AROUND THE LEAGUE

Tampa Bay defenseman Bryan Marchment was suspended for eight games for his hit on Carolina forward Kevin Dineen on Feb. 4, even though Dineen was not hurt on the play.

This was Marchment’s second suspension this season for kneeing opponents. He also was fined $1,000 and will not be paid during the suspension.

Marchment was suspended for three games last December for a hit that knocked Dallas’ Mike Modano out for a month with torn ligaments.

“The fact that Marchment committed a similar foul and was suspended for three games earlier this season is obviously a factor in this decision,” NHL vice president Brian Burke said.

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It’s official: The New York Islanders have finally been sold.

After a series of snags that stretched over the last seven years, the Islanders officially have been bought by New York Sports Ventures, headed by Steven Gluckstern and Howard Milstein.

New York Sports Ventures purchased the team from John Pickett for $195 million. The deal includes the team, the cable television contract (worth about $500 million) and the 70-acre tract of land that surrounds Nassau Coliseum.

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The Carolina Hurricanes asked an arbitrator to uphold the six-year, $38-million contract offered to center Sergei Fedorov.

But after a teleconference hearing lasting one hour 45 minutes, arbitrator John Sands did not immediately rule on the deal. The NHL moved to disallow the deal Monday, saying it violated the league’s collective bargaining agreement.

Fedorov, a restricted free agent who helped the Detroit Red Wings win the Stanley Cup last season, has not played in an NHL game this season because of a contract dispute with the club.