It was one of the greatest in the modern era but Jaromir Jagr couldn't find an NHL willing to provide him with a suitable contract. He likely wasn't looking for someone to match the 2-year, $35 million offer he received from the new Russian league but something reflective of his skills. But the collective agreement works against players like Jagr. Any player over 35 who is signed by a team will count against that team's salary cap EVEN IF HE RETIRES.
So if you sign Jagr for 3 years at $6 million per year and he calls it quits after 2, that final $6 million will go against your salary cap. So teams are cautious when signing older free agents and will prefer to only offer 1 year at a time.
Even when Jagr was an up-and-coming junior, the puck seemed magnetically drawn to his stick. His size 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds made him tough to knock around, while his incredible touch, speed and creativity combine brilliantly to made him an almost unstoppable offensive force. His skills have propelled his teams, whether in the NHL or international play to titles and championships.
NHL scouts were intrigued, but many teams were hesitant to use a high draft pick to select Jagr. Unlike other highly rated standouts from his homeland such as Petr Nedved, Jagr was still in Czechoslovakia. He still had a year remaining on his contract with Kladno, after which he would have to perform two to three years of military service before he would be available to sign with a North American team, assuming that Kladno did not then hold him for a king's ransom. The Penguins took a chance because they already had Mario Lemiuex as their franchise player so they took him 5th overall in 1990.
Considering he is only 36 and still very productive, if he had stayed in the NHL, he might have moved up considerably in several statistical areas.
Awards
NHL All-Rookie Team (1991)
NHL First All-Star Team (1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2006)
Art Ross Trophy (1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001)
NHL Second All-Star Team (1997)
Lester B. Pearson Award (1999, 2000, 2006)
Hart Memorial Trophy (1999)
WC-A All-Star Team (2004)
Played in NHL All-Star Game (1992, 1993, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004)
Stats
Career points: 1599 (9th)
Career goals: 646 (12th)
Career assists: 953 (13th)
Career playoff points: 181 (11th)
Career playoff goals: 77 (11th)
Career playoff assists: 104 (20th)
Powerplay goals: 181 (22nd)
Game winning goals: 112 (2nd)
