The Detroit Red Wings signed Jacques Demers,...

The Detroit Red Wings signed Jacques Demers, former coach of the St. Louis Blues, to a $1.1-million, five-year contract amid the Blues’ claim of tampering. The matter likely will have to be settled by the National Hockey League.

Demers’ new contract makes him one of the highest-paid coaches in the National Hockey League. He was among the lowest-paid with the Blues, earning about $70,000.

“This is pretty hard to take,” Blues’ owner Harry Ornest said. “That’s tampering of the worst order. For Detroit not to call and verify with us. . . . They hadn’t even asked for permission to talk to him.”

Art Kaminsky, Demers’ lawyer, said there was no tampering, because Demers had not signed a contract with the Blues.

” . . . Jacques signed a contract extension midway through this (past) season,” said Jack Quinn, the Blues’ executive vice president.

Demers took the unheralded Blues to the semifinals of the Stanley Cup playoffs last season.