Jaromir Jagr
Jaromir Jagr, born in the Czech Republic in a city called Kladno, was one of the NHL's elite players during the 1990s, his performance slipped for much of the 2000s. He has regained much of his old form during the 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 seasons, finishing second in the Art Ross Trophy race in the former. Jagr was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins with the fifth overall pick in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft. He was a supporting player with the powerhouse Penguins that won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1991 and 1992. He was the youngest player in NHL history, at 19 years of age, to score a goal in the Stanley Cup finals. Jagr currently holds a lot of NHL records that he has amassed throughout his storied career. He is one of the most proficient goal-scorers in the game and has shown leadership skills, too. After Pittsburgh, Jagr was traded to the Washington Capitals. The Caps signed Jagr to a lucrative deal, the largest in NHL history, $77 million over 7 years at an average salary of $11 million per year, with an option for an eighth year. After moderate success with the Capitals, Jagr was moved to the New York Rangers for Anson Carter and an agreement that Washington would pay approximately four million dollars per year of Jagr's salary. Jagr also agreed to defer (with interest) $1 million per year for the remainder of his contract to allow the trade to go ahead. Due to the new collective bargaining agreement signed before the start of the 2005-06 season, Jagr’s salary was subsequently reduced to $7.8 million, the maximum allowed under the terms of the new salary cap. On October 5, 2006 before the first game of the 2006-07 NHL season, Jagr was announced as the new captain of the New York Rangers, replacing Mark Messier, who retired before the 2005-06 season. He led the New York Rangers to a sweep of the Atlanta Thrashers in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. The Rangers would fall to the Buffalo Sabres in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Jagr won the Hart Trophy once in 1999 and was a finalist for it several other years, including 1995, 1998, 2000, 2001 and 2006. He has won several Art Ross trophies, including 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001. Jagr is well in line for several NHL records, including most consecutive 30-goal seasons. He is one of the game's most reliable scorers. Jagr is a huge part of the reason that the New York Rangers are successful and has given a lift to each NHL team he has played on. As the captain of the Rangers now, who knows what the future holds for Jagr. He may well shock and surprise many hockey fans in his final few seasons and close out an amazing career with a flurry of activity. Jagr is still a player to watch and is still one of the most creative offensive players in the league.
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