I think it has to do with the combination of hockey players being able to play for a long time, the early age that guys can get to free agency, and how the cap system works. Plus, as a more unstable sport than NFL or MLB, there is some reason for people to take the risk out of their future. He's 27, Keith was 26 when he signed. In the NFL careers can end by 28, and in MLB, guys often come up around 23-24 and are under team control for 6 years, so they are rarely free agents by 26/27. Then again, ARod signed 2 10 year contracts, Jeter's is 10. There have been lots of guys in the 7-8 year range. And this 17 year one is still long for NHL standards. McNabb signed a 12 year deal at one point.