Sergei Fedorov

Sergei Fedorov has always been a good student. He was taught to play defense by a master, the legendary Soviet coach Viktor Tikhonov, and he was voted the NHL's best defensive forward last season. Fedorov studied American culture before he left his native Russia five years ago, and his English now flows as naturally as his long, powerful strides.

Tyson Gay has run the preliminary round of the 100-meter dash at the U.S. championships in a wind-aided time of 9.75 seconds at Eugene, Ore. Gay, planning to run only one heat, got a slow start out of the blocks in Thursday's race but accelerated past the finish line to win the heat by 0.23 of a second. The time was .02 of a second faster than the American record he set at Hayward Field in Eugene last year, but because Gay had strong wind behind him, the time will not go down as a record.

The Ducks sign Sergei Fedorov, the Kings sign Trent Klatt. It gets worse, but why bother? The Kings are ducking and the Ducks are trying to be kings. At least Kings' fans don't have to suffer any suspense about the coming season. Charles K. Sergis Calabasas In local sports news, the Lakers signed Gary Payton and Karl Malone. The Dodgers, for better or worse, signed Rickey Henderson. The Ducks signed Sergei Fedorov. And in L.A. Kings news, Dave Taylor missed his putt on the 16th green.

The Ducks find themselves 9-7-2 since acquiring journeyman forward Tyler Wright and rookie defenseman Francois Beauchemin from the Columbus Blue Jackets for center Sergei Fedorov. The teams meet Wednesday for the first time since the trade. Shortly after trading Fedorov last month, Duck General Manager Brian Burke conceded that payroll was more of a consideration in the deal than Federov's role with the team. But the Ducks have been pleasantly surprised by Wright and Beauchemin.

"I was playing in a ... golf tournament when I found out we got (Sergei Fedorov). I was a pretty excited guy, and we birdied the next couple of holes." Mike Babcock, Mighty Duck coach, who quickly pointed out that it was his team -- not him -- that birdied the next two holes.

Detroit's Sergei Fedorov was suspended Saturday for at least two games by the NHL for checking Jason Marshall of the Mighty Ducks from behind. Fedorov, who will have a hearing Monday, sat out Saturday's game at St. Louis and also will sit out today's game against Buffalo. The hit came during the first period Thursday night when Fedorov, playing his 13th game since ending a long holdout, delivered a blindside hit that sent Marshall headfirst into the boards.

Now that Detroit has decided to keep Sergei Fedorov for at least a year by matching Carolina's six-year, $38-million offer, General Manager Dave Taylor said Thursday the Kings never really were close to making a deal with the Red Wings. But like the other general managers around the NHL, Taylor now has to be concerned about the league's salary structure. For instance, the Kings want to re-sign defenseman Rob Blake, whose contract runs out at the end of the season.

In a blockbuster move that illustrated the economic realities of the new salary-cap-driven NHL, the Mighty Ducks on Tuesday traded six-time All-Star Sergei Fedorov to the Columbus Blue Jackets for journeyman forward Tyler Wright and rookie defenseman Francois Beauchemin. The Ducks also included in the deal a fifth-round pick in 2006, but the clear objective was to shed Fedorov's $6.08-million annual salary and free up significant space under the $39-million cap.

Sergei Fedorov stepped away from a demanding 75-minute workout Tuesday feeling confident that he'd be back in the Mighty Duck lineup this weekend. "Good practice," said the Ducks' top-line center, sidelined since the home opener on Oct. 10 because of a groin injury. "No complications, no nothing. I'm feeling it when I'm stretching it, but as far as skating, nothing really is bothering me. I didn't really notice it.... So, I had a good practice, a very positive day. Feel good after."

It is not clear when Sergei Fedorov will return to the lineup, but it's clear Mighty Duck Coach Randy Carlyle is tired of talking about the 35-year-old center's groin injury, which will keep him out for the fourth consecutive game tonight when the Ducks play the Detroit Red Wings. "Instead of focusing on him, we should be focusing on our team," Carlyle said Thursday. "When you have injured players, you have a tendency to think you'll do so much better when they get back.

Bothered by a groin strain for several days, Sergei Fedorov had pegged Sunday for his return after missing the Mighty Ducks' home victory over Columbus. After a setback in the morning skate before the Ducks' loss in Minnesota, neither Fedorov nor the team is sure when his groin will improve to the point at which he'll be able to suit up. The Ducks can only hope time is on their side. They don't play the St.

Sergei Fedorov has a strained left groin and sat out Wednesday's practice at the Arrowhead Pond, but the veteran center said he planned to skate today and be ready for Friday's home game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Fedorov said he felt his groin tighten near the end of Monday's game. "It's a day-to-day decision," he said. "I'll have to see how it feels on the ice tomorrow."

Center Sergei Fedorov had a goal and two assists in a wild 8-6 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday, then went another round of "Any Regrets?" "Why does that bother you?" a smiling Fedorov told reporters. "It does bother all you guys. I'm happy here, why do you keep asking? "Do I look unhappy? In the morning I am. It's very tough to get up with snow outside and minus-30 temperature. You can't get away from that. In my head anyway. But it's pretty easy on the body here, 65 degrees."

Detroit Red Wing center Sergei Fedorov said he would play for the Soviet national team in the Canada Cup begining Aug. 31, but the officials who invited him are holding his passport. Red Wing Executive Vice President Jim Lites said Fedorov would like to join his former teammates. But the star rookie is angry that Soviet authorities have held his passport since he left the team last summer to play for Detroit.

It's three games into the new season and I'm already tired of reading about the Ducks' lack of offense! Any knowledgeable hockey fan will be able to tell you that the Ducks are a "B" team that had a hot goalie during the playoffs last year. I sure hope Sergei Fedorov enjoys the $40 million, the nice weather, and the good-looking California women, because he's not going to get much more out of Anaheim than a free pass to Disneyland. Scott Heaslip Temple City Now that the NHL regular season has started, here's a helpful hint for local fans to find The Times' hockey coverage quickly.

Mighty Duck center Sergei Fedorov slipped across the blue line and let loose a blur-of-a-shot that slammed San Jose goalie Evgeni Nabokov in the head Friday. It dropped Nabokov to the ice while his mask went in the other direction. A small demonstration of how Fedorov can unleash breath-taking skills that few can mirror. Yet it was also a reflection of the frustrating season he has skated through. There was no goal. The Sharks kept their one-goal lead in what became a 4-2 victory.

Sergei Fedorov scored 29 seconds into overtime to lift the Mighty Ducks past Phoenix, 3-2, Tuesday night, extending the Coyotes' winless streak to 13 games. Fedorov beat Brent Johnson with a hard wrist shot from the slot. The puck bounced off Johnson's glove, ducked under the crossbar and shot back out of the net, causing the play to be reviewed by the officials.