NEW YORK, Sept. 11 (UPI) -- On the eve of training camp, the New York Rangers agreed to terms Wednesday with 41-year-old captain Mark Messier, who is embarking on his 24th NHL season.
Terms were not disclosed. According to published reports, it is a one-year deal worth $3 million with bonuses that could push the value to $5 million.
Bothered by a shoulder injury, Messier played just 41 games last season and posted career lows with seven goals and 16 assists. On Dec. 15, he had a goal and an assist to join former teammate Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe as the only players in NHL history with 1,800 points.
Last Nov. 3, Messier passed another former teammate, Paul Coffey, and moved into third place on the all-time list with 1,136 assists.
Messier is the NHL's active scoring leader and ranks third all-time with 1,804 points. He is seventh with 658 goals and fourth with 1,602 games played.
Messier, who led the Rangers to their first Stanley Cup in 54 years in 1994, is second all-time in playoff scoring with 295 points and has appeared in more postseason games (236) than anyone in league history. He also won five Stanley Cup championships with the Edmonton Oilers.
A 14-time All-Star, Messier won the Hart Trophy as Most Valuable Player in 1990 and 1992 and the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 1984.
He is in his second tenure with the Rangers after a three-year stint with the Vancouver Canucks and ranks seventh on the team's all-time scoring list with 608 points.
