Penguins sign Marino to six-year extension
PITTSBURGH — The Penguins are betting big on defenseman John Marino.
The team signed the 23-year-old Marino on Sunday to a six-year contract extension that carries an average annual value of $4.4 million.
The deal caps a meteoric rise for Marino, who was acquired from Edmonton in July 2019 in exchange for a sixth-round pick. Marino scored six goals to go with 20 assists and a plus-17 rating as a rookie. He is the sixth rookie defenseman in team history to register 20 assists. The contract runs through 2026-27.
More NHL: The Canucks received provincial approval Sunday to play in British Columbia this season. British Columbia is the second province to officially approve NHL games, following Alberta. Last week, a health official in Manitoba told The Canadian Press that the province was working toward approving games being played in Winnipeg. Officials in Ontario and Quebec have not commented on whether competition has been approved for the three teams in those provinces. The NHL season is set to resume Jan. 13, with the seven Canadian team playing in one division so they don’t have to cross into the U.S. for games.
Winter sports: Petra Vlhova won the first women’s World Cup slalom of 2021 on Sunday. In tough conditions due to fog and rain, the overall leader from Slovakia beat Katharina Liensberger of Austria by five-hundredths of a second in Zagreb, Croatia. Mikaela Shiffrin was 0.27 behind in fourth, forced to wait for her 100th career World Cup podium, a milestone reached by only four female skiers in the 54-year history of the sport.
European soccer: Leicester City moved into third place in the Premier League with a 2-1 win over Newcastle United. ... Three firsthalf goals from Ilkay Gundogan, Phil Foden and Kevin de Bruyne guided Manchester City to a 3-1 win over Chelsea. Callum Hudson-odai scored for Chelsea.