Jagr Relishes Homecoming in Czech League PRAGUE - Nearly 30 years since he began playing junior hockey in the unheralded, blue-collar city of Kladno, Jaromir Jagr has not forgotten his roots. Locked out for the third time in his N.H.L. career, he returned to his hometown to play. N.H.L. training camps were scheduled to open Friday, and Jagr, 40, was supposed to be putting on the green, black and gold of the Dallas Stars. Instead he is in the navy blue and gold of the Knights of Kladno, the Czech Extraliga franchise he began his career with and now owns. On Wednesday night, he received a heartfelt welcome from nearly 16,000 fans at the O2 Arena in Prague in his first game in the Czech league since he played for Kladno for 17 games in 2004 during the last lockout. He contributed an assist and was a catalyst in numerous offensive opportunities during a 3-2 loss to H.C. Slavia. "I'm very sad that this situation has happened," Jagr said of the dispute between the N.H.L. and its players. I don't have many games left in the N.H.L., and it's kind of sad for me, but I understand it's for the future of the game. He said: "Everybody is going to lose - players, owners, and fans. I think hockey was going in the right direction, but it's kind of a tough fight when millionaires are fighting billionaires. Joining Jagr on the Kladno roster are Tomas Plekanec of the Montreal Canadiens, Jiri Tlusty of the Carolina Hurricanes and Marek Zidlicky of the Devils. Roman Cervenka of the Calgary Flames and Vladimir Sobotka of the St. Louis Blues dressed for Slavia on Wednesday. They are among the first group of N.H.L. players opting to play overseas since the owner-imposed lockout took effect last weekend. "We're just the first wave, but from my side it's kind of understandable because I want to help my own club," Jagr said. He added, "Other players don't have as much responsibility, but I know many of them will probably come back to the clubs where they learned to play." Jagr purchased majority ownership of his hometown franchise before last season and made substantial changes, including implementing a new training camp philosophy and rebranding of the team's name and logo. "If it wasn't for him, there would be no hockey in this town," said Plekanec, who like Jagr grew up in Kladno. He basically saved this franchise. The Knights" home game Wednesday was moved from the team's aging facility in Kladno, about 19 miles northwest of Prague, to the modern O2 Arena in the capital to accommodate nearly twice the number of fans. Free buses were provided for the approximately 40-minute trip. "It's special for me, it's special for everyone in Kladno, and you could really see it here," said Jagr, who led the Czech Republic to an Olympic gold medal and two world championships. Nobody really has sold out this arena, and we did it tonight. But it took an act of cooperation from the N.H.L. to make the game happen. The six N.H.L. players were nearly unable to play because they were waiting for their international transfer cards to be processed. The procedure requires obtaining signatures from the incoming and outgoing national hockey federations, which assure that the player is not in violation of any contractual obligations. Jagr said come Wednesday morning the players did not know if they would be able to play. "We were ready to cancel this game," he said. To expedite the process, Jagr had made a late phone call Tuesday to his former Rangers teammate Brendan Shanahan, who is now an N.H.L. vice president. "I have to say thanks to Brendan Shanahan who helped me a lot," Jagr said. Shanahan did a great job and put Gary Bettman and Bill Daly on the phone, and eventually we were able to play. It remains to be seen when Jagr will play again in the N.H.L., where he ranks first among active players with 665 goals and 1,653 points. But it is clear that his ambitions have restored hope for hockey in Kladno. "When he took over last year, I'd say a new era began," said Michal Stepanek, 27, a member of the Knights fan club. I see the future in bright colors, and I think there is no better person in Czech sports who could be the face of a company or team like Jaromir Jagr.