ARBITRATOR SILENCES BOSTON'S "SACRIFICIAL LAMBS"

     Arbitrator George Nicolau ruled the Bruins must pay injured
defenseman Al Iafrate his full salary of $900,000 plus any
outstanding medical bills for a knee injury incurred during
Iafrate's rehabilitation, according to the BOSTON GLOBE.  Nicolau
found that the injury was indeed hockey-related, as Iafrate had
claimed.  Since the Bruins had retained Iafrate's rights by
offering him a qualifying offer, they had to pay him since he was
injured while under contract.  Bruins President & GM Harry Sinden
accepted the decision, but added, "It doesn't necessarily mean
it's right."  Sinden said the case would be "precedent-stetting"
because in the past, teams "chickened out" and paid their players
rather than take them to court.  Sinden:  "We stood up for the
league here.  We'll only be the sacrificial lambs once" (Nancy
Marrapese, BOSTON GLOBE, 5/22).