HOCKEY

AVERY OUT TWO TO FOUR WEEKS WITH SEPARATED SHOULDER

Rangers forward Sean Avery will be out two to four weeks after separating his left shoulder during a loss at Ottawa. Avery, a rugged player who sparked New York’s late run to the playoffs after being acquired from Los Angeles in February, went to the dressing room at 7:23 of the first period Saturday following a hit by Senators right winger Chris Neil.

MAPLE LEAFS’ BLAKE HAS TREATABLE FORM OF CANCER

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Jason Blake has a rare form of leukemia that he said leaves him in no immediate danger and is highly treatable. The 34-year-old left wing has started treatment and doesn’t expect to miss any playing time. “When you find out that you have something it’s definitely shattering to your whole family and so on,” Blake said after practice. “Overall, I feel good. I’m still here and my goal this whole season hasn’t changed.” He has chronic myelogenous leukemia, a slow-growing cancer of the white blood cells. Blake said he got the test results Friday and broke the news to teammates yesterday at Air Canada Centre. “I think to get it off my chest and to move forward is a big weight lifted,” he said. Blake signed a $20 million, five-year deal with the Leafs in the off-season.

FOOTBALL

DELHOMME OUT FOR SEASON WITH ELBOW INJURY

Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme will miss the rest of the season after deciding to undergo surgery on his right elbow. Coach John Fox said yesterday that Delhomme had trouble throwing the ball earlier in the day. Delhomme then made the decision to have surgery next week. Delhomme sustained what the team called a strained right elbow when he was sacked in Carolina’s win over Atlanta on Sept. 23. David Carr replaced him the last two games, when Delhomme was listed as the no. 3 quarterback as he considered whether to have surgery.

CONCUSSION MAY FORCE GREEN TO RETIRE

Thanks to a conflict in sports schedules at the Trent Green household, his wife was spared the scary sight of him face down and motionless on the field in Houston.

When the Miami Dolphins quarterback was knocked unconscious by a severe concussion that could end his career, wife Julie was back home in South Florida at a tennis match with their children.

“She was listening to the game with an ear-piece, but she didn’t have to sit and watch,” Dolphins coach Cam Cameron said yesterday. “By the time she got home to see it, he was off the field, so that’s a blessing.”

Green’s concussion was diagnosed as grade three, the most severe, and he’ll undergo further tests to determine his future. He has been ruled out of Sunday’s game at Cleveland, and Cameron declined to discuss the possibility the injury will force the 37-year-old Green to retire.

“I don’t think we really know the full extent, because there are some ongoing tests,” Cameron said.

PITTMAN COULD BE OUT FOR TWO MONTHS WITH ANKLE INJURY

Tampa Bay’s Michael Pittman could be sidelined up to two months with an ankle sprain that has the Buccaneers scrambling for experienced help at running back.

Coach Jon Gruden said yesterday that the team was waiting for the results of an MRI exam, but that it appeared Pittman, injured during Sunday’s 33-14 loss at Indianapolis, will be out six to eight weeks.