Montreal, Colorado Trade Goaltenders

Colorado and Montreal swapped goaltenders Wednesday with Jose Theodore heading to the Avalanche in exchange for David Aebischer.

The trade marks the second time a high-profile goaltender left the Canadiens for Colorado, following Patrick Roy’s move to the Avalanche during the 1995-96 season.

Theodore, 29, has a 3.46 goals-against average and an .881 save percentage this season. Aebischer, 28, has a 2.98 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage.

Theodore was 17-15-5 for Montreal this season after winning a career-best 33 games in 2003-04. Aebischer is 25-14-2.

Theodore, who fractured his right heel last month while putting salt on the ice outside his Montreal home during the Olympic break, plans to return to hockey next month and the Avalanche said it expected him to be ready for the playoffs.

Bobby Ryan, the No. 2 overall pick after Sidney Crosby in the 2005 NHL draft, signed a three-year entry level contract with the Mighty Ducks. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Ryan, an 18-year-old right wing, is in his third season with Owen Sound of the Ontario Hockey League and leads the team with 30 goals and 63 assists in 55 games.

-- Eric Stephens

The Minnesota Wild traded goaltender Dwayne Roloson to Edmonton for the Oilers’ first-round draft pick in 2006. Roloson was an All-Star in 2004 but lost the No. 1 job to Manny Fernandez this season.... The San Jose Sharks acquired left wing Ville Nieminen from the New York Rangers for a third-round pick in the upcoming draft. Nieminen was a key member of Finland’s silver medal-winning team at the Turin Olympics.

PRO FOOTBALL

Culpepper Wants

Out of Minnesota

Quarterback Daunte Culpepper’s shaky relationship with the Minnesota Vikings deteriorated further when he said he wanted to be released if the team failed to trade him.

“If a trade does not happen then I am asking the Vikings to terminate my contract as soon as possible,” Culpepper said in an e-mail to reporters.

Culpepper said he had asked the Vikings if he could speak to interested teams on his own behalf.

He said Minnesota denied his request.

SOCCER

Liverpool Is Eliminated

From Champions Cup

Defending champion Liverpool was eliminated from the European Champions League with a 2-0 loss to visiting Benfica. The Portuguese team won the home-and-home series on 3-0 aggregate goals to advance to the quarterfinals.

AC Milan, Arsenal and Lyon also advanced, joining Barcelona, Juventus and Villarreal.

HORSE RACING

Your Tent Or Mine

Out of Triple Crown

Your Tent Or Mine, who was last seen finishing second to Brother Derek in the Hollywood Futurity on Dec. 17 at Hollywood Park, will not be a participant in the Triple Crown.

Owned by Anthony Speelman and trained by Neil Drysdale, Your Tent Or Mine has been sidelined by an injury to his right front foot. Drysdale said earlier this week the son of Forest Camp bruised the foot, then an abscess developed.

Before finishing second in the Futurity, Your Tent Or Mine had won his first two starts, including an easy victory in the Hollywood Prevue at seven furlongs last fall.

-- Bob Mieszerski

MISCELLANY

Bay Hill Tournament

Named for Palmer

The Bay Hill Invitational in Orlando, Fla., will be called the Arnold Palmer Invitational starting in 2007, making Palmer only the second player to have a PGA Tour event named after him. The other is the Byron Nelson Championship outside Dallas. Palmer owns the Bay Hill Club, where the tournament has been played since 1979.

The FIRST 4 Lacrosse Invitational, featuring top NCAA Division I teams such as Duke, Navy and Bucknell, as well as several elite high school teams, will be held Friday and Saturday at the University of San Diego’s Torero Stadium.