Vernon Reportedly Traded to Sharks

Detroit Red Wing goaltender Mike Vernon, winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as the 1997 playoff most valuable player, will be traded to the San Jose Sharks for draft picks, according to published reports.

The Detroit Free Press and Booth News Service cited NHL sources who said the deal was completed late Friday and could be announced today.

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An NHL arbitrator ruled that the Philadelphia Flyers’ five-year $16.5-million offer to Tampa Bay center Chris Gratton, a restricted free agent, was valid.

The decision voids a trade between Tampa Bay and Chicago. The Blackhawks reportedly were to have acquired Ethan Moreau, Steve Dubinsky and Keith Carney from Tampa Bay for Gratton.

The Lighting now has a week to match the Flyers’ offer or accept five first-round draft picks from Philadelphia as compensation.

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The Kings re-signed restricted free agent defenseman Sean O’Donnell to a one-year contract. Terms were not announced. O’Donnell, 25, had five goals and 12 assists last season. . . . New Jersey center Doug Gilmour has agreed to have his 1997-98 salary determined by an arbitrator. Gilmour was seeking a three-year-extension worth about $11 million, but was unable to agree on terms with the Devils. . . . Chicago defenseman Steve Smith retired, ending a 13-year NHL career that included a stint with three-time Stanley Cup champion Edmonton. . . . The Red Wings re-signed free agent forward Joe Kocur to a one-year contract.

Tennis

Unseeded Mark Woodforde of Australia put an end to the strong performance of Andre Agassi in the quarterfinals of the RCA Championships at Indianapolis, winning, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3.

Agassi, seeded 14th and playing in his first ATP quarterfinals since mid-February, couldn’t recover from Woodforde’s 19 aces and strong forehand.

Agassi, 9-10 this season, had entered this tournament with a four-match losing streak and had fallen to 74th in the world.

Magnus Larsson, who defeated Pete Sampras, was ousted by Wayne Ferreira, the 1995 champion, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (12-10).

Petr Korda fended off three break points and four match points, then defeated David Wheaton, 4-6, 7-6 (9-7), 6-4, and advanced to the semifinals of the Pilot Pen International at New Haven, Conn.

Korda will play top-seeded Yevgeny Kafelnikov, who defeated No. 7 Tim Henman of Britain, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4.

Monica Seles took only 42 minutes to dispatch Italy’s Rita Grande, 6-0, 6-0, to set up a semifinal meeting against seventh-seeded Conchita Martinez in the du Maurier Open at Toronto.

Martinez defeated Lindsay Davenport, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, in a match interrupted by rain for four hours.

The other semifinal will pit Anke Huber of Germany against Mary Joe Fernandez.

Motor Racing

Johnny Benson earned the second pole of his NASCAR Winston Cup career--and first this season--qualifying his Pontiac Grand Prix at 183.332 mph for Sunday’s DeVilbiss 400 on the Michigan Speedway at Brooklyn, Mich. . . . Brazilian Mauricio Gugelmin earned the provisional pole for Sunday’s Texaco-Havoline 200 CART Indy car race at Elkhart Lake, Wis. Gugelmin, driving a Mercedes-powered Reynard, turned a record lap of 142.342 mph on the four-mile, 14-turn road course at Road America. . . . Gary Scelzi (top fuel) and Randy Anderson (funny cars), a pair of NHRA rookies, were the leaders after qualifying for the Champion Auto Stores Nationals at Brainerd (Minn.) International Raceway.

Soccer

Roy Lassiter’s goal in the 69th minute was the difference as the Tampa Bay Mutiny scored a 2-1 Major League Soccer victory over the Dallas Burn before 8,329 at Tampa, Fla.

Wolde Harris and Ross Paule scored second-half goals for the Colorado Rapids in a 2-0 victory over the New York/New Jersey MetroStars before 7,225 at Denver.

The MetroStars will have to finish their MLS season on artificial turf because Giants Stadium officials rejected the team’s request to reinstall a state-of-the-art grass field.

The MetroStars installed a $1.5-million grass field at the beginning of the season, but stadium officials became uncomfortable with the time it took to remove the 6,124 4-by-4 trays that hold the grass.

Gymnastics

Blaine Wilson successfully defended his national all-around title, holding off 17-year-old Jason Gatson in the U.S. Gymnastics Championships at Denver.

Wilson, 23, finished with 110.05 points. Gatson stayed second through five of the six events, eventually faltering on his final routine and slipping to third, behind veteran John Roethlisberger.

Wilson became only the second male gymnast to claim all-around titles in the nationals and the NCAA championships in consecutive years. Roethlisberger pulled off the unprecedented double-double in 1992 and 1993.

Miscellany

Troy Dumais, 17, of Ventura, won his second national title at the USA Senior National Diving Championships at Dallas.

By defending his one-meter springboard title, Dumais qualified for the World Cup meet Sept. 10-14 in Mexico City and the World Championships in Perth, Australia, in January.

Dumais totaled 399.33 points for six dives. Five of his dives had a degree of difficulty of 3.0 or higher.

One day after breaking his world record for 5,000 meters, Ethiopian runner Haile Gebrselassie was injured in an automobile accident at Addis Ababa. Gebrselassie, 24, was treated and released by a hospital after suffering minor cuts and abrasions in the accident Thursday. . . . Odalmis Limonta, a member of the Cuban women’s relay track team, and her mother reportedly are seeking asylum in Spain. Limonta was on Cuba’s 1,600-meter relay team, which won the gold in the Central American games in June. She also participated for Cuba at the Barcelona and Atlanta Olympics.