Messier Signs for Five Years, $13 Million

Mark Messier became the third-highest-paid player in the NHL Wednesday when he signed a reported five-year, $13-million contract with the New York Rangers.

His salary placed him behind former teammate Wayne Gretzky of the Kings, who earns $3 million a year, and Mario Lemieux of the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins, who gets $2.38 million annually.

Messier, 30, spent 12 years with the Edmonton Oilers, playing on five Stanley Cup championship teams, four of them with Gretzky. He held out this season and, after rejecting a $2-million offer from the Oilers, was traded to the Rangers on Oct. 4 for Bernie Nicholls and rookies Louie DeBrusk and Steven Rice.