Sports briefs for September 2, 2004

Thursday, Sept. 2, 2004 | 9:54 a.m.

No progress reported at NHL labor talks

Representatives of the National Hockey League and its players union agreed to meet for a third consecutive day in Montreal today in an effort to reach a new collective bargaining agreement and avoid a work stoppage. The two sides also met last week in Ottawa, but failed to move closer to a new agreement.

The league wants a salary cap like those used by the National Basketball Association and National Football League, but the players union opposes a limit. The league's 30 teams are scheduled to open training camp later this month, with the regular season beginning Oct. 13.

Bill Daly, the NHL's executive vice president and chief legal officer, and Ted Saskin, the players union's senior director, released statements confirming the meeting, but wouldn't comment about the negotiations.

The average NHL player's salary increased to $1.79 million in 2002-2003 from $558,000 in 1993-1994. NHL teams lost a combined $273 million during the 2002-2003 season while generating $1.96 billion in revenue, according to a study that the NHL commissioned.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has proposed allowing each team to spend $31 million on salaries. The current average player payroll is $41 million. The union has said it offered a system that calls for teams to share revenue, a "luxury tax" on clubs with high payrolls and a one-time 5 percent rollback in salaries.

Fontana sprayed

Crews sprayed pesticides around the California Speedway in Fontana to help prevent an outbreak of West Nile virus among fans expected to attend a NASCAR race this weekend. Officials decided to spray because Sunday's race will be at dusk, when the insects are active, and Fontana has been one of the most severely affected areas in California during this year's outbreak of the virus.

Mourning coming back

Seven-time All-Star Alonzo Mourning said he will attempt a comeback with the New Jersey Nets this season, less than a year after a kidney transplant.

O'Leary to miss game

Coach George O'Leary will miss Central Florida's opener against Wisconsin this weekend to attend the funeral of his 83-year-old mother, who died Wednesday in New York.