It’s easy to see why hockey fans don’t gather
en masse to celebrate superstar NHLers until they’re at or are nearing the end of their careers. The tribal nature of the business makes many of them more than a little reticent to offer praise and admiration for players that, more than likely, regularly victimized their favorite team on their way to a Hockey Hall of Fame induction. And in many cases, it’s the consistency of excellence and the bigger picture that sets true icons apart from the majority of the pack, leaving fans unable or unwilling to fully appreciate stars until after they’ve filed retirement papers.
But every so often, a set of circumstances arise that afford the public the opportunity to say thanks to a special player who’s still competing at level he’s proud of. And that’s where we are today with Jaromir Jagr. Three months after celebrating his 44th birthday, Jagr signed a one-year contract Thursday to play the 2016-17 season with the Florida Panthers, bringing to 24 the number of NHL seasons he’ll have participated in. This past year with Florida, the Czech winger produced an astonishing (for his age, at least) 27 goals and 66 points in 79 games, and now sits third in league history in regular-season points, third-overall in career regular season goals, first-overall in regular-season overtime goals, and fifth-overall in career playoff points.
In other words, Jagr isn’t just a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer – he’s got the hockey equivalent of the Nexus border speed pass to be honored. At the same time, he’s carved out a special spot in the hearts of fans via a now-legendary devotion to conditioning and a megawatt smile that’s window into his love of the sport. We don’t need to cheer for one of the eight NHL teams for which he’s played to understand his place in the game’s history, and we shouldn’t wait to let him know until a significant injury or unforeseen event puts an end to his apparent plan to play forever.
No, what needs to be happening is that the NHL ought to be working with all its member clubs to pay tribute to Jagr this coming season. It doesn’t have to be over-the-top, and indeed, it wouldn’t take much for each of the 30 organizations to tip their cap to an individual whose impact on the game is equalled or surpassed by very few.
In fact, all it would take is one night per team.
Now that the NHL has returned to having every team in the league play a home-and-away series with the 29 other franchises, there’s no reason not to have all 30 cities use one night out of the ’16-17 campaign to honor Jagr. The on-ice, pre-game portion of the tribute could be something as simple as the captain of the home team giving Jagr a gift on behalf of the organization – a silver stick, or a key that gives him lifetime access to all NHL team gyms – and each club could focus on the impact Jagr had as a player in its city. When you’ve been in the league a quarter-century, you’re bound to have links with every corner of it, and even in places like Columbus and Carolina, fans would likely be amazed and entertained by playing Six Degrees of Jagr.
But the off-ice component of a Jagr Appreciation Night could be even better. Here’s what I’m thinking: mullets night in 30 different NHL arenas. You could approach it any number of ways, but I’d love to see teams either (a) provide all fans in attendance a souvenir fake hairpiece in honor of his beloved classic 90s hairstyle, and have 16,000 mulleted people watching what could be his last game in their city; or (b) challenge fans to grow their best mullets
and donate to cancer patients the parts of their hair they don’t need for the mullet. Give fans some notice when schedules are released, and let them mullet away throughout the season so that they arrive at the arena with lids that are at once beautiful, hilarious and terrifying. Hire a handful of barbers for each Jagr Appreciation Night and offer fans mullets on-site while donating their hair trimmings to the same cancer charity. This could easily be something that goes culturally viral, and would benefit an obviously worthy cause.
I’m not advocating for Jagr’s famous No. 68 jersey to be retired while he’s still playing. Even Wayne Gretzky had to wait until his final season was over before his No. 99 was hung up, league-wide, for good. But Jagr has been a one-of-a kind presence since he entered the NHL in 1990, and it’d be terrific if he received a one-of-a-kind, extended goodbye.
Giving each of the league’s 30 teams and their fans a chance to express their gratitude for his boundless joy for the game and for thrilling millions around the world would deliver an unforgettable sendoff to an unforgettable talent.
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