Sports in brief: Panthers hire DeBoer as head coach

The Florida Panthers hired Peter DeBoer as their new coach Friday, giving him a multiyear deal on his 40th birthday.

DeBoer – a highly touted junior coach from the Ontario Hockey League’s Kitchener Rangers – also was courted by Ottawa and met with the Senators this week. DeBoer replaces his boss, Jacques Martin, who was stripped of his duties as head coach in April but remains with the team as general manager.

DeBoer, the OHL coach of the year in 1999 and 2000, coached and managed Kitchener for seven years.

“Craig Hartsburg is the new coach of the Ottawa Senators, who were swept out of the playoffs in the first round this spring – a year after reaching the Stanley Cup finals.

Hartsburg, who previously coached Anaheim and Chicago, took over from Senators general manager Bryan Murray, who finished the season behind the Ottawa bench after coach John Paddock was fired in late February.

“The Pittsburgh Penguins made certain goalie Marc-Andre Fleury won’t become a restricted free agent July 1, choosing to offer salary arbitration to one of the key players of their Stanley Cup playoffs run.

“The Metro Nashville (Tenn.) Sports Authority will give the Nashville Predators’ owners group time to deal with the bankruptcy filings of a minority partner before taking any action against the team.

The FBI is investigating allegations that William “Boots” Del Biaggio III obtained millions of dollars in loans by fraud. Del Biaggio filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last week in California.

Miscellany

Tyson implicated

Mike Tyson put up $50,000 for a proposed “hit” on gang members suspected of killing his bodyguard in 2000, a government witness testified in New York.

The allegation was made Thursday by Dwayne Meyers, a former member of the Cash Money Brothers gang. Meyers testified at the trial of Abubakr Raheem, who’s accused of driving a getaway car after turf-war killings.

Meyers claimed the ex-heavyweight champ put up the money to retaliate for the June 2000 slaying of his close friend and former bodyguard, Darryl “Homicide” Baum. The alleged contract was never carried out.

“At Colorado Springs, Colo., the U.S. women’s volleyball team defeated top-ranked Brazil 25-21, 19-25, 29-27, 17-25, 15-11 in the second of three exhibition matches in preparation for the Olympics.

“With the Olympic trials only days away, rising floodwaters forced world gymnastics champion Shawn Johnson from her gym in West Des Moines, Iowa.

There was a foot of water inside Chow’s Gymnastics and Dance Institute, with fish swimming in the parking lot. So Johnson moved to Iowa State, about 30 miles north of her hometown, until she leaves Monday for the trials.

“The Netherlands routed France 4-1 in the European Championship following an opening 3-0 men’s soccer victory over Italy at Bern, Switzerland.

The Dutch romped past both 2006 World Cup finalists, joining Portugal and Croatia in the quarterfinals.

“Former Oregon baseball coach Mel Krause has died of complications from acute myeloid leukemia in Eugene, Ore. He was 80.