Sports People

Defenseman Ed Jovanovski, who helped lead the Florida Panthers into the Stanley Cup finals, headed the NHL All-Rookie team. Also selected in voting by the Professional Hockey Association were Vancouver Canucks goaltender Corey Hirsch, Boston Bruins defenseman Kyle McLaren, and forwards Daniel Alfredsson of the Ottawa Senators, Eric Daze of the Chicago Blackhawks and Peter Sykora of the New Jersey Devils. … The Philadelphia Flyers signed their top prospect, Finnish defenseman Janne Niinimaa. Terms of the contract were not disclosed. … Mary Pierce’s slump continued when she was eliminated at Eastbourne, England, in the first round of the Eastbourne grass-court tournament, the major tuneup for Wimbledon. Pierce, the No. 8 seed, won just six points in the first set and lost 6-0, 5-7, 6-2 to Romania’s Irina Spirlea in an error-filled match.