Sather to undergo prostate surgery

NEW YORK, March 21 (UPI) -- The New York Rangers had no comment Thursday on a published report that President and General Manager Glen Sather will undergo prostate surgery.

The newspaper Newsday said Sather, 69, was expected to have the surgery Thursday in New York -- two weeks before the National Hockey League trade deadline -- and then spend several days in the hospital before resuming normal activities.

Jeff Gorton, 43, the team's assistant general manager, will temporarily take over Sather's duties. He represented the Rangers at general manager meetings in Toronto this week, the New York Post reported Thursday.

Sather has led the Rangers since 2000, and is a 1997 inductee in the Hockey Hall of Fame.