Simon leaves Islanders after incident

Chris Simon took a paid leave from the New York Islanders, agreeing with the team that he needed time away from hockey following his latest penalty for attempting to injure an opponent. Simon missed the first five games of this season while completing a 25-game ban - his sixth suspension - meted out in March. He could be in line for another long penalty after he took down and stepped on Pittsburgh's Jarkko Ruutu last weekend. Simon met with owner Charles Wang, general manager Garth Snow, and coach Ted Nolan during practice yesterday and they agreed the 35-year-old left wing should seek help. The team didn't reveal what kind of counseling he would receive . . . Canucks center Brendan Morrison could be out up to 12 weeks after surgery on his right wrist . . . Maple Leafs defenseman Bryan McCabe had hand surgery and will be out 6-8 weeks.

As expected, former West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez was introduced as the new coach at Michigan. Rodriguez, 44, said he doesn't expect to coach the Mountaineers when they play Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl, and hopes school officials agree that letting him leave right away to assemble his new staff, recruit, and evaluate the Wolverines with eligibility remaining is best for both parties . . . Terry Bowden, who has been out of coaching since quitting at Auburn during the 1998 season, said he is interested in the West Virginia opening. Bowden, 52, grew up in Morgantown when his father, Bobby, coached the Mountaineers from 1970-75, and played running back at the school in the 1977-78 seasons . . . Also being mentioned as a West Virginia candidate is Florida State offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher, a Clarksburg, W.Va., native. But Fisher has a $2.5 million buyout clause in his contract if he leaves Florida State before Jan. 9, 2011 . . . Washington coach Tyrone Willingham dismissed two members of his staff, defensive coordinator Kent Baer and tight ends coach Bob Simmons . . . Amherst senior offensive lineman Dan Guariglia was named the winner of the Nils V. "Swede" Nelson Award by the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston. The annual award recognizes outstanding achievement in academics, athletics, sportsmanship, and citizenship.

Two suspects were arrested and will be charged with carjacking Hawks forward Shelden Williams at gunpoint Saturday afternoon outside a barber shop. The men have been accused of five armed robberies near Atlanta and are being held at the Douglas County jail, police said. They are to be charged in Fulton County on Williams's carjacking but first must answer to the charges in Douglas County. The suspects were identified as Bernard Moss and Darius Mathis, each 18, with an Atlanta address.

North Carolina topped the Associated Press men's college basketball poll for the seventh straight week, and the top 15 teams held their spots from last week as most teams had a limited schedule because of final exams. Miami and West Virginia jumped into the poll at Nos. 22 and 24, respectively, while Southern Cal again returned to the rankings at No. 25 after being out of the poll for one week . . . All-American Tyler Hansbrough was listed as probable for the Tar Heels' game tomorrow against Nicholls State after suffering a concussion during Sunday's victory against Rutgers . . . Louisville forward Derrick Caracter, who was suspended for Saturday's game against Purdue for a violation of team rules, is expected to return tonight against Marshall . . . Stanford forward Brook Lopez, who averaged 12.6 points per game last season as a freshman, has regained his eligibility after being academically ineligible for the fall quarter . . . The top nine teams held steady in the AP women's poll, with Tennessee receiving 48 of 50 first-place votes to retain the top spot.

Despite receiving fewer first-place votes than Michigan, Miami of Ohio nudged the Wolverines out of the top spot in the USCHO.com/CSTV Division 1 men's hockey poll. The RedHawks (16-2-0) received 23 first-place votes and 968 points, edging the Wolverines (16-2-0), who earned 24 first-place votes and 964 points. BC (6-4-5) moved up a notch to 14th, flipping spots with Harvard (6-4-2). UMass (ninth), UNH (10th), Northeastern (11th), and UMass-Lowell (20th) all held their positions from last week.

Jean-Baptiste Grange won a slalom race for his first World Cup victory, with American Ted Ligety finishing third at Alta Badia, Italy. The Frenchman was fastest in both legs on the Gran Risa course and had a combined time of 1 minute 36.12 seconds as he moved to the top of the slalom standings. Bode Miller veered off course eight seconds in and didn't finish the opening run for the second day in a row after breaking his binding in the giant slalom Sunday . . . Brazil midfielder Kaka was named FIFA's World Player of the Year, while Argentina finished No. 1 in soccer's world rankings in 2007 to win Team of the Year. The US remained at No. 19 . . . Houston Dynamo coach Dominic Kinnear, who led his team to back-to-back MLS championships, received a contract extension through 2010 . . . Roger Federer became only the second man to win the International Tennis Federation's World Champion award in four straight years, joining Pete Sampras. Justine Henin took the women's honor for the second straight year . . . Adelphi University accepted an offer to join the Northeast-10 Conference as a fulltime member beginning in the 2009-10 academic year.