=== Kovalchuk pact approved; NHL-NHLPA adopt rules for long-term deals ===

Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - Ilya Kovalchuk will finally join the New Jersey
Devils after his re-submitted contract was officially and finally approved by
the National Hockey League just before 3 a.m. (et) Saturday morning.

The re-worked contract now calls for Kovalchuk to collect a reported $100
million over 15 years, with an annual cap hit of close to $6.66 million. The
deal is thought to pay out $90 million in the first 10 years and $10 million
over the last five.

Kovalchuk's initial 17-year, $102 million deal with the Devils was rejected by
the league on the grounds that it circumvented the league's salary cap. The
deal was front-loaded so Kovalchuk could have earned as much money as possible
while providing the lowest possible cap hit for the team.

The NHL Players' Association filed a grievance on Kovalchuk's behalf, but an
arbitrator ruled in favor of the league. The Russian star, now 27, would be
approaching age 43 when the contract expires.

The rejection of the contract provided much debate throughout the league in
terms of "lifetime" contracts......