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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Kovalchuk’s record-setting deal voided

Fomer North Carolina star Sean May (42) hopes to revitalize his short and injury-prone career with the New Jersey Nets.  (Associated Press)

NHL: Ilya Kovalchuk is back on the free-agent market.

An arbitrator ruled Monday that the NHL acted correctly in voiding Kovalchuk’s landmark $102 million contract with the New Jersey Devils.

The league had rejected the 17-year contract, saying the longest deal in league history violated its salary cap.

The NHL Players Association filed a grievance against the league. A hearing was held last week and arbiter Richard Bloch sided with the league when he issued his ruling.

The decision puts Kovalchuk back on the market. The high-scoring Russian was hockey’s biggest prize in free agency this year with 338 goals and 304 assists in 642 career games.

Neither the players’ association nor Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello was immediately available for comment.

Kovalchuk and the Devils agreed to the deal July 19. The next day, the league determined the contract was illegal because years of low salary at the end lowered the cap hit.

• Ducks re-sign Selanne to 1-year deal: The Anaheim Ducks announced that Teemu Selanne has signed a one-year deal through the 2010-11 season.

Selanne had 27 goals, 21 assists and 16 penalty minutes in 54 games last season. He became the 18th player in NHL history to score 600 goals on March 21.

Cycling: Agents are engaged in a wide-ranging probe of pro cycling, people with knowledge of their work have told The Associated Press, and Armstrong clearly appears to be a person of interest.

Authorities have obtained records of years-old doping allegations against him, contacted his sponsors and former teammate Floyd Landis has unleashed new claims about him.

Many of the other big names in American cycling during the past 25 years, including Greg LeMond, also have been drawn in by this inquiry being led, among others, by Jeff Novitzky, who is credited with uncovering baseball’s steroid era via the BALCO investigation.

While federal authorities have not disclosed who they are scrutinizing, dozens of interviews by the AP with people involved in the case reveal a broad investigation that began with cyclists who had records of doping. It then turned toward Armstrong, who has denied using performance-enhancing drugs and has hundreds of clean doping tests as evidence.

Armstrong’s lawyers contend the investigation is a waste of money. Armstrong himself said he would be happy to participate as long as it isn’t a “witch hunt.”

Nets sign free agent forward Sean May

NBA: The New Jersey Nets have signed free agent forward Sean May.

General manager Billy King announced the signing without disclosing the contract details.

A four-year NBA veteran with career averages of 6.9 points and 4.0 rebounds, May played in a career-high 37 games last season with Sacramento, averaging 3.3 points and 1.9 rebounds.

May helped North Carolina win the NCAA title in 2005, earning the most outstanding player award in the Final Four.

He was selected by Charlotte with the 13th pick overall in the draft. He played in 82 games in three seasons with the Bobcats.

• Red Wings-Tigers owner Ilitch wants to buy Pistons: Mike Ilitch, the Little Caesars pizza mogul who already owns the Detroit Tigers and Detroit Red Wings, said that he wants to buy the Detroit Pistons in part to make sure another buyer doesn’t move the NBA franchise out of town.

The Pistons declined to comment on Ilitch’s interest in the team, which Forbes valued at $479 million last year.

Pistons owner Karen Davidson has said she’s considering a sale of the team by itself or as part of a package with Palace Sports and Entertainment, which includes The Palace of Auburn Hills, DTE Energy Music Theatre and Meadow Brook Music Festival. She expects the deal to be done by the opening game in late October.

Miscellany: Rachel Rohanna, an all-Big Ten player at Ohio State, set a U.S. Women’s Amateur scoring record with a 65 during a muggy first round of stroke play.

Rohanna had nine birdies and two bogeys to finish 7-under on the 6,559-yard Charlotte Country Club course. Kellee Booth (1998), Natalie Gulbis (1999) and Amanda Blumenherst (2008) previously shared the 18-hole mark of 66.

USC AD Pat Haden fires Kreuter as baseball coach: Chad Kreuter has been fired as Southern California baseball coach by new athletic director Pat Haden.

Haden made the move, then named assistant Frank Cruz as interim head coach.

Haden became athletic director last week, saying one of his goals was to return USC’s baseball program to national prominence.

UNC investigation focuses on agent: Part of the NCAA’s investigation into North Carolina’s football program has turned to associate head coach John Blake and his relationship with agent Gary Wichard, according to Wichard.

Reached by phone last week, Wichard would not comment about his relationship with him because he said Blake is “involved” in the investigation.

The NCAA has launched investigations into allegations of impermissible contact between sports agents and college football players at several schools.