Today, a very special happy birthday is in order for one of the best hockey players of all-time. Jaromir Jagr is 50 years young today. He might have a number assigned to his age, but he is an ageless wonder. Almost half of his life was spent in the NHL with 24 seasons accrued, 1,733 games played, 766 goals, 1155 assists, and 1,921 points. He is also still playing hockey in his native Czech Republic. His NHL might have ended in 2017-18 at the age, yet here he is still putting up points trying to get the team he owns into the playoffs. Still with the same sense of humor all these years later.
Not in the story, but once while watching Jagr shoot his plastic donut contraption against the wall, I said he, and not the Dos Equis guy was, "the most interesting man in the world."
— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) February 14, 2022
Without hesitation, he replied, "I don't always drink beer, but when I do, I drink CORONA!" https://t.co/837w47rqn2
This season, Jagr has scored 19 points (eight goals, 11 assists) in 35 games. Recently he's been more of a part-time player, part-time unofficial assistant after being sidelined with minor injuries and returning Jan. 30. He played 9:40, skating on the fourth line, and had two shots on goal, but was held without a point in Kladno's 6-4 win against Brno on Sunday. "I had some injuries, but our team played very well, so I didn't want to step in," Jagr said. "I like to teach the players, give them what I learned. So when I play on the fourth line or sometimes when I don't play, I've got more time for the players or for the kids with me to tell them what I've learned and just help them that way. And I like it." One of my favorite things from the article is how Jagr passive aggressively shamed Barkov into working out more
Panthers center Aleksander Barkov had a similar experience when he bumped into Jagr in the hotel hallway after playing video games one night. "I see him walking with a weighted vest, ankle weights, and hockey stick in the hotel [and he's] asking me, 'Where are you going?'" Barkov said. "I'm like, 'Sleep.' He's like, 'See? You go sleep. I go work out.' And then he left, and I think that was one of the turning points in my career. Then I started actually working out more. "So that teaches a lot."
Jagr famously works hard and loves hockey. You have to if you are still playing professionally at age 50. The love of hockey doesn’t just extend to his own personal enjoyment. He has the pressure of keeping his Kladno team afloat for the local community. If he goes, so does the funding and the youth programs won’t have the current secure flow of money to support the programs. Jagr is pushing himself past 50 to keep those arrangements in place.
Jagr acknowledged concerns about losing sponsors as "other stuff" affecting his decision to play, but said he also feels an obligation to Kladno's junior program, which is part of his responsibilities as owner. "Here, when you have a professional team, you have all the categories, the kids category, under you," he said. "You've got to have it if you want to have a professional team. … So you've got always 450 kids that you're responsible for." Cheers to one of the best players and characters the sport has ever seen. Here’s to 50 more, Jaromir.
It is also a big day for current Penguins. They will host the Philadelphia Flyers and Sidney Crosby will take his 49 goals and his 117 points in 78 games played versus the Flyers into action tonight. Crosby is sitting on 499 goals. A home game against the Flyers for 50 and 500 goals? I would take the action on him scoring tonight.
We’ve come a long way since October 14th of 2005 when Crosby played his first game against the Flyers and earned his first goal against his then and future rival. To put some context on this goal both Simon Gagne and Peter Forsberg had four points in the Flyers 6-5 overtime win. The third star was a guy named Mario Lemieux. John LeClair had a goal in the game, but for the Penguins. The primary assist on Crosby’s first Flyers goals? Lyle Odelein. It was a different time and highlights just how long Crosby has been doing his thing. Guys like Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and Lebron James come into the league as megastars and actually somehow pull off the rare feat of exceeding the hype. Sidney Crosby has done the same.
Penguins and Flyers. All eyes on Sid. He rarely disappoints.
Thanks for reading!