NHL and Union Agree to a Revenue-Linked Cap

The NHL and NHL Players’ Assn. have agreed to a salary cap system based on team-by-team revenue, sources familiar with the negotiations said, a major step toward ending their labor dispute.

Negotiators, who met Wednesday in New York, have carved out a plan that calls for a salary cap linked to each team’s revenue -- the NHL is pushing for a link at 54%. The projections for the first year of the collective bargaining agreement would put the cap at $34 million to $36 million with a $22 million to $24 million minimum.

The amount would cover all player costs, including medical coverage and bonuses, as well as salary. The plan will also have a dollar-for-dollar luxury tax that goes into effect at the midpoint between the cap’s ceiling and floor, $29 million.

While other issues remain, a source said that a deal could be in place in two weeks.

Salary arbitration, qualifying offers and free agency could stall negotiations, as could the 24% across-the-board salary rollback offered by the union in December.

Chris Foster and Helene Elliott

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Former Boston star Cam Neely, the late Valeri Kharlamov and Murray Costello were named to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Neely and Kharlamov, a former Russian standout who died in 1981, will enter in the players category. Costello, former president of the Canadian Hockey Assn., goes in as a builder, or someone who contributed to the advancement of the game.

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Pro Football

Kyle Turley, who sat out last season because of a back injury and then clashed with Coach Mike Martz in the offseason, has been released by St. Louis after failing a physical.

The offensive tackle was designated as waived, failed physical, by the team this week, although there has been no official announcement.

Bay Area TV station KRON obtained a second video made in 2003 by former 49er public relations director Kirk Reynolds.

The video shows Reynolds in a strip club, a restroom stall and in the shower, and also shows a lap dancer burying the head of a 49ers’ staffer in her bosom.

Deion Sanders, 37, signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with Baltimore after passing his physical.

Offensive tackle Ross Verba will be released by Cleveland once he repays a $465,000 roster bonus. Verba and the Browns have agreed to the amicable split rather than drag out a contract dispute.

Miami defensive tackle Tim Bowens was waived after failing a physical, a move the team said was a precursor to retirement for the 12-year veteran.

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Tennis

French Open champion Rafael Nadal’s 24-match winning streak ended when he lost in three sets to Alexander Waske on grass at the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany.

Nadal was beaten, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, by the 147th-ranked German.

Andy Roddick defeated Mark Philippoussis, 6-2, 6-4, in the second round of the Queen’s grasscourt tournament in London. Philippoussis opened with three consecutive aces, but the second-seeded American responded with 10 aces, including one that was clocked at 151 mph. Roddick holds the world record for fastest serve at 155 mph.

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Track and Field

On the first day of the NCAA championships at Sacramento, UCLA senior Monique Henderson, seeking her first NCAA title, led qualifiers in the women’s 400 with a time of 51.56 seconds and advanced to Friday’s semifinals

Bruin Craig Everhart advanced in the men’s 400 with a time of 46.37. But UCLA’s hopes of defending its women’s title were hurt when senior discus thrower Lara Saye missed the finals.

USC junior Virginia Powell won her first two heats in the 100 hurdles, setting a school record and a personal-best with a 12.73 in the semifinals to advance to Friday’s final. Former Long Beach Poly standout Shalonda Solomon, a freshman at South Carolina, missed qualifying for the women’s 100-meter dash final by .01.

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Miscellany

Audley Harrison of Britain, (17-0, 12 knockouts), gold medalist in the 2000 Olympics in the super-heavyweight division, will face Robert Davis (31-6, 19) in the 10-round main event tonight at Pechanga Casino in Temecula.

UC Irvine guard Jeff Gloger, who will be a senior in the fall, will undergo surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee suffered May 25 during a workout.

Learjet should not be held responsible for the 1999 plane accident that killed golfer Payne Stewart, a jury in Orlando, Fla., ruled.

Nebraska third baseman Alex Gordon, Florida State center fielder Shane Robinson, Miami right-hander Cesar Carrillo and Texas Christian right-hander Lance Broadway are finalists for the Dick Howser Trophy.

Former U.S. defender Fernando Clavijo was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame.

Bill Barnett is stepping down as coach of the U.S. women’s water polo team after three months because he couldn’t come to terms on a contract. Assistant Heather Moody will serve as the interim head coach.

The ball from Barry Bonds’ 700th home run, the 1919 contract selling Babe Ruth from the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees and a Honus Wagner tobacco card are among the items for sale at a sports memorabilia and card auction at Sotheby’s in New York on Friday.

Pete Carroll, Jerry Rice and John Wooden will be honored at the 20th annual Cedars-Sinai Sports Spectacular dinner Saturday night at the Century Plaza Hotel. Kobe Bryant will present an award to an honoree to be named during the event, which benefits the birth defect center at the hospital. Details are available by calling (310) 858-9217.

T.J. Simers has the day off.