Islanders hire new GM, coach

The New York Islanders are staking their immediate future on two men who have spent the last several years away from the NHL.

The team hired new general manager Neil Smith and head coach Ted Nolan on Thursday, and also announced the hiring of former Islanders Hall of Famer Pat Lafontaine as a senior adviser to owner Charles Wang.

Neither Smith nor Nolan has worked in the NHL since the end of the 1999-2000 season.

The shakeup is intended to reverse the fortunes of a team that missed the playoffs this season after three straight trips that ended in first-round eliminations. Before that, the Islanders failed to qualify for the postseason for seven consecutive years.

Smith is remembered in New York as the man who assembled the New York Rangers team that ended that franchise’s 54-year Stanley Cup drought in 1994.

Smith, however, did begin his career with the Islanders.

Football

McNair trade finalized

Steve McNair is the new starting quarterback of the Baltimore Ravens.

McNair passed his physical and jumped to the top of the depth chart ahead of Kyle Boller. The Ravens called an afternoon press conference to announce McNair’s arrival via a trade with the Tennessee Titans.

The Titans swapped the longtime face of their franchise and a fan favorite for what is believed to be a fourth-round pick in next spring’s draft.

Basketball

Brown enters draft

Shannon Brown will keep his name in the NBA draft and skip his senior season at Michigan State, the shooting guard.

Brown, who averaged 17.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists last season, was regarded as an early second-round pick or late first-round pick. But following strong workouts, he is a projected first-round pick.

• The Toronto Raptors traded former first-round draft pick Rafael Araujo to the Utah Jazz for forward Kris Humphries and center Robert Whaley.

Toronto drafted Araujo with the eighth overall pick in the 2004 draft, but he ended up a bust – averaging just 2.9 points and 3.0 rebounds in 111 career games.

Racing

Mears replaces Vickers

Brian Vickers received permission from Hendrick Motorsports to look for a new ride, and Casey Mears was in line to replace him after informing car owner Chip Ganassi he won’t be returning next year.

Mears’ decision comes after weeks of claims that he wanted to extend his contract with Ganassi and was not going to talk to other teams.

Ganassi hired Mears in 2003 and stuck with him despite several mediocre seasons.

•Mike Skinner set a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series record with his fourth consecutive pole victory at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.

The former truck champion did it in style, too, breaking his track record with a lap of 183.206.