Current Sports News Briefs: Wolves Win Game 4, Oilers Face Pressure, Olympic Champion Banned, New Canadian Women’s League, French Open Showdown, Golfer Thompson to Retire, Djokovic Advances, Blue Jackets Hire Waddell, MLB Rockies Snap Guardians’ Streak, Patriots Sign Maye

The Edmonton Oilers are feeling the heat as they face off against the Dallas Stars in Game 4 of the Western Conference final. With the Oilers trailing 2-1 in the series, the pressure is on to avoid falling into a 3-1 hole that could put them on the brink of elimination.

Meanwhile, Brazilian former Olympic pole vault champion Thiago Braz has been handed a 16-month ban for violating anti-doping regulations, which will see him miss this year’s Olympic Games in Paris. This news comes as a blow to the athlete who won gold at the Rio Olympics in 2016 and bronze in Tokyo in 2021.

In other sports news, Canada’s first professional women’s soccer league has been named the Northern Super League, with Montreal and Ottawa joining four other franchises for the inaugural 2025 season. Additionally, defending French Open champion Iga Swiatek is set to face off against Naomi Osaka in a highly anticipated second-round match at Roland Garros.

On the golf front, American golfer Lexi Thompson has announced her plans to retire from full-time competitive golf following the 2024 LPGA season. Thompson, an 11-time winner on the LPGA Tour, will be making her 18th consecutive start in a U.S. Women’s Open this week.

Lastly, the Columbus Blue Jackets have appointed Don Waddell as their new president of hockey operations, general manager, and alternate governor in a bid to lead the team’s turnaround. This move comes after Waddell’s resignation from the Carolina Hurricanes after 10 seasons with the organization.