Reuters Sports News Summary

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Report: Gronkowski close to signing with WWE

Rob Gronkowski is gearing up for a return to sports ... well, sports entertainment, that is. The former New England Patriots tight end plans to end a one-year retirement from the NFL and suit up for World Wrestling Entertainment, according to a report from FOX Sports 1.

NHL roundup: Deslauriers scores Ducks' fastest hat trick

Nicolas Deslauriers' first NHL hat trick was also the fastest hat trick in Ducks history, and Anaheim earned a 5-2 win over the visiting Ottawa Senators on Tuesday. Known more for his toughness than his offensive prowess over his seven NHL seasons, Deslauriers had only 12 goals in 211 games heading into Tuesday's play. Against Ottawa, however, the forward scored three consecutive goals within a span of 9:04 in the first period.

Spring training roundup: Phillies beat Twins, Harper exits game

J.T. Realmuto hit a two-run homer and Logan Forsythe also went deep as the Philadelphia Phillies recorded a 5-1 victory over the visiting Minnesota Twins on Tuesday at Clearwater, Fla. Philadelphia's Bryce Harper departed in the first inning after being hit on the left foot with a pitch by Twins right-hander Sean Poppen. Harper said he was fine through a team spokesperson

Coronavirus ends Slovak hockey season without a winner

Slovakia's top-flight hockey league will scrap the rest of its season without crowning a champion due to tightening measures to contain the spread of the new coronavirus in the country. The Slovak Ice Hockey Federation announced the end of the season on its website on Wednesday after league clubs took the decision. Playoff games were due to start this month.

Motorcycling: MotoGP postpones fourth race, Spain to open season in May

MotoGP postponed a fourth race on Wednesday due to the coronavirus outbreak, with Argentina shuffled from April to November and the season set to start at Spain's Jerez circuit on May 3. The championship has been delayed repeatedly since the original Qatar opener on March 8 was canceled because of travel restrictions on people arriving from Italy and some other countries.

NBA roundup: Nets halt Lakers' win streak

Spencer Dinwiddie scored 23 points and hit the go-ahead basket, and Caris LeVert added 22 points as the Brooklyn Nets surprised the host Los Angeles Lakers 104-102 on Tuesday night. Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot had 13 points, Joe Harris finished with 12 and Chris Chiozza added 11 for the Nets, who have won four of their past five.

Alpine skiing: Shiffrin set for World Cup return after father's death

Double Olympic gold medalist and overall World Cup champion Mikaela Shiffrin is set to return to competitive action in Sweden this week after taking more than a month out following the death of her father. The American, who turns 25 on Friday, said on social media that Are "feels like the right place to rejoin my World Cup family and try to race again".

U.S. health official recommends NBA play without crowds due to coronavirus risk

Anthony Fauci, head of infectious diseases at the National Institutes of Health, told a congressional hearing on Wednesday that he would recommend the National Basketball Association play their games without a crowd because of the fast-moving coronavirus outbreak. "We would recommend that there not be large crowds, if that means not having any people in the audience when the NBA plays, so be it," Fauci said. "But as a public health official, anything that has large crowds is something that would give a risk to spread."

Factbox: Sports events hit by the coronavirus epidemic

Here is a list of international sports events hit by the coronavirus outbreak: ITALY

Suggestion Games delay is 'feasible' dismissed as 'outrageous'

A delay of one or two years would be the "most feasible" option if the Tokyo Olympics cannot be held this summer due to the global outbreak of the coronavirus, a member of the organizing committee's executive board told Reuters. But the head of the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee quickly dismissed any suggestion of a delay, saying his team was not considering any change in plan and Haruyuki Takahashi, the official who raised the possibility of a postponement, had apologized for the "outrageous" suggestion.