Calgary Flames defenseman Dennis Wideman was suspended indefinitely pending a hearing for checking and knocking down linesman Don Henderson Wednesday night. Wideman will have a hearing with the NHL's department of hockey operations on Tuesday. During the second period of the Flames’ game against the Nashville Predators, Wideman got up after being hit and struck Henderson on the way to the bench. Wideman, a former Bruin, said he was in pain and was just trying to get off the ice, adding that he couldn’t avoid Henderson. Wideman apologized to Henderson after the incident . . . Evgeny Kuznetsov will replace Capitals teammate Alex Ovechkin, and James Neal of the Predators will replace the Blackhawks’ Jonathan Toews at this weekend's NHL All-Star Game.
Baseball
Rays bolster their lineup
The Rays acquired outfielder Corey Dickerson from the Rockies for lefthanded reliever Jake McGee. Prospects also are involved in the deal. Dickerson hit .304 last year with 10 homers and 31 RBIs in 65 games. McGee had a 2.41 ERA and six saves in 39 appearances in 2015. Tampa Bay also reached a one-year, $4.75 million deal with free agent first baseman/outfielder Steve Pearce, who hit .218 with 15 home runs and 40 RBIs for Baltimore last season . . . Righthander Doug Fister and the Astros agreed to a $7 million, one-year contract. Fister was 5-7 with a 4.19 ERA in 15 starts and 10 relief appearances last season for the Nationals . . . Righthander Ivan Nova and the Yankees agreed to a $4.1 million, one-year deal and avoided salary arbitration. Nova returned to the Yankees June 24 after Tommy John surgery and went 6-11 with a 5.07 ERA in 17 starts . . . Giants pitcher Dylan Brooks was suspended 50 games following an unspecified violation of baseball’s minor league drug program. Free agent infielder Joshua Tyler Palmer was suspended 100 games for refusing to take a drug test.
The family of University of Rhode Island player Joseph P. Ciancola III, who died after a preseason team workout in October 2011, received $1.45 million in a settlement of a wrongful death lawsuit against the university and its insurance carrier.
Sox to celebrate Robinson
The Red Sox will celebrate the life of Jackie Robinson on Friday with a visit to New Mission High School in Hyde Park. With Branch Rickey’s grandson, Branch Rickey III, on hand, Sox representatives will discuss Robinson’s legacy with the students. Former Sox player Tommy Harper will be among the speakers. The Sox also will bring the three World Series trophies. Robinson, who would have turned 97 on Sunday, broke baseball’s color barrier in 1947 when Rickey promoted him to the Brooklyn Dodgers. On Friday evening, Sox president Sam Kennedy will be the keynote speaker at North Carolina Central University’s First Pitch Dinner to be benefit its baseball program. NCCU played Florida A&M at Fenway Park last April. It was the first game at the park between two historically black college teams.
Peter Abraham
Basketball
WNBA alters playoff format
The WNBA changed its playoff format, taking the top eight teams based on record as opposed to conference allegiances. In the past, the top four teams from the Eastern and Western Conferences would make the postseason since the league expanded its playoffs to eight teams in 2000. The postseason is also expanding to four rounds. The top two seeds receive byes to the semifinals, which will now be a best-of-five series. The opening two rounds are both single-elimination games . . . ESPN is using new technology to show viewers when a player attempts a jumper from beyond the 3-point arc. ‘‘ESPN Virtual 3’’ will debut for Saturday’s NBA matchup between the Cavaliers and Spurs. For a made 3-pointer, the line will light up briefly. For a miss, the illumination will end immediately.
Miscellany
Ban leaves Jones in limbo
US national soccer team defender Jermaine Jones is frustrated about a six-game suspension that he says is making it tough to leave Major League Soccer. Jones is out of contract after spending last season with the Revolution. He wants to return to his native Germany or sign an acceptable MLS contract. The veteran was given the suspension by MLS for touching referee Matt Geiger late in a playoff game last October, and according to FIFA rules, the ban is applied across leagues. That means Jones would have to miss six games in Germany, where clubs are wary of him because their regular seasons are already half over . . . The University of Missouri dismissed quarterback Maty Mauk from the football program after a series of missteps that included three suspensions over the past four months . . . Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey , the Heisman Trophy runner-up, was named winner of the Jet Award as college football’s top return specialist . . . Javier Fernandez won his fourth straight men’s European figure skating championship in Bratislava, Slovakia. Alexei Bychenko finished second and Maxim Kovtun was third. The world championships are at TD Garden March 28-April 3.
. . . The International Olympic Commitee will send advice this week to all national Olympic committees on how to deal with the Zika virus ahead of the games in Brazil, said IOC President Thomas Bach . . . Galen Rupp, the Olympic silver medalist in the 10,000 meters, will step up in distance and try to qualify for the Rio Games in the marathon next month . . . Bob Baffert is ahead of the pack again, leading all trainers with 35 horses nominated to the Triple Crown races. The trainer of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah has nearly 10 percent of the 368 early nominations for the Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes.
