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MONTREAL - Andrei Markov is staying with the only NHL club he has ever known. The 35-year-old defenceman agreed to terms of a US$17.25-million, three-year contract extension with the Montreal Canadiens on Monday. Markov was due to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. He said on a conference call that signing a new deal with Montreal was his first priority. "I knew before the season was over Id like to stay with the Montreal Canadiens, so Im happy the deal was done and Im looking forward now. I feel like Im at home here. I feel comfortable. Id like to stay for the rest of my career. Ive never known (free agency), but it doesnt matter. Im happy with that deal." Markov will earn the same salary, $5.75 million per season, that he made in each of his last two contracts over the past seven years. As a player 35 or over, he is guaranteed the full amount of his new deal. "We are very happy to have secured a long term agreement with Andrei," general manager Marc Bergevin said in a statement. "He is an important part of our group of core players. "He is healthy, shows a very good work ethic and has great leadership skills. He plays big minutes against the top opponents, and game-changing defencemen of his calibre are hard to find." Markov will be 38 when the deal expires after the 2016-17 season, but feels it is too early to say if it will be his last contract. There were fears that his career was over when a succession of knee injuries limited him to only 65 games over three years from 2009-10 to 20011-12, but he played all 48 games of the lockout-shortened 2012-13 campaign and missed only one regular season game this season. He had seven goals and 36 assists and was plus-12 this season, while getting a team-high 25:14 of ice time per game. He added a goal and nine assists in 17 playoff games as the Canadiens reached the Eastern Conference final. He also played for Russia at the Sochi Olympics. While he has slowed in a recent years, the Voskresensk, Russia native combines a solid defensive game with first-rate passing and playmaking skills from the point on power plays. "It wasnt easy when I had injuries, but I always stayed positive," Markov said. "The last two years I felt good. My health is good. I enjoy the game like I used to. Im looking forward to next season." Markov holds Russian and Canadian citizenship, having become a Canadian citizen in 2010. He was drafted in the sixth round, 162nd overall, by Montreal in 1998. He made his NHL debut in 2000. In 765 regular season games, he has 98 goals and 344 assists. His best seasons were 2007-08, when he had 16 goals and 58 points and 2008-09, when he had 12 goals and 64 points. He was the teams second potential free agent to sign ahead of July 1. Last week, forward Dale Weise inked a two-year contract that pays $1.025 million per season. Bergevin now faces negotiations with potential restricted free agents P.K. Subban and Lars Eller, while potential UFAs include captain Brian Gionta and defenceman Mike Weaver. Tom Brady Jersey .com) - Eric Fehr and Marcus Johansson each registered a pair of goals, as Washington spoiled the head coaching debut of Peter Horachek by picking up a 6-2 victory in Toronto on Wednesday. Tom Brady Jersey New England Patriots . Argentina, who have yet to beat New Zealand in 17 meetings, rocked the All Blacks with an early converted try to backrower Juan Manuel Leguizamon and led 7-0 after five minutes. But Smiths double in the 23rd and 26th minutes - when Argentina was reduced to 14 men by the sin-binning of hooker Eusebio Guinazu - turned the tide of the match and set up New Zealands third straight Championship win. https://www.sportsstarsjerseys.com/michael-jordan-jersey/. Szabados joined the Southern Professional Hockey League team last week. The 27-year-old goaltender from Edmonton backstopped the Canadian womens hockey team to Olympic gold Feb. Michael Jordan Jersey Swingman . The 27th-ranked Austrian underwent surgery on a torn tendon in October and needs more time to recover, the Austria Press Agency reports on Saturday. Custom Sports Jerseys . Huntington doesnt want to help run the club unless Hurdle is in the dugout. The combination thats returned the franchise to respectability will remain intact for years to come. TUCSON, Ariz. -- The McKale Center crowd buzzed in the minutes before the opening tip, more like a post-season game than another conference game. With support like that, its not hard for top-ranked Arizona to get off to a fast start. Charged by the mojo created inside one of college basketballs best home-court advantages, the Wildcats raced out to a big lead and held on down the stretch to remain unbeaten with a 69-57 win over Colorado on Thursday night. "This is why we love McKale; we feel like its like this all the time," said Arizona forward Brandon Ashley, who had 15 points. Arizona (19-0, 6-0 Pac-12) had a week off after blowing out rival Arizona State and was still in a groove early, building a 14-point lead in the opening six minutes. The big lead allowed the Wildcats some leeway in the second half when things didnt go quite as well. Arizona struggled from the perimeter, making 3 of 15 from 3-point range, had a rare night when it didnt outrebound the opposition (32-32) and missed three free throws in the closing 72 seconds to keep the game from becoming a rout. The Wildcats pulled it out thanks to the big start and 44 points in the paint, allowing them to tie -- with the 1992-93 and 1997-98 teams -- for the longest winning streak in school history. Nick Johnson led Arizona with 18 points and Aaron Gordon added 12. "Our second half maybe wasnt as good as our first, but there are always good lessons to be learned from that and still leave with the win," Arizona coach Sean Miller said. A year after nearly pulling off an upset in the desert, Colorado (15-5, 4-3) had no chance for late-game heroics in its third game without leading scorer Spencer Dinwiddie. The Buffaloes struggled to slow Arizonas bevy of scorers and couldnt shoot their way out of the big early hole, falling to 0-16 all-time against No. 1 teams. Xavier Johnson led Colorado with 21 points and Josh Scott added 15 with 11 rebounds. "We dug ourselves a hole," Colorado coach Tad Boyle said. "We had trouble scoring the ball and they made shots. We didnt have an offensive rhythm all night. The Buffaloes split their first two games withoout Dinwiddie, losing to UCLA and beating Southern California after the junior sustained a season-ending left knee injury against Washington on Jan.dddddddddddd 12. Arizona was a much stiffer challenge without Dinwiddie, Colorados scoring and assists leader. The nations top-ranked team for seven straight weeks, Arizona entered the game fifth in scoring defence (56.7 points) and shooting percentage against (37 per cent) and was 22nd at defending 3-pointers (29 per cent). Colorado needed someone to step up and no one was able to do it early against Arizonas relentless pressure. Barely able to get passes off much less good shots, the Buffaloes missed their first five shots and had four turnovers in the opening six minutes. Arizona also missed its first five shots, but started dropping them in from all over, building a quick 18-4 lead. The Buffaloes settled down for a little bit, cutting the lead to six with a 10-2 run. All that seemed to do was make the Wildcats play harder. Ratcheting the defensive pressure back up, Arizona hounded the Buffaloes into more missed shots and turnovers, leading to breakouts and 3-pointers at the other end. Starting with a 12-2 run, the Wildcats built the halftime lead to 39-24, holding Colorado to 8-of-27 shooting while forcing nine turnovers. Johnson had 12 at the half and Ashley nine. "We do what weve been doing, just focusing on the process of Arizona basketball and thats just a little glimpse of what we can do," Gordon said. Colorado had a little more success shooting to start the second half, hitting three of its first four shots. Problem was, the Buffaloes couldnt stop the Wildcats. Arizona hit its first six shots, including one by Ashley that bounced off Scott and into the basket and a reverse dunk off a spin move by Gordon that put the Wildcats up 51-31. The Wildcats made 12 of 22 shots in the second half to prevent Colorado from cutting the lead under double digits. "We were playing the No. 1 team in the nation, but they werent that good," Xavier Johnson said. "We didnt come in here with the (right) mindset and its hard coming into this atmosphere." ' ' '