Off the wire

HOCKEY Canucks fire Vigneault

The Vancouver Canucks fired Coach Alain Vigneault on Wednesday. The Canucks also fired assistants Rick Bowness and Newell Brown. Vigneault, the Canucks’ all-time leader in coaching victories, led the club to six Northwest Division titles, two Presidents’ Trophytitles and an appearance in the 2011 Stanley Cup final. But Vancouver was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in the past two seasons, including getting swept by the San Jose Sharks this year. It was the first time in 12 years that the Canucks were swept in the postseason. Vigneault has a 313-170-57 record over seven seasons in Vancouver, and a33-32 record in the playoffs. The move had been expected since the Canucks were eliminated from the playoffs, but General Manager Mike Gillis said he wanted to take time and ensure he was free of any emotion before making the decision.

FOOTBALL Crabtree tears Achilles tendon

San Francisco 49ers leading wide receiver Michael Crabtree has had surgery to repair a torn right Achilles tendon. Crabtree was operated on Wednesday, one day after suffering the injury during an organized team activity. Coach Jim Harbaugh would not speculate when Crabtree might return to play, but the injury is not necessarily season ending. The 25-yearold Crabtree, the 10th overall pick in the 2009 draft by San Francisco out of Texas Tech, had career highs last season with 85 receptions for 1,105 yards and nine touchdowns for the NFC champion 49ers, who lost 34-31 to the Baltimore Ravens in the Super Bowl.

Star linebacker Brian Urlacher says he’s retiring after spending 13 seasons with the Chicago Bears. The eight-time Pro Bowler announced his retirement through social media accounts Wednesday. In a statement, he says “after spending a lot of time this spring thinking about my NFL future, I have made a decision to retire.” Urlacher was the face of the Bears’ franchise and leaves as one of the game’s great linebackers. In March, he and the Bears were unable to reach a contract agreement and he became a free agent. He started 180 games from 2000 through 2012, and recorded a team-record 1,779 tackles. He had 41 ½ sacks, 22 interceptions, 16 fumble recoveries and 11 forced fumbles. He was The Associated Press’ defensive player of the year in 2005 and helped lead the 2006 team to the Super Bowl.

New York Jets running back Mike Goodson pleaded not guilty to drug and weapons charges in a court appearance in Morristown, N.J., on Wednesday morning. He was arrested early last Friday along with a friend after they were found in a car stopped on Interstate 80. The men were charged with marijuana possession, possession of drug paraphernalia and weapons offenses stemming from a .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun that included a hollow-point bullet found in the vehicle. Goodson’s attorney, Anthony Fusco, said Wednesday that his client realizes he was at the wrong place at the wrong time and is remorseful. The 25-year-old Goodson played three seasons for Carolina and one for Oakland before the Jets signed him in March to a three-year, $6.9 million deal, which included a $1 million signing bonus. He is expected to compete with Chris Ivory, Joe McKnight, Bilal Powell and John Griffin for playing time in the Jets’ backfield.

St. Louis Rams offensive lineman Rokevious Watkins has been suspended without pay for the season opener for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. The 338-pound Watkins was a fifth-round pick last year and played in one game his rookie season before going on injured reserve with an ankle injury. He’s expected to contend for playing time this season and is eligible to participate in off season and preseason practices and games.

Ravens rookie linebacker Arthur Brown will be sidelined for at least a month while he recovers from sports hernia surgery. Brown, the Ravens’ second-round draft pick, had the operation two weeks ago following the team’s first rookie minicamp. He did not practice Wednesday at a voluntary off season camp and is also expected to miss the mandatory three-day minicamp that begins June 11. He is expected to be fully recovered by the time Baltimore begins training camp in late July.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have signed first-year receiver Jeremy Ebert and waived defensive tackle Jeris Pendleton. Ebert was a seventh-round draft pick by New England Patriots in 2012. He also spent time on Philadelphia’s practice squad last season. He re-signed with the Patriots on Jan. 21 and was waived April 29. Ebert had 173 receptions for 2,400 yards and 21 touchdowns at Northwestern. He led the team in receiving his final two seasons, including 75 catches for 1,060 yards and 11 touchdowns as a senior.

TENNIS Querrey advances to quarters

American Sam Querrey reached the quarterfinals of the Nice Open, beating Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine 7-5, 6-3 on Wednesday in Nice, France. The third-seeded Querrey broke his opponent three times, while Stakhovsky converted only one of seven opportunities. Querrey will play French wild-card Edouard Roger-Vasselin, who rallied to defeat Ricardas Berankis 2-6, 6-4, 6-2. Albert Montanes advanced to the last eight by beating Victor Hanescu 7-5, 7-6 (2), and Pablo Andujar routed Lu Yen-hsun 6-2, 6-0. Robin Haase beat fourth-seeded John Isner 6-4, 1-6, 7-5, and Gael Monfils topped Fabio Fognini 6-2, 7-6 (5) in the late match.

Seeded players Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan and Monica Niculescu of Romania were beaten Wednesday in the second round of the Strasbourg (France) International. The fourth-seeded Hsieh lost 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (3) to Misaki Doi of Japan, and fifth-seeded Niculescu fell 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 to Anna Tatishvili of Georgia. Last year’s runner-up Alize Cornet downed Magda Linette 6-3, 6-4. At No. 3, the Frenchwoman is the highest remaining seeded player in the tournament.

BASKETBALL Coach K stays with Team USA

Mike Krzyzewski had decided to remain coach of the U.S. men’s Olympic basketball team. Krzyzewski will try to lead the Americans to a third consecutive gold medal, a person with knowledge of the decision said Wednesday. Originally expected to step down, Krzyzewski will hold a news conference to confirm his return today at Duke, the person told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no official announcement has been made. The Hall of Fame coach has led the Americans since 2005, winning gold at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, and the 2010 world basketball championship. “I think it’s great,” said two-time gold medalist LeBron James, when told of the news Wednesday night before the Miami Heat faced Indiana. “What he means to USA Basketball is beyond just what we do on the court. It’s what we stand for as Americans and being proud of the red, white and blue every time we step off the bus or practice or talk to the media or whatever the case may be. I think it’s great.” Krzyzewski repeatedly said he planned to end his international coaching career following the Americans’ victory last summer in London. Yet USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo preferred to hold off any discussion until after Coach K finished his season with the Blue Devils, and he got the answer he wanted.