NHL suspends Islanders’ Trevor Gillies for 10 games

New York Islanders forward Trevor Gillies was suspended for 10 games for hitting from behind in his first game back from a nine-game suspension.

Gillies, one of the key combatants in New York’s fight-filled win over Pittsburgh on Feb. 11, played four shifts Wednesday night before he was ejected for hitting Minnesota Wild forward Cal Clutterbuck from behind early in the second period of the Islanders’ 4-1 home win.

In retaliation for Clutterbuck’s hit on Islanders rookie Justin DiBenedetto, a play that drew a boarding penalty, Gillies drilled Clutterbuck and was given a major penalty for checking from behind and ejected. Clutterbuck stayed in the game and then played Thursday at the New York Rangers.

“By targeting his opponent’s head, [four] shifts into his first game back from a suspension for a very similar action, Mr. Gillies has forfeited his privilege of playing in the league for 10 games,” NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell said in a statement. “While it is fortunate there was no injury on the play, there can be no justification for a player delivering a dangerous check to an opponent in this manner.”

Gillies earned a nine-game suspension for charging Pittsburgh forward Eric Tangradi and hitting him high with an elbow before landing several punches in the brawl-marred game with the Penguins last month. Tangradi, who sustained a concussion, was also taunted by Gillies as he got back onto his skates.

In handing out that suspension, Campbell called Gillies’ action a deliberate attempt to injure by delivering a blow to the head of an unsuspecting player who was unable to defend himself.

“The message should be clear to all players: targeting the head of an opponent by whatever means will be dealt with by suspension,” Campbell said then.

The Islanders were also fined $100,000 by the NHL after the game against the Penguins for failing to control their players.

As a repeat offender, Gillies — who has 220 penalty minutes and only two points in 48 career NHL games — will lose just under $61,000. He will be eligible to return to action on March 26 against Philadelphia. There will be only seven games left in New York’s season at that point.

FOOTBALL

USC’s Armstead hospitalized

USC defensive lineman Armond Armstead has been hospitalized and is undergoing tests for an unspecified medical condition, the school said. He was admitted to USC University Hospital on Thursday.

“I saw Armond and his family [Friday],” Coach Lane Kiffin said in a statement. “He is in great spirits and in stable condition. He is looking forward to getting back with his teammates soon.

“He and his family asked that no further information be released at this point.”

Armstead, a senior, played in 12 games last season. He made 43 tackles, including 61/2 for loss, and had three sacks.

USC opens spring practice March 22.

— Gary Klein

The Green Bay Packers signed Coach Mike McCarthy to a new multiyear contract less than a month after he led the team to a victory in the Super Bowl.

Ted Thompson, the Packers’ vice president and general manager, announced the move Friday. Terms were not disclosed.

McCarthy, 47, is headed into his sixth year as Green Bay’s coach and has made the playoffs the past four seasons. Including the playoffs, McCarthy is 53-34 with the Packers.

Former New York Giants star Plaxico Burress will get out of prison in June, ending his sentence in a gun case a few months early. New York state prison system spokeswoman Linda Foglia said officials decided Friday that Burress was eligible for time off for good behavior, so he can be freed after serving 21 months of his two-year sentence. His release date is set for June 6.

Burress pleaded guilty in 2009 to attempted criminal possession of a weapon. He went to a nightclub with a gun that went off and shot him in the leg in November 2008, and he didn’t report the shooting to authorities. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has ruled that Burress would be reinstated and eligible to sign with a team upon completing his sentence.

BASEBALL

Rangers give Daniels contract extension

Texas Rangers General Manager Jon Daniels received a four-year contract extension through the 2015 season.

Daniels joined the Rangers organization as a baseball operations assistant in 2002. When he became general manager in October 2005, he was 28 and the youngest GM in major league history.

Texas is coming off its first World Series appearance, which came after Daniels helped overhaul the team’s farm system and made several key trades.

New York Yankees backup catcher Francisco Cervelli will be in a protective boot for at least four weeks because of a broken left foot, and it’s uncertain when he’ll be able to play again. Cervelli was injured when he fouled a ball off his foot Wednesday against Houston.

Houston Astros catcher Jason Castro is expected to be sidelined for most or all of the season after surgery on a torn ligament in his right knee.

TENNIS

U.S., Chile tied in Davis Cup play

The United States split its Davis Cup matches against host Chile, with Andy Roddick taking the opener and John Isner losing a five-set marathon to Paul Capdeville at Santiago.

Capdeville, ranked 165th, gave Chile a big lift in the first round by rallying against Isner and winning, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (2), 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5), 6-4. Roddick opened with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 win over Nicolas Massu.

Doubles in the best-of-five World Group series is Saturday, with top-ranked Bob and Mike Bryan facing Jorge Aguilar and Massu.

Croatia’s Jelena Dokic reached her first semifinals in seven years, defeating Bojana Jovanovski of Serbia, 7-6 (4), 6-2, in the Malaysian Open at Kuala Lumpur. Dokic will play Michaella Krajicek of the Netherlands. Jarmila Groth of Slovakia will play Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic in the other semifinal.

Top-seeded Jelena Jankovic of Serbia reached the semifinals of the Monterrey Open in Mexico with a 6-1, 7-5 victory over fifth-seeded Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia.

WINTER SPORTS

Vonn wins super-combined title

Lindsey Vonn finished second to Tina Maze of Slovenia at Tarvisio, Italy, in the season’s third and final super-combined, a result that was enough to clinch the championship for the discipline.

Vonn still trails German rival Maria Riesch by 176 points in the overall standings. The American star sat out the second half of the world championships last month because of recurring symptoms from a mild concussion.

This was the 10th World Cup title of Vonn’s career, following three overall crowns, three downhill titles, two in super-G and last season’s super-combined victory. Vonn also has a chance to clinch this season’s downhill and super-G titles in races Saturday and Sunday.

Olympic champion Christine Nesbitt of Canada won the World Cup title in the women’s 1,500 meters despite finishing third at the season-ending meet at Heerenveen, Netherlands. In the men’s 5,000, Bob de Jong of the Netherlands clinched the overall title.

Lance Mackey will begin his quest to match Rick Swenson’s record of five victories in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race when the 1,150-mile race begins Saturday in Anchorage, Alaska. Sixty-two dog teams are scheduled to line up for the ceremonial start, a short sprint across town. The real racing begins Sunday at the restart in Willow, north of Anchorage.

ETC.

Kenseth takes pole in Las Vegas

Matt Kenseth won the pole for Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with a lap at 188.884 mph that beat the record of 188.719 set last year by Kurt Busch.

Marcos Ambrose qualified second and was followed by Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle as Fords swept filled the two rows.

Kyle Stanley shot four-under-par 66 at the Honda Classic at Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. He had a one-shot lead over Rory Sabbatini, who tied the tournament record at PGA National with a 64. Stanley was at six-under 134 in a bid for his first PGA Tour victory. Charl Schwartzel was at 137 after a 69 and four golfers were tied at 138.

Michael Phelps took the early lead in the 200-meter butterfly and held off Brazil’s Kaio Almeida to win his third gold medal at the Indianapolis Grand Prix. The 14-time Olympic gold medalist and world record-holder in the event finished in 1 minute 55.34 seconds. Almeida was second in 1:55.85.

Lindsay Tarpley scored in her first start in 11/2 years, and Carli Lloyd added a second-half goal as the U.S. women’s soccer team advanced to the Algarve Cup final with a 2-0 victory over Norway at Vila Real de San Antonio, Portugal. The Americans (2-0) face Finland on Monday in their final first-round game.

Former Raiders defensive end Anthony Wayne Smith and two alleged associates were charged with murdering a 31-year-old man in Lancaster more than two years ago, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said.

Prosecutors allege that Smith, 43, of Fontana; Charles Eric Honest, 41, of Los Angeles; and Dewann Wesley White, 32, of Bloomington, murdered Maurilio Ponce on Oct. 7, 2008. Charges of one count each of murder were filed against the defendants last month, and they were arrested this week, prosecutors said.

Frank Chirkinian, a longtime golf producer for CBS who helped turn the Masters into one of the most watched sports events on TV, died Friday at 84 at his home in North Palm Beach, Fla., after a long bout with lung cancer. Chirkinian was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame last month.