BRIEFLY : HARTFORD WHALERS BOUND FOR CAROLINA.

The NHL broke into new territory Tuesday, with the Hartford Whalers moving to North Carolina and taking the name Carolina Hurricanes.

Although there is a remote chance the deal could fall through because of political obstacles in Connecticut, the Hurricanes are expected to begin play in Raleigh's new $120 million arena by the 1999-2000 season.

``This isn't a new phenomenon,'' team owner Peter Karmanos said. ``This isn't some kind of new-age owners greed thing. This is the economic facts of life and they have been going on in sport for a long, long time.''

Karmanos said it's unclear whether the team would move to a temporary home in the 21,500-seat Greensboro Coliseum this year or next season before going to Raleigh.

The Hurricanes will join the NBA Charlotte Hornets and NFL Carolina Panthers - both expansion teams - in the booming sports state.

The Phoenix Coyotes fired head coach Don Hay four days after his team was eliminated from the playoffs.

Hay led the Coyotes to a 38-37-7 record in his only season on the bench, a two-game improvement over last year's record as the Winnipeg Jets.

MEDIA: ESPN said it will start a biweekly magazine aimed at taking readers away from Sports Illustrated, one of the most profitable periodicals in the U.S.

ESPN Magazine will try to mimic the channel's often irreverent style while capitalizing on its surge in popularity. The magazine is scheduled to debut early next year, with an initial press run of 300,000, a network spokeswoman said.

Keith Olbermann, the popular ESPN ``SportsCenter'' anchor, either has been suspended or sent home for two weeks, depending on who tells the story.

An unauthorized appearance on Comedy Central was described by ESPN executive editor John Walsh as ``one of a number of issues'' involved in the action.

NFL: Told he would be a reserve for the Green Bay Packers next season, defensive end Sean Jones retired to join a TV broadcasting crew with another teammate, Keith Jackson.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Forwards Raef LaFrentz and Paul Pierce announced they will return to the University of Kansas next season, keeping the top two scorers on the team that held the No. 1 ranking most of last season.

TENNIS: Martina Hingis was forced to withdraw from next week's German Open because of a left-knee injury, keeping the world's No. 1-ranked women's player from a possible rematch with Steffi Graf.

The German Open, which begins May 12, would have been the first time the world's top two women's players participated in the same tournament since February.

Jennifer Capriati's return to Rome in her latest comeback was a bust when she was beaten in the first round of the Italian Open by Chanda Rubin. Rubin won 7-6 (7-1), 6-2 in a match between the two unseeded Americans.