Jaromir Jagr

In 1990, Jagr was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the NHL's entry draft with the fifth pick in the first round. When he was drafted, he did not have to defect, marking the first time the Czechoslovakian government allowed a player to attend the draft. He signed a three-year deal worth $3.8 million, and joined the Penguins that fall, playing alongside boyhood hero Lemieux.

Jagr's rookie season was memorable for a number of reasons. On the ice, he scored twenty-seven goals and thirty assists—third among NHL rookies—and won the Stanley Cup with the Penguins. He used his size (6'2", 228 lbs.) to his advantage. His coach during part of his rookie season was Scotty Bowman. Bowman who told E. M. Swift of Sports Illustrated, "He's a different player than the league has seen in a long time. … His skating style and strength make him almost impossible to stop one-on-one. A lot of big guys play with their sticks tight to their bodies and don't use that reach to their advantage like Jaromir does."

Off the ice, Jagr found the transition to life in the United States difficult. He did not yet speak the language,

Jaromir Jagr

though he was learning it from television. While the Penguins placed him with a Czech family in the city, he missed his own family and friends. During the season, the team traded for an elder Czech—Jiri Hrdina—to translate for him and help him make the transition as a player and away from the rink. But each summer in the 1990s, Jagr would return to his native country and train.