For questions or suggestions, contact night editor Curits Withers at (416) 507-2154 or sports(at)thecanadianpress.com. General Sports Editor Neil Davidson can be reached at (416) 507-2155 or neil.davidson(at)thecanadianpress.com. All times ET.
HOCKEY@
PHOENIX@ — A U.S. bankruptcy court judge has accelerated the schedule for determining whether Canadian businessman Jim Balsillie can buy the Phoenix Coyotes and move the club to southern Ontario over the objection of the NHL. 500 words. By Bob Baum. BC-NHL-Coyotes-Bankruptcy, 1st Writethru. Moved Sports (S) and World (W). Moved.
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PITTSBURGH@ — Gretzky, Crosby. Oilers, Penguins? A quarter-century after Edmonton won the Stanley Cup a season after losing to a team loaded with older players, Pittsburgh might have the chance to accomplish the same feat. By Alan Robinson. 600 words. See Photos. BC-NHL-Cup-Penguins. Moved.
See also:
— BC-NHL-Hawks-Wings-Injuries. Moved.
— BC-NHL-Classic-Bruins. Moved.
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QUEBEC@ — The Colorado Avalanche have struck out in their bid to lure Hall of Fame goaltender Patrick Roy back to Denver. Roy said he phoned Avalanche president Pierre Lacroix late Tuesday night to tell him he wasn't accepting the team's offer to become its new head coach due to family reasons. 670 words. By Alexandre Robillard. BC-NHL-Avalanche-Roy, 3rd Writethru. Moved.
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AUTO RACING@
UNDATED @— When Toronto driver Paul Tracy got the offer to race in this weekend's IRL Milwaukee Mile, he nearly drove his motorhome off the highway. Trying to negotiate the deal on a cellphone while whipsawing across the road on a blown tire will do that to you. 650 words. By Dean Bennett. See Photos. BC-AUTO-IRL-Tracy. Moved.
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UNDATED@ — Joey Logano made his anticipated NASCAR debut at Dover International Speedway one year ago this week when he finished sixth in his first Nationwide start. It's been a whirlwind for the one-time racing phenom, who is starting to live up to the expectations they had for him at Joe Gibbs Racing. 750 words. By Dan Gelston. BC-AUTO-NASCAR-Logano. Moved.
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UNDATED@ — When Dan Wheldon walked away from a ride with powerful Target Chip Ganassi Racing to sign with the second tier Panther Racing team, it wasn't considered a very savvy move. All the speculation about the move made the Englishman's second-place finish in the Indianapolis 500 a little more gratifying. 500 words. By Mike Harris. See Photos. BC-AUTO-IRL-Weldon. Moved.
See also:
— BC-AUTO-Notebook. Moves Datafile only.
— BC-AUTO-Glance. Moved.
OTHER SPORTS@
ROME@ — Manchester United aims to win the Champions League for the second year in a row but faces its biggest rival for the unofficial status as the world's best team. Barcelona is the newly crowned Spanish league and cup winner and has the star-studded lineup to match or even better United's in what should be a hugely entertaining final at the Stadio Olimpico. 700 words. By Robert Millward. See Photos. BC-SOC-Champions-Final, 1st Writrethru. Moved.
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ORLANDO, Fla.@ — Dressed in black, the imposing seven-footer sat near the floor and watched as Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic won Game 4 over Cleveland to move within one win of the NBA finals. Shaquille O'Neal represented the Magic's glorious past, however brief, and had to be impressed with their present and future. 700 words. By Tom Withers. See Photos. BC-NBA-Cavaliers-Magic, 1st Writethru. Moved.
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UNDATED@ — Mike Tyson finally seemed to have things working for him. He escaped prison on a drug charge, was living a clean life and had two movies out. Then tragedy struck, and another sad chapter was added to his life. 700 words. By Tim Dahlberg. See AP Photos. BC-BOX-Tyson-Column. Moved Datafile only.
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PARIS@ — Maria Sharapova was so disappointed to miss the U.S. Open and Olympics last year, she couldn't bear to watch on TV. Coming back from shoulder surgery, now she's playing in Grand Slam matches, and she barely won another Wednesday at the French Open, 8-6 in the third set. 700 words. By Howard Fendrich. See Photos. BC-TEN-French, 3rd Writethru. Moved.
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BRISBANE, Australia@ — There was no bold 5-0 predictions from Glenn McGrath before the first wave of the Australian cricket squad jetted off to England on Wednesday ahead of the Ashes series. In fact, there was no Glenn McGrath. Or Shane Warne. Or Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Damien Martyn or Jason Gillespie. 745 words. By John Pye. BC-CRKT-Ashes-Australia. Moved Datafile only.
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TAMPA, Fla.@ — A central Florida man arrested with thousands of anabolic steroid pills told investigators he sold to professional athletes, including players on the Washington Nationals and Capitals, authorities said Wednesday. Authorities said he didn't name specific players, and they have no evidence he sold to members of those teams, who have denied it. 600 words. By Christine Amario. BC-MISC-Steroids-Bust, 3rd Writethru. Moved.
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FORT WORTH, Texas@ — Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are easy guesses as the two top-ranked golfers in the world. Do you know who's third? Paul Casey, who started the year 41st, got to No. 3 by winning his third tournament of the year last weekend in Europe. Now he's back in the United States, heading a strong field at the Crowne Plaza Invitational. 700 words. By Jaime Aron. See AP Photos. BC-GOLF-Colonial. Moved.