Ice Hockey

Oilers open vault to lock up McDavid

The Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday signed 20-year-old captain Connor McDavid to the richest contract in NHL history - an 8-year extension that will pay him $100 million.

The extension, which will pay him $12.5 million per season, kicks in after his entry level contract expires at the end of next season.

McDavid led the NHL in scoring with 100 points last season and won the Hart Trophy as league MVP and the Ted Lindsay Award as the league's best player in voting by his peers.

"I'm so excited to be able to wear the Oilers jersey for the next nine years of my life and play with some of the greatest guys that I know," said McDavid, who grew up in Toronto.

Drafted first overall by the Oilers in 2015, McDavid has been the catalyst of the Oilers' transformation from league cellar dweller to Stanley Cup contender.

Soccer

Barcelona extends Messi's contract

Barcelona on Wednesday extended the contract of star striker Lionel Messi until June 30, 2021 - just days after he wed his childhood sweetheart in Argentina.

"The deal will be signed in the coming weeks, when Messi returns to the team for pre-season training," the club said in a statement.

The club gave no details about the contract that will keep the Argentinian megastar and five-time Ballon d'Or winner at Camp Nou until he's 34.

Spain's Marca sports daily reported on Tuesday that the deal includes a $340 million termination clause.

Torres strikes new deal with Atletico

Striker Fernando Torres will stay at Atletico Madrid until the end of next season after signing a one-year extension, the La Liga club announced on Wednesday.

No terms were revealed.

The former Spain international's contract had run out, but he will now stay at Atletico until June 30, 2018.

The team is under a transfer ban, but it has been a successful offseason so far for coach Diego Simeone, having also seen key forward Antoine Griezmann pen a new deal to keep him with the club until 2022.

Basketball

NBA and MLB champ Conley dies

Gene Conley, one of the few players in history to win championships in two major professional sports, died on Tuesday.

He was 86.

Conley helped pitch the Milwaukee Braves to a World Series championship in 1957 and won three NBA titles with the Boston Celtics.

Otto Graham won championships in the NFL and the NBL, a precursor to the NBA.

Conley was a right-hander and three-time All-Star who spent 11 years in baseball with four teams.

He was selected by the Celtics in the 1952 draft and, after spending most of the next six years playing only baseball, he returned to the NBA in 1958 and won three straight titles.

Thunder rewards steady Roberson

A source said on Wednesday the Oklahoma City Thunder has agreed to terms with shooting guard Andre Roberson on a three-year contract worth $30 million.

The deal keeps Roberson in Oklahoma City, where he has emerged as a rock-solid perimeter defender in four seasons with the Thunder.

Roberson averaged 6.6 points and 5.1 rebounds last season, but his real value is on the defensive end, where he often guards the opposing team's best scorer.