Let me get this straight, free agent Jaromir Jagr spurns the Penguins' contract offer in favor of an offer that pays him MORE MONEY, and the team is "shocked" and "livid" over Jagr's decision. The Penguins had faith that Jagr would accept their offer because of his loyalty and admiration for Mario Lemieux, his wanting to make things right with the fans of Pittsburgh, and the desire to see his #68 jersey (er, sorry, "sweater") raised to the Consol Energy Center's rafters.
Really?
This is a pro athlete, guys. It's all about the money. It is always about the money. That the Pens brain trust is surprised over this tells me that perhaps they are not as sharp and astute as everyone always credits them. What is even more surprising is that Mario Lemieux, who knows a thing or two about collecting all of his money, is playing the victim here.
I'll leave it to the hockey experts to decide whether or not signing a 40 year old maybe-not-over-the-hill-but-clearly-on-the-downside-of-his-career player was the right move, but please don't act hurt over Jagr's spurning of Saint Mario, or being surprised that he would sign with - gasp! - the Flyers just because they offered him more money.
During a phone interview before the 2009 KHL All-Star game in Moscow, Jagr was asked about returning to the NHL, specifically to play for the Penguins and owner Lemieux. His response:
ReplyDelete“I would play for the minimum salary. I would play for $350,000 just for him because I owe him my hockey life. I want to pay him back because he has made me what I am…besides my parents.”
...not to say he doesn't have the right to change his mind, but when you imply that money would not be a factor and you have underlying reasons (loyalty? gratitude?), you should expect a backlash for snubbing that same team/owner at the first opportunity. Clearly he went for the biggest payday, but there was no need to string the Pens/Lemieux along in the process if that was his intent. He simply added insult to injury...
You're not coming up with any groundbreaking ideas regarding greed and the modern-day athlete. It's a well-documented fact, and a complete shame. However, it appears you're showing your ignorance of the Jagr/Pens situation, IMO.
I have never claimed to be an expert on hockey, but if you tell me that you buy into something Jagr said in 2009 in Moscow about how much he "owed" Mario, then you, too, are showing a degree of naivete (a much nicer word than "ignorance") over the Jagr/Pens situation. Especially if you really believe that any athlete of Jagr's stature would ever agree to play for a minimum salary.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, and I apologize for poor word choice there.
ReplyDeleteI don't think anyone expected Jagr to play for the league minimum (myself included), which is why the Pens offered him a VERY fair 1-year, $2 million dollar deal. To reject that offer after his previous comments (regardless of when/how they were offered up) and sign with the team's rival seems like an affront, even for someone with Jagr's track record.
I think it was silly for anyone to get legitimately excited about Jagr coming back here. Sure, in theory it sounded "neat", but I think everyone is better off for having avoided his return. Especially the Pens organization.