Jagr Reaches Pinnacle In Salaries

Jaromir Jagr always wanted to play like Mario Lemieux. Now, he’ll be paid like him.

Jagr, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ brightest star now that Lemieux has retired, agreed Tuesday to a four-year contract extension worth $38 million that will at least temporarily make him the NHL’s highest-paid player.

The total value of what now becomes a six-year contract is $48 million. Jagr will make $5.1 million this season and $4.75 million next year under his old contract before his salary climbs to $9.5 million in the 1999-2000 season.

The NHL scoring leader would become the league’s first $10 million-a-year player when he makes $10.4 million in 2003-04, though another player probably will have long since eclipsed that figure by then.

Currently, the NHL’s top contracts belong to Philadelphia’s Eric Lindros and Anaheim’s Paul Kariya, who will make $8.5 million next season. Both could be making $10 million each even before Jagr’s extension kicks in.

Cold medicine gets icy reception

A cold and allergy medicine may get NHL players into trouble at the Olympics, according to Sports Illustrated.

Two NHL trainers estimate that 20 percent of the league’s players use Sudafed, an over-the-counter antihistamine. The medicine contains pseudoephedrine, a stimulant banned by the IOC.

“It’s the NHL’s dirty little secret,” SI wrote in this week’s issue, reporting an unidentified former coach said one of his players took as many as 20 before games.

Sharks player fined

The National Hockey League suspended San Jose Sharks forward Tony Granato two games and fined him $1,000 for a high-sticking and tripping incident against Edmonton Oilers defenseman Dan McGillis on Friday.