Hasek’s Hospital Stay Ends After Two Weeks

Dominik Hasek, the NHL’s top goalie, was released from a Czech hospital Thursday, two weeks after he was admitted for treatment of an unspecified illness.

“Mr. Hasek feels well and the results of the latest checks also were favorable,” said Jan Fertek, director of the hospital in Hasek’s hometown of Pardubice.

Said Hasek: “I’m glad I can finally go home. I feel great now. I believe that by the beginning of September, I’ll be in good shape again.”

Hasek won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s best goalie for the sixth time last month, two weeks before being traded by the Buffalo Sabres to the Detroit Red Wings.

Doctors said Hasek’s illness might have been caused by a viral infection.

Football

Several hundred people showed up on a cloudy day at Furman University in Greenville, S.C., to watch Michael Vick make his debut with the Atlanta Falcons.

The Pittsburgh Steelers avoided a breakdown in their secondary, signing cornerbacks Dewayne Washington and Chad Scott to new contracts worth more than $20 million each as training camp opened. Both would have been eligible for free agency next year. . . . Quarterback Quincy Carter, the Dallas Cowboys’ top draft pick in April, signed a five-year, $3.3-million contract. . . . Veteran offensive lineman Jumbo Elliott was released by the New York Jets.

Grant Noel, expected to follow Vick at quarterback for Virginia Tech this season, suffered a knee injury while weight training and could be sidelined for six weeks. . . . The Army-Navy game in 2002 has been moved from Philadelphia to East Rutherford, N.J., because of a shortage of hotel rooms in Philadelphia.

Soccer

Costa Rica completed an unbeaten first round with a 4-0 rout of Bolivia at Medellin, Colombia, in the final day of play before the quarterfinals of the Copa America. Honduras stunned Uruguay, 1-0, to claim the final spot in the quarterfinals.

The Atlanta Beat (7-1-7) maintained its hold on first place in the WUSA, getting a second-half goal from Kelly Cagle for a 1-1 tie with second-place Bay Area at Atlanta. Bay Area star Brandi Chastain left the game in the 57th minute because of a sprained knee. . . . Dagny Mellgren scored two goals to keep Boston (5-7-3) in playoff contention as the Breakers defeated the Philadelphia Charge, 2-1, at Villanova, Pa.

Galaxy forward Luis Hernandez and 16-year-old rookie forward Santino Quaranta of D.C. United were selected as “commissioner’s picks” for the Major League Soccer All-Star game on July 28 at San Jose.

Jurisprudence

Former NFL running back Kim Jones, who played for the New Orleans Saints, pleaded guilty in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to drug and weapons charges. . . . Former wrestler Saban Trstena, who won a freestyle gold medal in the 114-pound class at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, was convicted of drug trafficking last week in Cologne, Germany, and sentenced to eight years in prison, a Cologne district court official confirmed. . . . Jimmy Kibble, a former all-conference punter at Virginia Tech, was sentenced in Manassas, Va., to six months in jail for having sex with two 16-year-olds at a high school where he was an assistant coach.

Miscellany

Duke’s Alana Beard scored a tournament-record 28 points as the United States defeated Russia, 99-80, at Brno, Czech Republic, to complete preliminary-round play in the FIBA Junior World Championship with a 5-0 record. . . . Olympic 1,500-meter champion Noah Ngeny and women’s 10,000-meter runner Tegla Loroupe were dropped from Kenya’s track team for next month’s World Championships after failing to meet a deadline to return to the country.

Eric Heiden, who swept all five speedskating events in the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics, will be the team physician for the U.S. Olympic speedskating team at next year’s Salt Lake Games. . . . John Easterbrook, athletic director at Cal State Fullerton since 1994, announced his plan to retire this fall.