Crosby signs five-year deal with the Penguins

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

The NHL most valuable player 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 re-sign 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 Tuesday. “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 five-year 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.

Crosby, who turns 20 next month, won the Hart Trophy last month to become the league’s youngest MVP since Wayne Gretzky.

The Penguins made Crosby the youngest captain in league history after last season, when he led the NHL with 120 points (36 goals, 84 assists). He helped the Penguins win 47 games after they won only 22 the season before.

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Brendan Shanahan agreed to a one-year deal with the New York Rangers.

The 38-year-old left winger had 29 goals and 62 points with the Rangers last season, his first with New York. Shanahan will receive $2.5 million in base salary next season and can earn an additional $2.8 million in bonuses.

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The Washington Capitals signed free-agent forward Joe Motzko to a two-year contract.

Motzko, 27, was a member of the 2007 Stanley Cup champion Ducks after being traded in January by Columbus. He played in three playoff games for the Ducks.

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Defenseman Vitaly Vishnevski signed a $1.4-million contract with the New Jersey Devils.

Vishnevski, 27, split last season between Atlanta and Nashville, recording three goals and 10 assists.

PRO BASKETBALL

Oden will have tonsils removed

Top draft pick Greg Oden needs to have his tonsils removed and is expected to miss the rest of the Portland Trail Blazers’ summer league games.

After he tapes the ESPY awards in Los Angeles, he will undergo a tonsillectomy Saturday, at the Vancouver Clinic in nearby Vancouver, Wash., the team said.

Recovery time is expected to be two to three weeks.

Oden will also miss the U.S. national team’s mini-camp July 20-22 in Las Vegas.

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The Minnesota Timberwolves signed first-round draft pick Corey Brewer.

The 6-foot-9 swingman from Florida was the seventh overall pick in last month’s draft. He got a two-year deal worth $4.4 million with team options for two more years.

PRO FOOTBALL

Raiders sign Darius to beef up secondary

The Oakland Raiders signed former Jacksonville safety Donovin Darius.

Darius could challenge incumbent starter Stuart Schweigert for playing time, adding veteran leadership to a young secondary.

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The drunk-driving charge against Baltimore Ravens quarterback Steve McNair was dropped because a related DUI charge against his brother-in-law was reduced to reckless driving.

McNair was a passenger when Nashville police stopped his pickup truck May 9 for speeding. The former Tennessee Titan was charged because police said McNair allowed his vehicle to be driven by someone who was inebriated, brother-in-law Jamie Cartwright.

TENNIS

Injured Sharapova withdraws from Fed Cup

Maria Sharapova withdrew from the Fed Cup semifinals against the United States because of a right shoulder injury.

In a statement posted on her website, the 2006 U.S. Open champion said she had a “tremendous amount of swelling” and doctors advised her to rest her shoulder for the next 10 days.

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Serena Williams has withdrawn from next week’s Western & Southern Financial Group Women’s Open at Mason, Ohio, because of a hand injury.

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Aisam-UI-Haq Qureshi relied on his strong serve to upset top-seeded Mardy Fish, 6-3, 6-4, at the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport, R.I. ... David Ferrer beat Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, 6-2, 6-1, in the first round of the Swedish Open at Bastad.... Pete Sampras lost to Sam Warburg, 5-4, in a World TeamTennis match at Newport Beach. Sampras’ team, the Newport Beach Breakers, lost to Sacramento, 25-18.

MISCELLANY

Xiang wins hurdles at Swiss meet

World-record holder Liu Xiang won the 110-meter hurdles at the Athletissima Grand Prix at Lausanne, Switzerland, running the season’s third-best time (13.01 seconds) despite unseasonably cold temperatures.

Tyson Gay won the men’s 200 in 19.78 seconds, world champion Michelle Perry won the women’s 100 (12.60) and Torri Edwards won the women’s 100 (11.00).

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Two fighters looking for redemption hope to find it Sept. 8 at Staples Center. On that night, Fernando Vargas (26-4, 22 knockouts) and Ricardo Mayorga (28-6-1, 23) will square off in search of the first victory for either in more than two years.

Vargas, 29, has lost his last two fights, both at the hands of Shane Mosley by technical knockout. Mayorga, 33, also lost his last fight by TKO, to Oscar De La Hoya last year.

Vargas and Mayorga, who both fought their last matches at 154 pounds, have agreed to a catch weight of 162 for the Staples Center main event.

-- Steve Springer

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A study conducted by researchers at Brigham Young has found that playing on a high school sports team increases young women’s odds of graduating from college by 41%, according to the report published in the journal Youth & Society.

Kelly Troutman, a recent BYU grad, and sociology professor Mikaela Dufur analyzed a sample of 5,000 female students from the high school class of 1992.