HOCKEY

Laich, Morrison opt for salary arbitration

Center Brooks Laich and defenseman Shaone Morrisonn of the Washington Capitals were among 15 players who elected to take their teams to salary arbitration, the NHL Players' Association said Saturday.

The only other club to have two players go that route were the Minnesota Wild, who are set to have hearings with forwards Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Stephane Veilleux.

The deadline for teams to decide to take players to salary arbitration today. Hearings will be held from July 20-Aug. 4.

Penguins sign Cooke to replace Ruutu: Free agent forward Matt Cooke signed a two-year contract with Pittsburgh, replacing Jarkko Ruutu as the Penguins' primary agitator.

The Penguins also offered Ruutu a two-year contract earlier this week, but he signed a three-year deal with the Ottawa Senators after free-agent bidding began.

The 5-foot-11, 205-pound Cooke had 10 goals, 13 assists and 91 penalty minutes in 78 games with the Vancouver Canucks and Washington Capitals last season.

PRO FOOTBALL

Police: Ex-Chargers safety Kiel dies

Former San Diego Chargers safety Terrence Kiel was killed after he was thrown from a Chevy sedan he was driving, police said.

Kiel, 27, was driving alone after leaving a party at about 10:15 Friday night when he hit a wall in San Diego's upscale Scripps Ranch neighborhood and was thrown from the car, police Sgt. Alan Hayward said.

Kiel was barely breathing when paramedics reached him and he died about an hour later, Hayward said.

Friends had tried to keep Kiel from driving home from the party, Hayward said, and witnesses told police he appeared to be driving in the wrong direction when he crashed.

Police would not know whether Kiel had been under the influence of drugs or alcohol until toxicology tests were performed, Hayward said.

A second-round draft pick out of Texas A&M in 2003, Kiel played four years in the NFL from 2003 to 2006, all with the Chargers.

ROWING

USC advances to final at Henley Regatta

USC got out to a strong start and beat a Danish crew by 1 lengths to advance to the finals of the most prestigious race at the Henley Royal Regatta in Henley-on-Thames, England.

The California crew won its Grand Challenge Cup semifinal for international eights against a composite team from Bagsvaerd Roklub and Danske Studenters Roklub. The USC boat included six members of the Estonia national eight that failed to qualify for the Beijing Olympics.

USC will face a composite Canadian team from the Victoria City and Kingston rowing clubs that beat English club Leander.