Spano To Plead Guilty To Fraud

Former New York Islanders owner John Spano sent a letter to federal prosecutors telling them that he’ll plead guilty to fraud charges, a day before the government was scheduled to charge him with more serious crimes that could send him to prison for 60 years, Spano’s attorney told Bloomberg News.

Spano is scheduled to enter his guilty plea Monday in U.S. District Court in Boston. The plea is another chapter in a seven-month ordeal during which Spano went from a potential savior of the Islanders to an accused felon.

His lawyers had worked out a plea bargain, then he hired new attorneys and refused to plead guilty. He had to change his mind again, accepting the original offer from prosecutors after his new attorneys dropped him as a client because they were afraid they wouldn’t get paid.

All-Star coaches chosen

Ken Hitchcock of the Dallas Stars and Jacques Lemaire of the New Jersey Devils were named coaches of the World and North America All-Star teams that will compete in the first National Hockey League International Showdown.

The game will be held Jan. 18 at General Motors Place in Vancouver. The former Eastvs-West All-Star game is being replaced by the international game, in which North American players face those from the rest of the world.

The head coaches for each squad are the coaches of the NHL teams in first place in each conference, based on Tuesday’s league standings.

Senators lose pair

Ottawa’s Daniel Alfredsson has been diagnosed with a broken right leg, an injury that will keep the right wing out six to eight weeks.

The Senators also will be without center Bruce Gardiner for six to eight weeks with a torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee.

A little jab cured Pittsburgh Penguins star Jaromir Jagr of a groin injury that has bothered him since last season.

Acupuncture treatment has left Jagr pain-free, and he said his only regret is that he didn’t seek the treatment earlier.