Islanders sign free-agent Guerin

Jul 5, 2007, 22:55 GMT

Uniondale, NY - The New York Islanders made a big move to re-shape their roster, signing unrestricted free-agent forward Bill Guerin to a two-year contract on Thursday.

'My family and I are so happy to be coming to Long Island,' Guerin said. 'Garth Snow (Islanders general manager) contacted me on Sunday and was so positive, so persistent right from the outset, explaining to me why I would be ideal for his team. Ownership's commitment to winning at almost every cost and Garth making it clear to how determined he is to build a winner is why I'm an Islander today.'

Guerin, 36, split last season between St. Louis and San Jose, scoring 36 goals and 56 points in 77 regular season games. He struggled in the playoffs, recording just a pair of assists in nine games.

The 6-foot-2, 210-pounder has tallied 364 goals, 719 points and 1,439 penalty minutes in 1,026 NHL games over 15 seasons with the Devils, Oilers, Bruins, Stars, Blues and Sharks.

The native of Wilbraham, Massachusetts is a four-time NHL All-Star (2001, 2003-04, 2007) and represented the United States in three Winter Olympic Games. He was the fifth overall pick of the New Jersey Devils in 1989, and played college hockey for two years at Boston College.

New York was dealt several blows at the start of free-agency on Sunday, learning that free-agent forward Ryan Smyth would not pursue a new contract with the Islanders, while also losing forwards Viktor Kozlov to Washington and 40-goal scorer Jason Blake to Toronto. The club also rid themselves of disappointing forward Alexei Yashin earlier in the off-season.

While the team was able to bring in journeyman forward Jon Sim on a three-year deal Sunday, Guerin represents their first bona-fide free agent addition.

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