Thursday, Jan. 13, 2005 | 11:11 a.m.
Drop-dead date for NHL: Jan. 21
Colorado Avalanche defenseman Bob Boughner, an NHL Players' Association vice president, said Wednesday night the union isn't preparing a new collective bargaining agreement proposal in an attempt to end the nearly four-month lockout, and that his "gut feeling" is the 2004-05 season is dead.
"Maybe there could be a miracle and both sides could get together, but right now, it's pretty gloomy," Boughner said from his home in Windsor, Ontario. "The inevitable's upon us, I think."
Boughner said the NHLPA officials and the executive board talk "every few days, just checking on anything and trying to stay abreast. But there's definitely been no strategy talks or proposals being made or anything like that."
Several high-profile NHL players who aren't playing in Europe have indicated they have had an informal agreement among themselves to work out and prepare as if the season could be saved. But after Jan. 21, the players have agreed they would return to an offseason mode, considering the season lost.
"I was going to shut it down this Friday, but people have said, 'no, give it another week,' " Avalanche veteran Steve Konowalchuk said. "After next week, I'm just going to play pickup hockey. Otherwise, what's the point anymore?"
Playmate acquitted
Playboy Playmate Carmella DeCesare, accused of karate-kicking the ex-girlfriend of NFL quarterback Jeff Garcia, was acquitted of a misdemeanor assault charge in a Cleveland court but convicted of violating a protection order and placed on probation for one year.
King sues ESPN
Promoter Don King filed a defamation suit in New York claiming he was portrayed in a false light in an ESPN "SportsCentury" segment aired last May. He's seeking damages in excess of $2.5 billion. The lawsuit says the program accused King of being "a snake oil salesman, a shameless huckster and worse," and claimed the flamboyant promoter underpaid Muhammad Ali by $1.2 million.
Moya upset
Top seed Guillermo Moya was upset 6-4, 6-4 today by Olivier Rochus in a quarterfinal of the Heineken Open at Auckland, New Zealand.
U.S. under-20s win
Eddie Gaven scored theee goals in 24 minutes and Freddy Adu converted a penalty kick to lead the United States to a 6-1 victory against Trinidad and Tobago in Carson, Calif., in CONCACAF qualifying for the FIFI under-20 championship.
Medalist's mom killed
The mother of Angela Nikodinov, a two-time bronze medalist at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, was killed in a car accident as the family traveled to the competition in Portland, Ore. Nikodino has withdrawn from this week's competition.
IPFW coach out
Doug Noll was fired today as men's coach at Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne. He was 40-119 in five-plus years, including 3-13 this season.
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