Defenseman Coffey Signs With Bruins

Paul Coffey, who holds NHL records for points and assists by a defenseman, signed a two-year contract Thursday with the Boston Bruins.

Coffey, 39, is a 20-year veteran of the NHL who has played for seven teams, most recently the Carolina Hurricanes, and won four Stanley Cups. He was an unrestricted free agent.

Bruin President and General Manager Harry Sinden said the 6-foot, 200-pound Coffey would shore up Boston’s defense and offense.

“He is one of the premier offensive defensemen in the history of the game as well as one of the best skaters and his strong play, particularly over the second half of last season, convinced us that he has plenty to offer,” Sinden said.

Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.

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The Mighty Ducks signed three players they expect will provide additional muscle--right wing Dan Bylsma, left wing Kevin Sawyer and defenseman Dean Malkoc. . . . The Detroit Red Wings have re-signed veteran defenseman Larry Murphy, 39, for another year. . . . The Edmonton Oilers signed left wing Josh Green and defenseman Alexei Semenov. . . . Dave Andreychuk has agreed to a contract with the Buffalo Sabres.

Soccer

Charles Dempsey, whose decision to abstain on the final ballot gave Germany the 2006 World Cup over South Africa, resigned from FIFA’s executive committee.

In a short statement, FIFA said Dempsey had tendered his resignation, effective today, from the FIFA executive body and from all other committees of which he is a member. Dempsey had earlier announced his retirement, effective immediately, as president of the Oceania Football Confederation.

Brazilian star Ronaldinho Gaucho will sit out Tuesday’s World Cup qualifying game against Paraguay because of problems with the ligaments in his right knee.

Tennis

Wimbledon finalist Patrick Rafter beat Gustavo Kuerten, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3, as defending Davis Cup champion Australia took a 2-0 lead in its semifinal against Brazil at Brisbane.

Rafter broke the French Open champion once in the first set and twice in each of the second and third sets to win in 81 minutes.

In the second match, Lleyton Hewitt beat Fernando Meligeni, 6-4, 6-2, 6-3.

Top-seeded Magnus Norman of Sweden posted a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Jiri Vanek of the Czech Republic to reach the quarterfinals of the Swedish Open at Bastad. . . . Sebastien Grosjean of France upset second-seeded Nicolas Kiefer of Germany, 6-3, 6-1, in the second round of the Swiss Open at Gstaad. . . . Sixth-seeded Anna Smashnova of Israel rallied to defeat Anal Media-Garrigues of Spain, 4-6, 6-3, 6-0, in the second round of the WTA Tour event at Palermo, Sicily. . . . Bjorn Borg, playing his last tournament in the Nordic countries, beat Mansour Bahrami of Iran, 6-3, 6-2, in the first round of a senior event at Mariehamn, Finland. The Swedish five-time Wimbledon champion, 44, will retire from the senior tour after this season.

Miscellany

Oregon basketball Coach Ernie Kent interviewed for Notre Dame’s coaching job, an Oregon spokesman said. Kent met in Washington with Notre Dame Athletic Director Kevin White. The Irish job opened Tuesday when Matt Doherty left to coach North Carolina. . . . Gary Colbert of Utah, a point guard from Etiwanda High who started 16 games as a sophomore last season, is leaving the school because of academic reasons. He is expected to transfer to Dixie College in St. George, Utah. . . . Villanova extended the contract of basketball Coach Steve Lappas through the 2003-04 season. Lappas’s current contract was scheduled to expire after the 2001-02 season.

The NBA Ambassadors, coached by Hall of Fame player Nate Archibald, won the Asian Basketball Assn. championship by beating China, 103-68, at Beijing.

Pat Dunkley, a Canadian rugby player, was infected with flesh-eating bacteria after getting cut on the leg during a match last weekend, and remained hospitalized in Toronto after two operations to treat the disease. Dunkley, 27, was hurt in Canada’s loss to Fiji during a three-team tournament in Western Samoa. When he returned to Canada with the team on Sunday, he had a fever and severe pain. He was hospitalized and diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis, a disease that destroys human tissue and can be fatal.

Only select U.S. and foreign dignitaries will get in free to the 2002 Winter Games, the Salt Lake Organizing Committee decided. Other government officials will have the opportunity to buy tickets, under the plan approved by SLOC’s Management Committee. . . . Olympic organizers have filed a lawsuit in the United States against more than 1,800 Internet sites for misusing the Olympic name. A joint release from the IOC, the U.S. Olympic Committee and the Salt Lake Organizing Committee, said the suit involved Web sites with a domain name including the words Olympic, Olympiad or related terms in different languages. . . . Wu Yanyan, world champion in the women’s 200-meter individual medley, was dropped from China’s Olympic swimming team after failing a drug test. . . . Peter Jess and Nick Bideau, former managers for two-time 400-meter world champion Cathy Freeman, have agreed to postpone their breach-of-contract lawsuit against the Australian runner until after the Sydney Olympics. . . . Electronic repellent devices strapped to divers will ward off sharks during the Olympic triathlon in Sydney Harbor.

Qualifying medalist D.J. Trahan of Inman, S.C., won two matches to advance to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship at Portland, Ore.

Maine Coach Shawn Walsh, who lost a kidney to cancer and faces more treatment after it spread to his lymph nodes, may be able to return to coaching by the beginning of the hockey season.

Longtime International Boxing Federation welterweight champion Felix Trinidad testified in Newark, N.J., that he never made payoffs, or had anyone make payoffs, to ensure good treatment by the IBF. Prosecutors accuse IBF founder Robert W. Lee and other IBF officials of taking $338,000 from promoters and managers in a span of more than a decade in exchange for favors and rigged rankings. . . . University of Miami defensive tackle Adrian Wilson has been charged with aggravated battery in Miami after police said he pushed his date down a flight of stairs.

The time for the July 21 graveside services for 1950s Downey High football star Randy Meadows has been changed to 1 p.m., at Riverside National Cemetery.