Sweden scraps rule, paves way for more north Americans

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - The Swedish Ice Hockey Association has cleared the deck for more players from north America in its clubs by deciding to scrap a rule that limits teams to two non-EU players."There has been a desire from clubs to avoid having to limit themselves only to the European market," association chairman Christer Englund told Aftonbladet newspaper."Instead of forcing clubs to limit themselves,...

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Mediators unable to breathe life into stalled labor talks

NHL and the NHL Players Association regarding the difficulties of their current labor …more (Reuters) - National Hockey League (NHL) owners and players appear no closer to ending a lockout that could wipe out an entire season after working with U.S. federal mediators for a second consecutive day on Thursday.The mediators and NHL Players' Association (NHLPA) Executive Director Donald Fehr were back...

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Labor dispute moves into courts with talks stalled

(Reuters) - After three months of failed negotiations, the labor dispute between the National Hockey League and locked out players moved into the courts on Friday, with the league filing a class action complaint against the players' union.The league asked U.S. courts to confirm the legality of the lockout. It also filed an unfair labor practice against the players' union.The move appears to be a...

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Soccer-Sporting and Porto agree swap of Izmailov for Miguel Lopes

LISBON, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Portuguese Premier League club Sporting agreed to swap Russian midfielder Marat Izmailov for Porto's Portugal international Miguel Lopes, the Lisbon club said in a statement on Tuesday. "Sporting informs that Marat Izmailov was transferred to Porto and that Miguel Lopes was signed with a contract that runs until June 2018 and has a buyout clause of 20 million euros ($26.13...

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Soccer-Lazio ease into Italian Cup semis

Jan 8 (Reuters) - Lazio beat Catania 3-0 on Tuesday to waltz into the Italian Cup semi-finals and keep their so far successful season on track for silverware.The Rome club, riding high in second in Serie A, never looked in difficulty once Romanian defender Stefan Radu headed in a corner on the half hour.Brazilian midfielder Hernanes converted Sergio Floccari's assist midway through the second half...

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UPDATE 1-Soccer-Spanish King's Cup last 16 results

Jan 8 (Infostrada Sports) - Results from the Spanish King's Cup Last 16 second leg matches on TuesdayLast 16Tuesday, January 8, second legValencia - Osasuna 2-1 (halftime: 1-1)First leg: Osasuna - Valencia 0-2. Valencia win 4-1 on aggregate.Malaga - Eibar (III) 4-1 (halftime: 0-1)First leg: Eibar - Malaga 1-1. Malaga win 5-2 on aggregate.Next Fixtures (GMT):Wednesday, January 9Sevilla v Real Mallorca...

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Report: Lance Armstrong weighs doping admission

The New York Times reported Friday that Lance Armstrong, who has strongly denied the doping charges that led to him being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles, has told associates he is considering admitting to the use of performance-enhancing drugs.The report cited anonymous sources and said Armstrong was considering a confession to help restore his athletic career in triathlons and running...

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Friday's Sports In Brief

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -- Alabama coach Nick Saban sent home two backup players from the BCS championship game for violating curfew.A person with knowledge of the decision said the players were freshman linebackers Dillon Lee and Ryan Anderson. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the school didn't release names.A statement from Saban announced the disciplinary action. Alabama's...

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Report says Armstrong may confess to doping

Lance Armstrong is reportedly considering a change in course, dropping his years of denials and admitting that he used performance-enhancing drugs.The New York Times, citing anonymous sources, reported late Friday that Armstrong has told associates he is thinking about the move.However, Armstrong attorney Tim Herman says that the cyclist hasn't reached out to USADA chief executive Travis Tygart and...

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