in horse racing history.

“I get paid to spoil dreams,” Lukas said in an interview with NBC moments after the race. “Unfortunately we go over here and you can’t mail ’em in. It’s a different surface and a different time. You gotta line ’em up and win ’em. (Photo: Rob Carr/Getty Images)

David Beckham hugged his teammates with tears in his eyes, then...

Sat, 18 May 2013 18:36:06 -0400

David Beckham hugged his teammates with tears in his eyes, then walked off the pitch to a standing ovation — for the last time in front of a home crowd at a football game.

A clearly emotional Beckham was mobbed by his teammates on the field when coach Carlo Ancelotti decided to substitute him in the 81st minute of a 3-1 win over Brest on Saturday, giving him a customary sendoff in his last ever home game before retiring. Even goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu ran out to congratulate the former England captain on his career, while Brazil winger Lucas bowed in reverence. (Photo by Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP/Getty Images)

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will renew their rivalry in the...

Sat, 18 May 2013 17:11:23 -0400

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will renew their rivalry in the Italian Open final Sunday — exactly a week before the French Open starts.

In Saturday’s semi-finals at the Foro Italico, Federer held off a stiff challenge from rising Frenchman Benoit Paire 7-6 (5), 6-4, and six-time Rome champion Nadal defeated sixth-seeded Tomas Berdych 6-2, 6-4 — a day after Berdych rallied to beat top-ranked Novak Djokovic.

It will mark Nadal’s eighth consecutive final since his return earlier this year from a seven-month layoff due to a left knee injury. As for Federer, who recently returned from a seven-week break from the circuit, it will be his first final of the year. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Sweden has the opportunity to win an IIHF World Championship as...

Sat, 18 May 2013 15:54:00 -0400

Sweden has the opportunity to win an IIHF World Championship as the host country for the first time since the Soviet Union did it in 1986.

Sweden blanked Finland 3-0 in Saturday’s semi-final at Stockholm’s Globe Arena to advance to Sunday’s championship game.

The Soviet Union won a men’s world hockey title 27 years ago in Moscow.

“It’s about time. It’s about time,” Swedish forward Henrik Sedin said. “No pressure, just fun.” (Photo by Andrej Isakovic/AFP/Getty Image)

Get ready to be covered in your own tears: Dad secretly returns...

Fri, 17 May 2013 10:41:25 -0400

Get ready to be covered in your own tears: Dad secretly returns from duty in Afghanistan. Daughter gets to throw first pitch at Rays game. Dad disguises himself as Rays catcher. We won’t spoil the ending. Watch the video. (Photo: Chris O’Meara/The Associated Press)

Brad Marchand scored with 4:20 left in the first overtime and...

Thu, 16 May 2013 23:28:14 -0400

Brad Marchand scored with 4:20 left in the first overtime and the Boston Bruins beat the New York Rangers 3-2 in the first playoff game in 40 years between the Original Six teams.

Marchand, Boston’s top goal scorer in the regular season, got his first of the post-season on a pass from Patrice Bergeron. Marchand had carried the puck up the right side, passed it to Bergeron and kept going toward the net. Bergeron passed across the slot and Marchand tipped it past goalie Henrik Lundqvist from the left side of the crease.

The Bruins carried the play throughout overtime. They applied constant pressure, but couldn’t score during a power play when Derek Dorsett was penalized for interference at 2:20 of overtime.

Do you want to buy Wayne Gretzky’s sweaty things? NOW YOU...

Thu, 16 May 2013 17:02:32 -0400

Do you want to buy Wayne Gretzky’s sweaty things? NOW YOU CAN.

The man behind the biggest collection of all things No. 99 is selling his prized memorabilia.

Insurance is a big reason. Collections such as Chaulk’s are hard to buy coverage for and the thought of a fire makes him blanch. Also, he’s already got most of the main Gretzky items likely to come on the market, so the thrill of the chase is getting rarer.

“There’s not a lot of chase left. It’s like I’ve gotten to the top of the mountain.

(Photo: Jason Franson/The Canadian Press)

This photo of Brett Lawrie really does a good job of summing up...

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:19:00 -0400

This photo of Brett Lawrie really does a good job of summing up Brett Lawrie: Putting on eye black using his shades as a mirror. Way to bro. (Photo: Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

We’ve all been there… Six-time champion Rafael Nadal...

Thu, 16 May 2013 15:52:00 -0400

We’ve all been there…

Six-time champion Rafael Nadal overcame one of the worst opening sets of his career to edge Latvian qualifier Ernests Gulbis (pictured) 1-6, 7-5, 6-4 Thursday and reach the Italian Open quarter-finals.

Nadal’s performance, and sometimes sluggish movement on the court, raised questions about whether he will be able to successfully defend his title at the French Open. The year’s second Grand Slam starts in 10 days.

Nadal will next face fourth-seeded David Ferrer, who advanced when Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany withdrew because of dizziness. (Photo: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

David Beckham is retiring: The end of an era The 38-year-old...

Thu, 16 May 2013 10:55:20 -0400

David Beckham is retiring: The end of an era

The 38-year-old Beckham, who recently won a league title in a fourth country with Paris Saint-Germain, has become a global superstar since starting his career at Manchester United.

“I’m thankful to PSG for giving me the opportunity to continue but I feel now is the right time to finish my career, playing at the highest level,” Beckham said in a statement Thursday. (Photo: Getty Images/AFP/Files)

Is this the best way to share your feelings? Yes. Yes, it...

Thu, 16 May 2013 10:08:04 -0400

Is this the best way to share your feelings? Yes. Yes, it is.

Philadelphia Eagles guard Evan Mathis responds to the recent IRS scandal by urinating (or fake urinating) on an IRS sign. This is how you change the world, people.

Branislav Ivanovic scored with an injury time header on...

Wed, 15 May 2013 18:04:02 -0400

Branislav Ivanovic scored with an injury time header on Wednesday to give Chelsea a 2-1 win over Benfica in the Europa League final and secure the club’s second European title in as many seasons after winning last year’s Champions League.

The Serbian defender rose at the far post to send a looping header over Benfica goalkeeper Artur from a Juan Mata corner to seal the match in the 93rd minute.

A Fernando Torres solo effort gave Chelsea the lead on the hour mark and Oscar Cardozo levelled from the penalty spot eight minutes later — setting the stage for Ivanovic’s last-gasp decider.

So this is ONE way to celebrate …Polish player Jerzy...

Wed, 15 May 2013 10:02:04 -0400

So this is ONE way to celebrate …Polish player Jerzy Janowicz rips off his shirt as he celebrates after winning against French player Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at the end of their ATP Rome Open tennis tournament. (Photo: TIZIANA FABI/AFP/Getty Images)

FACE, MEET FENCE “I would rather him not go all-out into the...

Tue, 14 May 2013 11:33:00 -0400

FACE, MEET FENCE

“I would rather him not go all-out into the wall.”

— Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman on Bryce Harper’s tenacity that often gets him into trouble. Harper violently collided with the outfield wall at Dodger Stadium on Monday night. He didn’t end up with a concussion, but received 11 stitches.

This is not the first time Harper has done battle with that particular wall. In only his second career game last year, hurt his back trying to make a catch after hitting the fence. (Photos: Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)