Jagr, Jaromir

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Jaromir Jagr

1972-

Czech hockey player

Playing with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Czech Jaromir Jagr established himself as one of the greatest, most dynamic scorers in the National Hockey League (NHL) in the 1990s. Though he had a reputation for being temperamental and moody, and letting these aspects negatively affect his game, the right winger was still a star. He won two Stanley Cups with the Penguins his rookie and sophomore seasons, as well as a gold medal with the Czech Republic at the 1998 Winter Olympic Games. Jagr forced a trade to the Washington Capitals in 2001, where he did not play as well as he had in Pittsburgh.

Jagr was born on February 15, 1972, in Kladno, in what was then Czechoslovakia, the son of Jaromir (a coal mine administrator and farmer) and Anna Jagr. Both his grandparents and parents suffered under the Communist regime that ruled his country at the time. Both of his grandfathers were jailed for some time. When Jagr became a professional, he wore the number 68 in honor of the Prague Spring, the failed 1968 attempt of his countrymen to rid themselves of the Soviets.

Hockey was one way of getting a better way of life in the Communist country. Jagr began skating at the age of four, and soon became consumed by hockey. As a child, he played on three different teams, usually against older players to improve his skills. When he reached the age of eight, he was playing in multiple games on weekends after practicing for hours daily. His skills attracted much attention, and he was raised in the Czechoslovakia system that produced many future NHL players. One of Jagr's heroes as a teenager was future teammate and consummate goal scorer in his own right, Mario Lemieux .

Turned Professional

When Jagr was sixteen years old, he became a professional hockey player. He signed with Poldi Kladno, which played in the Czech Elite League, the best league in the country. In Jagr's first season, he scored only eighteen points in thirty-nine games. But in his second season, 1988-89, he played in fifty-one games, posting an impressive thirty goals and fifty-nine points. Jagr also got some international exposure. When he was seventeen, he played on the Czech national team at the 1990 World Championships. The Czech team beat Team Canada in at least one game. These numbers and this exposure got Jagr noticed by the National Hockey League.

Drafted by the Penguins

In 1990, Jagr was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the NHL's entry draft with the fifth pick in the first round. When he was drafted, he did not have to defect, marking the first time the Czechoslovakian government allowed a player to attend the draft. He signed a three-year deal worth $3.8 million, and joined the Penguins that fall, playing alongside boyhood hero Lemieux.

Jagr's rookie season was memorable for a number of reasons. On the ice, he scored twenty-seven goals and thirty assists—third among NHL rookies—and won the Stanley Cup with the Penguins. He used his size (6'2", 228 lbs.) to his advantage. His coach during part of his rookie season was Scotty Bowman . Bowman who told E. M. Swift of Sports Illustrated, "He's a different player than the league has seen in a long time. … His skating style and strength make him almost impossible to stop one-on-one. A lot of big guys play with their sticks tight to their bodies and don't use that reach to their advantage like Jaromir does."

Off the ice, Jagr found the transition to life in the United States difficult. He did not yet speak the language,

though he was learning it from television. While the Penguins placed him with a Czech family in the city, he missed his own family and friends. During the season, the team traded for an elder Czech—Jiri Hrdina—to translate for him and help him make the transition as a player and away from the rink. But each summer in the 1990s, Jagr would return to his native country and train.

Improved as a Pro

As Jagr grew more comfortable and matured as a player, his numbers also grew. In his sophomore year, he had thirty-two goals and thirty-seven assists. The Penguins again won the Stanley Cup, his last with the Penguins, though the team would make the playoffs every year in the 1990s. Before his third year, Jagr wanted a renegotiated contract, because a player of similar age and stature, Eric Lindros , was making fifteen times more than him. (At the time, Jagr was only making $200,000 year in base salary.) He went to the media with his salary complaints.

Over the next two seasons, Jagr continued to improve. In 1992-93, he had thirty-four goals and sixty assists. In 1993-94 had thirty-two goals and sixty-seven assists. By the mid-1990s, Jagr had to step up as Lemieux, the acknowledged leader of the team, had injury and health issues, including bad back pain and cancer. Jagr, like Lemieux, had to fight the clutching and grabbing that was common in the NHL at this time.

At the beginning of the 1994-95 season, the NHL players went on strike. During the strike, Jagr played for his old team in Czechoslovakia. Appearing in only eleven games, he posted twenty-two points. When the NHL season started, Jagr returned to score thirty-two goals and thirty-eight assists in the strike-shortened season. This gave him his first Art Ross Trophy as the league's leading scorer. This was a hint of his future scoring explosion. Jagr was finally becoming the star that many thought he could be.

Breakout Season

In 1995, Jagr signed a five-year deal worth $19.5 million. To continue his comfort zone in Pittsburgh, he moved his mother over to live with him during the season. His first season under his new contract was his breakout year. In eighty-two games, he had sixty-two goals and eighty-seven assists. This set a new record for a right wing as well as for a European-bred player.

Jagr could not match these numbers in 1996-97 because he was out part of the season with an injury. Though he appeared in sixty-three games, he did manage ninety-five points with a high shooting percentage of 20.09. When Lemieux retired in 1997, the Penguins became Jagr's team, further forcing his maturation process. He returned to form in 1997-98, when he again won the Art Ross Trophy.

In 1998, Jagr played for the Czech team in the 1998 Winter Olympic games in Nagano Japan. The team won the gold, with Jagr contributing one goal and six assists in the tournament. During the 1998-99 season, he became the Penguins' captain, and again won the Art Ross Trophy with forty-four goals and eighty-three assists. Despite a groin injury, Jagr played in the playoffs.

By 1999, Jagr was one of the most recognized players in the world. Relatively media shy, he became a little accommodating of the media as he posted impressive numbers. He also had a new contract that was the biggest in the league, $42 million over six years. Jagr did not let the off-ice distraction of the Penguins being in bankruptcy court throw him off his game. The team was saved by Lemieux who became part-owner.

In 1999-2000, Jagr was again dominant, especially at the beginning of the season. In his first thirty-nine games, he put up thirty-two goals. Jagr continued to make the players who played with him better, and again earned the scoring title. In 2000-01 season, Jagr had a Czech coach, Ivan Hlinka, but the pair did not get along during Hlinka's short-lived tenure. Jagr got to play with Lemieux again when he returned as a player in December, but Jagr twice asked to be traded. He still won the Art Ross Trophy, scoring fifty-two goals and sixty-nine assists, but was unhappy in Pittsburgh.

Traded to Washington

After the 2000-01 season ended, Jagr was traded from the Penguins, who could not afford him. He went to the Washington Capitals for three prospects and $4.9 million in cash. The Capitals hoped Jagr would increase their chances of winning the Stanley Cup. (The team last made it to the Cup finals in 1998 when they were swept by the Detroit Red Wings.)

Though Jagr got his wish and was traded, he was still unhappy. In his first two seasons, he did not play well. During the 2001-02 season, he had a knee injury, and while he played through it, he did not have the same scoring touch. After playing for the Czech Republic during the 2002 Winter Olympics, Jagr felt he fit in better when he returned to Washington. He signed a contract extension for seven years for $77 million.

Chronology

1972	Born December 15, in Kladno, Czechoslovakia
c. 1976	Begins playing hockey
1987	Turns professional, joining the Poldi Kladno in the Czech Elite League
1990	Drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins; joins them for 1990-91 season; also plays for the Czech national team at the World Championships
1991	Wins Stanley Cup with the Penguins; named to the NHL All-Rookie team
1992	Wins Stanley Cup with the Penguins
1994	Plays for Czechoslovakia in the World Championships
1994-95	Briefly plays for Poldi Kladno in Czechoslovakia and a professional team in Italy during NHL strike
1995-96	Sets record for right wing and European player by scoring 62 goals and 87 assists in 82 games
1998	Wins the Art Ross Trophy; named captain of the Penguins; wins Gold Medal in the Winter Olympic games in Nagano, Japan; appears in the All-Star Game
2001	Traded to the Washington Capitals in the off-season
2002	Plays for the Czech Republic in the Winter Olympics

Awards and Accomplishments

1991	Won Stanley Cup with the Penguins; named to the NHL All-Rookie team
1992	Won Stanley Cup with the Penguins
1995, 1998-2001	Won the Art Ross Trophy as the league's leading scorer
1998	Gold Medal in the Winter Olympic games; appeared in the All-Star Game
1999	Lester B. Pearson Award

During the 2002-03 season, Jagr was again plagued by trade rumors, but ultimately remained in Washington. The team hoped he would return to the kind of player he was in his heyday in Pittsburgh. One of his Penguin coaches, Ed Johnston, told Gerry Callahan of Sports Illustrated, "He knows the game better than anyone on the team. He's very smart out there. He knows the little things, things you can't teach. He knows how to play the angles and how to protect the puck."

CONTACT INFORMATION

Address: c/o Washington Capitals, Market Square North, 401 Ninth St. NW, Suite 750, Washington, D.C. 20004.

Career Statistics

Yr	Team	GP	G	A	PTS	+/−	PIM	SOG	SPCT	PPG	SHG
Capitals: Washington Capitals (NHL); Penguins: Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL).
1990-91	Penguins	80	27	30	57	-4	42	136	19.9	7	0
1991-92	Penguins	70	32	37	69	12	34	194	16.5	4	0
1992-93	Penguins	81	34	60	94	30	61	242	14.0	10	1
1993-94	Penguins	80	32	67	99	15	61	298	10.7	9	0
1994-95	Penguins	48	32	38	70	23	37	192	16.7	8	3
1995-96	Penguins	82	62	87	149	31	96	403	15.4	20	1
1996-97	Penguins	63	47	48	95	22	40	234	20.1	11	2
1997-98	Penguins	77	35	67	102	17	64	262	13.4	7	0
1998-99	Penguins	81	44	83	127	17	66	12.8	12.8	10	1
1999-2000	Penguins	63	42	54	96	25	50	290	14.5	10	0
2000-01	Penguins	81	52	69	121	19	42	317	16.4	14	1
2001-02	Capitals	69	31	48	79	0	30	197	15.7	10	0
TOTAL		875	470	688	1158	207	623	3108	15.5	120	9

Related Biography: Hockey Player Jiri Hrdina

One of the players who eased Jagr's transition into the NHL was fellow Czech Jiri Hrdina, who did not begin playing in the NHL himself until the age of 30. He began playing hockey growing up in Mlada Boleslav, Czechoslovakia. In the early 1980s, he was recruited to play for Sparta Praha, in Prague, and soon became an important player on the team as a center. He also played with his native country in several world championships and Olympics. After the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Hrdina signed with the NHL's Calgary Flames. He was traded to the Penguins to guide Jagr in the 1990-91 season, and won two Stanley Cups with the team in 1991 and 1992. Hrdina retired after the 1992 season, and later worked as a NHL scout.