There were certainly no shortage of headlines coming out of the world of sports this week. (Images via Getty Images/Yahoo Canada Illustration)
It’s all eyes on Milano Cortina as the 2026 Winter Olympics got underway but there was plenty of other buzz when it came to Canadian sporting news this past week.
The Toronto Raptors added a new face at the trade deadline, tennis star Felix Auger-Aliassime won his ninth career ATP title, Liam Draxl led Canada to an important win over Brazil in Davis Cup qualifiers, and Canada’s NHL teams hit the snooze button until Feb. 25.
On the other end of the spectrum, there was some sad news for Canadian sports fans, too. Reigning NBA MVP and Hamilton, Ont., native Shai Gilgeous-Alexander suffered an abdominal strain that puts him out at least a couple weeks and beloved colour commentator (and former player) Buck Martinez announced his retirement from calling Toronto Blue Jays games.
With that being said, here’s an update on some of the things you might’ve missed from our Canadians last week, and what you should have marked on your calendar moving forward.
Team Canada makes early noise with medal at 2026 Olympics
It has to be said that it’s been a mixed bag through the first few days for Team Canada at the Olympics. The mixed doubles curling team was eliminated after losing five straight, the figure skaters missed out on a medal in the team event, and the skiers struggled, too.
Shining bright, though, was Valérie Maltais as she surged to a third-place finish in the 3000-metre speed skating event to earn a bronze medal, marking Canada’s first podium finish of the 2026 Games.
Maltais has grown accustomed to making history, having become the first Canadian and only the third speed skater ever to win Olympic medals in both forms of speed skating. She accomplished the feat in Beijing in 2022 by winning gold in long track speed skating’s team pursuit. Maltais previously won at Sochi 2014, where she won a silver medal as part of the 3000-metre relay team.
Buck Martinez says goodbye to the booth
Having delivered for the Toronto Blue Jays as a player, manager and broadcaster, Buck Martinez has cemented himself as a franchise icon.
Long considered the voice of the Blue Jays, Martinez announced his retirement from the broadcast booth via a statement. Now 77, Martinez first came to Toronto via a trade in 1981.
“It has been a fantastic journey with Sportsnet, the Blue Jays, and the wonderful Blue Jays fans all over the world. Thank you all for embracing me and welcoming my family and me in a way that has made me feel like we are part of yours…
“I had hoped to be part of the 50th year of the Toronto Blue Jays but it’s time to pass the torch.”
Martinez was diagnosed with cancer in 2022 and took a leave of absence from April 17 to July 26 that year while undergoing treatment.
It’s safe to say that Blue Jays games won’t feel the same.
Canadian Player of the Week: Felix Auger-Aliassime
If you were wondering where Felix Auger-Aliassime was for the Davis Cup, he was over in France and successfully defending his Open Occitanie championship.
Auger-Aliassime defeated Frenchman Adrien Mannarino 6-3, 7-6(4) in the final. This was a good response by the Canadian after suffering a shock first-round defeat at the Australian Open where he was forced to retire due to cramps.
“Adrian is always a really tough opponent to play,” Auger-Aliassime said. “For all players, there’s a lot of respect for him and his career. I knew it was going to be a tough match today, and I’m very happy to win here again.”
The victory secured Auger-Aliassime’s ninth career ATP title, which is now the most by a Canadian in the Open Era. He was tied with Milos Raonic prior to this win.
Another point of significance is that Auger-Aliassime will now move up two spots in the ATP rankings to sixth, behind Italy’s Lorenzo Mussetti and ahead of U.S.A.’s Taylor Fritz.
Many are expecting a big year for Auger-Aliassime this year on the back of a very strong final third of the 2025 season that included reaching the U.S. Open semifinals and ATP Finals semifinals.
Raptors acquire Chris Paul at trade deadline… but not really
It was always going to be interesting to see GM Bobby Webster’s approach to his first trade deadline as the main man in charge. To little surprise, he and the rest of the Raptors front office chose to exercise caution, preferring to wait for the off-season to take a big swing.
When speaking with the media, Webster explained that the price points for a big deal were too high and the Raptors weren’t willing to surrender the necessary draft capital.
Slightly over the luxury tax, the primary objective was to make a move to get under that and it was achieved by trading seldom used wing Ochai Agbaji in a three-team deal involving the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Clippers. The Raptors came away with Chris Paul, but only on paper.
While still a member of the team, the future Hall-of-Famer, widely considered one of the greatest point guards in NBA history, is not expected to make his way to Toronto and will instead be waived at some point in the near future. For now, it’s strange seeing Paul’s name on the Raptors’ roster.
After that bit of business, the Raptors forked over some cash considerations to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for centre Trayce Jackson-Davis. Undersized for his position at 6-foot-9, the Raptors like his ability to be a bit of a hub for the offence and be a rim-rolling threat.
Toronto was rumoured to be in the mix for 10-time all-star Anthony Davis but he instead made his way to the Washington Wizards. Sacramento Kings centre Domantas Sabonis was also considered a possibility but no deal materialized for him with any team.
Interestingly, Webster did tease that there was one big name the Raptors pursued that was never reported.
Jackson-Davis ultimately made his debut on Sunday in the Raptors’ win against the Indiana Pacers, securing a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds in 16 minutes of play.
Gilgeous-Alexander will miss all-star game with injury
Gilgeous-Alexander was named an all-star for a fourth time. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
(AAron Ontiveroz via Getty Images)
Hamilton Ont., native and reigning league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will miss the 2026 NBA all-star game in Los Angeles after suffering an abdominal strain that has ruled him out of action through at least Feb. 15.
The 27-year-old was voted in as a starter for the international team, but has now been replaced by Houston Rockets centre Alperen Sengun, who hails from Turkey.
Averaging 31.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, 6.4 assists, and 1.3 steals, Gilgeous-Alexander has put together another MVP-worthy campaign for a Thunder team that holds the best record in the league at 40-13. It’s also worth noting that his scoring has been hyper efficient on 55.4 per cent shooting from the field, including 39 per cent from three. He has also made 89.2 per cent of his free-throws.
Now, one point of concern with the injury will be how many games Gilgeous-Alexander misses with regards to end-of-season awards. For the last few seasons, the NBA has mandated that players must play at least 65 games to be eligible for awards like Most Valuable Player, Most Improved Player, and Defensive Player of the Year, among others.
Gilgeous-Alexander has played 49 games so far this season and the Thunder will have 26 games remaining after the all-star break. Yes, that means Gilgeous-Alexander can’t miss more than 10 games after the break.
Maple Leafs take 3-game win streak into break
Auston Matthews #34 of Team United States speaks with head coach Mike Sullivan during training on day two of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena on February 08, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
(Gregory Shamus via Getty Images)
The Toronto Maple Leafs finished its pre-Olympics schedule with three straight wins including victories over the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames and moved into a tie with the Ottawa Senators in the standings.
In Leafs related news, the man wearing the big ‘C’ Auston Matthews has been named captain of the U.S.A. men’s hockey team for the Olympics as well.
Elsewhere in Canada, the Montreal Canadiens head into the NHL Olympics break six points behind the Tampa Bay Lighting for first place in the Atlantic division. Over in Vancouver, the Canucks remain in last place.
Draxl plays hero as Canada battles past Brazil in Davis Cup
Liam Draxl put on an exhibition for Canada against Brazil in the Davis Cup, winning both his singles matches, including a thrilling 6-3, 6-4 win over Gustavo Heide in the deciding fifth match.
In the very first match of this Brazil tie, Draxl had defeated Joao Lucas Reis da Silva to give Canada an early lead, but it was squandered as Gabriel Diallo suffered a shock defeat to Heide. Brazil then went on to take the doubles rubber, leaving Canada in a do-or-die scenario.
Diallo bounced back to beat Matheus Pucinelli de Almeida 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 before Draxl then sealed the victory with his exhilarating win. How about this for a celebration in front of the Vancouver fans:
“I’m feeling pretty good right now!” an excited and emotional Draxl said after. “It’s a very, top, top, top feeling [that] I’ve never felt in my life — just pure positivity, relief, excitement — an amazing, amazing, amazing moment. I’m just super grateful.
“It means a lot to me, and it means a lot to everyone [who’s] part of this team, because obviously we did it the hard way.”
The result means Canada advances to the qualifiers second round where they will face France in September, after the U.S. Open. The two nations will meet in the Davis Cup for the first time since March 2016.