William Wirtz, the longtime owner of the Chicago Blackhawks notorious for driving a hard bargain, died Wednesday at age 77. In an announcement on the team Web site, the Blackhawks said Wirtz died at Evanston Hospital after battling cancer. The family, led by Arthur Wirtz, purchased the Chicago Blackhawks in 1954.
Michael Vick has another legal fight on his hands. The Atlanta Falcons quarterback was indicted on state charges related to a dogfighting ring operated on his Virginia property. He pleaded guilty to dogfighting conspiracy charges in federal court last month. A Surry County grand jury indicted Vick and three co-defendants Tuesday, charging the NFL star with beating or killing or causing dogs to fight…
Brass Hat held off favored Fairbanks by three-quarters of a length Saturday to win the $500,000 Massachusetts Handicap at Suffolk Downs. The 6-year-old gelding, ridden by Willie Martinez and trained by William “Buff” Bradley for father Fred Bradley, ran 1 1-8 miles in 1:49.3. Brass Hat, the winner of the 2006 Donn Handicap at Gulfstream Park who survived two 13-month layoffs due to injuries, paid…
Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense and Derby runner-up Hard Spun will meet again next Saturday in the $350,000 Kentucky Cup at Turfway Park. Street Sense, who thrived at Saratoga with wins in the Jim Dandy and the Travers, will use the 1/8-mile race on Polytrack as a final tuneup before the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Monmouth Park on Oct.
Jody Jamieson wanted to savor the cheers after winning the Little Brown Jug, so he allowed his 3-year-old pacer, Tell All, to take his time walking back to the winner’s circle. “There’s nothing like winning this race,” the Canadian horseman said Thursday at the Delaware County Fairgrounds. “This horse was just incredible today.” Jamieson drove Tell All to victory by a half-length in the $480,000…
NASCAR unveiled its 2008 Sprint Cup Series schedule on Wednesday.
The ball Barry Bonds hit for his record-breaking 756th home run will be branded with an asterisk and sent to the Baseball Hall of Fame, its owner said Wednesday. Fashion designer Marc Ecko, who bought the ball in an online auction, set up a Web site for fans to vote on the ball’s fate, and the decision to brand it won out over the other options, sending it to the museum unblemished or launching it…
Sergei Zubov scored a power-play goal with 1:42 left in overtime to give the Stars a 5-4 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night. The Avalanche had a two-goal lead midway through the third period before back-to-back goals by Niklas Hagman and Brendan Morrow sent the game into overtime. Colorado opened the scoring at 10:44 in the first period on a goal from Wojtek Wolski.
Mike Green’s end-to-end rush set up Nicklas Backstrom’s game-winning goal with 1:24 left in overtime to help the Washington Capitals beat the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 on Tuesday night. Starting from behind his own net, Green skated the length of the ice and maneuvered down the right side through the Hurricanes defense.
Henrik Zetterberg had two goals and an assist to left the Detroit Red Wings to a 6-1 preseason win over the New York Rangers on Tuesday night. Johan Franzen, Chris Chelios, Pavel Datsyuk and Tomas Kopecky also scored for the Red Wings. Nicklas Lidstrom, Mikael Samuelsson and Tomas Holmsrom each had two assists.
