AROUND THE LEAGUE

The NHL’s investigation into the vandalism of three rooms at the Olympic Village last week in Nagano, Japan, by members of the U.S. men’s hockey team continues. League spokesman Arthur Pincus said he did not know when the inquiry would be completed and said no one has been eliminated, even though several players have proclaimed themselves cleared and although sources say various players--including Gary Suter and Chris Chelios--have alibis.

Mike Richter told the New York Post he was asleep when a group of players entered his room and started spraying him with a fire extinguisher. However, he did not identify the players who set off the extinguisher. Three extinguishers were set off, including one that was thrown into a courtyard, and six broken chairs were tossed into a courtyard hours after the U.S. team’s quarterfinal loss to the Czech Republic.