Stars Trade for Nieuwendyk

Joe Nieuwendyk of the Calgary Flames was traded to the Dallas Stars late Tuesday, and the team gave him a five-year contract to go along with his $1.8-million salary.

Dallas sent Calgary center Corey Millen, who had played in only 13 of 29 games, and the rights to top 1995 draft pick Jarome Iginla.

The Stars are hoping Nieuwendyk improves the offense. Dallas’ 82 goals are the least in the Western Conference and third-worst in the NHL.

Nieuwendyk, 29, has been in a season-long holdout with the Flames. He had 21 goals and 29 assists in 46 games for the Flames last season.

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The Hartford Whalers traded right wing Jocelyn Lemieux to New Jersey and acquired defenseman Jeff Brown from Vancouver in a three-team deal.

Hartford sent Lemieux and its second-round pick in 1998 to the Devils for center Jim Dowd and a second-round choice in 1997. The Whalers then sent Dowd, defenseman Fran Kucera and their second-round pick in 1997 to the Canucks for Brown and a third-round choice in 1998.

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Moments after Kirk Muller told the New York Islanders he won’t report to the team, he was removed from the payroll, cutting off his $1.9-million salary. The Islanders had been paying Muller since sending him home in mid-November while they tried to work out a trade.

Muller plans to stay in Kingston, Canada, and work out with the major junior team there until traded.

Miscellany

American Kris Feddersen stayed atop the men’s World Cup standings by placing second in the aerials event of the freestyle ski competition at Piancavallo, Italy. Feddersen, who had 230.29 points, finished behind winner Alexis Blanc of France, who had 231.27 points. In women’s competition, Canadian Veronica Brenner won the aerials event with 173.01 points. Nikki Stone of the United States edged Canadian Caroline Olivier for second place.

Jari Mantila of Finland won the third event of the Nordic combined season at Predazzo, Italy, and climbed into second place in the World Cup standings. Norway’s Knut-Tore Apeland, who finished second, remained the leader in overall standings.

Names in the News

Shawn Eckardt, the former bodyguard of figure skater Tonya Harding, has filed a $6-million lawsuit against a minister he claims heard his confession in the attack on Nancy Kerrigan and turned it over to police.

USA Softball selected former UCLA player Jennifer Brundage as an alternate for the U.S. Olympic Team. The position opened when DeeDee Weiman, also formerly of UCLA, withdrew her place on the team for personal reasons.

The head of the International Softball Federation said he will remain on a nominating panel for the next U.S. Olympic Committee president despite an ethics board recommendation that he resign. Don Porter, the federation president, said there is nothing in his organization’s dealings with a foundation headed by Bill Hybl, the probable front-runner in next year’s USOC elections, that should lead to his withdrawal.