NHL Players Assn. Alters Its Proposal

The proposal the NHL Players’ Assn. is about to drop on league representatives differs slightly from the package it proposed in September.

NHL and union representatives will meet Thursday in Toronto, where the proposal will be presented in an effort to restart negotiations that could end the 11-week-old lockout.

The proposal will include a stiffer luxury tax than the union’s last offer, the thresholds starting at about $40 million, with larger fines for teams that spend more than $60 million.

Also on the table are a possible 10% rollback on salaries for existing contracts and a change to an arbitration system that would be more favorable to the owners. The plan could also include a rookie salary cap at $850,000 with a lower bonus structure.

“We’re not expecting them to jump at it, but maybe this will be groundwork for something else,” Detroit Red Wing Kris Draper said.

Ted Saskin, the NHLPA’s senior director, declined to talk about the proposal but added, “We’ve spent a lot of time the last three months, looking for creative ways to get this done. We think that we’re setting out basis” for a new collective bargaining agreement.

Commissioner Gary Bettman has said that the new agreement must have “cost certainty” for the owners, with a link between player salaries and league revenues.

Saskin said, “We have not come across a way that would work” for the union.

The union’s proposal, however, could be a starting point to a compromise.

“Not that a luxury tax would work, but we’re not going to walk away from the table just because there’s one in the offer,” Bill Daly, the NHL’s chief counsel, said.

Chris Foster

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Winter Sports

Bode Miller of Franconia, N.H., won for the fourth time this season and Daron Rahlves of Sugar Bowl, Calif., was second at Beaver Creek, Colo., -- the first 1-2 finish for U.S. men in a World Cup downhill.

“It’s about time,” Rahlves said. “It’s what we wanted ... both of us on the podium.”

Miller and Rahlves entered the season saying each wanted to win the overall World Cup title. Miller has won four of the five events so far. He was second Thursday in a super-giant slalom won by Austrian Stephan Goergl.

Miller, trying to become the first American man since Phil Mahre in 1983 to win the overall title, finished in 1 minute 39.76 seconds. Rahlves was second in 1:39.92 and Michael Walchhofer of Austria was third in 1:40.15.

Lindsey Kildow of Vail, Colo., got her first World Cup victory, taking the season’s first downhill in 1 minute 23.44 seconds at Lake Louise, Canada.

Kildow battled wind and snow on a shortened men’s Olympic downhill course. Her previous best finishes were a third and fifth last year in downhills at Cortina, Italy. Carole Montillet-Carles of France was second in 1:23.63, followed by Hilde Gerg of Germany in 1:23.69.

World champion David Moller turned in the fastest time of the second heat to win the men’s World Cup luge event at Lake Placid, N.Y., giving Germany its 200th victory since the international series began in 1977-78.

He had a combined time of 1:48.002 to edge Tony Benshoof of White Bear Lake, Minn., by .167. Armin Zoggeler, the 2002 Olympic champion from Italy, was third.

American Apolo Anton Ohno won his sixth World Cup short-track speedskating event of the year, covering 1,500 meters in 2 minutes 20.285 seconds at Saguenay, Canada.

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Horse Racing

Churchill Downs Inc. says its racetracks have given $1.25 million to the national Jockeys’ Guild in the past three years. Now the company is asking the riders’ group to account for the contributions.

In a letter to L. Wayne Gertmenian, the guild’s president and chief executive, Churchill Downs racetrack President Steve Sexton requested that the guild’s response be certified by an independent accountant.

North American tracks give the guild $2.2 million a year. The guild had provided up to $1 million in coverage for riders hurt in on-track accidents, but that policy lapsed several years ago.

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Soccer

The Spanish Committee for Discipline in Sport met in Madrid to discuss racism in soccer but declined to give a statement. The committee said that it might make a comment Tuesday.

According to press reports, the committee may sanction Spain Coach Luis Aragones for making racist remarks against Arsenal star Thierry Henry during a friendly between Spain and England on Nov. 17. Aragones said that he would resign if sanctioned.

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Golf

Jeff Brehaut shot an 11-under-par 61 and took a two-stroke lead halfway through the PGA Tour’s final qualifying tournament at PGA West in La Quinta.

Brehaut, who had nine birdies and an eagle, is at 16-under 200 after three rounds -- two shots ahead of Dan Olsen (67).

The 169 golfers in the field are playing for 30 exemptions to the 2005 PGA Tour and 50 full exemptions to the developmental Nationwide Tour. The tournament concludes Monday.

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Pro Football

Chad Pennington will start at quarterback for the New York Jets on Sunday against the Houston Texans after sitting out the last three games because of a strained right rotator cuff. He was listed a questionable all week, but he practiced with the first-team offense and took the majority of snaps.