Mourning murders, Chelios gets leave

Detroit Red Wings defenseman Chris Chelios will be off the ice indefinitely while he helps employees of his sports bar cope with the stabbing deaths of two co-workers. Chelios, who did not play in Detroit's 2-1 win over Anaheim Tuesday and did not travel with the Red Wings to last night's game at San Jose, said he will rejoin the team when the time is right. "The Red Wings have given me a leave of absence," Chelios said. "I'll come back when I feel ready and the families feel ready. I'm just going to try to get through this day by day with everybody." He said the deaths of 49-year-old Megan Soroka and 52-year-old Mark Barnard at Cheli's Chili Bar Tuesday were "senseless . . . and there's no explanation." A police report says Chelios was speaking with Soroka minutes before she was stabbed to death by a recently fired employee, Justin Blackshere, 17, who later confessed to the killings . . . The Pittsburgh Penguins could play rent-free and be equal managing partners in the new Sprint Center if they move to Kansas City, Mo., under an offer unveiled by the arena's operating group. Tim Leiweke, president of Anschutz Entertainment Group, said the Penguins would not have to buy into the management agreement. "They have told us they will make a decision within 30 days," Leiweke said. Penguins owner Mario Lemieux emerged from a "very positive" meeting with Governor Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania last night without indicating whether the team would stay . . . Buffalo's Lindy Ruff and Anaheim's Randy Carlyle will coach the Eastern and Western Conference, respectively, at the NHL All-Star Game Jan. 24 in Dallas. The coaches are taken from the teams with the top points percentage in each conference through tonight's games . . . Earl "Dutch" Reibel, who helped the Red Wings win back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1955 and '56 and won the Lady Byng Trophy in '57, died Wednesday at age 76 in Kitchener, Ontario . . . The Czech Republic beat Finland, 6-2, to finish fifth in the World Junior Championship at Leksand, Sweden.

Marlies Schild won her fourth World Cup slalom of the season to extend her lead atop the women's overall standings. She finished in 1 minute 1.63 seconds. Home favorite Ana Jelusic finished 1.66 seconds back in second for her first podium finish, and Sarka Zahrobska took a career-best third place, 1.85 seconds back. Resi Steigler was the highest-placed American, finishing fifth. Julia Mancuso finished eighth . . . Andreas Jacobsen captured his second career World Cup ski jumping title, upsetting hometown favorite Thomas Morgenstern to win the third event of the Four Hills tournament at Innsbruck, Austria . . . Kris Freeman of Andover, N.H., captured his eighth national gold medal by winning the 15-kilometer freestyle race at the US Cross-Country Championships in Houghton, Mich. Alexa Turzian, 18, won the women's 10K freestyle.

Top-seeded Rafael Nadal and Fabrice Santoro cruised into the quarterfinals of the Chennai (India) Open. The second-ranked Nadal outplayed Indian wild card Karan Rastogi, 6-4, 6-1, and Santoro overcame back problems to defeat Bjorn Phau, 6-4, 6-2 . . . World No. 2 Maria Sharapova struggled to a 7-5, 6-3 win over Yan Zi in the quarterfinals of the Champions Challenge at Hong Kong . . . Top-seeded Martina Hingis advanced to the Australian Women's Hardcourt Championship final today in Gold Coast after Tathiana Garbin was forced to retire from their semifinal with complications from a viral illness . . . Top-seeded Russia will play Spain in the Hopman Cup mixed teams final, while the Americans head home from Perth, Australia, without a victory. Australia beat the United States, 2-1.

Former Duke lacrosse player Kyle Dowd sued the university, alleging that one of his professors unfairly gave him a failing grade because he was a member of the team. Dowd graduated in May 2006, two months after a woman said she was raped by three of his teammates at a lacrosse party. Dowd, who was not charged, claims in his lawsuit that visiting professor Kim Curtis engaged in "outrageous and unethical conduct" when she gave him an F in a politics and literature class. The lawsuit claims he had earned C's on his assignments until that point. The university later changed Dowd's grade to a D, citing a calculation error. But Dowd claims the incident nearly kept him from graduating. Dowd and his parents are asking for the grade to be changed to a P for passing, and want a total of $60,000 in damages. Curtis, reached at her home, referred questions about the case to the university. Duke spokesman John Burness said he hadn't seen a copy of the lawsuit . . . St. Francis (Pa.) basketball coach Bobby Jones was released from a Washington hospital where he was being monitored for stroke-like symptoms. Jones will take a few days off before he returns to the bench . . . Sportscaster Jim Lampley denied wrongdoing after being arrested for investigation of felony domestic violence. Lampley, 57, was taken into custody Wednesday and booked on the felony and for investigation of violating a restraining order and dissuading a witness, both misdemeanors. "I am innocent of the charge of domestic abuse that has been leveled against me and will vigorously defend myself," Lampley said in a statement . . . Bernard Lagat will seek his fifth Wanamaker Mile title in the 100th Millrose Games Feb. 2 in New York.