2010 NHL Free Agency: Penguins sign Mike Comrie (Mr. Hillary Duff) to one-year, 500K deal

FILE - In this Oct. 16, 2009, file photo, actress/singer Hilary Duff, foreground, celebrates after her boyfriend Edmonton Oilers’ Mike Comrie scored a goal against the Minnesota Wild during an NHL hockey game in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Duff, who had a recurring guest role on the popular CW series last season, is engaged to Comrie. Publicist Nanci Ryder says the two were engaged last weekend while vacationing in Hawaii. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press,Jimmy Jeong,file)

AP

After all these years, the Pittsburgh Penguins finally added some real star power.

I mean, sure, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin could occasionally light up a scoreboard and Marc-Andre Fleury provides the occasional highlight reel save. But when, exactly, were those guys going to pop up in US Weekly? Expect a few more tabloids to show up to Pens games next year, as the team signed Mr. Hillary Duff, aka Mike Comrie.

Check out the contract details and a few tidbits about Comrie straight from the team.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed forward Mike Comrie to a one-year contract, it was announced today by executive vice president and general manager Ray Shero.

The contract is for the 2010-11 season and is worth $500,000.

Comrie, 29, has played nine NHL seasons with Edmonton, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Ottawa and the NY Islanders. In 568 career games, he has posted 167 goals, 192 assists, 359 points and 48 power-play goals. Comrie has appeared in 32 postseason contests, totaling 10 points (4G-6A).

Comrie (5-foot-10, 185 pounds) has scored 20 or more goals five times in his career, and twice hit the 30-goal mark. The Edmonton, Alberta native, who broke into the NHL in 2000 with his hometown Oilers after the club drafted him in the third round (91st overall) of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, set career highs with 33 goals and 60 points (tied) in 2001-02.

Edmonton Oilers center Mike Comrie (91) celebrates a goal by teammate Jean-Francois Jacques (not pictured) as he skates by Florida Panthers goalie Tomas Vokoun (29) and Florida Panthers defenseman Jason Garrison (52) during the second period of a preseason NHL hockey game in Edmonton, Alberta on Friday, Sept. 18, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Jimmy Jeong)

AP

To be honest, I didn’t realize Comrie hit the 30-goal mark twice in his career. Of course, his last two seasons haven’t been nearly as productive as he only scored 21 points in 43 games during the 09-10 season and 27 in 63 games played in 08-09. That being said, he’s a player with an underrated mean streak and a nice amount of versatility to his game. When you consider his minimum wage salary, this could be a solid pickup for the Penguins.

If you’re not satisfied making lazy celebrity jokes (I am), you can also enjoy the puns that come with the last name Comrie. Perhaps Penguins fans who take a liking to the forward could refer to themselves as “Comrie-nists?” Maybe the Pensblog will produce some Cold War inspired Photoshops that place Comrie’s face upon an image of Karl Marx?

Whether you’re looking at it from a humorous perspective or a hockey vantage point, adding Comrie is a low risk move with a decent amount of upside. It’s unclear if the team signed him in a post-Jordan Staal injury panic, but I like the move regardless of context.