Canucks’ Rick Rypien is suspended indefinitely by NHL for grabbing a fan in stands

Vancouver Canucks forward Rick Rypien was suspended indefinitely Wednesday pending a hearing for grabbing a fan while heading to the locker room in a game against Minnesota.

Rypien was on the way to the visiting locker room in Minnesota on Tuesday night after being assessed a double minor for roughing and a 10-minute misconduct in the second period. Rypien reached up and shoved a Wild fan who was applauding at the railing.

He was pulled away by teammate Manny Malhotra and the fan was removed from the area.

Rypien and Minnesota’s Brad Staubitz, who fought in the opening period, were about to square off at 13:38 of the second period before being separated by the linesmen in front of the Wild bench. Rypien punched Staubitz while he was being restrained.

Rypien was in the penalty box to start the third period, but did not get any ice time. Minnesota won, 6-2.

After the hearing, the NHL will determine the length of the suspension. Players can be suspended for five games or more if they are summoned for a hearing, although that does not mean they will be banned for that long.

SOCCER

FIFA provisionally suspended two executive committee members and four lower-ranked officials in a World Cup vote-selling scandal.

Executive committee members Amos Adamu of Nigeria and Reynald Temarii from Tahiti are barred from soccer-related duties until the probe ends, said Claudio Sulser, chairman of FIFA’s ethics committee. His panel is scheduled to meet again in mid-November.

Four former executive members — Slim Aloulou, Amadou Diakite, Ahongalu Fusimalohi and Ismael Bhamjee — also have been suspended while FIFA investigates whether they breached ethical rules.

FIFA’s ethics panel also will continue investigating whether two unnamed bidders competing for either the 2018 and 2022 World Cups engaged in collusion.

“Today is a sad day for football,” FIFA President Sepp Blatter said, asking for time to restore FIFA’s credibility. “We have to fight for respect and especially we have to fight that the people here in charge of FIFA behave as they should do. Our society is full of devils and these devils you find them in football.”

FIFA’s executive committee, led by Blatter, will select the two World Cup hosts in a Dec. 2 secret ballot in Zurich.

FIFA launched investigations after a British newspaper, the Sunday Times, alleged Adamu and Temarii offered to sell their votes for funding for soccer projects.

Adamu was filmed by undercover reporters requesting $800,000 to build four artificial soccer fields in Nigeria, and for the money to be paid to him directly.

---

Galaxy midfielders Eddie Lewis and Chris Klein said they each plan to retire when the team’s run through the MLS playoffs end.

Lewis, 36, played in two World Cups and spent nine of his 15 professional seasons playing in England. Klein, 34, played 13 years in the MLS, setting league records for consecutive games (141) and consecutive starts (118) while playing in 332 regular-season games, good for fifth on the all-time MLS list.

Both will play their final regular-season home games Sunday at the Home Depot Center.

— Kevin Baxter

ETC.

Ernie Els ran off three straight birdies on the back nine and turned a three-shot deficit into a one-shot victory over David Toms in the PGA Grand Slam of Golf in Southampton, Bermuda.

Els, an alternate who was filling in for Masters champion Phil Mickelson, closed with a two-under-par 69 and earned $600,000. It was his second victory in the 36-hole event for the year’s four major champions. Els also won in 1997 when it was at Poipu Bay.

Toms, another alternate who replaced British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen, shot 71 in his first appearance in the PGA Grand Slam since 2001, when he won the PGA Championship. He earned $300,000. U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell (73) and PGA champion Martin Kaymer (71) tied for third, eight shots behind, and each earned $225,000.

---

Aliya Mustafina led Russia to the team title at the world championships ahead of the United States and Olympic champion China.

Despite three Russian falls on the uneven bars, the 16-year-old Mustafina kept a cool head throughout the evening, leading the Russians to an overall score of 175.397 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The U.S. finished with 175.196 and China had 174.781.

It all came down to the last routine of the day, when Mustafina had to respond on the floor to a great vault by Alicia Sacramone that put the U.S. team momentarily into the lead.

As the last woman out, Mustafina thrilled the 8,000-capacity crowd at the Ahoy Arena and, even though she stepped out on her last tumble, it was good enough for team gold.

“She looks great. I was very impressed,” Sacramone said. “The Russians really deserved it.”

---

Philadelphia 76ers Coach Doug Collins missed his second straight game because of symptoms related to a concussion he suffered on Memorial Day. Collins skipped Wednesday’s game against New York.

---

Boston Celtics Coach Doc Rivers was not on the bench for Wednesday’s game against the New Jersey Nets, three days after a throat biopsy came back negative. Rivers said the reason was his doctor didn’t want him raising his voice until Friday.

Atlanta Braves right-hander Jair Jurrjens is expected to be ready for spring training after surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his right knee.

---

Former USA Track and Field Chief Executive Doug Logan has filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against the governing body, seeking payment after being suddenly fired last month following a 26-month tenure.

Details of the lawsuit were not immediately available, but chairman Stephanie Hightower released a statement saying USA Track and Field would vigorously defend itself against the lawsuit.

---

Jarkko Nieminen cruised past Tomas Berdych at the Stockholm Open, advancing to the quarterfinals with a 6-1, 6-4 victory.

Fifth-seeded Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland also advanced, landing 12 aces in a 7-5, 6-7 (6), 6-4 victory over Robin Haase of Netherlands.

---

Victoria Azarenka qualified for the WTA Tour Championships for the second straight year after defeating Andrea Petkovic, 6-4, 2-6, 6-1, in the second round of the Kremlin Cup in Moscow. The 10th-ranked Azarenka will replace Serena Williams in the eight-player, season-ending event that starts next week in Doha, Qatar.

Azarenka and Li Na of China were the two substitutes for the tournament. But Li, who was five points ahead of Azarenka in the championships race, lost in the first round in Moscow. She will remain the top substitute.