Hasek Expected to Retire at End of Next NHL Season

Goaltender Dominik Hasek, who helped the Czech Republic win an Olympic gold medal and the Buffalo Sabres reach the NHL finals, is expected to announce today that he will retire at the end of next season.

Hasek, 34, scheduled a news conference today in Prague, and is expected to say he will retire after next season rather than play out the remaining two years of his contract.

The NHL said in a statement that Hasek and the Sabres will “discuss the future of Hasek’s hockey career” at the news conference.

Hasek, the league’s most valuable player in 1997 and 1998 and a five-time choice as its best goalie, struggled much of last season because of a groin injury.

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Defenseman Oleg Tverdovsky, a key draft-day pickup by the Mighty Ducks, accepted the team’s qualifying offer, a one-year contract worth $1.7 million.

Tverdovsky, 23, was acquired June 26 from Phoenix for center Travis Green and the Ducks’ first-round pick. He had only seven goals and 25 points last season but had 10 goals and 55 points during the 1996-97 season.

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The Boston Bruins signed free-agent left wing Dave Andreychuk to a one-year, $1.2-million contract. . . . The Dallas Stars re-signed center Guy Carbonneau to a two-year contract. Terms were not disclosed.

Football

Kris Farris, the 1998 Outland Trophy winner from UCLA, signed a three-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Farris, an offensive lineman, said he will earn $175,000 as a rookie, $250,000 next season and $325,000 in the 2001-2002 season. The Steelers also signed first-round draft pick Troy Edwards to a deal reportedly for $6.3 million over five years. . . . The Miami Dolphins rewarded O.J. McDuffie, the NFL’s leading receiver with 90 catches last year, with a four-year contract extension through 2004. The extension is reportedly worth $20 million.

The Tennessee Titans released veteran linebacker Lonnie Marts to create room under the salary cap, then set about trying to work out a new contract with him. . . . The New England Patriots terminated the contract of veteran safety Willie Clay and signed three draft choices: running back Kevin Faulk; safety Tony George; and offensive tackle Derrick Fletcher. . . . Robert Daniel, a sixth-round draft choice of the Carolina Panthers, suffered a neck injury during practice and was taken by ambulance to a hospital.

Iowa quarterback Randy Reiners, arrested last month on an alcohol charge for the second time in 18 months, has been suspended for the Hawkeyes’ opener against Nebraska.

Football recruit Sagan Atuatasi, a defensive tackle from Los Alamitos High, did not meet USC admission requirements and is expected to enroll at a junior college as he continues to seek to qualify, the school announced.

Olympics

Bosnia and Herzegovina will compete as one team in the 2000 Olympics at Sydney, Australia, according to a statement released by the International Olympic Committee after the Bosnia and Herzegovina Sports Conference in Lausanne, Switzerland.

In track and field, Doug Walker of Scotland, the European 200-meter champion, has been cleared of using drugs, which threatened to keep him out of the 2000 Games.

Tennis

Lindsay Davenport defeated Chanda Rubin, 6-3, 6-7 (2-7), 6-3, at the Bank of the West Classic at Palo Alto. . . . Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain upset Tommy Haas of Germany, 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3, in the third round of the Generali Open at Kitzbuehel, Austria. Before rain stopped play, Alex Corretja beat Orlin Stanoytchev of Bulgaria, 6-3, 6-4. . . . Croatia’s Ivan Ljubicic advanced to his first ATP Tour quarterfinal, beating Norway’s Christian Ruud, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5, in the second round of the Croatia Open at Umag. American Jeff Tarango defeated Costa Rica’s Juan Antonio Marin, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3.

Miscellany

Scottie Pippen told a Houston television station he wants to return to the Rockets for a second season. “I look forward to it,” he told station KRIV. “Right here is where I feel like is going to be my home. . . . Andrea Stinson scored a season-high 27 points as Charlotte (11-10) defeated Detroit (10-11) in a WNBA game in North Carolina. . . . Pieter Van den Hoogenband of the Netherlands beat four-time defending champion Alexander Popov of Russia in the 100-meter freestyle event at the European Swimming Championships at Istanbul, Turkey. Hoogenband won in 48.47 seconds and Popov was second in 48.82. Sue Rolph won the women’s 100-meter freestyle in 55.03 to become the first British woman to win a European title in 37 years.