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Pens extend Therrien

Pittsburgh rewarded coach Michel Therrien with a three-year contract. Associated Press (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Associated Press
Pittsburgh rewarded coach Michel Therrien with a three-year contract. Associated Press (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)

The Pittsburgh Penguins’ march to the Stanley Cup finals has paid off for coach Michel Therrien, who agreed to a new three-year contract on Friday.

The deal includes a raise for this season and goes through the 2010-11 season, expected to be the team’s first in a planned $290 million arena.

“Michel has done a tremendous job with our team over the past 21/2 seasons, developing our young players while leading us to division and conference championships and the Stanley Cup finals,” general manager Ray Shero said.

Therrien’s contract had one year left. Though an extension was an option, Shero said that “based on the success we’ve had together, it was time to negotiate a new deal, starting with an increase in compensation for the 2008-09 season.”

“All of our players comment on how much they love playing in Pittsburgh, and I can tell you that our coaches love coaching in Pittsburgh,” Therrien said. “We still have a lot of work to do, though, because we fell short of our biggest goal last season. Our goal is, and always will be, to win the Stanley Cup.”

Forward’s deal disputed

Nashville Predators forward Alex Radulov was one of six players whose new contracts were suspended by hockey’s international governing body until the legality of the deals could be investigated.

Radulov, under contract for another season with the Predators, signed a contract with a Russian team in the new Continental Hockey League (KHL). That deal seemingly would be in breach of a pact agreed to July 10 between the KHL, the NHL, the NHL Players’ Association and international hockey leagues in which contracts worldwide would be honored and respected.

Sabres hold on to goalie

After watching Chris Drury, Daniel Briere and Brian Campbell leave over the past year, the Buffalo Sabres were determined to keep Ryan Miller off the list of high-profile departures.

The Sabres locked up their franchise goalie with a five-year, $31.25 million extension, ending speculation that Miller might be gone after this season and the end of his contract. Miller, 28, will make $6.25 million each year through the 2013-14 season.