National Sports

NEW YORK — The road to the winner's circle in the Belmont Stakes ran through the Kentucky Derby, even if the Derby and Preakness winners skipped the final leg of the Triple Crown.

CAMBRIDGE, Ont. — The wind picked up at the Manulife LPGA Classic on Saturday. So did the chances of a strong Canadian finish at the LPGA Tour event.

NASHVILLE — Pekka Rinne is a friendly, polite man off the ice. Slipping the puck past the Nashville Predators goaltender is one of the few ways to anger the 6-foot-5 Finn. Pucks bouncing past him on the NHL's biggest stage infuriate him.

MONTREAL — Lance Stroll still has his eyes set on a top-10 finish at his first Canadian Grand Prix despite finishing 17th in qualifying.

MONTREAL — Winning pole position at one of his favourite races was a thrill for Lewis Hamilton, but being presented afterward with a helmet once worn by his boyhood idol Ayrton Senna had the defending Canadian Grand Prix champion nearly in tears.

Ron Hainsey avoiding a big hit and carrying the puck from end to end isn't what the Pittsburgh Penguins ask of him or any other defenceman not named Kris Letang.

NASHVILLE — Country star and Predators fan Luke Bryan will open NBC's broadcast of Game 6 on Sunday night singing a song from the rooftop of the honky-tonk Tootsie's World Famous Orchid Lounge.

SUNRISE, Fla. — Bob Boughner never made the Florida Panthers as a player. He's on the brink of joining them as their next coach.

PARIS — Unseeded Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia used bold strokes and an unbending will to come back and stun No. 3 Simona Halep 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in an enthralling French Open final Saturday for the first title of her career.

PARIS — Top-seeded Bianca Andreescu and Carson Branstine beat Olesya Pervushina and Anastasia Potapova of Russia 6-1, 6-3 on Saturday to capture the French Open junior girls doubles title.