David Poile and his U.S. Olympic hockey management team have been making what he called "ghost rosters" since August. It's getting close to the time where the roster has to be real.

"We know we're going to have to make these decisions pretty soon," said Poile, the general manager of the American side. "We've also got a number of injuries right now that we have to deal with, and we have to make decisions on that."

TORONTO - Greivis Vasquez couldn't help but be excited when he watched his new Raptors team beat the Los Angeles Lakers last weekend.

It wasn't so much about the win, but about the way that Toronto played — especially the pick-and-roll play of forwards Amir Johnson and Jonas Valanciunas.

"The first eight plays were pick and rolls. I was like 'Yes, this is heaven for me," Vasquez said. "It's going to be fun, but I don't want to say much, I just want to do it on the court."

TORONTO - Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver all passed on Stage 1 of the MLS Re-Entry Draft on Thursday but D.C. United continued its remake by taking defenders Sean Franklin and Bobby Boswell.

United took Franklin first overall and then grabbed Boswell in the second round.

Franklin spent the last six years with the Los Angeles Galaxy. Named 2008 rookie of the year, he played 160 matches and won two MLS titles with the Galaxy.

He earned US$248,333 this season.

CALGARY - There are some things you can always count on at a Brian Burke news conference — a loosened tie and some excellent quotes.

The veteran hockey executive added a slightly different look to the mix Thursday and the social media world took notice.

Burke, the president of hockey operations for the Calgary Flames, met with reporters at the Scotiabank Saddledome shortly after the team announced some front-office changes.

TORONTO - Portland Timbers captain Will Johnson capped off a career year Thursday by being named Canada's male soccer player of the year.

The Toronto-born midfielder was voted to the MLS All-Star Fan XI team and named to Major League' Soccer Best XI after leading the Timbers to a first-place finish in MLS's Western Conference with a 14-5-15 record.

SYDNEY - Canadian skipper Eric Holden guided the Henri Lloyd to its first win of the world's longest ocean race.

The 33-year-old from Vancouver and his crew won Race 5 of the 16-race Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, to maintain their first-place spot overall in what's considered the toughest global endurance challenge.

SALT LAKE CITY - Michael Jordan's shoes from the famous flu game of the 1997 NBA finals were sold for more than $100,000 in an online auction Thursday.

The Nike Air Jordan XII shoes were owned by a Utah Jazz ball boy who befriended Jordan when the Chicago Bulls visited Salt Lake City. Jordan was playing with what he thought was the flu, but still led the Bulls to a key victory in the NBA Finals.

SEATTLE - All-Star second baseman Robinson Cano and the Seattle Mariners finalized their $240 million, 10-year contract that was agreed upon late last week.

The deal, which is tied for the fourth largest contract in major league history, was completed Thursday after Cano passed his physical.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said there's no plan for the league to expand, but he didn't exactly pour water on the idea either.

During his remarks at the end of the league's board of governors meeting, Bettman insisted a decision hadn't even been made about going from 30 teams to potentially 32. He did say the NHL was getting plenty of expressions of interest, adding that "when people want to talk to us, we listen."

A new team, new stadiums and new rivalries are just some of the things that await football fans, with the 2014 CFL season promising more changes than any in recent years.

The season just finished may have had a storybook ending for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, who won their fourth Grey Cup on home turf, but it was a challenge for many other teams in the CFL.