Crosby, 19, named MVP of NHL

Sidney Crosby won the Hart Trophy on Thursday night in Toronto, becoming the NHL’s youngest most valuable player since Wayne Gretzky.

The 19-year-old Pittsburgh Penguin got 91 first-place votes and 1,225 points in a poll of Professional Hockey Writers’ Assn. members. Gretzky also was 19 when he won his first Hart Trophy with Edmonton in 1980.

Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo was second with 25 first-place votes and 801 points.

New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur was third, though he did win the Vezina Trophy for top goalie.

Crosby led the NHL with 120 points (36 goals, 84 assists).

Rob Brind’Amour of Carolina won a second consecutive Selke Trophy as the top defensive forward, edging the Ducks’ Samuel Pahlsson.

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As expected, Mike Keenan, 57, was named coach of the Calgary Flames, agreeing to a three-year deal in his eighth head-coaching job in the league.

PRO FOOTBALL

Culpepper involved in two-car accident

Miami Dolphins quarterback Daunte Culpepper slightly bruised his nonthrowing hand in a two-car accident in Miami.

The drivers’ stories conflicted, with Culpepper saying that he was pulling back onto the freeway from the shoulder in his 1975 convertible Caprice Classic by using his emergency flashers, and the other driver, Gary Wolfe, saying Culpepper was not using his flashers and was traveling too slowly. Charges are pending, police said.

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The Jacksonville Jaguars released safety Donovin Darius, 31, a 1998 first-round pick.

TENNIS

Roddick takes full advantage of challenge

Andy Roddick benefited from the replay system at Queen’s Club, then held on to beat Alex Bogdanovic, 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4, in the third round in London.

Roddick was tied at 5-5 in the tiebreaker when he challenged a call. The decision was overturned, giving him a set point and taking away a match point for Bogdanovic.

Rain ended play as top-seeded Rafael Nadal was scheduled to serve for the match while leading Max Mirnyi, 7-6 (3), 5-3.

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Nikolay Davydenko fell to 2-12 on grass in losing to Florian Mayer, 6-4, 6-4, in the second round of the Gerry Weber Open in Halle, Germany.

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After losing in the first round of nine of 10 tournaments, sixth-seeded Meghann Shaughnessy reached her first semifinals of the year by beating qualifier Agnes Szavay, 7-6 (3), 6-4, at the Barcelona KIA Open in Spain.

JURISPRUDENCE

Ex-NFL lineman Jones charged in bank scheme

Former NFL defensive lineman Sean Jones, 45, pleaded not guilty in Houston to bank fraud charges alleging he and four others ran a scheme to pocket portions of more than $42 million in mortgage loans.

MISCELLANY

Rockets, Timberwolves make trade official

The Minnesota Timberwolves completed a deal that sent point guard Mike James and swingman Justin Reed to the Houston Rockets for power forward Juwan Howard.

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Thomas E. Larkin Jr., has been elected as the new chair of the LA84 Foundation to succeed former Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee president Peter V. Ueberroth.

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UCLA tackle Justin Brown was released from his scholarship and will not return, school officials announced. Brown, who would have been a sophomore, missed spring practice because of academic problems.

-- Chris Foster

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Royce Gracie, winner of the first Ultimate Fighting Championship tournament and a member of a legendary mixed martial arts family, tested positive for a nandrolone metabolite steroid after winning a featured fight at the Coliseum on June 2.

Gracie became the third and most prominent fighter on that card to test positive for drugs, joining former NFL receiver Johnnie Morton (epitestosterone) and heavyweight Tim Persey (methamphetamine).

-- Lance Pugmire

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American distance stars Kate Ziegler and Larsen Jensen, South African sprinter Roland Schoeman, as well the German national team, are among those swimmers scheduled to compete at the TYR Swim Meet of Champions at Mission Viejo. The swim meet started Thursday night with limited action. It continues today through Sunday.

-- Lisa Dillman