Jaromir Jagr signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Calgary Flames on Wednesday.
The 45-year-old right wing could earn an additional $1 million in bonuses, Sportsnet reported.
"I'm glad I'm here. I want to say thanks to the Calgary Flames organization," Jagr said. "They gave me a chance to play at least one more year in the NHL. I've been in the NHL for so many years … I don't even know how many. I started when I was 18. I'm 45. I love this game. I love the NHL. I was waiting for such a long time. This summer was a different summer than I was used to. I didn't know if I was ever going to play here. Thank you, Calgary Flames, for giving me the opportunity."
Jagr, who was in Calgary and will not play in the season opener at the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday (10 p.m. ET; SN, TVA Sports, NHL.TV), expects to skate on the third or fourth line.
Flames coach Glen Gulutzan was coach of the Dallas Stars when Jagr played for them in 2012-13.
"When I had him in Dallas, he was fantastic for our group," Gulutzan said Monday. "He was effective. He's a big body. He's fantastic below the circles. Hockey IQ like you've never seen. Hands. He was real good. We ended up moving him at the end of that year to a playoff team (the Boston Bruins), but I can say he was really good for our group in Dallas."
The St. Louis Blues made an offer to Jagr over the weekend but were informed he was going in another direction, general manager Doug Armstrong told the Post-Dispatch on Monday.
The Florida Panthers on July 1 decided not to re-sign Jagr, who had 46 points (16 goals, 30 assists) in 82 games last season.
"We watched a lot of his shifts from last year,'' general manager Brad Treliving told the Flames website Wednesday. "Correction, we watched all of his shifts from last year. He still has that ability inside the blue line to hold on to pucks. His mind is at an elite level. He still makes plays.
"Is pace his strongest asset? No, but then you figure how you support speed around him and ultimately allow him to bring his assets into play. He's different than other guys at 45 who depend primarily on pace. If you don't know what Jaromir Jagr's all about by now you haven't been paying attention.
"We want to get better. We feel he can make us better. So you do the deal."
Calgary will be the ninth NHL team Jagr has played for but his first in Canada.
"When I decided last minute where I wanted to go, it was a big factor also," he said. "I always said in Czech newspaper that it's 99.9 percent this might be my last season. I wanted to get the experience so I can say I've played for a Canadian team. So I'm here."
Among his teammates with the Flames will be forward Matthew Tkachuk, the son of former NHL player Keith Tkachuk. Jagr was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins with the No. 5 pick in the 1990 NHL Draft. Keith Tkachuk, who retired in 2010, was chosen by the Winnipeg Jets with the No. 19 pick in the 1990 draft.
"I think to kind of put it in perspective, he came into the League and I was five years away from even being a thought," Matthew Tkachuk said Monday. "It's crazy to think about. He was winning MVPs before I was born, winning Cups before I was born."
Jagr became the third player in NHL history to score 750 goals, joining Gordie Howe (801) and Wayne Gretzky (894), on Oct. 20. Exactly two months later, he scored his 1,888th NHL point to pass Mark Messier for second behind Gretzky (2,857). On Feb. 15, his 45th birthday, Jagr scored his 1,900th NHL point.
"You can't underscore … the word I'll use is presence,'' Treliving said. "When you've done what he's done in the game, it's there. Non-negotiable. You carry it around with you 24/7. You're just naturally going to have people watching. That goes with being Jaromir Jagr.
"Could this seem to be a little on steroids, playing in Canada? Probably. But I'm guessing there's not too much this guy hasn't seen in the game.
"The attention, he's earned. And it's something we talked about extensively, but not in a negative way. How does it impact us? How do we not make it into too big of a deal and get us off course?
"You look at the on-ice piece and you look at assimilating him into your room.
"You prepare, you discuss, you analyze, you talk and then at the end of the day you act. We've acted."
Jagr (1,914 points) has played 23 NHL seasons. Voted one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players presented by Molson Canadian last season, he is third in goals (765), fifth in assists (1,149) and fourth in games played (1,711) in League history. He also holds the NHL record for most game-winning goals (135). He won the Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 1991 and 1992, and was chosen for the NHL All-Rookie Team in 1990-91 after he had 57 points (27 goals, 30 assists) in 80 games.
Jagr won the Hart Trophy as League MVP for the 1998-99 season, the Art Ross Trophy as scoring champion in 1994-95 and four straight seasons from 1997-2001, and the Masterton Trophy for perseverance in 2016. He has been selected for the NHL All-Star Game 13 times and voted to the NHL First All-Star Team seven times.
Jagr has scored more than 20 goals in a season 19 times in his NHL career, including each of his first 17, 30 or more goals 15 times, more than 40 goals six times, and more than 50 goals three times, including an NHL career-high 62 in 1995-96.
Jagr has scored more than 100 points in a season five times in his NHL career but none since 2005-06, when he had 123 (54 goals, 69 assists) in 82 games. He has played for the Panthers, New York Rangers, Penguins, New Jersey Devils, Boston Bruins, Stars, Philadelphia Flyers and Washington Capitals, and has 201 points (78 goals, 123 assists) in 208 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
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