Jaromir Jagr heads home, inks deal with Czech club he co-owns
NHL great placed on unconditional waivers by Flames last weekend
NHL great Jaromir Jagr signed a deal Wednesday with a team he co-owns in the Czech Republic.
The move comes a couple days after the Calgary Flames placed the forward on unconditional waivers to terminate his contract.
The club confirmed the contract between Jagr and the Kladno Knights in the second-tier Czech league has been signed but no details have been immediately available. Jagr planned a news conference in Kladno for Thursday.
Kladno, just west of the capital Prague, is Jagr's hometown.
The 45-year-old Jagr had only a goal and six assists in 22 games for Calgary after signing a one-year, $1 million US contract on Oct. 4 as an unrestricted free agent. He hasn't played since Dec. 31 because of what the team called a lower-body injury.
Jagr might play for the Knights as soon as Saturday but Kladno spokesman Vit Heral has not yet confirmed that.
In a message to his fans on Facebook, Jagr said one of his knees started to get swollen two months ago and his condition has not improved. He said he skated only once in the past month and wanted to consult a leading local expert, Pavel Kolar, on that problem.