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There were some golden moments, a number of surprises and some unforgettable magic across the sports world in 2014. Heres a look back at 10 memorable Canadian stories:GRAND SEASONEugenie Bouchard showed she had arrived on the womens tennis scene by reaching the semifinals at the Australian Open last January. The young Canadian star proved it was no fluke a few months later by making the final four at the French Open.Bouchard took it one step further at Wimbledon with a performance that really got the countrys attention.She dispatched three top-20 opponents en route to the final without dropping a set. Bouchards semifinal win over Simona Halep made her the first Canadian to reach a Grand Slam singles final in the modern era.Her effort on the hallowed All-England Club grass courts had tennis observers and non-sports fans talking from coast to coast. Bouchard eventually met her match in the final, dropping a 6-3, 6-0 decision to Petra Kvitova.Bouchard picked up her first WTA title last spring, cracked the top five in the world rankings in October and reached the season-ending WTA finals.Its hard to believe shes only 20. Imagine the possibilities when she hits her prime.Canadas Milos Raonic also continued his strong play on the mens tour in 2014.He reached the Wimbledon semifinals for the first time before falling to Roger Federer. Raonic rose as high as No. 6 in the world rankings and made his first appearance at the ATP World Tour Finals.GOLDEN GOALOne victory was a thorough beatdown while the other had fans biting their nails for what felt like hours.The Canadian mens hockey team shut out Sweden 3-0 in Sochi to win gold for the second straight Winter Olympics. The Canadian womens team also came through with a successful title defence in a game loaded with drama.The Americans nearly iced the victory when Kelli Stack fired the puck down the ice toward Canadas empty net. The puck hit the post, Canada regained possession and Marie-Philip Poulin scored the tying goal seconds later.Poulin added the winner in overtime to give Canada a 3-2 victory and its fourth straight Olympic womens hockey gold.RUGBY RUNIt was uncharted territory for the Canadian womens rugby team.Canada entered last summers Womens Rugby World Cup having never finished higher than fourth at the tournament. They left the event knowing that they truly belong among the sports elite. With Magali Harvey and captain Kelly Russell leading the way, the Canadians held off the host French side 18-16 in a hard-fought semifinal. Canada dropped a 21-9 decision to England in the championship game.Harvey was named International Rugby Board womens player of the year after the game. Russell was a finalist for the honour.HOOP DREAMSCanadian basketball made big strides over the last year on several fronts.The national womens team finished fifth at the world championships for its best result at the tournament in years. Andrew Wiggins of Vaughan, Ont., was selected with the first overall pick in the NBA draft — the second straight year that a Canadian went No. 1 — and the Toronto Raptors finally returned to the post-season.Canadas lone NBA team played in front of sellout crowds at Air Canada Centre with a few thousand more watching the first-round action outside on a big screen.The Ontario capital is still considered a hockey town, but for the younger generation of sports fans in the city the Raptors are becoming just as important.TITLE REIGNSFor a brief moment after their second straight Olympic bobsled victory, Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse tuned out the din at the Sanki Sliding Center and focused on each other.They were near the mountain road outside the finish area, away from the cheering fans, getting in line with others for the flowers presentation.They gave each other a knowing smile. All the hard work had paid off, all the sacrifice and effort was worthwhile, and they proved once again they were still the best duo in the world.Their victory was one of a number of successful individual and team title defences in Sochi. Other repeat winners included freestyle skier Alex Bilodeau in moguls and a remarkable performance by Brian McKeever, who won three gold medals in cross-country skiing for the second straight Paralympics. CAPITAL RETURNThe Ottawa Rough Riders folded in 1996 after a long run in the nations capital. The CFL returned to the city in 2002 but the Renegades lasted only four seasons.In 2014, it was the Redblacks turn and football fans in Ottawa welcomed the expansion team in a big way.The atmosphere was electric on July 18 for opening night at TD Place Stadium, the first of nine straight home sellouts. However, the excitement didnt translate into victories.Ottawa edged Toronto 18-17 in its home opener, but the Redblacks won only one more game the entire season and scored a league-low 278 points.FLYING HIGHIt was a one-two finish that provided one of the enduring images of the Sochi Olympics.Justine Dufour-Lapointe won gold and Chloe Dufour-Lapointe took silver in womens moguls at Rosa Khutor Extreme Park. The sisters reached out to hold hands during the flower ceremony and peacefully gazed at each other.The snapshot from that moment made Canadians proud and generated international attention. Even tennis great Roger Federer weighed in.So cute, sport is great, he tweeted with a photo of the sisters on his verified Twitter feed.MONEY IN THE BANKSTiger-Cats kick returner Brandon Banks provided plenty of excitement in Hamiltons victory over Montreal in the CFL East final.He nearly topped himself in the Grey Cup.Banks returned two kicks for touchdowns and had a playoff-record 226 punt return yards in the Ticats win over the Alouettes. In the CFL championship game, Banks electrified the Vancouver crowd with a 90-yard runback with just 35 seconds left — a play that would have given Hamilton the lead over Calgary.However, a penalty flag negated his effort and the Ticats couldnt make it back to the end zone, dropping a 20-16 decision to the Stampeders.DROUGHT OVERGolfer Nick Taylor was a star amateur who couldnt seem to get on track at the pro level, spending five years labouring on lower-level tours.A September breakthrough at the Web.com Tour championship gave him PGA Tour status. He played like a seasoned professional two months later and earned his first PGA Tour victory in the process.Taylor overcame a four-shot deficit on the final day to win the Sanderson Farms Championship. The victory came with a hefty US$720,000 payday and a two-year Tour exemption.It also ended Canadas long victory drought.The last Canadian-born player to win a PGA Tour event was Mike Weir back in 2007. Calgarys Stephen Ames, a native of Trinidad and Tobago, last won in 2009.FAREWELL TO A LEGENDThe numbers are overwhelming.Jean Beliveau won the Stanley Cup 10 times with Montreal over his 20-year playing career and added seven more titles as an executive. Beliveau made 13 all-star game appearances, scored 507 goals and added 712 assists over 1,125 games.He was also one of the most respected captains in Canadiens history and was simply beloved in Quebec and around the country.Beliveau was 83 when he died on Dec. 2.His funeral at Mary Queen of the World cathedral attracted a whos who from the political and hockey world. Former and current players were joined by celebrities and fans alike, all who wanted to pay their respects to Le Gros Bill.———Follow @GregoryStrongCP on Twitter. Earnest Byner Jersey . Langer appeared to be in trouble when his second shot on the par-5 18th ended up in the rough short of the green. 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The sport moved a step closer to returning to South Florida on Wednesday, when Beckham confirmed he has exercised his option to purchase a Major League Soccer expansion franchise in Miami.ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The Cleveland Indians made their first visit this season to Angel Stadium and found an old friend in the closers role for the other team -- Joe Smith. The right-hander, who spent the previous five seasons with the Indians, got three outs in the ninth inning to preserve a 6-3 victory for Los Angeles on Monday night for his first save with the Angels. His role changed after a series of poor outings by Ernesto Frieri. "I dont think your attitude changes," Smith said. "I mean, if youre coming on in the seventh or eighth inning, the goal is the same: get out of the inning with a zero and hand the ball off to the next guy. Now, the goal is to get out of the inning with a zero and slap hands. It doesnt matter what inning Im throwing. I pitch people the same." Smith retired Carlos Santana on a foul pop behind the plate, then gave up a single to pinch-hitter David Murphy before retiring Michael Brantley on a fielders choice grounder and Asdrubal Cabrera on a line drove to centre field. "When hes on your team, hes easy to root for," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "Im one of his biggest fans -- and I only had the opportunity to have him for one year. For the guys who were around him longer than that, I can see why they like him so much. Hes a pros pro. I remember a conversation I had with Smitty when he was going through free agency, and I remember telling him flat out: We want you back so bad. But if we dont get you back, I hope you break the bank." Smith, who signed a three-year, $15.75 million contract in November, was the setup man last year for the Tribe and got three saves along the way. "Joe could be successful anywhere they put him," Francona said. Fernando Salas (2-0) pitched a hitless eighth inning and got credit for the victory after the Angels broke a 3-all tie in the bottom half with an RBI single by Mike Trout and a two-run triple by Raul Ibanez against Justin Masterson (0-1). Masterson gave up six runs and seven hits in 7 1-3 innings after getting a no-decision in each of his first five starts. The right-hander hasnt posted a victory since beating the Angells 3-1 last Aug.dddddddddddd 21 at the "Big A." Nick Swisher misplayed J.B. Shucks leadoff grounder to first base in the eighth for an error, and Erick Aybar bunted Shuck to second before Trout singled to left on a full-count pitch to snap a 3-all tie. Albert Pujols was walked intentionally in front of Ibanez, who capped the scoring with his triple to right-centre on Mastersons 113th and final pitch. Tyler Skaggs allowed three runs and four hits in seven innings and struck out six. The left-hander, staked to a 1-0 lead on Pujols RBI groundout in the first, retired his first 10 batters before giving up a double by Swisher, a walk to Jason Kipnis and Santanas second homer of the season into the left field bullpen. "Tyler hung a curveball to Santana, but other than that, he threw the ball awesome," Smith said. "If our starters go seven and give up three every time, thats great. Keep it rolling. It only makes it easier on us -- especially with this offence." Santana, the Indians switch-hitting third baseman, came in batting .122 over his first 24 games and was 3 for 22 with men in scoring position. But Francona said before the game that he wasnt ready to drop Santana out of the cleanup spot, where he has been in every game hes played. The Angels tied it in the fifth on a two-out, two-run double down the right field line by Aybar after Masterson issued a leadoff walk to Ian Stewart and a single by David Freese. Stewart started at third base while Freese was the designated hitter on his 31st birthday. The Indians, who had just gotten swept in a series at San Francisco, were 2 for 20 with runners in scoring position during that three-game set and totalled just five runs -- while their 4-5-6 hitters were a combined 0 for 29. NOTES: The Angels flight from New York didnt get in until 5:15 a.m. local time after a 3-2 loss at Yankee Stadium on Sunday that ended their 4-5 road trip. "I wish they played 20 innings," Francona said. ... Angels LF Josh Hamilton had his cast taken off Monday and is wearing a splint, the next step toward beginning his strength exercises and resuming baseball activities. 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