Newsmakers
Fired The Colorado Avalanche fired coach Tony Granato and five others and promoted Greg Sherman to general manager in a sweeping shakeup Wednesday. Sherman has spent the last seven years as the team’s assistant general manager and replaces Francois Giguere, who was fired in April following the team’s worst finish since moving to Denver in 1995. A perennial Stanley Cup contender after moving from Quebec to Denver in 1995, the Avalanche missed the playoffs for a second time in three seasons as they stumbled to a last-place finish in the Western Conference, scoring a league-low 190 goals.
Scrapped British fighter David Haye has pulled out of his IBF and WBO heavyweight title fight against Wladimir Klitschko because of an injury. Haye had been scheduled to challenge Klitschko before a sellout crowd of more than 60,000 at Schalke’s football stadium in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, on June 20. Haye’s camp said he sustained an injury in training and had to pull out. Haye is 22-1 and has recently moved up from cruiserweight. Klitschko, considered the best of the heavyweights, is 52-3.
Promoted The Minnesota Lynx promoted Jennifer Gillom to head coach after Don Zierden resigned to join Flip Saunders’ staff with the Washington Wizards. In two seasons as coach, Zierden led the Lynx to a 26-42 regular-season record.
Mending New York Knicks forward Wilson Chandler had surgery to remove bone spurs in his left ankle and is expected to be sidelined at least a month. Chandler averaged 14.4 points while playing in all 82 games during the regular season.
•Boston Celtics guard Tony Allen had surgery on his right ankle and leg. The team says he’s expected to recover from the surgery in time for training camp this fall. Allen averaged 7.8 points last season.
•Cavaliers star LeBron James has been released from the Cleveland Clinic after a five-hour procedure to remove a benign growth from his jaw a day earlier.
Died Former Indianapolis 500 driver Bob Christie has died. He was 85. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway said that the eight-time Indy starter had been in ill health recently and died Monday in his hometown of Grants Pass, Ore. His best finish at Indy was 10th in 1960, and he finished 13th in three other races.