Sports briefs for March 1, 2005

Tuesday, March 1, 2005 | 10:58 a.m.

Wranglers improve to 7-0 against Victoria

The visiting Las Vegas Wranglers defeated the Victoria Salmon Kings 5-2 at the Bear Mountain Arena on Monday night, improving to 7-0-0 against Victoria this year.

Defenseman Christian Chartier along with forwards Chris Stanley and Shawn Limpright each picked up a power-play goal in the win for Las Vegas (23-25-5, 51 points).

Stanley added his second goal in the third period. Rookie Dustin Johner picked up two assists, giving him 14 points in seven games against Victoria (10-40-5, 25 points).

NHL players might join rival league

With team owners meeting in New York today while locked-out players meet in Toronto, the warring sides in the NHL labor dispute will once again air their angst about their canceled season.

Chris Chelios of the Detroit Red Wings said he hoped to encourage players to join a rival league next season, perhaps in a coalition with a revived version of the defunct World Hockey Association.

Bryan Smolinski said he wanted some explanations about certain facets of the dispute, particularly from a splinter group of players who tried to broker a settlement without consent of the leadership of the players' union.

Critics assail NASCAR for burning leaded gas

NASCAR is under fire from environmentalists for using leaded gasoline more than six years after the Environmental Protection Agency asked the stock car racing industry to switch to unleaded.

"By permitting the continued use of lead, your organization may be putting millions of spectators and nearby residents at unnecessary risk of suffering serious health effects," the environmental group Clean Air Watch said in a recent letter to NASCAR Chairman Brian France.

"Because of the clear public health threat, lead is being eliminated from gasoline throughout most of the world," the letter said. "If Kazakhstan can eliminate lead from gasoline, why can't NASCAR?"

Heat signs Mourning

Alonzo Mourning and the Miami Heat finally are together again.

Mourning signed a contract today and practiced with the team in Miami, where he spent eight seasons -- a stint twice interrupted by kidney disease. He's expected to make about $325,000 for the rest of the season, based on a prorated share of the $1.1 million minimum veteran contract.

Mourning may be in uniform Thursday when Miami visits New Jersey, for whom he averaged 10.4 points and 7.1 rebounds in 18 games this season.