DiPietro signs record deal for the NHL

UNIONDALE, N.Y. - Goalie Rick DiPietro has signed a 15-year contract with the New York Islanders worth a reported 67 (m) million dollars. The club has called for a news conference this afternoon to officially announce the pact.<br> <br> The deal would be the longest in league history, topping the ten-year agreement between the Islanders and center Alexei Yashin which was signed in 2001. It&#39;s believed the DiPietro contract is the second longest in North American sports history, behind the 25-year pact worked out by the Los Angeles Lakers and Magic Johnson back in 1981.<br> <br> DiPietro was a restricted free agent this summer and wouldn&#39;t have been eligible to become an unrestricted free agent for two years.<br> <br> (Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)