| | PITTSBURGH -- Two years ago, the Pittsburgh Pirates' entire payroll was about $10 million. This season, Jaromir Jagr of the
Penguins will make more than that by himself.
| |  | | | Jagr |
Jagr, a three-time NHL scoring champion and the league's top
attraction now that Wayne Gretzky is retired, will make $10,359,852
this season. His salary more than doubled -- he made $4.75 million
last season -- under the terms of the $48 million contract he signed
in January 1998 that runs through 2004.
Jagr's salary is more than twice that of linebacker Levon
Kirkland, the Steelers' highest-paid player with a $4,375,000 base
salary this season.
His salary is about three times that of Pirates outfielder Al
Martin, who made $2.9 million this season, but will be passed up
next season by first baseman Kevin Young. Young will make $6
million in the first year of a $24 million, four-year contract.
Steelers quarterback Kordell Stewart is in the first season of a
$27 million, five-year contract that replaced a contract that was
to expire after the 2000 season. Stewart got an $8.1 million
signing bonus, but agreed to cut his salary from $2 million to
$400,000 this season to help the Steelers stay under the salary
cap.
Stewart would make $6.3 million in 2003, the final year of his
nonguaranteed contract.
Jagr's salary is more than team owner Mario Lemieux ever made in
a season -- Lemieux signed a $42 million, six-year contract in 1992
that was renegotiated several times -- and is about four times that
of any teammate.
"Jaromir Jagr is the best player in the world," said Lemieux,
who carried that distinction himself before retiring from the NHL
two years ago.
"He's certainly gotten better every year, and I would
anticipate that he will continue getting better," Lemieux said.
"He's not a typical player, he's a special player, and he's gotten
better throughout his whole career."
Goaltender Tom Barrasso is the Penguins' second highest-paid
player at $2.717 million. Other Penguins making at least $2 million are
forwards Alexei Kovalev at $2.1 million and Martin Straka at $2 million.
The Penguins have five other players making at least $1 million:
defenseman Darius Kasparaitis, $1.4 million; defenseman Peter
Popovic, $1.4 million; center German Titov, $1.2 million; defenseman
Jiri Slegr, $1.1 million, and forward Matthew Barnaby, $1 million.
The 23 players on the roster for Friday's season opener at
Dallas will make $31.552 million this season, or slightly above the
estimated $30 million budgeted by Lemieux.
The payroll was $33.25 million before general manager Craig
Patrick traded defenseman Kevin Hatcher and his $3.1 million salary
to the New York Rangers for defenseman Peter Popovic, who makes
$1.4 million.
Defenseman John Slaney, a training camp free agent who signed the day before the season started, will make $400,000. Kasparaitis ended his holdout last week and agreed to a $3 million, two-year contract. | |
 |
