The Pittsburgh Penguins and Sidney Crosby are finalizing a new contract that will be worth $104.4 million over 12 years.
The Penguins announced the deal Thursday on their website. The contract will carry an average salary of about $8.7 million a season, although it will be front-loaded.
“This is a great day for hockey and tremendous news for the Pittsburgh Penguins and our fans,” co-owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle said in a joint statement. “We are grateful for all that Sidney Crosby has done for our franchise since coming to Pittsburgh in 2005, both on and off the ice, and we look forward to having him in a Penguins uniform for the rest of his career.”
Crosby, whose 2011-12 season twice was interrupted because of symptoms from a concussion suffered in January 2011, cannot sign the contract until Sunday, per the rules in the collective bargaining agreement for players who have one year remaining on their current contracts.
His new contract will not be fully insurable, both because of his history of head injuries and because no NHL contract longer than seven years is fully insurable. Full details likely will not be known until the extension is officially announced.
Crosby’s final year on his current deal counts for $8.7 million against the salary cap. The new contract would go into effect for the 2013-14 season.
Known to legions as “Sid The Kid”, Crosby led the Penguins to the Stanley Cup in 2009, becoming, at age 21, the youngest captain to hoist the Cup in NHL history. He also has won the Hart Trophy as MVP, the Art Ross Trophy as league scoring champion, the Rocket Richard Trophy as goal-scoring champion and the Ted Lindsay Award as most outstanding player in his seven NHL seasons.
In 434 career games he has registered 223 goals and 386 assists for 609 points. He also has 90 points in 68 playoff games.
WRITTEN BY Pierre LeBrun | ESPN.com & FULL STORY HERE
