Hockey
CONKLIN SIGNS: The Pittsburgh Penguins signed veteran goalie Ty Conklin on Thursday. Conklin, 31, split last season between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Buffalo Sabres, finishing with a 3.34 goals against average and a .897 save percentage. He will serve as the backup to Marc-Andre Fleury. Jocelyn Thibault, Fleury's backup last year, signed as a free agent with Buffalo earlier this month.
Arena football
HERO AWARD: John Dutton, quarterback for the Colorado Crush, was awarded with the 2007 Al Lucas Hero Award, given each year to the player who made the most significant contribution to his community and the game of Arena Football. The award was created in honor of Lucas, the late Los Angeles Avengers lineman, who believed in both giving back to his community and growing the AFL.
Utah Blaze lineman Hans Olsen was one of the eight finalists for the award.
Dutton and his wife, Terina, help to financially support Covenant Orphanage in Holeta, Ethiopia through The Dutton Foundation (www.duttonfoundation.org), which they created.
The first of many trips to the country introduced the Duttons to the many orphans, but one in particular, 11-year-old Miki, tugged the Dutton's heart strings. Miki's mother died when he was barely two-years-old and his father abandoned him just two years later, leaving Miki, and his older brother to fend for themselves. When the Dutton's landed stateside, they initiated the adoption process and have since brought Miki to the United States welcoming him into their family, along with their two other boys, Zachery, five and Drew, two.
In addition to his work with the orphanage, Dutton has also made an impact in Denver. Named as Denver Fan's Choice Hometown Hero Award winner for his community involvement in Metro Denver, he spends his spare time visiting schools and hospitals. At each Crush home game, Dutton provides tickets, pre-game field passes and meet-and-greets before and after each game to various youth groups.
Olsen, a graduate of BYU, was nominated for being active in the community. He has given his time to causes such as the Special Olympics, Shriners Children's Hospital and Make-A-Wish Foundation. He became extremely active when a terminally ill child made a wish to meet the Blaze. Ryker, a six-year-old batting an aggressive brain tumor, was greeted by Olsen and four other players for a day he'd never forget. After spending the day with Ryker, Olsen became attached to him. He continued to make trips to visit Ryker and his family and has continued to be a familiar face around Ryker's household after he sadly passed away a few months ago. Lori, Ryker's mother, said "Hans is a true hero and will always be part of our family." Other finalists included the Austin Wranglers' Dane Krager, Clint Dolezel of the Dallas Desperadoes, Chad Salisbury of the Grand Rapids Rampage, Jason Stewart of the L.A. Avengers, Chris Anthony of the New York Dragons and Shane Stafford of the Orlando Predators.
Soccer
GM WARNING: Los Angeles Galaxy general manager Alexi Lalas has advised the team's fans that David Beckham may miss some Major League Soccer games because of his obligation to England's national team.
In a letter to fans posted on the team's Web site, Lalas listed specific dates that Beckham could be called away. They are Aug. 22 for a friendly match; and Sept. 8-12, Oct. 13-17 and Nov. 17-21 for official matches.
That could mean Beckham misses Galaxy games on Aug. 23 against Chivas USA; Sept. 8 against Colorado; and Oct. 13 against Toronto. The MLS Cup is Nov. 18 at Washington.
Tennis
NADAL ADVANCES: Rafael Nadal overcame a right knee injury to win his 90th match in his last 91 attempts on clay, beating Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3, 6-3 Thursday to advance to the Mercedes Cup quarterfinals.
The second-ranked Spaniard played with a taped knee and leg and was treated courtside after the 37th-ranked German won the first game.
Nadal is playing his first tournament since losing the Wimbledon final to Roger Federer in five sets on July 8. In that match, Nadal's right knee was taped while leading 4-1 in the fourth set.
College hoops
CYCLONE DISMISSED: Suspended Iowa State guard Mike Taylor, the Cyclones' leading scorer last season, has been dismissed from the team after a series of arrests.
Coach Greg McDermott said Thursday that he talked to Taylor and "clearly defined the expectations that he needed to meet in order to remain a member of this basketball team. Unfortunately, Mike fell short of the goals that were set for him."
Taylor was suspended in March after being arrested and charged with vandalizing an on-campus apartment building. In April, Taylor was cited for allegedly shoplifting a bottle of cold medicine from an Ames convenience store. He pleaded guilty to a charge of fifth-degree theft.
Taylor spent one season at Iowa State after transferring from Chipola College (Fla.). He earned honorable mention All-Big 12 honors, averaging 16.0 points and 4.5 assists.