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Aleck Skeie reports ...

Judge rejects Balsillie’s Coyote move

PHOENIX — A bankruptcy judge has rejected Jim Balsillie's bid to relocate the Phoenix Coyotes to Hamilton, but the Canadian billionaire is not giving up.

Arizona bankruptcy judge Redfield Baum said the possibility of the team's relocation presented significant issues for the court. "There are no reported bankruptcy court decisions ordering a relocation of the magnitude proposed here," he said June 15. Baum also said the issue of a relocation fee – in which Balsillie would have to pay millions of dollars to the NHL for the right to move the Coyotes to southern Ontario – had not been resolved.

Finally, he said the court "is unconvinced that it should order that the NHL must decide the relocation application to meet the June 29 deadline." Balsillie had set that deadline for his $212.5-million offer to expire.

A spokesperson for Balsillie, Bill Walker, said his client was still seeking to bring a seventh NHL team to Canada.

"The court did not approve either our approach or the NHL's," Walker said in statement. "Judge Baum did state he does not have time to decide all the relocation issues. But the court still controls the sale process. As a result, we look forward to hearing from the NHL soon on its view of our relocation application and an appropriate relocation fee, so as to allow the court to determine if that fee is

reasonable."

“We still think there is enough time for the NHL to approve Mr. Balsillie's application and move the team to Hamilton by September," he added. "The court invited mediation on these issues and Mr. Balsillie is willing to participate in such mediation if the NHL is also willing to do so."

Baum had earlier said he wanted to ensure the team's creditors would not be left in the lurch if the team was moved. The NHL argued the franchise is still viable in Phoenix, but the team has reportedly lost more than $300 million since it moved there from Winnipeg in 1996.

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said the league was "pleased" with Baum's decision.

"We will turn our attention now toward helping to facilitate an orderly sales process that will produce a local buyer who is committed to making the Coyotes' franchise viable and successful in the Phoenix/Glendale area," Daly said in a statement.

"We are confident that we will be able to find such a buyer for the Coyotes and that the claims of legitimate creditors will be addressed."

One of the key issues in the dispute was whether majority owner Jerry Moyes had the authority to file for bankruptcy and negotiate the team's sale, or if the NHL had control of the Coyotes.

On May 5, Moyes announced he had put the team into Chapter 11 protection. That same day, Balsillie made an offer to purchase the team – but only if he could relocate it to Ontario.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman alleged in court filings that he had control of the team – not Moyes – and any talk of selling or moving the franchise should have been directed to him.

Balsillie, the 48-year-old co-CEO of Waterloo, Ont-based Research In Motion – which makes the BlackBerry wireless device – has made two previous attempts to move a franchise to Canada. He tried to purchase and move the Nashville Predators to Hamilton in 2007, but the league rebuffed him. He has also previously expressed interest in the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Despite the June 15 ruling, Balsillie's dream of bringing an NHL franchise to Southern Ontario may not be dead yet, said sports writer Howard Bloom, publisher of SportsBusinessNews.com.

While Bloom said there is "little if any appeal process when it comes to bankruptcy," he predicted that the Coyotes will play one more season in Phoenix before they are put on the auction block by the NHL.

"Hockey is never going to work in Phoenix," Bloom told CTV News Channel, noting that the team has lost some US$300 million over the past nine seasons in Arizona.

Bloom said that once the team is put up for auction, Balsillie could then bid on the franchise and move it north – but with the NHL controlling the process.

"I think if Jim Balsillie's smart, he'll play by the rules," Bloom said, noting that the auction price could swell to $400 million. "He's a hard guy to keep down."

Rule changes for 2009 CFL season

TORONTO — Four changes approved by the CFL’s rules committee in March were rubber-stamped May 11 by its board of governors. They include:

* Moving back the kickoff following a safety touch to reduce the number of times a team chooses to take a knee in its own end zone.

* Giving coaches the green light to use so-called wildcat formations that would move the quarterback around, instead of requiring him to stand behind or under centre.

* Requiring a team that kicks a successful field goal to then kick off to its opponents, increasing the number of kick returns.

* Awarding a team a third instant replay challenge if its first two challenges are successful.

The league received more than 2,000

submissions this year, the first time fans were invited to suggest ideas for changes to the rules of the game.

Training camps opened June 7, with pre-season games scheduled for June 17 and June 23.

The 2009 regular season begins July 1, with a Canada Day doubleheader featuring the Toronto Argonauts at Hamilton and the Montreal Alouettes visiting the Calgary Stampeders in a Grey Cup rematch.

Hockey Canada retains Davidson

CALGARY — Melody Davidson will remain head coach of Canada’s Olympic women’s hockey team, but the review of Canada’s loss in the world championship final is not finished.

“Her job is secure,” Hockey Canada president Bob Nicholson said May 14. “There will be changes. We’re not going to stay status quo. Where the program is today isn’t good enough. We’ve got to get better.”

Davidson, who coached Canada to Olympic gold in 2006, was so devastated following Canada’s 4-1 loss to the United States in the gold-medal game last month that she openly wondered about her job security.

The Canadians had a solid performance until the final. They defeated the U.S. 2-1 in a playoff game two days prior to the final April 12 when they imploded in the rematch.

Canada has won nine of 12 world titles — but not the last two — and two of three Olympic gold medals in women’s hockey. The Canadian women won’t be happy with any medal other than gold at the Olympics next February in Vancouver.

Davidson, from Oyen, Alta, coached Canada to gold at both the 2006 Olympics and 2007 world championships. She was general manager of Hockey Canada’s women’s program in 2008 when Canada lost to the U.S. in the world championship final under head coach Peter Smith.

Van Koeverden golden

RACICE, Czech Republic — Three-time Olympic medallist Adam van Koeverden of Oakville, Ont, launched his 2009 season with a gold medal performance May 9 in the men’s kayak singles (K-1) 1,000-metre race at the first stop on the World Cup canoe and kayak circuit.

Van Koeverden posted the fastest time at all the splits and won the gold in three minutes 38.492 seconds. Rene Holgten-Poulsen of Denmark was second in 3:39.969 and Anders Gustavsson of Sweden was third in 3:40.355.

Last season, the 27-year-old van Koeverden capped another strong season with a silver medal in the K-1 500 at the Olympic Games in Beijing. He also dominated the World Cup circuit, earning five gold medals and a bronze.

Lopes-Schliep’s fastest time of the year

DOHA, Qatar — Olympic bronze medallist Priscilla Lopes-Schliep captured gold in the women’s 100-metre hurdles at the Qatar Super Grand Prix meet May 8.

The native of Whitby, Ont, finished in 12.52 seconds, the fastest women’s time in the world this season. Damu Cherry was second in 12.72 while fellow American Danielle Carruthers was third in 12.73. Perdita Felicien of Pickering, Ont, was fifth in 12.80.

Lopes-Schliep won a bronze medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

Synchro Gold

FORT LAUDERDALE — If Roseline Filion of Laval, Que, and Meaghan Benfeito of Montreal needed a break from their busy schedule, it wasn’t apparent May 8 as they won the gold medal on women’s synchronized 10-metre at the fifth stop on the FINA Grand Prix diving circuit.

Competing internationally for the fourth straight week, Filion and Benfeito placed first with 314.64 points for their second victory this season on the Grand Prix circuit.

The victory capped a sparkling day overall for the Canadian team.

On men’s 10-metre tower, 17-year-old Riley McCormick of Victoria advanced to the final, winning his semifinal heat with 499.50 just ahead of British teenage phenom Thomas Daley at 493.50.

Olympic Village funding secured

VANCOUVER — One of the main financial controversies of 2010 Winter Olympics preparations has moved a big step towards resolution after the City of Vancouver said it has found the money to cover the remaining construction on the Olympic Village.

The city’s business manager confirmed last month that $550 million worth of credit — enough to carry the project for up to four years — has been secured from a Canadian banking syndicate.

The money will cover remaining construction on the village and other costs until the city can sell the units and recover the investment.

The financing for the village veered off the rails when the New York-based hedge fund Fortress Investment Group pulled out of the massive condominium project last fall, right in the middle of a civic election campaign. That left the city financially responsible for ensuring the completion of the billion-dollar project being built by Millennium Development Corp in time for the Olympics in February.

Shewfelt retires

CALGARY — He broke both legs 11 months before the 2008 Olympic Games and then accomplished the unthinkable: he came back and competed for Canada.

In 2004, Kyle Shewfelt made Canadian history with a gold medal performance in the floor exercise at the Athens Games, capturing Canada’s first-ever Olympic medal in artistic gymnastics. Now, the 27-year-old Calgary native and three-time Olympian is calling it a career, announcing his retirement May 21 on his blog.

“After much thought and consideration, I have come to the decision that it’s time to hang up the grips, put away the stinky gym shoes, remove the singlet, take my hands out of the chalk bucket and start embarking on new journeys,” he wrote. “Today is a bittersweet day. I am really overwhelmed with feelings of nostalgia, excitement, sadness and anticipation.”

A three-time world championship bronze medallist, four-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist, and three-time World Cup Finals silver medallist, Shewfelt may be done competing, but he’s not done with gymnastics.

He will be joining CBC Sports as a guest analyst for the floor and vault coverage at the Canadian National Gymnastics Championships this mnth, and he also announced in his blog that he’s taking on an ambassador role with Gymnastics Canada to promote the sport.

Cherry biopic to start shooting

TORONTO — Don Cherry is getting his own biopic. The outspoken sports commentator, a mainstay of CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada, will be the focus of a made-for-TV movie expected to air on the public broadcaster sometime next year.

A publicist for the film says Keep Your Head Up Kid: The Don Cherry Story, began shooting last month in Winnipeg and throughout Manitoba.

The script is written by Tim Cherry, Don Cherry’s son, who also serves as executive producer.

Cherry’s unabashed fondness for on-ice fisticuffs, outbursts on European and French-Canadian players, open support for conservative politics and ardent patriotism have made him one of the country’s most iconic figures.

And then there are the outfits.

Cherry’s flamboyant double-breasted suits are as loud as his personality. The film will reportedly include dramatizations of Cherry’s boyhood in Kingston, Ont, and follow his hockey career through the minor leagues and as a coach with the Boston Bruins. See Page One.

Lafleur may lose Order of Canada

MONTREAL — Hockey legend Guy Lafleur may be stripped of one of the country’s highest accolades as a result of being convicted last month for giving contradictory testimony at his son’s bail hearing.

Lafleur, lionized for his prolific scoring and outstanding play, faces losing both the Order of Quebec and the Order of Canada due to his ongoing legal troubles.

“It’s a delicate situation,” said Suzanne Moffet, the Order of Quebec’s director general, noting that this is the first time the order has ever considered revoking an award.

Moffet says the council will wait until after Lafleur’s sentencing before making a decision.

The 57-year-old former Montreal Canadiens right-winger will learn June 18 whether he pays a fine or receives a prison sentence to be served in the community for giving contradictory evidence in court.

Lucie Caron, spokeswoman for the secretary of the Governor General of Canada, said the governing body of the Order of Canada hasn’t discussed Lafleur’s case yet.

According to the order’s constitution, the advisory council will consider the termination of the appointment to the order if the person has been convicted of a criminal offence.

The Order has been revoked only three times in its

history, including the 1998 termination of former hockey agent Alan Eagleson’s national order.

But a criminal conviction doesn’t guarantee a termination of the country’s highest civilian honour.

For example, former publisher Conrad Black retains his title even while serving prison time in the United States for fraud.

Lafleur’s legal troubles began in 2007 after testifying at his son Mark’s bail hearing that his son always respected his court-ordered curfew and never consumed drugs and alcohol on his watch.

But that was discounted in a subsequent hearing when the court heard the elder Lafleur drove his son to a hotel for an intimate encounter with a 16-year-old girlfriend on two occasions.

The hockey great was named to the Order of Canada in 1980 and the Order of Quebec in 2005. He was named to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988.

Roughnecks claim NLL title

CALGARY — It took five years, but the Calgary Roughnecks are once again National Lacrosse League champions.

For many of them, the 12-10 victory May 16 over the New York Titans at the Saddledome is more gratifying.

Back in 2004, goalie Matt King was a fresh-faced backup, and last month he made 32 saves as the starting netminder.

“This is much more special,” said King. “I was trying to crack into the league as a starter for years. I had a lot of years as a backup.”

With two goals from defender Bruce Codd, a six-point night from original Rigger Kaleb Toth, and an outstanding performance from King, Calgary led for the majority of the game.

Toth had a goal and five assists to lead the offence and pick up his third ring.

Captain Tracey Kelusky had a goal and three assists, while lefty star Josh Sanderson notched two goals and three assists for the Riggers and was named game MVP.

Sophomore Dane Dobbie had two goals, including a go-ahead marker in the fourth quarter, while Scott Ranger, Curt Malawsky, Mike Carnegie and Jeff Shattler also scored for the home side.

Impact fire coach Limniatis

MONTREAL — The Montreal Impact dumped John Limniatis as head coach on May 14, a day after a 1-0 loss to Toronto FC.

The United Soccer Leagues team appointed Marc Dos Santos as interim head coach, the third person the team has had at its helm in less than a year.

The Impact has struggled in the early USL Division One season with a 0-3-1 record.

Technical director Nick De Santis said the decision to cut Limniatis was not taken lightly.

“Since the match against Santos Laguna (in the quarter-finals of the Champions League), it was felt that the team had no continuity,” said De Santis. “When there is no result, it becomes more difficult for the coach. We analyzed the situation over the last three months and we thought it was time to make a change before things got worse.”

However, De Santis did not put all the blame on Limniatis.

“Our poor start to the season is not only John’s responsibility,” he said. “I met the players after meeting John and I told them that they should also be held accountable. But, as usual, it’s the coach who ends up paying.”

Montreal won the Canadian Nutrilite Championship last year, advancing to the quarter-finals of the CONCACAF Champions League.

But they were soundly beaten in their opening game of the 2009 Canadian tournament, outshot 16-3 by Toronto.

Canadian champ stuns Kentucky

LOUISVILLE, Ky — A cowboy and a Canadian champion has overcome four Hall of Fame trainers, the ruler of Dubai and two very sentimental favourites to win the Kentucky Derby.

Trainer Bennie Woolley Jr hitched Mine That Bird to the back of his pickup and drove to the race from New Mexico, and with an inspired ride on the rail from Calvin Borel on May 2, it all added up to one of the greatest upsets in the Derby’s 135 years.

“All I asked him was to lay the horse back and be patient, and he did that magically,” Woolley said.

Mine That Bird, the son of 2004 Belmont Stakes winner Birdstone and co-bred by Toronto’s Peter Lamantia, was well-known in Canada, winning last year’s Sovereign Award as the top two-year-old in the country after capturing three stakes.

The gelding went off at 50-1 odds, but that was only one measure of how little attention he garnered before pulling away in the stretch to score a 6 3/4-length victory at Churchill Downs, the second-biggest stunner in Derby history. The margin was the largest since Assault won by eight lengths in 1946.

Mine That Bird is only the third horse of Canadian pedigree to win the Derby.

His great-great-grandfather, the legendary Northern Dancer, won it in 1964, and Sunny’s Halo wore the roses in 1983.

Pioneer of the Nile was second. Musket Man was another nose back in third. Papa Clem, sired by Canadian-bred Smart Strike, was fourth.

Mine That Bird then stunned naysayers on May 16 to come within a length of repeating his Derby victory at the Preakness Stakes, proving he’s far from a one-hit racehorse wonder.

Rachel Alexandra became the first filly to win the Preakness since 1924, but she did it with a feisty Mine That Bird nipping at her heels in the final stretch.

Pierse breaks own record

VANCOUVER — Annamay Pierse broke her own Canadian record in the women’s 100-metre breaststroke on May 23 to open the Mel Zajac International swimming

competition.

Pierse, of Vancouver, clocked a time of 1:07.32 to eclipse her previous national mark of 1:07.78 set in August 2007 at the Pan Am Games. Ariana Kukors of the U.S. was second in 1:08.12, while Ashley Wanland, also of the U.S., finished third in 1:09.76.

An Olympic finalist last year in Beijing, Pierse was racing for the first time since breaking the world short course record in the 200-metre breaststroke in March.

Victoria’s Ryan Cochrane, the Olympic bronze medallist in 2008 in the 1,500-metre freestyle, clocked a meet record seven minutes 51.74 secs in the men’s 800-metre freestyle.

Jeremy Bagshaw, also of Victoria, finished second in 8:08.79 and Edmonton’s Kier Maitland was third with a time of 8:08.90.

Benoit’s former doctor jailed

ATLANTA — The former doctor who prescribed steroids to Chris Benoit, the Canadian-born professional wrestler who killed his wife, son and then himself in June 2007, has been jailed for illegally dispensing drugs.

U.S. District Judge Jack T Camp sentenced Phil Astin III to 10 years in prison, saying the deaths of at least two people from overdoses outweighed Astin’s reputation for compassion and generosity toward his patients.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John Horn asked the judge to sentence Astin to as many as 14 years because the former doctor from Carrollton, Ga, turned patients into addicts through his no-questions-asked practice of prescribing highly addictive drugs.

The practice drew patients from around Georgia and Alabama to the man they called “Dr. Feel Good,” Horn said May 12.

Astin, whose lawyer portrayed him as a country doctor who made house calls, told the judge he broke the law to help his patients. “I more than pushed the limits, I broke them,” the 54-year-old said.

He had prescribed steroids and other drugs to Montreal-born professional wrestler Chris Benoit, whom authorities say strangled his wife and smothered his son before hanging himself in 2007.

Benoit was raised in Edmonton and trained by Calgary’s famed Hart wrestling family.

Horn, citing medical privacy laws, would not say if the wrestler and his wife were among the 19 patients for whom Astin admitted writing 175 illegal prescriptions. Autopsies showed a West Georgia patient and another patient died of drug overdoses, Horn said.

Astin has surrendered his medical licence.

Gay athletes get ‘safe space’ at Olympics

VANCOUVER — Canadian athletes at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games will have Canada House. The Russians will have Russia House. The Dutch, Holland House. And now, gay and lesbian athletes will have Pride House.

For the first time in Olympic history, gay athletes will have a unique place to relax, watch events and meet with friends.

On May 7, a group called GayWhistler announced it will set up a special clubhouse in partnership with the Pan Pacific Whistler Village hotel.

The free facility will be open to homosexual athletes, their families, friends and fans. It will offer a lounge, television screens and meeting areas.

“It is really important to have a safe space for out athletes, coaches, fans and allies to come and hang out, share their stories, trade pins and have fun,” said Dean Nelson, one of the organizers.

That may not sound like much, considering Whistler annually holds a WinterPride celebration and Vancouver has one of Canada’s legendarily vibrant gay and lesbian communities. But Pride House will help break down gender discrimination barriers that have long existed in the Olympics, according to Kevin Wamsley, an Olympic

historian.

“For a traditionally conservative festival like the Olympic Games, I think this is significant,” said Wamsley, a professor at the University of Western Ontario. “The (International Olympic Committee) has been skirting around the issue of sexuality since it began.”

Wamsley said the Olympics, built around the traditional societal model of strong men and feminine women, has not been a friendly place for homosexuals in the past.

“It has been an uncomfortable issue for the IOC since the 1920s. That’s because sport is one of those forms of culture that has produced a gender binary for western and eastern civilizations,” he said. “When you start to blur the lines of sexuality people in the past have got the hair on their neck up.”

Nelson said he and several others started working to create Pride House about three years ago as an extension of efforts GayWhistler and others made to hold the North American Gay Games.

“There is a huge contingent of athletes out there, some of them are Olympic calibre. The Olympics is generally a pretty homophobic structure where being out is not really encouraged,” he said. “We’re hoping we can be a catalyst and change that perception, that you can be your authentic self.”

Gold in women’s relay

CHARLOTTE, NC — Victoria Poon helped her swim club earns its second relay gold and also broke her Canadian record in the women’s 50-metre freestyle on May 16 at the Charlotte UltraSwim swimming competition.

The Club de natation des Piscine du Parc Olympique de Montreal, consisting of Stephanie Horner, Michelle Laprade, Poon and Genevieve Saumur, won the women’s 4X100 medley relay in four minutes and 11.48 seconds.

An American foursome was second in 4:12.68 and Team Ontario with Andrea Jurenovskis of Toronto, Amanda Reason of Windsor, Paige Schultz of Toronto and Hayley Nell of London was third in 4:12.84.

Zezel passes away

TORONTO — Peter Zezel, an NHL veteran who battled a rare blood disorder for the last decade, died in a Toronto hospital on May 26. He was 44.

The Toronto native checked into hospital for scheduled surgery, but his condition took a turn for the worse and he was taken off life support. Zezel suffered from hemolytic anemia, a disease that destroys red blood cells faster than the body can replace them.

Zezel spent 15 seasons in the NHL, playing with the Flyers, St. Louis Blues, Washington Capitals, Maple Leafs, Dallas Stars, New Jersey Devils and Vancouver Canucks.

The high point of his career came in 1986-87 as a member of the Flyers, who took the Edmonton Oilers to seven games before losing in the Stanley Cup final.

Zezel and the Flyers also lost to the Oilers in the 1984-85 final in five games. And Zezel helped the Maple Leafs reach the Western Conference final in the 1992-93 and 1993-94 seasons. He retired following the 1998-99 season.

A talented athlete, Zezel also played soccer at a high level, with the Toronto Blizzard of the North American Soccer League and the Canadian Soccer League’s North York Rockets.

The Flyers selected Zezel with the 41st pick in the 1983 NHL entry draft, following a stellar junior career with the Toronto Marlboros.

The crafty centre, known as a top-notch faceoff man and tenacious penalty-killer, set a Flyers record for assists by a rookie with 46 in the 1984-85 season.

Zezel was also something of a showman, appearing in the 1986 hockey film Youngblood starring Rob Lowe and more recently became a frequent guest on TSN’s Off The Record panel show.

Quinn named Oilers coach

EDMONTON — Getting the right man for the job was a priority for Edmonton Oilers general manager Steve Tambellini, who figures he got two with the hiring of Pat Quinn and Tom Renney.

Getting the right men sooner rather than later was a must, too. Renney, after five seasons as the head coach of the New York Rangers, has been hired as associate coach while Kelly Buchberger stays on as the lone holdover from the previous staff.

Neither Charlie Huddy nor Bill Moores will remain on the staff and video coach Brian Ross has also been let go.

Both Quinn and Renney received three-year contracts.

Quinn was hired first, then Renney agreed to come on board rather than pursue other head coaching opportunities.

Quinn, 66, coached his last NHL game in the 2005-06 season with the Toronto Maple Leafs. His most recent coaching gig was as the tutor for the gold-medal winning Canadian team at the 2009 world junior championships in Ottawa.

Renney had been hired by Quinn back in 1996 when he was managing the Vancouver Canucks. Tambellini, too, was a part of that staff. “We’re here to help this team win,” said Quinn. “We expect to be a good team at the coaching level. We think there’s talent here, perhaps it didn’t get to be a good team in the past two or three years, but we’re here to hopefully make that next step. I’m glad to have that opportunity again.”