Devils Extend Contract of Goaltender Brodeur

The New Jersey Devils re-signed Martin Brodeur, one of the league’s best goalies, to a multiyear contract extension Thursday.

Terms weren’t disclosed, although Brodeur, 25, earned a reported $5.3 million from a three-year contract due to expire at the end of the season.

Brodeur, in his fifth season with the Devils, is 18-6 and has a .927 save percentage and a 1.69 goals-against average. He also has three shutouts.

His career record is 137-73-39 with 25 shutouts and a 2.19 GAA, best in league history.

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Four defensemen who have combined for 43 career All-Star game appearances were bunched in the balloting for the starting positions on the North America team.

Brian Leetch of the New York Rangers led the quartet with 137,211 votes, just ahead of Boston’s Ray Bourque (130,668), Chicago’s Chris Chelios (116,255) and Philadelphia’s Paul Coffey (104,977).

The top vote-getter for the North America all-stars continued to be goalie Patrick Roy of the Colorado Avalanche with 185,161, almost 50,000 ahead of Brodeur, who has 139,877. Roy has been advised to stay off skates for four to six days after straining an abdominal muscle in facing 53 shots in Colorado’s 2-2 tie with Toronto on Wednesday.

John LeClair of Philadelphia led all wingers with 151,237, ahead of Brendan Shanahan of Detroit (134,393) and Brett Hull of St. Louis (121,967). Eric Lindros of Philadelphia was tops among the centers, with 90,035, with Wayne Gretzky of the Rangers (87,165) and Joe Sakic of the Avalanche (74,097) trailing.

Fan voting will end Monday. The game, which for the first time will have a North American all-star team of players from the United States and Canada facing top NHL players from the rest of the world, will be played Jan. 18 at Vancouver.

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All-star right wing Jaromir Jagr is close to signing a new contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins that could pay him more than $50 million over seven years, team owner Howard Baldwin said. Jagr, 25, has two years remaining on the current contract that pays him $5.1 million this season. The new pact would be the largest in team history, surpassing Mario Lemieux’s seven-year, $45.2-million deal signed in 1992.