CHICAGO - The Chicago Blackhawks and forward Patrick Sharp have agreed to a five-year contract extension.
The 29-year-old Sharp tied for eighth in the league with a team-leading 34 goals last season and was third on the club with a career-high 71 points. He added three goals and two assists in the playoffs as the Blackhawks lost to Vancouver in the first round following a championship run the previous year.
General manager Stan Bowman said in a statement Wednesday that the Blackhawks "have seen him develop into one of the game's elite players as well as a fixture in the community."
Acquired in a trade with Philadelphia in December 2005, Sharp joins a group of core players with long-term deals that includes Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa.
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