Mario Lemieux closed the salary gap between...

Mario Lemieux closed the salary gap between him and the Kings’ Wayne Gretzky when he signed a five-year contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins that will pay him nearly $12 million.

Gretzky became the first National Hockey League player to make more than $1 million a year when he received an eight-year, $20 million contract from the Kings after being traded by the Edmonton Oilers last August.

Lemieux’s deal is worth about $2.4 million a year, not including incentives that could boost the total value an additional $1 million over the length of the contract, according to sources close to the negotiations.

Lemieux’s contract for last season had included a $100,000 incentive bonus for being voted the league’s most valuable player. Gretzky beat out Lemieux, but Lemieux confirmed Tuesday that Penguin owner Edward J. DeBartolo Sr. called him into his office last month and gave Lemieux a $100,000 check, saying he had deserved to win.