NHL

They may have been without Raffi Torres, who was suspended by the NHL on Thursday for an illegal hit in Game 1, but that didn't stop the Sharks

G.M.'s defense of Torres brings $100,000 fine

Dan Boyle scored a power-play goal early in the first period and Antti Niemi made 26 saves

NHL claims that Wilson's statement was inapproriate and violated league rules

HOUSTON -- Reid Ryan choked back tears as he was introduced as president of his beloved Astros, the team he grew up watching in the days when his Hall of Fame father, Nolan Ryan, starred as a pitcher for Houston.

"My ties with the Astros go all the way back to 1980 when my dad came over," Reid Ryan said. "Today really is a dream come true because you grow up an Astros fan if you're in Houston. Everybody's got their hometown team, and the Astros were mine. This is just a very special day."

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The NHL said the fine was issued for violation of rules prohibiting formal team statements to the media during the 48-hour period following a disciplinary decision

Damien Brunner and Brendan Smith scored in the second period and the Detroit Red Wings beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 Saturday in Game 2 to even their Western Conference semifinal series.

The Ottawa Senators' top center, Jason Spezza, will return to the team's lineup in Game 3 of their second-round NHL playoff series against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday evening after missing most of the season with a back injury.

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) -- Serbian police say Predrag Danilovic, who played for the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks, is seriously injured after being stabbed in a fight.

Police say Danilovic was hurt during a brawl early Saturday in a cafe in a residential part of the capital, Belgrade. Doctors say Danilovic underwent an operation to treat injuries to his abdomen, head and arms.

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Carolina captain suffered third-degree sprain after injury at world hockey championship

BALTIMORE -- All eyes will be on Kentucky Derby winner Orb in the Preakness Stakes on Saturday. The 3-year-old colt will take on eight challengers in the second leg of the Triple Crown. If he wins, Orb will attempt to become the first Triple Crown champion since Affirmed in 1978 at the Belmont Stakes on June 8. In the Preakness, Orb will be facing five horses he defeated in the Derby and three who did not run in the race.

Here's a guide to watching the race:

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BALTIMORE (AP) -- Growing up, Kentucky Derby winner Orb was just another horse who fit in with the crowd.

Never caused problems. Never raised a ruckus. Never got sick or hurt while frolicking in the fields of Claiborne Farm in Paris, Ky., with his pals, or when he was learning how to be a racehorse at Niall Brennan's farm in Ocala, Fla. Did everything asked of him.

"A model citizen," says Claiborne Farm manager Bradley Purcell.

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BALTIMORE (AP) -- Former Green Bay Packers great Paul Hornung is looking to pull an upset in the Preakness with his 3-year-old colt Titletown Five -- named for the number of NFL titles won by the Packers when Hornung played for them.

"We're ready to go," a smiling Hornung said Friday morning sitting on a bench at the stakes barn housing most of the horses running in Saturday's second leg of the Triple Crown. "He's been on his toes, and I'm just hoping he runs good, stays sound and we can run him at Saratoga this summer."

BALTIMORE (AP) -- Everybody else had their shot.

Go down the list of Kentucky Derby-winning trainers the past three decades or so and you'll find at least one of nearly every kind: insiders, outliers, organization men and fast-buck artists, even guys in on a wing and a prayer.

Nine of them have gone on to win the Preakness and vie for a Triple Crown since Affirmed won the last one in 1978. None has delivered.

But now comes a different character -- the throwback.

BALTIMORE (AP) -- Goldencents will try for a historic turnaround in the Preakness Stakes after running 17th in the Kentucky Derby.

No horse who finished that far back in the Derby has won the Preakness. The greatest reversal came in 1996 when Louis Quatorze, 16th in the Derby, rebounded two weeks later to capture the Preakness.

Goldencents, the Santa Anita Derby winner, will try to buck the odds -- he's 8-1 on the morning line behind Orb, the Derby-winning favorite at even money -- and history on Saturday.

BALTIMORE (AP) -- Joel Rosario is on the ride of his life.

He is the nation's leading jockey and has been piling up victories in big races everywhere he goes. He won the $10 million Dubai World Cup with Animal Kingdom in March, then climbed aboard Orb and won the Kentucky Derby on May 4.

"It's amazing what's happening, can't believe it," he said from Belmont Park this week before heading to Pimlico, where he will try to guide Orb to victory in Saturday's Preakness. "I'm more excited than nervous. It's exciting to be there with a horse who has a chance to win."

BALTIMORE (AP) -- After being on this earth for 77 years, winning 13 Triple Crown races and totaling more than $100 million in purse money, Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas has earned the right to sit in an office and let his assistants do the grunt work in the stables.

That's not going to happen anytime soon.

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BALTIMORE (AP) -- Bob Baffert would settle for a competitive effort from Govenor Charlie in the Preakness Stakes on Saturday.

An upset of Kentucky Derby winner Orb, the even-money favorite, might be asking too much.

"Can he beat Orb? We don't know," the silver-haired trainer said. "I think he could be 1-2-3 and if feel that way, we have a chance."

An outsider's chance.

Govenor Charlie is a 12-1 shot among the eight rivals trying to knock off Orb.

BALTIMORE -- Orb is ready for his whirl at history.

The Kentucky Derby winner was in a playful mood the day before the Preakness, making faces for photographers between nibbles of grass outside his stall at Pimlico Race Course.

"I couldn't be more pleased with the way he's doing," trainer Shug McGaughey said at his final pre-Preakness media briefing Friday morning. "I can't see any adversity. I would have to think it would take a pretty darn good horse to beat him if he goes over and runs his race."

SCENE & HEARD: Vancouver Giants assistant coach Glen Hanlon isn't applying for a job or looking for more work. He's quite happy in his present role reporting to Don Hay with what Hanlon refers to as "one of the best hockey organizations anywhere in the world."

Sidney Crosby had his second career playoff hat trick, and the host Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Ottawa Senators 4-3 on Friday night to take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Saskatoon had a number of good chances to tie it but couldn't get anything past London goalie Anthony Stolarz

Raffi Torres will not appeal NHL ruling that he be suspended for the remainder of the San Jose Sharks' playoff series with the Los Angeles Kings.

Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby scored his second NHL playoff hat trick to lead his team to a 4-3 win in Game 2 of their best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarter-final with the Ottawa Senators.