Avs clean house

The Colorado Avalanche yesterday promoted Greg Sherman to general manager, then fired coach Tony Granato and five others in a sweeping shakeup.

Sherman, who spent the last seven years as the team's assistant GM, replaced Francois Giguere, who was fired in April after the team's worst finish since moving to Denver in 1995.

Team president Pierre Lacroix also fired assistant coaches Jacques Cloutier and Dave Barr, goaltending coach Jeff Hackett, assistant to the general manager Michel Goulet, and video coordinator P.J. DeLuca.

Boston Bruins forward David Krejci was given a contract extension just days before his scheduled surgery on a torn labrum (cartilage) in his hip.

Krejci, 23, signed for three years and more than $11 million.

Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals earned the series' highest cable TV rating since 2002.

Pittsburgh's 4-2 win over Detroit on Versus on Tuesday drew a 2.6 rating and averaged 2.96 million viewers. A ratings point represents 1,096,000 households.

The network said the rating was up 37 percent from the average for the two games on Versus during last year's series.
- Associated Press