Penguins owners meet Vegas mayor to talk about moving

Penguins owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle traveled Wednesday to Las Vegas to meet with the mayor and discuss a possible move there.

The two owners and Las Vegas Mayor Oscar B. Goodman had a "very pleasant conversation," said Elena Owens, a spokeswoman for the mayor. She declined to elaborate.

The Penguins issued a letter Monday saying the team planned to pursue relocation. It blamed government officials for failing to reach a deal to build a new arena in Pittsburgh.

Gov. Ed Rendell said Wednesday he was optimistic the team would remain in Pittsburgh.

PRONGER OUT Anaheim Ducks All-Star defenseman Chris Pronger will be out about two weeks because of a broken bone in his toe.

WOODS IN RARE COMPANY Tiger Woods joined elite company - Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer - as a player to host a PGA Tour event during his career.

Woods made clear that the AT&T National in Washington would pay tribute to the military during the Fourth of July holiday and pay for a new Tiger Woods Learning Center in the area.

RICE, FISHER IN INDY Dreyer & Reinbold Racing entered cars in the Indianapolis 500 for former winner Buddy Rice and new teammate Sarah Fisher, the first woman to win the pole in a major auto racing series.

TRAINING RUN SCRAPPED Heavy snowfall forced organizers to cancel the first training run Wednesday for a men's World Cup downhill this weekend on Kvitfjell's Olympic course in Norway.

BROWN, FLUTIE ON BALLOT Heisman Trophy winners Tim Brown and Doug Flutie are among those making their first appearance on the ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame.

Other first-timers include Northwestern linebacker Pat Fitzgerald, a two-time Bednarik Award winner as national defensive player of the year; UCLA offensive lineman Randy Cross and Penn State running back Curt Warner.

CHICAGO TOUR A lot was left to the imagination of U.S. Olympic Committee officials who toured Chicago, assessing possible 2016 Summer Olympics venue sites on a cold, gray day.

Chicago is competing with Los Angeles to bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics, and the USOC will decide April 14.

MACKEY IN LEAD Lance Mackey snatched back the lead in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, speeding through Ophir, Alaska, as other teams rested.

Four-time champions Martin Buser and Jeff King had breezed through the Nikolai checkpoint and cruised to the front while Mackey slept. The two were resting their teams in Ophir, near the halfway point.

MUNDINE WINS Former rugby player Anthony Mundine won the vacant World Boxing Association super-middleweight title, stopping fellow Australian Sam Soliman in the ninth round in Sydney, Australia.

BUTKUS BACKS BILL With a publicity boost from Hall of Fame linebacker Dick Butkus, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst introduced a state Senate bill to require mandatory random steroid testing for Texas public school athletes.

CHATMAN RESIGNS Louisiana State women's basketball coach Pokey Chatman, who twice took the Lady Tigers to the Final Four after taking over as head coach in 2004, unexpectedly announced her resignation.

SPRINTERS WED Olympic medal-winning sprinters Marion Jones and Obadele Thompson were married in a small ceremony in rural North Carolina, the service's minister said.

THORPE'S WIDOW DIES Freeda Kirkpatrick Thorpe, the second wife of Olympic and professional athlete Jim Thorpe, has died. She was 101 and died Friday at Willow Springs Care in Yakima, Wash.

HIBNER DIES Barb Hibner, who oversaw the growth of women's athletics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for almost three decades, died of cancer, the university announced. She was 65.

OLIVER DIES Former catcher Gene Oliver, who played for the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs during a 10-year major league career, has died. He was 71.

DEMENTIEVA OUT A right rib injury forced fifth-seeded Elena Dementieva to withdraw from the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, Calif. She has a stress fracture that could sideline her for six weeks.

Back to Top