Luongo Signs $27-Million Deal With Vancouver

Goaltender Roberto Luongo signed a $27-million, four-year deal with the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday, less than a week after he was acquired in a trade from the Florida Panthers.

The new deal will pay Luongo $6 million in the first year, $6.5 million in the second year, $7 million in the third year, and $7.5 million in the final year. The contract also contains a no-trade clause for the final three years.

Luongo becomes the highest-paid player on the Canucks, ahead of captain Markus Naslund, who has a $6-million salary.

The Canucks acquired the restricted free agent last weekend, sending winger Todd Bertuzzi to Florida. Luongo was 35-30-9 last season with a 2.97 goals-against average, a .914 save percentage.

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The Kings have given qualifying offers to keep forwards Sean Avery, Eric Belanger, Dustin Brown, Michael Cammalleri, goaltender Mathieu Garon and defensemen Tim Gleason and Mike Weaver -- all restricted free agents.

General Manager Dean Lombardi would not release information on the qualifying offers, but various league sources said that the six players would be back with the Kings next season. Avery, Cammalleri and Belanger are all eligible for arbitration.

Former Kings general manager Dave Taylor has had talks with the Dallas Stars about a hockey operations position, a league source said. Taylor was fired in April after nine seasons as the Kings’ general manager.

-- Chris Foster

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The Dallas Stars put forward Bill Guerin on waivers and intend to buy out his $6.7-million contract if he’s not claimed by another team.

If the 35-year-old Guerin clears waivers today, which is likely, the Stars will pay him $4.4 million over the next two seasons and he will become an unrestricted free agent Saturday.

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Buffalo Sabres defenseman Teppo Numminen underwent surgery to correct an irregular heartbeat this week.

Numminen had the surgery at the Cleveland Clinic on Tuesday and is traveling to his native Finland after being cleared by doctors, his agent, Don Baizley said.

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As expected, Dave Lewis was introduced as coach of the Boston Bruins, succeeding Mike Sullivan, who was fired this week.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

No Expansion for Men’s, Women’s Tournaments

The NCAA Division I basketball tournaments will remain at 65 teams for men and 64 for women.

The men’s and women’s basketball committees met in Orlando, Fla., this week and considered expanding the tournaments but decided to keep the current format intact, the NCAA said.

“There is no enthusiasm on the part of the committee to expand the tournament at this time,” said men’s committee chairman Craig Littlepage, the athletic director at Virginia.

He said the 10-member committee examined the quality of competition, the logistics in adding more teams, television ratings and the overall popularity of the tournament.

The women’s committee came to a similar conclusion, said chairwoman Joni Comstock, the athletic director at American University.

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Gregg Marshall returned to Winthrop’s basketball team one day after his introduction at the College of Charleston.

Marshall followed the path of former Georgia Tech coach Bobby Cremins, who accepted the job at South Carolina, his alma mater, in 1993 before going back to the Yellow Jackets a few days later.

Marshall had accepted the job at the College of Charleston to replace Tom Herrion. However, no contract had been signed.

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Ernie Zeigler, an assistant coach at UCLA, is leaving to become head coach at Central Michigan.

The 40-year-old Zeigler has spent the last five seasons as an assistant under Ben Howland. He worked for Howland for two seasons at Pittsburgh, then joined him when Howland was named head coach of the Bruins three years ago.

-- Steve Springer

O.J. Mayo, widely considered the top high school basketball player in the country, visited USC on Thursday. Mayo, a 6-foot-4 guard who will be a senior this year at Cincinnati North College Hill High, has said he will attend the same college as 6-5 forward Bill Walker, one of his high school teammates, who is also considered a top prospect. Walker did not accompany Mayo on his visit.

-- Ben Bolch

JURISPRUDENCE

McNeeley, Former Tyson Opponent, Is Charged

Peter McNeeley, the former heavyweight boxing contender who lost to Mike Tyson in 1995, pleaded not guilty to charges that he drove a getaway car during a drugstore robbery in Stoughton, Mass.

McNeeley, 37, pleaded not guilty to charges of being an accessory to an armed robbery, before and after the fact.

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DeAnthony Norman Ford, the man accused of fatally shooting USC basketball player Ryan Francis on May 13 in Baton Rouge, La., pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder.

Ford’s bond was reduced from $350,000 to $300,000. Ford, 19, is next scheduled to appear in court Oct. 17, with a trial not likely to start before next spring.

Francis, 19, who was from Baton Rouge, had just finished his freshman year at USC.

-- Ben Bolch

MISCELLANY

Bucks Give Bogut Contract Extension

The Milwaukee Bucks extended center Andrew Bogut’s contract through the 2007-08 season, exercising the third-year option on his deal.

Bogut, the first overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft, averaged 9.8 points and seven rebounds last season.

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Major League Soccer suspended New York forward Jean Philippe Peguero two games and fined him $750 for violent conduct during the Red Bulls’ match Wednesday.

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The San Francisco 49ers signed punter Tom Rouen and waived Tom Malone.

Malone had signed with the 49ers after the draft as a rookie free agent out of USC.