Plans for New Pro Hockey League Put on Hold

The launch of the World Hockey Assn., timed to capitalize on the NHL owners’ lockout of players, will be postponed a year -- and maybe indefinitely -- while it tries to shore up its finances and sort out its membership.

Executives of the WHA are expected to announce, perhaps as soon as today, that they have scrapped plans to start play in December. Prospective Canadian franchises in Quebec and Hamilton recently withdrew because of insufficient funding and lease problems, respectively. This week, the Dallas club pulled out after owner Rick Munro, a Woodland Hills businessman, decided the league’s underpinnings were too weak.

WHA spokesman Tim Keighan would not comment on the league’s plans but said “there’s been a desire” to make an announcement soon.

The WHA had planned to market itself as an offense-oriented league with low ticket prices and a salary cap of $10 million a team, plus a $5-million exception for a “marquee” player. The league, however, was unable to persuade any NHL players to jump.

More than 170 NHL players have chosen to play in Europe during the lockout, which began Sept. 15 and shows no sign of ending.

-- Helene Elliott

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Chicago forward Tuomo Ruutu is scheduled to have surgery today to repair a dislocated left shoulder. Ruutu injured the shoulder while playing for Finland against Canada in the final of the World Cup of Hockey. Ruutu had 23 goals with 21 assists last season for the Blackhawks.

Pro Basketball

The Clippers signed four free agents, added an assistant to their staff and hired a new strength and conditioning coach.

They’ll bring 17 players to training camp starting Tuesday at Santa Barbara after the additions of guard Rick Brunson, center-forward Jerry Holman and forwards Terence Morris and Marcus Fleming.

Neil Olshey, director of player development last season, was promoted to assistant coach. Richard Williams, an assistant with the Denver last season, replaces Johnny Doyle as strength and conditioning coach.

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Point guard Avery Johnson signed with Dallas and will be a player-coach. The plan is for Johnson to spend the season on the injured list, unless an injury to Jason Terry, rookie Devin Harris or swingman Marquis Daniels forces him onto the roster. “If I’m out there starting, we’re in trouble,” Johnson said.

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Dennis Rodman’s tryout with Denver continued, with the 43-year-old former NBA rebounding champion participating in an informal workout with the Nuggets. General Manager Kiki Vandeweghe had no comment on Rodman’s play.

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Memphis signed restricted free agent forward Stromile Swift to a one-year deal. Terms were not released.

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Primoz Brezec has signed a contract extension with Charlotte, which selected the 7-foot-1 center from Indiana in the expansion draft.

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Juaquin Hawkins, a former Long Beach State standout, signed with the Orange County Crush of the American Basketball Assn.

Tennis

Andy Roddick needed seven match points before defeating Jeff Morrison, 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-4, to advance to the Thailand Open quarterfinals in Bangkok.

His opponent is 2002 Australian Open champion Thomas Johansson, who defeated Adrian Garcia, 6-3, 6-3.

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Second-seeded Jiri Novak reached the Shanghai Open quarterfinals in China with a 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-1 victory over Melle Van Gemerden.

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U.S. Open and French Open runner-up Elena Dementieva reached the quarterfinals of the Gaz de France Stars tournament at Hasselt, Belgium, defeating Michaela Pastikova, 6-4, 6-2.

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Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova advanced to the quarterfinals of the Korea Open in Seoul, defeating Miho Saeki, 6-3, 6-1.

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Defending champion Nicolas Massu reached the quarterfinals at the Campionati Internazionali di Sicilia when Potito Starace quit because of a stomach illness while trailing, 4-1, at Palermo, Sicily.

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The United States will play host to Croatia on March 4-6 in the first round of the 2005 Davis Cup. Spain, the other finalist, will play at Slovakia in the opening round.

Soccer

A unidentified man was stabbed and seriously injured in clashes involving Ferencvaros and Millwall fans ahead of the teams’ UEFA Cup first-round, second-leg game in Budapest, Hungary. Three other fans were treated for lesser injuries. Ferencvaros won, 3-1, and advanced on 4-2 aggregate.

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Fluminense striker Romario, 37, said he would play a farewell match in California in November with the rest of Brazil’s 1994 World Cup-winning team against a Mexican squad.

Miscellany

UCLA reserve guard Ryan Walcott plans to transfer to Division II Grand Canyon, Coach Ben Howland said.

Rather than play for the Antelopes this season, Walcott said he would attend school part-time and save his last year of eligibility for the 2005-06 season.

The 6-foot-1 Walcott averaged 2.5 points, 1.8 assists and 13.5 minutes in 80 games for the Bruins. He redshirted in 2000-01.

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Gary Stevens apparently will be able to ride in California and New York while he continues to appeal a 20-day suspension in Italy, according to his attorney, Neil Papiano, who is seeking a stay of the suspension through Italian courts.

Stevens was disciplined by Italian racing officials after declining to ride a horse who’d run off with him in a post parade and crashed into a barrier.

Stevens has been riding at Santa Anita this week and has been named to ride The Cliff’s Edge in Saturday’s $1-million Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park. Stevens is also scheduled to ride in two other Grade I races on the same card.

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The Senate Judiciary Committee gave its approval to a bill that would limit the sales of steroid precursors such as androstenedione.

The House has approved a similar bill that would modify the definition of “anabolic steroid” to include tetrahydrogestrinone, androstenedione and specified related chemicals.

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World Anti-Doping Agency chief Dick Pound said U.S. cyclist Tyler Hamilton’s title from the Athens Games was “no longer a gold medal in the eyes of the world” because of the cyclist’s failed drug test.

Hamilton was allowed to keep his gold medal after a backup specimen mistakenly was frozen and there weren’t enough red blood cells left to analyze.

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Hammer thrower Adrian Annus and discus thrower Robert Fazekas were banned from competing for two years by the Hungarian Athletics Assn. after being stripped of Olympic gold medals for drug-test violations. Both athletes plan to appeal.

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The British Grand Prix has been dropped from the provisional calendar of Formula One races for next year for the first time since 1950, owners of the Silverstone circuit said.