Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron, recovering from his second concussion in 14 months, said he is symptom-free and vowed to return to the ice this season.
"I'm very confident I will play this year," Bergeron said in the Bruins locker room as his teammates practiced at the TD Banknorth Garden. "It's a matter of when."
Bergeron, who missed the final 72 regular-season games and last season's playoffs after an Oct. 27, 2007, hit from behind into the boards by Philadelphia's Randy Jones, was injured again Dec. 20 when he checked Carolina's Dennis Seidenberg at center ice.
Bergeron was on the ice for several minutes before he was helped up by his teammates. The 23-year-old Bergeron spent the night at Massachusetts General Hospital, and experienced headaches, dizziness and nausea. He said the symptoms were never as bad as last year's, and now they're gone.
Bergeron, who has missed the last nine games, said he's increasing the intensity of his workouts. He said he didn't want to put a date on his return and be disappointed.
Pro basketball: Barkley to take leave of absence from broadcast booth
Charles Barkley is taking a leave of absence from the broadcast booth.
The announcement by Turner Sports came hours after police said the 45-year-old former NBA star was legally drunk when he was arrested Dec. 31 on suspicion of drunken driving in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Test results show Barkley had a blood-alcohol level of .149 percent, nearly twice the legal limit of .08 percent in Arizona.
Barkley will be off the air for a minimum of several weeks, and no return date has been set, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press. The person requested anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss it.
Barkley was stopped by a Gilbert officer working a regional DUI task force shortly after he left a popular nightclub at about 1:30 a.m. He failed field sobriety tests but was cooperative.
He was booked and released at a field command post and later issued a statement saying he was disappointed he put himself in that situation.
Pro basketball: Union to file grievance against Blazers over Miles
The NBA players' association plans to file a grievance against the Portland Trail Blazers, who have threatened litigation against any NBA club considering signing Darius Miles.
The former Trail Blazers forward is attempting a comeback — a potentially very expensive one for the Blazers — from major knee surgery.
If Miles plays in two more games this season, Portland would be on the hook for $18 million — the amount remaining on Miles' contract, which would count against Portland's salary cap and force the team to pay luxury tax.
Pro baseball: Stimulant exemptions on the rise in Major League Baseball
Baseball authorized nearly 8 percent of its players to use drugs for ADHD last season, which allowed them to take otherwise banned stimulants.
A total of 106 exemptions for banned drugs were given to major leaguers claiming attention deficit hyperactivity disorder from the end of the 2007 season until the end of the 2008 season, according to a report released by the sport's independent drug-testing administrator.
That's up from 103 therapeutic use exemptions (TUEs) for ADHD in 2007, according to figures cited by baseball officials before a congressional committee last year.
More pro baseball: Bloomquist agrees to $3.1M deal with Royals
Utilityman Willie Bloomquist agreed to a $3.1 million, two-year contract.
Kansas City also agreed to a $1.3 million, one-year contract with right-hander Kyle Davies, who had been eligible for salary arbitration.
The 31-year-old Bloomquist spent all seven of his big league seasons with the Seattle Mariners. He has a .263 career batting average and has made at least 10 starts at every position except pitcher and catcher.
More pro baseball: Mets, Redding near $2.25 million deal
The New York Mets moved to add a pitcher while still negotiating with higher-profile free agents, nearing agreement with Tim Redding on a one-year contract worth about $2.25 million.
Redding's deal is expected to be finalized in several days, two people familiar with the negotiations said, speaking on condition of anonymity because no announcement had been made. Redding would be able to earn about $750,000 more in performance bonuses. ... Dave Roberts, a left-handed pitcher who played for the 1979 World Series champion Pittsburgh Pirates during a 13-year career in the majors, died of lung cancer. He was 64.
Roberts died at his home in Short Gap, according to his wife, Carol, and stepdaughter Kristy Rogan.
Rogan said Roberts had developed lung cancer from asbestos exposure as a young man. During the offseasons, he worked as a boilermaker.
College football: BC linebacker Herzlich to return for senior year
Linebacker Mark Herzlich, the Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year, will return to Boston College for his senior season rather than enter the NFL draft.
Herzlich said in a statement that he wanted to complete his college education and his college experience.
As a junior, Herzlich led the Eagles with 81 solo tackles and was one of only two linebackers in the country with six interceptions. He returned two of those pickoffs for touchdowns.
Herzlich finished fifth in the voting for the Butkus Award, given annually to the nation's top college linebacker.
More college football: Crimson Tide's RB Coffee to skip his senior season
Alabama running back Glen Coffee will skip his senior season to enter the NFL draft after a breakout season with the Crimson Tide.
Coffee announced his decision following star offensive lineman Andre Smith into professional football.
"I really enjoyed my time at the University of Alabama, but I think it is the right time for me to move on to the NFL," Coffee said in a statement. "Alabama has been a tremendous place for me to develop as both a football player and a person. I couldn't have asked for a better group of coaches."
The Fort Walton Beach, Fla., native told the Mobile Press-Register that the NFL draft advisory board projected him as a mid-round pick. ... West Virginia offensive lineman Greg Isdaner will enter April's NFL draft and skip his senior season.
Isdaner was a three-year starter at left guard and was picked for the all-Big East first team as a sophomore. ... Brigham Young receiver Austin Collie says he will skip his senior season and enter the NFL draft.
The 6-foot-2, 206-pound Collie from El Dorado Hills, Calif., led the nation in total receiving yards with 1,538 and receiving yards per game with an average of 118.31 as a junior.
More college football: South Carolina's Smelley to play baseball
South Carolina's Steve Spurrier lost a quarterback and gained a quarterbacks coach. The school said that sometimes starter Chris Smelley was transferring out of the program to play baseball. Smelley, from Tuscaloosa, Ala., was a standout catcher in high school.
"It's been a difficult decision, something I've been thinking and praying about for awhile," Smelley said in a statement. "I'm leaving South Carolina with a lot of memories and great relationships that will last a lifetime."
South Carolina also announced the hiring of G.A. Mangus, a former walk-on QB at Florida when Spurrier first arrived, to take over as quarterbacks coach. Mangus, who replaces David Reaves, has spent the past three seasons as offensive coordinator and QB coach at Middle Tennessee State.
Pro hockey: NHL suspends Leafs' Grabovski for three games
Maple Leafs forward Mikhail Grabovski received an automatic three-game suspension without pay for shoving an official during a game Thursday in Montreal.
The NHL suspended Grabovski for pushing linesman Scott Cherrey at the end of a melee in the third period when Grabovski and Canadiens forward Sergei Kostitsyn were trying to get at one another.
Rule 41.4 - category III states: "Any player who deliberately applies physical force to an official solely for the purpose of getting free of such an official during or immediately following an altercation shall be suspended for not less than three games." ... The Pittsburgh Penguins say forward Ruslan Fedotenko will miss four to six weeks with a broken right hand.
Fedotenko injured his hand less than two minutes into Tuesday night's game against the Atlanta Thrashers in a one-punch fight against former Penguins player Colby Armstrong.
