Sports briefs 7/14/06

Football

• Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said Wednesday night that he was told he was "seconds, maybe a minute away from dying" immediately after his motorcycle accident last month. Roethlisberger, in his first interview since the June 12 accident, said he doesn't remember much about the accident when he rammed his motorcycle into a car on a Pittsburgh street. He did, however, remember what he was told by people at the scene.

"They told me that I was literally seconds, maybe a minute away from dying because I slit a vein or artery in my mouth or my throat and it was draining blood right into my stomach, and luckily the paramedic noticed it and stopped it or else I would have had too much blood in my stomach," he said.

Hockey

• The St. Louis Blues will open the 2006-07 NHL season on Oct. 5 when they visit the San Jose Sharks.

The season will open on Oct. 4 with three games, including the debut of the reigning NHL champion Carolina Hurricanes, who will host the Buffalo Sabres.

-- The Associated Press