National Sports

VANCOUVER — After tasting the playoffs last season, the Vancouver Whitecaps are hungrier than ever.

CALGARY — Olympic champion Ted-Jan Bloemen and world champion Laurent Dubreuil lead a Canadian long-track speedskating team chosen without trials into Beijing's Winter Olympics next month.

Dexter McCoil Sr. is calling it a career. The Toronto Argonauts veteran linebacker announced his retirement Monday via Twitter. "There is always a time where every good thing must come to an end," McCoil wrote.

HAMILTON — The Hamilton Tiger-Cats re-signed long-snapper Gordon Whyte, linebacker Jarek Richards, offensive lineman Joseph Bencze and defensive lineman Malcolm Campbell on Monday. All four players are Canadians who were drafted by Hamilton.

Honoured by FIFA for her goal-scoring exploits Monday, Canada captain Christine Sinclair confirmed she has more to do on and off the soccer pitch. The 38-year-old from Burnaby, B.C.

TORONTO — The Toronto Argonauts re-signed national kicker/punter Boris Bede and American receiver DaVaris Daniels on Monday.

Once again, Antony Auclair heads into an NFL off-season somewhat unsure about his future. The Canadian tight end completed his first season with the Houston Texans after four years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

ZURICH — Chile's Christiane Endler was named The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper on Monday, beating out Canada's Stephanie Labbé and Germany's Ann-Katrin Berger.

CALGARY — The Calgary Stampeders signed defensive tackles Mike Rose and Derek Wiggan to two-year contract extensions Monday. Rose, an American, and Wiggan, a Canadian, were both slated to become CFL free agents next month.

CALGARY — The Alberta Court of Appeal has upheld the sentence of a man who killed a player with the Calgary Stampeders football team outside a nightclub.