It's the first day of the NHL's mid-season break with many of the league's top stars making their way to Montreal for Sunday's all-star game. Canadiens winger Alex Kovalev and San Jose Sharks centre Joe Thornton have been selected the Eastern and Western Conference captains, respectively. Kovalev makes his third career all-star appearance while Thornton will play in his sixth straight all-star contest.
Martin St. Louis of the Tampa Lightning is an N-H-L all-star after all. St. Louis was added to the Eastern Conference squad as a replacement for Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby. Crosby is skipping the game due to a left knee injury. Sixth-seeded American Venus Williams lost 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 to Spain's Carla Suarez Navarro today in the Australian Open's biggest upset so far. Her sister, Serena, struggled, but still won in straight sets over an Argentine opponent. Olympic champion Elena Dementieva (ehl-AY'-nah deh-mehn-tee-AY'-vah) and men's top seed Rafael Nadal (nah-DAHL') both won, as did Toronto's Daniel Nestor and partner Nenad Zimonjic (nih-nad ZEE'-moh-neech).
Centre Alonzo Mourning retired rather than mount another N-B-A comeback at age 38. The seven-time all-star and two-time defensive player of the year has been sidelined since suffering a devastating leg injury in December 2007. Just two games on the N-B-A hardwood tonight.
Baseball's top power-hitting second baseman has called it a career. Former Toronto Blue Jay Jeff Kent, a five-time all-star and the 2000 N-L M-V-P officially hung up his cleats after 17 major league seasons. He leaves as the career home-run leader among second basemen with 351.
Skier Daniel Albrecht is in stable condition and in an induced coma after crashing in downhill training on the legendary Streif course in Kitzbuehel (KIHTS'-byool), Austria. It's the same course where in 1989 Canadian Brian Stemmle was almost died in a crash still considered one of the worst in ski racing. Albrecht has won twice on the World Cup circuit this year.
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