The Vancouver Canucks hired Jim Benning as general manager Wednesday. Benning is the first significant hire made by Trevor Linden, the former Canucks star who took over as president of hockey operations after the team missed the playoffs for the first time in six years. The 51-year-old Benning spent the last eight seasons with the Boston Bruins, including seven as assistant general manager. The former Canucks defenseman replaces Mike Gillis, fired as president and general manager a day after the club was eliminated from playoff contention.

With the Memphis Grizzlies front office in turmoil, the Minnesota Timberwolves are strongly considering hiring coach Dave Joerger away to take over the team in his home state. The Timberwolves received permission from the Grizzlies to interview Joerger and will meet with him on Thursday, two people with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The people requested anonymity because the Timberwolves are not commenting publicly on their coaching candidates, but all indications were that Joerger was in the driver's seat to replace the retired Rick Adelman. Joerger, who is from Staples, Minnesota, and went to college at Division-II Minnesota State, Moorhead, went 50-32 in his first season as Grizzlies coach.

Optimism gave way to reality for Joey Votto on Wednesday when the Cincinnati Reds placed the first baseman on the 15-day disabled list with a left leg injury. The Reds made the move before the series finale against the Washington Nationals. Votto had already missed five games with a quadriceps strain in his left knee. The Reds had kept playing a man short, expecting Votto would return quickly.

Former NFL lineman Jeremy Newberry often hobbled into the 49ers locker room on game days using a walking boot and crutches, then lined up behind as many as two dozen teammates, in his case to get a shot of the painkiller Toradol in the butt. The toughness of pro football players may be legendary, but a lawsuit filed Tuesday on behalf of more than 600 former players contends it was abetted by team physicians and trainers across the NFL who routinely - and often illegally - dispensed powerful narcotics and other controlled substances on game days to mask the pain. Sometimes, the lawsuit also charges, the drugs were given in combinations as ''cocktails.'' ''The stuff works,'' Newberry, who played seven of his nine seasons in San Francisco before retiring in 2009, told The Associated Press in an interview. Newberry, now 38 and one of the eight plaintiffs so far named in the lawsuit, says that because of the drugs he took while playing, he suffers from kidney failure, high blood pressure and violent headaches.

Only a few days after sending out wedding invitations, golfer Rory McIlroy broke off his engagement to Danish tennis player Caroline Wozniacki on Wednesday. ''It is quite a difficult time for Caroline and myself, and the statement really said it all this morning,'' McIlroy said at Wentworth. Time to move on, and I've said all that I need to say.'' The 25-year-old McIlroy and 23-year-old Wozniacki have been dating since 2011. The decision to call off the wedding came as surprise to many, especially since McIlroy had only recently spoke of his delight in meeting up with Wozniacki in London after competing in the Players Championship a couple of weeks ago.