Kings name Crawford new head coach
LOS ANGELES, May 22 (UPI) -- The Los Angeles Kings on Monday officially named Marc Crawford the club's new head coach.
Crawford replaces interim head coach John Torchetti, who took over for the Kings when Andy Murray was fired on March 21.
"Marc is not only one of the top coaches in the NHL, I believe he is also the perfect fit for this team now and into the future," said Kings President and General Manager Dean Lombardi. "Despite his relative youth, he has already enjoyed incredible success in terms of winning and guiding young players to reach their optimum level of performance."
Crawford, 45, led the Colorado Avalanche to the Stanley Cup title in 1996. He also was head coach of the Vancouver Canucks. He has 411 coaching victories, good for 16th on the all-time list.
The Canucks fired Crawford on April 25 after he guided the club to a record of 42-32-8, but missed the playoffs.
Bjorn wins Irish Open with late birdie
MAYNOOTH, Ireland, May 22 (UPI) -- Thomas Bjorn birdied the final hole Monday to win the rain-delayed Nissan Irish Open.
Bjorn, 35, closed with an even-par 72 to wind up at 5-under 283.
"You could say this country owes me one," joked Bjorn, who earned 366,660 euros for the win. "I lost a playoff in this event at Portmarnock three years ago."
Bjorn, a playoff loser to Michael Campbell three years ago, seemed out of the tournament after he opened with a 6-over 78 on Thursday and trailed by nine shots. A course-record tying 66 got him back to even par after two rounds and a 5-under 67 in round three got him into contention.
Paul Casey parred his last three holes to take second place at 4-under 284 after a Monday-round, 1-over 73.
Darren Clarke, who led when action resumed Monday morning, had a 73 that left him at 3-under 285.
Hypo Group resumes after Sunday rainout
PORTSCHACH, Austria, May 22 (UPI) -- Former world No. 1 Aussie Lleyton Hewitt and third-seeded Slovak Dominik Hrbaty were upset Monday at the Hypo Group Tennis International in Austria.
Brazilian Marcos Daniel defeated the second-seeded Hewitt 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), while French lucky-loser Richard Gasquet beat Hrbaty 6-0, 4-6, 6-3.
Hewitt was playing his first match since helping Australia beat Belarus in a Davis Cup quarterfinal in Melbourne seven weeks ago.
Two other seeds avoided upsets. No. 5 Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela defeated Taipei's Yeu-Tzuoo Wang 6-3, 6-1 and No. 6 Spaniard Nicolas Almagro beat Belgian Christophe Rochus 6-3, 6-4.
Barbaro making progress to survive injury
PHILADELPHIA, May 22 (UPI) -- Barbaro, the Kentucky Derby winner who underwent surgery on his broken hind leg, had his doctors optimistic but cautious Monday.
His lead vet, Dean Richardson, chief of surgery at the New Bolton Center, said, "He's doing all the things a horse should do, including eating and nickering at the mares near him."
However, Richardson pointed out the horse still faced a long, difficult recovery.
Unbeaten Barbaro was a big favorite in Saturday's Preakness Stakes when he suffered his injury about 50 strides into the race and was pulled up.
While doctors at the University of Pennsylvania say Barbaro's survival is not certain, there is hope he will be able to move on to a career at stud worth millions of dollars.
"He's still a coin toss even after things went well," Richardson said.
"We are watching for signs of infection at the surgical site, laminitis and other possible aftereffects of the surgery," Richardson said
Barbaro fractured his right hind leg in three places during the running of the Preakness on Saturday, May 20. The bones were set and will be allowed to fuse in place over time, which means that recovery will take many months.
Moroccan runner Hicham El Guerrouj retires
CASABLANCA, Morocco, May 22 (UPI) -- Moroccan middle-distance runner Hicham El Guerrouj announced his retirement Monday.
El Guerrouj, 31, hasn't raced since the 2004 Olympics. At the Athens Games, he became the first runner since Paavo Nurmi in 1924 to win both the 1,500 and the 5,000-meter races.
El Guerrouj captured the silver medal in the 1,500-meters at the 2000 Summer Games. A four-time World champion at that distance, He capped his career with his performance in Athens.
El Guerrouj is the current holder of the world records for the 1,500 meters and the one mile, both indoors and out, and has the fastest ever mark for the 2,000 meters. He said he's quitting to focus more time on his family.
