Report Says Orlando Wants to Lure Devils

The New Jersey Devils, a box-office disappointment despite being one of the NHL’s top teams, have received an offer to move to Orlando, Fla., the New York Post reported Thursday.

Devil owner John McMullen told the newspaper that nothing has come of the inquiry.

“Someone called me, I’d say a little over a month ago, and wondered if we were interested in moving,” McMullen said. “I haven’t had any further discussions with them, and I don’t think anyone else from the Devils has talked to Orlando.”

The story did not identify the caller.

Orlando is looking for a hockey team to share the arena with the NBA’s Orlando Magic.

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Two of hockey’s Russian stars, Pavel Bure of the Vancouver Canucks and Alexander Mogilny of the Buffalo Sabres, have decided to sign with Moscow Spartak of the Russian League and will remain in Russia for the duration of the NHL labor dispute.

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Jari Kurri of the Kings assisted on two goals as league-leading Jokerit of Helsinki defeated KalPa, 8-2, at Helsinki in the Finnish hockey league.

Soccer

A man died in Oporto, Portugal, when his car smashed into the Mercedes of FC Porto’s star Russian forward, Sergei Yuran.

According to witnesses, Yuran was driving his beige-colored limousine down a main Oporto boulevard before dawn when a smaller Honda car turned across his path and collided. The player reportedly left the scene of the accident immediately.

Roberto Baggio scored twice as Juventus of Turin defeated Admira Wacker, 3-1, in a third-round, first-leg match of the UEFA Cup at Vienna, Austria.

Miscellany

Nadia Comaneci, who won three gold medals in gymnastics at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, participated in a fashion show in Bucharest marking her return to Romania from self-imposed exile.

Her return to Romania five years after she fled Romania just weeks before the overthrow and execution of former Stalinist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu has become a national event.

Ilia Kulik of Russia won the men’s title in the World Junior Figure Skating Championships at Budapest, Hungary.

Following the lead of FINA, the international swimming federation, the Chinese Swimming Assn. banned world champion Yang Aihua after she failed a drug test.

Australians Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde reached the semifinals of the ATP Tour World Doubles Championships at Jakarta, Indonesia, with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over David Adams of Australia and Andrei Olhovskiy of Russia.