Ducks sign goalie Giguere to big contract

Last Updated: Thursday, June 21, 2007 | 7:59 PM ET

CBC Sports

You can now count Anaheim Ducks goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere among the NHL's top-paid goaltenders.

After he led Anaheim to its first Stanley Cup a few weeks ago, the Ducks locked up their 30-year-old netminder to a four-year deal worth $24 million US, they announced Thursday. 

Anaheim Ducks goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere covers the corner against the Vancouver Canucks' Ryan Kesler in NHL action last season. Giguere signed a four-year deal Thursday worth $6 million US a year.
(Chuck Stoody/Canadian Press)

Giguere was eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, but instead decided to stick with the Ducks. He'll be earning $6 million US per year, up from the $3.99 million he took home last season.

"Every single player in this league wants to play for this organization right now," Giguere said Thursday in a conference call. "It's an amazing place to live, ownership is great — it just doesn't get any better in the NHL."

The Ducks got Giguere in a bargain deal with the Calgary Flames in 2000, acquiring him for a second-round pick. 

"When it's all said and done, there's a market out there for goalies. They wanted to keep me, I wanted to stay here and I knew what I would be satisfied with. I'm just really excited. I've got another opportunity to play here. Hopefully, we'll get to do what we did this year again," said Giguere.

After a dazzling Stanley Cup playoff run with the Ducks in 2003, which saw him capture the Conn Smythe Trophy in a losing cause, Giguere solidified his reputation as one of the league's top goaltenders this post-season. 

"We view him as one of the top goaltenders in the NHL today, one with tremendous character and competitive fire, traits we value greatly in this organization," Ducks general manager Brian Burke said in a statement. 

Also playing into Giguere's decision to stay with the Ducks was the way the organization supported him through tough times earlier this spring.

The six-foot-one butterfly specialist and his wife, Kristen, welcomed a son, Maxime, into the world in April. Maxime has a sight problem that has required the attention of medical specialists.

The Ducks gave Giguere time off at the end of the regular season and the beginning of the playoffs to concentrate on his family.