Sundin refuses to leave Maple Leafs

Mats Sundin is staying in Toronto - at least for the remainder of the season. The Maple Leafs captain refused to waive his no-trade clause yesterday after he and agent J.P. Barry met with Leafs general manager Cliff Fletcher for several hours. "I have always believed I would finish my career as a Toronto Maple Leaf, so the actual request was still a very difficult one for me to contemplate," Sundin said in a statement released last night. "I have never believed in the concept of a rental player. It is my belief that winning the Stanley Cup is the greatest thing you can achieve in hockey, but for me, in order to appreciate it you have to have been part of the entire journey and that means October through June. I hope everyone will understand and respect my decision." Sundin was considered one of the Leafs' top trade pieces entering tomorrow's NHL trade deadline. But the 37-year-old center, who will become an unrestricted free agent July 1, has repeatedly said he doesn't want to leave Toronto, where he has spent the last 13 seasons . . . Sabres center Jochen Hecht, who missed his first game Saturday, could be back from a pulled leg muscle tonight against Philadelphia, and injured forward Maxim Afinogenov, who has missed 24 games with a groin injury, may soon be back in the lineup . . . Marc-Andre Fleury, out with a high ankle sprain, was recalled from his minor league rehabilitation stay by the Penguins and is expected to play his first NHL game since Dec. 6 this week.

Jerome Dyson was Connecticut's leading scorer at the time of his suspension, but the sophomore guard might not be a starter tomorrow at Rutgers. Dyson has been reinstated to the team after missing nine games while suspended for failing a drug test. "We'll see where he fits in," coach Jim Calhoun said Saturday after the 13th-ranked Huskies' 67-65 loss to Villanova. "I fully expect I would start the same team. There's no reason why I wouldn't start the same team at Rutgers that we have right now." Dyson averaged more than 14 points a game before his suspension, which began after he and sophomore guard Doug Wiggins were cited by campus police for possession of alcohol by a minor. Wiggins passed a drug test and served a two-game suspension . . . UConn reserve forward Curtis Kelly is expected to be out up to three weeks after dislocating his left elbow Saturday.

Andy Roddick used his overpowering serve to win the SAP Open in San Jose, Calif., for the third time in his career, beating Radek Stepanek, 6-4, 7-5. The top-seeded Roddick never faced a break point in the final and closed out each set with an ace to win his 24th career title . . . David Nalbandian earned his eighth career title, rallying to defeat Jose Acasuso, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, at the Copa Telmex final in Buenos Aires . . . Maria Sharapova defeated Vera Zvonareva, 6-1, 2-6, 6-0, in the Qatar Open final, remaining unbeaten this season and earning her 18th career title.

The Bears and tight end Desmond Clark agreed to a two-year contract extension through the 2010 season. Over the past two years, Clark has averaged 13.2 yards per catch - most among NFL tight ends . . . Linebacker Derek Smith, an 11-year pro released Tuesday by San Francisco, agreed to a two-year deal with the Chargers . . . Vikings tackle Bryant McKinnie was arrested for aggravated battery after a street brawl outside a Miami nightclub early yesterday.

German skier Maria Riesch won the women's super combined, edging Austria's Marlies Schild by .09 seconds in the only World Cup event in Whistler, British Columbia, before the 2010 Olympics. Lindsey Vonn led the American contingent with a sixth-place finish, but her lead in the overall World Cup standing was trimmed to 54 points over Nicole Hosp after the Austrian finished fourth. Riesch, who was fastest in the morning's super-giant slalom, took a careful line in the afternoon slalom run. She finished in 2 minutes 10.07 seconds. Sweden's Anja Paerson was third. American Julia Mancuso finished seventh . . . American Shani Davis won his second speedskating title in three days, edging Canada's Denny Morrison in the 1,000 meters in Heerenveen, Netherlands. Davis finished ahead in the overall standings with 840 points to Morrison's 736.

Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito, who sent a record-equaling five horses to the Kentucky Derby three years ago, could top the mark this year after his unbeaten War Pass made a smashing 3-year-old debut with his 7 1/2-length romp at Gulfstream Park about 30 minutes after Cool Coal Play won the Fountain of Youth Stakes over a formidable field. The double victories give Zito at least a half dozen solid Derby contenders from the pool of 19 3-year-olds he nominated to the Triple Crown races . . . A wet few days in Southern California left NASCAR's Sprint Cup drivers with a lot of time on their hands. The Auto Club 500 in Fontana, Calif., began about 2 1/2 hours after its scheduled 1 p.m. start time but was slowed by two early crashes and then halted as NASCAR and track officials looked for a way to stop water seeping through the seams of the 2-mile oval . . . Wakefield's Kayla Harrison beat rival Katie Mocco twice to win the 78-kilogram division at this weekend's Pedro's Judo Challenge in Wakefield . . . Heavyweight Wladimir Klitschko took no chances and landed no memorable punches in his win over Sultan Ibragimov at Madison Square Garden Saturday night. The Ukrainian used his huge size advantage to strong-arm the World Boxing Organization title belt from his smaller foe.