Sports FRIDAY, MARCH 21, 2014

Olympic champion Hoefl-Riesch announces retirement

BERLIN: Germany’s triple Olympic champion Maria Hoefl-Riesch has announced her retirement following an injury-hit season that deprived her of the World Cup overall title but did win her the downhill crown in her final campaign. The alpine skiing legend, 29, took the decision follow- ing a crash last week during the downhill finals at Lenzerheide, Switzerland, which also scuppered her chances of winning the overall World Cup crystal globe. “It’s difficult for me, but I think I have made the right decision,” said the Garmisch-Partenkirchen native. “I gave everything this year to obtain my ultimate objective (Olympic gold). “The most beautiful dream came true again and now it is time to stop.” she added. A two-time world champi- on and one of the main attractions on the World Cup cir- cuit along with her American rival and friend Lindsey Vonn, Hoefl-Riesch won her second super-combined gold medal at the Sochi Games as well as taking silver in the Super-G last month. After her maiden combined win at the Vancouver Olympics where she also added slalom gold, she leaves the sport with 27 World Cup wins, the 2011 overall World Cup crown and four world championship bronze medals. The complete skier, her first world title came in the 2009 slalom race at Val d’Isere, France before winning the CHICAGO: Niklas Hjalmarsson #4 of the controls the puck as Jaden Schwartz #9 of the St. Louis super-combined in 2013 at Schladming, Austria. Blues closes in at the United Center on March 19, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. —AFP Of her 27 World Cup wins, 11 were in downhill and nine were slalom triumphs while she also picked up four super-combined victories and three Super-G wins. The Blackhawks beat Blues only discipline she failed to have at least one victory was in the giant slalom. She also finished in the top three of the World Cup rankings over the past seven seasons and was heading 4-0 behind Crawford for a second overall title this year before a crash on March 12 prematurely ended her campaign. She finished runner-up in the overall standings four CHICAGO: Corey Crawford stopped 23 The Blackhawks have struggled this sea- their winning streak to four games with a times in 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014. One of the tallest shots for his second shutout this season, son against their top rivals in the Central. victory over the . women on the ciruit at 1.80 (5ft 11in), she made her backstopping the Blackhawks to a physical Chicago entered Wednesday’s game with Lightning Radko Gudas and Tyler Johnson World Cup debut in 2001 at the age of 16 following a glit- 4-0 victory over the St. Louis Blues on only one win and five points in eight games had the other for Tampa Bay (38-24- tering junior career that reaped her nine world junior Wednesday night that gave Chicago coach against St. Louis and Colorado. 7), which has their longest win streak since championship medals, including five gold. Joel Quenneville his 700th NHL win. Keith scored the only goal in a physical stringing together five in December. The leading light in German skiing over the past It was a costly victory for the first period on a power play with 58 sec- Phil Kessel, Nikolai Kulemin and decade, her younger sister Susanne is also a World Blackhawks, though. Leading scorer Patrick onds left. After taking Kane’s feed, Keith defenseman Jake Gardiner had the goals Cup skier. She married her manager Marcus Hoefl in Kane left the game at 7:56 of the second fired a drive from the top of the slot that for Toronto (36-27-8). April, 2011. — AFP period, favoring his left leg as he headed to zipped past Miller’s stick side just as Shaw Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop, who the dressing room following a collision with provided a screen by cutting across the entered his start 2-4-0 with a 3.04 goals- Brenden Morrow. crease. against-average against the Leafs, made Kane is expected to miss about three The play got tighter and grittier in the 37 saves in the win. weeks, Quenneville said. Duncan Keith, second, and Chicago took a 2-0 lead thanks Andrew Shaw, Marcus Kruger and Ben to Shaw’s goal on a deflection with 4:25 left Jets 5, Avalanche 4 (OT) Smith scored as Chicago ended the league- in the period. Shaw’s goal capped a deter- The Winnipeg Jets kept their flickering leading Blues’ nine-game streak (8-0- mined, physical flurry by Chicago. playoff hopes alive with an overtime win 1) and dealt St. Louis its first regulation loss The Blackhawks were jamming the net over the . Blake against a Central Division opponent this when Patrick Sharp picked up a loose puck Wheeler scored his 24th goal of the season season. The Blues entered 20-0-2 against and fed back to Nick Leddy at the blue line. for the winning strike at 1:42 of the extra division foes and hadn’t lost in regulation Leddy’s drive ticked off the shaft of Shaw’s period. The win boosted the Jets’ record to since a 1-0 defeat at Anaheim on Feb. 28. stick and past Miller as Shaw battled for 32-30-9, good for 73 points, four behind Quenneville, who previously guided St. position in front of the net with Blues the eighth-placed Phoenix Coyotes in the Louis and Colorado, has the most wins of defenseman Alex Pietrangelo. Western Conference. any active NHL coach and ranks third all- Blues defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk In a back and forth affair, both teams time behind Al Arbour and Scotty Bowman, threw a loose rebound behind Crawford scored two goals each in the first period now the Blackhawks’ senior adviser of during a St. Louis power play in the final and one each in the second and third. The hockey operations. seconds of the second, but the puck slid loss was a second straight for the Crawford earned his 10th career shutout across the crease and to the far boards. Avalanche (44-20-6). in Chicago’s first win against the Blues this Kruger and Smith scored 2:15 apart in season after three losses. Kane, who has 29 the third period to ice it for Chicago. Canucks 2, Predators 0 goals and 40 assists in 68 games, assisted Following a long lead pass from defense- Rookie call-up Nicklas Jensen scored on Keith’s opening goal. St. Louis goalie man Niklas Hjalmarsson, Kruger took a his third goal in seven NHL games, leading Ryan Miller lost in regulation for the first quick feed from Peter Regin in the slot and the Vancouver Canucks in a win over the time since joining the Blues following a beat Miller from just outside the crease at . Jensen has three trade from Buffalo on Feb. 28. Miller, now 7- 5:20 to make it 3-0. goals and two assists since being promot- 1-1 with St. Louis, was replaced by Brian Smith’s power-play goal at 7:35 extend- ed from Utica of the American Hockey Elliott at 7:58 of the third period after allow- ed Chicago’s lead to 4-0. He connected League on March 7, is rejuvenating the MUNICH: Alfons Hoermann (R), President of the German ing four goals on 27 shots. from the doorstep after taking a feed from Canucks’ top line. Olympic Sports Association (DOSB) awards Germany’s St. Louis needs one win to clinch a play- Kris Versteeg behind the net after Miller Alex Burrows, who has also been red alpine ski athlete, three-time Olympic gold medalist and off spot for the 38th time in franchise histo- stopped Leddy’s shot from the blue line. hot for Vancouver (32-30-10), left the two-time world champion Maria Hoefl-Riesch with the ry. Defending Stanley Cup champion game in the third period after being on World Cup trophy during a press conference yesterday in Chicago entered the game tied with Lightning 5, Maple Leafs 3 the receiving end of a nasty slash to the Munich. — AFP Colorado for second in the Central Division Steven Stamkos scored a natural hat- hand area by Nashville (29-31-10) defense- and fourth in the Western Conference. trick as the Tampa Bay Lightning stretched man Shea Weber. — Agencies