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December 5th, 2008
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Siberia calling

A free agent for the first time, Jaromír Jágr is searching for a team

By František Bouc
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
May 21st, 2008 issue

ISIFA
Jágr says his first choice is to stay with the New York Rangers, but he could be lured east by Avangard.
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Ice time



Jágr has been widely acknowledged as one of the best forwards in Czech and NHL history. Some career highlights:
1990 Selected fifth overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the NHL Entry Draft
1991-92 Wins the Stanley Cup in his first two seasons with the Penguins
1994-95 Leads in the NHL in scoring, a feat he would repeat four times
1998 Helps lead the Czech national team to win the Olympic gold medal
1998-99 Wins the NHL's Hart Trophy for Most Valuable Player
2001 Traded to the Washington Capitals from the Penguins
2004 Traded to the New York Rangers for Anson Carter
2005-06 Finishes second in MVP voting and selected Player of the Year by the NHL Players' Association

Source: TSN.ca

East or West? Siberia or Manhattan?
A choice easy to make for most people has become a dilemma for the Czech hockey star Jaromír Jágr.
“I’ll have to consider my options and take some time to make the decision about my future,” Jágr said soon after being eliminated, along with his current team, the New York Rangers, from the Stanley Cup playoffs in early May.
Jágr is considering whether to stay with the Rangers or join the ice-hockey club Avangard Omsk in Russia’s Superliga. Jágr played in Omsk during the NHL lockout in 2004–05 and enjoyed the conditions and people he encountered in Siberia.
For the first time since his NHL debut in 1990, the 36-year-old Jágr will be a free agent this summer, unbound by any contract. And, following his unconvincing season with the Rangers, Jágr is well aware that the team, one of the NHL’s richest, is unlikely to come close to matching the $8.36 million (134 million Kč) annual contract that he has enjoyed with them so far.
Compare that with Russia, where the media recently speculated that the international hockey star’s salary could reach $7 million with Avangard.
Speculations about Jágr’s possible move to Russia have dogged him throughout this past season. In March, Avangard officials arrived in New York City to present Jágr with their offer. And Jágr, a former league MVP, frequently repeated his contention that this could be his last season in the NHL.
Such speculations are all that is currently known, as Jágr himself admitted that he doesn’t know where he’ll play next season.
“I don’t have 30 teams to choose from,” the Rangers’ captain said after the Pittsburgh Penguins, Jágr’s former team, eliminated New York from the playoffs.
“First, I am going to talk to the Rangers,” he said. “That’s the No. 1 option for me. They gave me a chance to show everybody I can still play hockey. Everybody doubted me when I was playing in Washington [with the Capitals] for whatever reason.”
But Jágr could return to Omsk, he said, where he scored 16 goals in 32 games during the lockout. Eventually, he intends to return to the Czech Republic to play for his hometown club in Kladno, just 30 kilometers west of Prague.
“I don’t think I would sign longer than two years, just because of my dad,” Jágr said. ‘‘He asked me to come home in two years. He’s helping to build a new arena there and he wants me to be there.’’
Until then, where Jágr will play is anyone’s guess.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I have to talk to the coaches. I have to talk to [the Rangers’ General Manager] Glen Sather. I think I will take time to think about it, talk to my parents, especially my dad. He’s a big reason why I play hockey, probably the biggest reason.”
While the Siberian money may be alluring, Jágr hinted that a move from the NHL may not be a preferred option.
“I’ve never liked changes,” he said. “It’s tough.”
If Jágr had reached 84 points this season, his dilemma would not be an issue. Hitting that mark or winning a major NHL award would have automatically added another year to his expiring contract.
Two years ago he came short of winning his second MVP award. He was the runner-up for the trophy after he broke the Rangers’ records for goals (54) and points (123) in a season.
This year Jágr finished with 71 points, yet his inspired play over the final weeks of the regular season and his five-goal, 10-assist outburst in 10 postseason games drove home the point that he still has plenty of hockey left in him.
“You can’t help but endorse Jaromír being here,” Rangers coach Tom Renney told the Canadian sports server TSN.ca. “He was certainly our No. 1 forward at the end of the season.”

František Bouc can be reached at fbouc@praguepost.com


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