FanShot

Jagr Blames Pens & Pittsburgh Media for Traitor Stamp

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Jagr says the way the Penguins acted actually made him look bad in the eyes of their fans. He felt that the Penguins never really wanted him and their offer was more of a publicity stunt instead. "Reporters started writing about Pittsburgh being an option for me months ago. But even by the draft the Penguins hadn’t shown any interest in me. They noticed me only after when the reporters had started writing about me. Suddenly they realized that the fans in Pittsburgh wanted me to return. After that, it was all calculated. They gave me an offer they knew would be the worst or one of the worst I’d get. They knew about the offers from other teams. They knew that I would turn them down. But the result looks like I refused to go there and they tried to get me. So the fans thought I was an idiot and eventually a traitor." When it comes to asking price, there’s one thing in particular that disappointed the Penguins fans who wanted to see Jagr return to Pittsburgh. During his playing days in Russia, Jagr once said that he would be willing to return to play for his old friend’s Mario Lemieux’s Penguins for the minimum salary. "Sure. What can I say? I think it’s a bit silly to make a connection between that statement and the current situation. It’s a bit out of context. It’s like before the wedding you’d tell your bride that you’ll never leave her. And then a month later something happens and you get a divorce."