Helmets are currently banned in women's lacrosse and many players want to keep it that way, despite calls from safety advocates for head protection, the New York Times reported.

"It's hard to absolutely prove, but what we've seen is that behavior can change when athletes feel more protected, especially when it comes to the head and helmets," said Dr. Margot Putukian, Princeton's director of athletic medicine services and chairwoman of the U.S. Lacrosse safety committee.

"They tend to put their bodies and heads in danger that they wouldn't without the protection. And they aren't as protected as they might think," she told the Times.

Women's lacrosse has many other differences in rules from men's lacrosse, so much so that they're practically different sports, said Amy Bokker, the coach of the Stanford women's lacrosse team.

Among the differences:

• No body checking, and minimal collisions.
• No head contact, or even accidental intrusion with the stick or body into an imaginary sphere around the head, called the halo.
• No shooting at the net when a defender is in line with the goal.

In December, the New York State Public High School Athletic Association voted 9-2 to keep the ban on hard helmets in the women's game. U.S. Lacrosse also supports the ban.

Safety advocates, however, call the ban outdated.

"Somebody's got to stand up and say, What are you doing? This to me is like, come on, you're not serious. This is 2011," said Dr. Jack Ryan of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine at a recent meeting of the National Organizing Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment.

Do you think more protective equipment leads to more risky or violent behaviour in sports? Do you play a sport such as soccer, rugby or women's lacrosse that requires less protective gear? Let us know what you think.  (This survey is not scientific. It is based on readers' responses.)

Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh returns to Toronto to face his former team Wednesday. (Michael Conroy/Associated Press)

Miami Heat all-star Chris Bosh returns to face his former team in Toronto for the first time Wednesday.

The Toronto Raptors drafted Bosh in 2003 and fans watched him blossom from a talented rookie to becoming one of the league's most highly skilled big men. But after seven seasons in Toronto, and only two playoff appearances, Bosh left the NBA's lone Canadian franchise to join superstars Dwyane Wade and LeBron James in Miami during free-agency last summer.

In a city that celebrated the return of Vince Carter by donning No. 15 baby bibs, the Raptors know Chris Bosh's visit to Toronto could get ugly.

"I think it will be real crazy, I think it will be a lot of excitement, I think it will be, phew. . . like The Rock coming back to WWE," Raptors forward Reggie Evans said, laughing.

Toronto fans have been spurned before, watching the likes of Damon Stoudamire, Tracy McGrady and Carter hightail it to other teams.

But the manner of Bosh's departure left fans stinging. He toyed with their hearts, tweeting: "Should I stay or should I go?" He complained that Raptors games weren't on T.V. in the U.S., he griped about Canada's inferior cable T.V. lineup.

Bosh is prepared for the worst, but the 26-year-old said he has no regrets on how his handled things in Toronto.

"Sometimes there's no good way to separate or move on. You have to put the past behind," Bosh told reporters in Indianapolis on Tuesday before Miami's game versus the Pacers. "At no time did I feel I said anything degrading or bad or acted uncivilized. I'm pretty happy with the way things went."

-With files from The Associated Press

Read more.

(This survey is not scientific. It is based on readers' responses.)

By CBC News

Thousands of people gathered in downtown Vancouver on Saturday to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the 2010 Winter Olympics, while others protested the Games' legacy.

Last Feb. 12, hundreds of thousands of people filled the streets of Vancouver and Whistler as the Games officially opened.

Exactly one year later, on a rainy afternoon, spectators, families, and former 2010 volunteers filled Robson Square in downtown Vancouver, the epicentre of the Games.

John Furlong, who was VANOC's CEO, was given a standing ovation.

"I think it's a fantastic thing to say that we saw what sport can do to a nation, how sport can bring a country together and allow it to have a moment like the one we had."

However, at a rally in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside on Saturday, protesters said the Olympics left a legacy of homelessness.

"The Olympics helped bring things forward more quickly in the Downtown Eastside in terms of more market development," activist Wendy Pedersen said. "And all of that momentum is driving up the prices of land and rents for low-income people."

The Games were also controversial because of the death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili, who lost control of his sled and flew off the luge track during a training run.

An inquiry found that his death was an unforeseeable accident, but internal emails obtained by the CBC through British Columbia's Access to Information Act suggest Olympic organizers knew the track might be dangerous.

Read more.

How do you see the 2010 Winter Olympics' legacy? Do you think the Games were positive or negative for Canada? Let us know in the comments below.

(This survey is not scientific. It is based on readers' responses.)

By CBC News

The NHL handed the New York Islanders a $100,000 US fine late Saturday night and suspended team forwards Trevor Gillies and Matt Martin for their actions during a fight-filled win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Only enforcer Eric Godard was punished on the Penguins side by the league as he received an automatic 10-game suspension for leaving the bench Friday night to join a third-period brawl.

Gillies was suspended for nine games for delivering a blow to the head of Penguins forward Eric Tangradi and punching him several times, leaving him with concussion-like symptoms that will keep him out for at least Sunday's game against the New York Rangers.

Martin was hit with a four-game suspension for punching Penguins forward Max Talbot from behind.

Already dealing with a growing number of concussions, including one to Penguins captain Sidney Crosby that has kept him sidelined since early January, the NHL is taking serious measures to punish head contact.

-With files from The Canadian Press

Read more.

Do you think there's too much fighting in the NHL? Is fighting an important part of the sport? Let us know in the comments below.

(This survey is not scientific. It is based on readers' responses.)

The first Ultimate Fighting Championship event in Toronto is officially a sellout, with fans snapping up 55,000 tickets to the April 30 show.

The previous attendance mark was more than 23,000 fans at UFC 124 in Montreal's Bell Centre in December, according to The Canadian Press.

More than 40,000 tickets sold Thursday in the first day of a pre-sale. The rest were purchased Friday, in another pre-sale, and Saturday, when tickets were made available to the general public.

The Ontario government announced last year it would allow events featuring the controversial combat sport starting in 2011, following the lead of several other provinces including Nova Scotia, Quebec, and Manitoba.

The decision to sanction mixed martial arts competition in Ontario was immediately criticized by the Canadian Medical Association, which expressed concerns about the risk of potentially lifelong injuries to the fighters. At an annual meeting last August, CMA members voted overwhelmingly to campaign for a ban on "mixed martial arts prizefighting matches in Canada."

-With files from The Canadian Press

Do you watch mixed martial arts? Do you think the sport should be banned? Let us know in the comments below.

(This survey is not scientific. It is based on readers' responses.)

Related:

P.O.V.: Should mixed martial arts events be banned?

Hockey fans from across Canada are travelling to Whitehorse this week to celebrate their beloved game at Scotiabank's Hockey Day in Canada festival.

The annual event kicked off Tuesday evening with the unveiling of a Yukon hockey history exhibit at the Macbride Museum. The rest of the week features numerous hockey games, family activities, and culminates on Feb. 12 with a daylong CBC broadcast from Whitehorse hosted by sportscaster Ron MacLean.

A major part of the Hockey Day in Canada broadcast is to highlight stories about the people and communities who truly care about the game.

"Every year, it seems ... we air a story about a person who has been involved in minor hockey his or her entire life, organizing the local league and even operating the arena," wrote Scott Morrison on CBCSports.ca. "Like so many of the silent heroes in our country, minor hockey is their life."

"Hockey, as we all know, is our passion. Always has been, always will be. In so many ways the game defines us. It is part of our history and our future."

We want to know if hockey has had an impact on your life. Tell us why you love the game. Let us know in the comments below. To find out more about this year's Hockey Day in Canada, click here.

(This survey is not scientific. It is based on readers' responses.)

Lights are reflected on an icy pavement outside of Cowboys Stadium where the NFL football Super Bowl XLV will be played between the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers Thursday, Feb. 3, 2011, in Arlington, Texas. (Charlie Riedel/Associated Press)

Super Bowl XLV is being hyped as an "up in the air" battle between two football giants: the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers. As CBC's Jesse Campigotto wrote, "it's their ability to evolve that has the two clubs playing for the NFL championship once again."

The Packers and the Steelers will face off in Dallas, Texas, on Sunday, Feb. 6 for the first time. Though Green Bay has won the first two Super Bowls in the late 1960s, Pittsburgh has also shown its valor by taking the championship four out of six times in the mid-to-late '70s.

Full story on CBC Sports. 

Will you be tuning into Super Bowl XLV? Who do you want to see claim the NFL championship trophy?

The CBC News Community team wants to hear your stories and see photos and videos of your Super Bowl traditions. Whether it's watching at a packed pub or hosting a party at home with your family and friends, show us how you participate in this event.

You can upload your photos here, share them in our Flickr pool, or email them to yournews@cbc.ca with the subject line "Superbowl XLV." On Twitter, send your images to @CBCCommunity or use the hashtag #cbccommunity along with your tweets.

(This survey is not scientific. It is based on readers' responses.)

Wayne Gretzky turned 50 on Wednesday. (Darren Calabrese/Canadian Press)

Canadian hockey icon Wayne Gretzky celebrates his 50th birthday Wednesday, prompting a flood of wellwishes from social media users.

"Happy Birthday to Wayne #Gretzky!" tweeted @Predlines. "One of the original Canadian national treasures."
 
"The @nhl Great One turned 50 today!!!" tweeted @puckdrop. "You are a Canadian institution and a continuous class act."

Incredibly, as Gretzky begins life in his fifties, his NHL milestones remain virtually untouched.

There have been more than 13,000 NHL games played since Gretzky retired in 1999 and he has only surrendered one of his 61 records -- Nicklas Lidstrom and a handful of others now have more career assists in overtime during the regular season, no doubt aided by the change to 4-on-4 for the tiebreaker and the fact a point is now awarded to the losing team.

"If you're going to be passed, you might as well be passed by a guy that's a great player and a Hall of Famer," Gretzky, gracious as ever, said of Lidstrom.

Whether it was scoring five times in one evening to reach 50 goals in 39 games or breaking the NHL's all-time points record during a trip back to Edmonton with the Los Angeles Kings, Gretzky always seemed to find a way to make his entries in the record book unique.

Fans of the Great One also shared their favourite hockey moments Wednesday.
 
"When the @NHL_Oilers won the cup in 87 #Gretzky handed the cup to Steve Smith," tweeted @Terry5. "After what happened in 86 it was 1 of #99 nicest pasess."

"The only guy to get over 200 points in a year, and he did it four times!" wrote CBCNews.ca community member Canman05. "Far and away the best player ever to put skates on."

-With files from The Canadian Press

Share your 50th-birthday wishes for Wayne Gretzky in the comments below. Do you have a favourite moment of the Great One? Let us know. For more on Gretzky's accomplishments, visit CBCSports.ca.
 
(This survey is not scientific. It is based on readers' responses.)

PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem, surfer Kelly Slater and Dustin Johnson wait to hit from the first tee during a charity challenge event in Kapalua, Hawaii, on Wednesday. The PGA will allow the Golf Channel to mike players during the tournament in Hawaii. (Eric Risberg/Associated Press)

The PGA has agreed to allow the Golf Channel to mike its players for television broadcasts of the tour opener in Hawaii, but golfers haven't been supportive of the idea so far, The Associated Press reports.

Jack Graham, executive producer for the Golf Channel, told reporters that some players don't want the microphones, while others have expressed interest but not for the first tournament, which starts Friday.

Graham, however, expects the golfers will warm to the idea, especially considering how other sports leagues, including the NBA and the NFL, have used wireless microphones to capture audio clips from players during games. The Golf Channel also miked players on the LPGA Tour last year.

"If you look at where we are compared with other sports, we're pretty far behind," he said.

Given the economy and growing entertainment choices -- and especially with a new television contract to be negotiated this year -- the PGA Tour is doing what it can to make broadcasts more interesting.

There already is some live chatter at tournaments from the "shotgun mike" held some 10 yards away from players in the fairway. That can't get anywhere near the green. When players are miked, it will not be live, rather repackaged during the telecast.

With files from The Associated Press

Do you think miking PGA players will improve tournament broadcasts or prove to be a distraction? Let us know in the comments below. 

(This survey is not scientific. It is based on readers' responses.)