Blue Jays cut ties with ex-closer Ryan

Veteran center Saku Koivu signed a one-year contract with the Ducks, ending his 13-year run with the Canadiens. The 34-year-old Finn had been Montreal’s captain for almost a decade. Koivu, who registered 191 goals and 450 assists in 792 games for the Habs, said the chance to join compatriot Teemu Selanne was a factor in his decision. An All-Star in 1998 and 2003, Koivu represented his country at the Winter Olympics in 1998 and also in 2006, when he won a silver medal . . . The Stars swapped a 2010 sixth-round draft pick (which had been acquired from the Sharks) to the Senators for goaltender Alex Auld. The former Bruin will help ease the load on Marty Turco, who played 74 games last season . . . Claude Lemieux announced his retirement again, wrapping up a 21-year career that included four Stanley Cups. Lemieux, 44, came back from a five-year retirement in December to sign with the Sharks, for whom he had one assist in 18 games . . . The Blackhawks agreed to terms with left wing Kris Versteeg, 23, on a three-year contract.

Alex Bogomolov Jr., who is ranked No. 180, upset fifth-seeded Arnaud Clement, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, in the opening round of the rain-hampered Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport, R.I. In other opening-round matches, Nicholas Mahut beat Amer Delic, 6-4, 6-4; sixth-seeded Philipp Petzschner defeated Horacio Zeballos, 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 6-2; and third-seeded Sam Querrey, the highest seeded American left, ousted Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo, 6-3, 6-2. Two-time defending champion Fabrice Santoro had his match against Flavio Cipolla halted by rain tied, 3-3, in the first set . . . Wimbledon champion Serena Williams will be in Danvers tonight to play for Washington in a World TeamTennis event against the Lobsters at Ferncroft Country Club.

Robert Kraft, the owner of the Patriots and Revolution, has joined an effort to bring the FIFA World Cup to the US in 2018 or 2022. Kraft has joined the board of directors for the USA Bid Committee. Kraft led the successful bid for Foxboro Stadium to be a host venue during the 1994 World Cup . . . Santino Quaranta broke a scoreless tie in the 75th minute and Brian Ching followed with a header in the 79th, giving the United States a 2-0 win against Honduras in the Gold Cup in Washington. The US (2-0) lead Group B going into its final first-round match against Haiti Saturday in Foxborough. Freddy Adu will not play in any remaining Gold Cup games for the US and will return to Benfica, his Portuguese team, which according to US coach Bob Bradley, was the plan all along.

Formula One’s fragile peace deal was thrown into doubt when eight leading teams walked out of a London meeting with the governing body after being told they had not been entered into the 2010 championship and would have no say on finalizing cost-cutting measures. The Formula One Teams Association accused the FIA of putting “the future of Formula One in jeopardy’’ by reneging on a deal that saw them halt plans to form a breakaway series. Under their agreement, FOTA teams agreed to cut costs to 1990s levels and FIA announced they would be entered into the 2010 championship. But at yesterday’s meeting to discuss the rules for the 2010 series, the FOTA teams were told that was not the case by the FIA’s technical chief . . . Former US figure skating champion Nicole Bobek would never do anything criminal, the skater’s mother said, two days after her 31-year-old daughter was released from jail in Trenton, N.J., on charges of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. She was arrested in Florida and extradited to New Jersey. “If she is in some kind of trouble, she is probably in some trouble because she got in with the wrong company,’’ Jana Bobek told the Associated Press. If convicted, Nicole Bobek faces up to 10 years in prison . . . Diana Taurasi scored the game’s first 6 points to fuel a 22-2 opening run, and the Mercury routed the Chicago Sky, 90-70, in Phoenix.