HOCKEY

No Surgery Expected For Malkin; No Timetable Set for Return

Pittsburgh Penguins rookie Evgeni Malki, re-examined by doctors on Monday, will not need surgery on his dislocated left shoulder but still could be sidelined up to six weeks.

Malkin, expected to team with Sidney Crosby to give the Penguins one of the NHL’s top center combinations, was injured during his first exhibition game Wednesday. Malkin collided with teammate John LeClair behind the net during a game in Moncton, New Brunswick.

The team did not set a timetable Monday for Malkin’s return, saying only that he will continue to rehabilitate.A common recovery time for an injury of Malkin’s nature is four to six weeks, though athletes have returned earlier from less severe separations.

Yzerman Named New Red Wings Vice President

Steve Yzerman joined the Detroit front office yesterday, becoming the vice president of the Red Wings.

Yzerman, the former captain, helped guide Detroit to Stanley Cup victories in 1997,‘98 and 2002. He retired in July.

“After retiring as the longest serving captain in NHL history and the on-ice leader of our franchise for 23 years, it is only fitting that he join our management team,” Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch said in a statement.

Yzerman ranks eighth all-time in the NHL record books with 185 playoff points. The 10-time All-Star led all active players last season with 1,755 regular-season points, a total that trails only five others in league history.

FOOTBALL

Lewis Expects Bengals’ LB Thurman To Be Suspended for Rest of Season

Coach Marvin Lewis expects middle linebacker Odell Thurman to be suspended for the rest of the season following his arrest early Monday on a drunken driving charge, making him the sixth Cincinnati Bengal arrested this year.

Thurman, already serving a fourgame suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy, could get an additional one-year suspension from the league.

Niners RB Gore Expected To Play, But TE Davis Out

The San Francisco 49ers got good news about running back Frank Gore and confirmed bad news about tight end Vernon Davis on Monday.

Gore is expected to be in the 49ers’ lineup at Kansas City on Sunday despite bruised ribs that sidelined him in the third quarter of their loss to Philadelphia. Davis, the sixth overall pick in the draft, will be out four weeks with a broken bone in his right leg.

— Associated Press