Jaromir Jagr thinks that the chances of a new CBA will improve once the first month is over. "Everybody knows," said Jagr, "that the first month (of the season) is nothing like a rose garden for the NHL. Only a few make some money, they face huge competition in American football and baseball. The baseball competition is getting into its playoffs, so, one competitor is gone, and the interest will switch to something else. And that something else is hockey. Simply, the first two months (of the season) aren't as interesting for the owners as the rest. It doesn't bother anybody that they're going to lose the first month and a half." We shall see.

Jaromir Jagr ended up playing on Tuesday in Kladno's 4-2 loss to Kometa Brno. He scored one of the team's goals in the loss, with the other going to Montreal blueliner Tomas Kaberle. Tomas Plekanec earned himself two more assists in the defeat. Jagr left a game last Thursday because of an injury, but he was well enough to play less than a week later so he appears to be alright.

Jaromir Jagr left Thursday's Czech Extraliga game in the first period with a suspected injury. He did not return to the contest. Jagr missed some games last season in the NHL due to groin issues, but he managed to make 73 appearances with Philadelphia.

The migration of NHL stars to European hockey leagues has triggered a debate that these NHLers have pushed natives out of jobs, something that has irked Jaromir Jagr, who owns HC Klando in the Czech Republic and also is the leading scorer in the Czech league. "That's absolute nonsense," Jagr argued on Czech public television this week. "You can believe me that the young players now have somebody to learn from. I doubt that I would have ever reached my hockey level if I hadn't had players such as Paul Coffey and Mario Lemieux around me. I learned from them every day." Jagr has signed four other NHL players for Kladno, including Tomas Plekanec of the Montreal Canadiens.

Jaromir Jagr has been playing well in his return to the Czech Republic, scoring two goals for HC Klando, which defeated Ceske Budejovice 6-2. Tomas Plekanec might be the only player who's hotter than Jagr in that league - and he's on the same team. Plekanec also scored a goal in the squad's win on Sunday. Too bad the Montreal Canadiens didn't grant Jagr's wish to sign with the Habs because it seems like the two have some legitimate chemistry.

Jaromir Jagr thanked several key members of the NHL for helping him get the transfer card necessary for him to play for HC Kladno in the Czech Republic. "I have to say thanks to Brendan Shanahan who helped me a lot," Jagr said. "Shanahan did a great job and put Gary Bettman and Bill Daly on the phone, and eventually we were able to play." Jagr owns HC Kladno and it's where he played when he started his hockey career. He also played for HC Kladno during the 2004-05 lockout.

Jaromir Jagr has predictably agreed to play with HC Kladno in the Czech Republic during the NHL lockout. The veteran winger owns the franchise and his father operates it, so he was expected to head there in the event of a lockout. Jagr played for Kladno, and in Russia, when the entire NHL scheduled was canceled in 2004-05.

The Columbus Blue Jackets tried to sign Jaromir Jagr. They offered Jagr a one-year/$4.2 million deal, but he ultimately signed for slightly more with the Dallas Stars. It's not clear if Jagr would have been interested in the Blue Jackets even if they offered more money, but it would have certainly helped Columbus. Jagr's presence wouldn't have been enough to turn the Blue Jackets into a playoff contender, but it might have been enough to attract some extra local attention to the team in the early days of the post-Rick Nash era.

Jaromir Jagr has informed the Dallas Stars that he doesn't need special treatment this season because of his age. The 40-year-old winger wants to practice every day and play frequently. Jagr did battle some fatigue and injuries last season with Philadelphia as the year progressed, but he feels confident in his conditioning. If there's a lockout in the NHL he said he plans to play for Kladno in the Czech Republic, which hammers home his wish to remain active.

Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin declined the opportunity to bid for the services of future Hall of Famer Jaromir Jagr. The 40-year-old Czech signed a one-year, $4.55-million contract with the Dallas Stars, but the folks in the Big D couldn't have been too happy when Jagr got on a conference call to discuss the signing and said Dallas was no better than No. 3 on his list of places to play. He said his first choice was to stay in Philadelphia, where he had 19 goals and 35 assists in 73 games. When the Flyers told him they were heading in a different direction, he said he focused on Montreal. "We can't forget that we have some talented prospects in the system right now that we still have to leave the door open for. Guys like Brendan Gallagher and Louis Leblanc could have a chance at playing in Montreal," Bergevin said. "I'm happy with our team right now. If I can do anything else to improve us further, I definitely will, but I feel good about what we're working with at the moment."