The Colorado Avalanche Hockey Club announced today that it has signed defenseman Brett Clark to a two-year contract extension good through the 2009-10 season.

“Brett has been an instrumental part of our team’s overall success,” said Avalanche Executive Vice President and General Manager Francois Giguere. “He’s been a steady, dependable asset to our defensive group and we expect him to be a strong contributor to this club in the coming seasons. Brett’s shown a tremendous amount of perseverance and he’s demonstrated his commitment and dedication to our organization.”

Clark, 30, completed his second full-season with the Avalanche in 2006-07 where he eclipsed his NHL career highs in games played (82), goals (10), assists (29) and points (39). His 23:40 average ice-time per game led the Avalanche last year and he led the entire NHL in shifts per game (35.1). His 210 blocked shots a year ago led the Avalanche and ranked fourth in the NHL. Clark was the only Avalanche defenseman to appear in all 82 games last season and he owns a current games-played streak of 143 dating back to November 23, 2005.

Originally selected by the Montreal Canadiens (154th overall) in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft, Clark was acquired by the Avalanche in exchange for Frederic Cassivi on January 24, 2002.