PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins signed center Joe Vitale to a two-year, $1.1 million contract extension on Friday, locking up a 26-year-old who has earned a regular spot in the lineup this season.

Vitale has three goals and seven assists while dressing for 44 of Pittsburgh’s 51 games, filling a third- or fourth-line role and serving on the Penguins’ fourth-ranked penalty-killing unit.

Vitale, who made his NHL debut for Pittsburgh last season, leads the team in faceoff percentage (55.9 percent) and has 24 blocked shots. The 5-foot-11, 205-pound St. Louis native would have been a restricted free agent this offseason.

Armstrong case officially closedLOS ANGELES — The case against Lance Armstrong is closed. His legacy as a seven-time Tour de France champion endures.Federal prosecutors dropped their investigation of Armstrong, ending a nearly two-year effort aimed at determining whether the world’s most famous cyclist and his teammates joined in a doping program during his greatest years.

UConn’s Calhoun on medical leaveSTORRS, Conn. — University of Connecticut basketball coach Jim Calhoun, who missed three games earlier this season because of NCAA sanctions, is taking an indefinite medical leave of absence because of back problems.The Hall of Fame coach of the defending national champions, who turns 70 in May, has been suffering for several months from spinal stenosis, a spinal condition that causes him severe pain and hampers mobility.

Hamilton upset by drinking bingeARLINGTON, Texas. — Josh Hamilton shed no tears and used no prepared statement as he apologized and shared few details about his relapse with alcohol. Still, it was clear he was upset by what he had done.The Texas Rangers slugger and recovering drug addict said he had three or four drinks during dinner at a Dallas restaurant and bar Monday and continued drinking later that night.Hamilton spoke during a news conference called specifically to address the incident. He didn’t take questions during his 12-minute appearance.The 2010 AL MVP was suspended for more than three years for drug and alcohol use while in the Tampa Bay organization.

NFL expanding Thursday packageINDIANAPOLIS — During his annual Super Bowl news conference, Commissioner Roger Goodell said there hasn’t been any discussion about adding to the league’s 32 teams, and indicated he’s not too keen about the idea of shifting a franchise, either.Goodell announced that every club will appear on prime-time TV in 2012, thanks in part to a new slate of Thursday games that now will be scheduled from Week 2 through Week 15. NBC will air a game on Thanksgiving night; the other 12 Thursdays will go on the NFL Network.