Newsmakers

Agreed The Western Hockey League agreed Wednesday to a five-year contract extension with commissioner Ron Robison. Robison is in his 11th year as the commissioner and CEO of the junior hockey league. The new contract extends his tenure through the 2015-16 season.

Sidelined Pittsburgh Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin will have surgery to repair torn knee ligaments and will be out for six months. Malkin, the 2009 NHL scoring champion and Conn Smythe Trophy winner as MVP of the playoffs, will have surgery today to repair a torn ACL and torn MCL in his right knee.

• Vancouver Canucks defenseman Keith Ballard will miss three to four weeks with a sprained MCL in his right knee after taking a hit during a game against Ottawa.

• New York Islanders rookie goalie Kevin Poulin will miss the rest of the season after hurting his knee during pregame warmups.

Hired Arizona Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt returned to his Pittsburgh Steelers connections to hire Ray Horton as defensive coordinator. Horton has coached in the NFL for 17 seasons and has been with the Steelers for seven years. Whisenhunt was the Steelers’ offensive coordinator when he was hired as Arizona head coach in 2007.

Traded Veteran defenseman Francois Beauchemin is returning to the Anaheim Ducks. The Toronto Maple Leafs shipped him to his former team for right winger Joffrey Lupul, prospect Jake Gardiner and a conditional fourth-round draft pick in 2013.

Transferred Former Michigan quarterback Tate Forcier has transferred to Miami. Under NCAA rules, Forcier will not be eligible to play for the Hurricanes until 2012. Forcier completed 219 of 365 passes for 2,647 yards, with 17 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 20 games for the Wolverines.

Suspended The NHL suspended New Jersey Devils defenseman Anton Volchenkov for three games for elbowing Carolina’s Zach Boychuk in the head.

Apologized Suspended NASCAR driver Jeremy Mayfield apologized for blaming his father’s death on his estranged stepmother. The public apology was part of a settlement Tuesday in a slander lawsuit Lisa Mayfield filed against Jeremy, who still has a wrongful death lawsuit pending against his stepmother.

Died The oldest living major league ballplayer has died at the age of 101. Tony Malinosky was an infielder with the Brooklyn Dodgers for three months in 1937. The Los Angeles Dodgers say he died Tuesday in Oxnard, Calif. Malinosky hit .228 in 35 games with Brooklyn before his career was cut short by a knee injury.