HOCKEY

CROSBY SIGNS 5-YEAR, $43.5 MILLION EXTENSION

Sidney Crosby has a new contract before his 20th birthday and his eye on the Stanley Cup for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The NHL MVP and scoring champion signed a five-year extension through the 2012–13 season worth $43.5 million. The deal leaves room for the team to resign other young stars, such as Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal, in the coming seasons.

“It feels great, especially with the group of guys we have, to know I’m going to be able to grow with these guys and spend a while with them,” Crosby said yesterday. “To have that sense of security, it definitely feels good.”

The three-year contract Crosby signed as a rookie lasts through the coming season, and the fiveyear extension keeps him under contract for the next six seasons. Crosby may negotiate a new deal shortly before he turns 26, when he should be in his prime, agent Pat Brisson said.

DEVILS SIGN DEFENSEMAN VITALY VISHNEVSKI

Defenseman Vitaly Vishnevski signed a $1.4 million contract yesterday to play next year for the Devils.

Vishnevski, 27, split last season between Atlanta (52 games) and Nashville (15), recording three goals and 10 assists. He was acquired by the Predators in a trade for center Eric Belanger on February 10.

“Vitaly Vishnevski is a defenseman who brings a physical presence to our hockey team,” Devils president Lou Lamoriello said. “He has both size and experience, and we feel he can play our type of hockey.

BASEBALL

SUZUKI CLOSING IN ON CONTRACT EXTENSION WITH MARINERS

Ichiro Suzuki is closing in on a contract extension with the Seattle Mariners — and he showed his club why it would want to keep him around for the long haul.

Suzuki hit the first inside-thepark home run in All-Star game history yesterday night. His goahead, two-run drive off San Diego’s Chris Young took a crazy bounce off the right-field wall — he’s never hit one during the regular season.

By the sixth inning, Suzuki already had three hits.