Jagr Eyes NHL Return Maybe With Red Wings Or Pens
DETROIT -- Jaromir Jagr is ready make an NHL comeback.
"Quite a few teams are in the picture, but I've been talking to Detroit and Pittsburgh the last couple of days," Petr Svoboda, Jagr's agent, said Tuesday in an interview with the Associated Press. "He is looking for a one-year deal and I think he will have one in the next week or so."
Jagr was the NHL MVP in 1999, a five-time scoring champion and two-time Stanley Cup winner while he was with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He went on to play for the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers.
"They've contacted us and we've expressed an interest," Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said. "We'll continue to stay in touch."
The 39-year-old Jagr hasn't played in the NHL since the 2007-08 season with the Rangers. He left the league to play for Avangard Omsk in Russia, but he and his agent are working on getting a deal done with a team in North America.
The 6-foot-3, 245-pound forward had a hat trick last month in a 4-0 win over the United States in the quarterfinals of the ice hockey world championship, where the Czechs finished fourth.
"He's still got it, for sure," U.S. captain Mark Stuart said. "He's hard to play against. One of the hardest guys ever to take the puck off."
Jagr has 646 goals and 1,599 points in his NHL career, ranking among the game's all-time best. He had 25 goals and 71 points in his last season with the Rangers three years ago when he finished strong with 15 points in 10 playoff games.
The Czech star is one of 25 players with a Stanley Cup and gold medals from the Olympics and world championships.
Copyright 2011 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and The Associated Press is strictly prohibited.
