Gonchar, one of the league's top offensive defensemen, has cartilage and ligament damage. He was hurt on a hit by Tampa Bay's David Koci in a Sept. 20 exhibition game.

The 34-year-old Gonchar had 12 goals and 53 assists last season for 65 points, second among defensemen.

Buffalo Sabres center Paul Gaustad underwent surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb. He is expected to miss up to three weeks of the season.

Winger Jeff O'Neill, who sat out last season, has ended his comeback bid with the Carolina Hurricanes.

He notified the team of his decision after Sunday's exhibition win over the Flyers. O'Neill was a key scorer on the Hurricanes team that reached the 2002 Stanley Cup Finals.

Jussi Jokinen and Vincent Lecavalier scored in a shoot-out to lift the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning to a 3-2 exhibition victory over HC Slovan Bratislava.

It was the first game for an NHL team in Slovakia.

Colleges

Greene suffered a head injury early in the fourth quarter of Saturday's 22-17 loss to Northwestern and did not return.

Injured Oklahoma defensive linemen Demarcus Granger and Frank Alexander could return to practice next week and be ready to play against Texas.

Granger was expected to miss about four weeks with a left foot injury he suffered two weeks ago at Washington.

Alexander has been out since he was stabbed in the right arm during a melee at a Norman nightclub after the Sooners' opening game.

West Virginia basketball players Joe Mazzulla and Cam Thoroughman pleaded guilty in Pittsburgh Municipal Court to disorderly conduct and public drunkenness stemming from a July scuffle with police at a Pirates game.

Each player was ordered to pay $222 in fines and court costs.

Mazzulla is a junior and is expected to be the starting point guard this season. Thoroughman is a redshirt sophomore forward.

Soccer

The Italian Football Federation will investigate possible influence on market moves by the Sicilian Serie A team and the alleged allotment of free tickets to Mafia bosses.

The federation's move stemmed from an investigation by the Italian judiciary.

Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini has denied the club had any relations with underworld figures.

Noteworthy

Golfer Vijay Singh is expected to be sidelined for at least two months because of tendinitis in his left forearm.

Venus Williams beat Anna-Lena Groenefeld, 6-1, 6-2, in the first round of the Porsche Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany.