The New Jersey Devils may have lost to the Boston Bruins on Monday night, but it was an evening of small victories for Jaromir Jagr.
The 42-year old winger moved into a tie for sixth on the NHL’s all-time goals scored list with Hall of Fame member Mike Gartner when he scored his 708th in the second period. Jagr also surpassed Wayne Gretzky on the all-time games played list, taking sole possession of 17th place with 1,488 appearances.
Jagr has amassed 1,765 points over 21 seasons. He continues to defy the laws of aging this season, having tallied three goals and 10 points in 15 games with the Devils.
Jagr doesn’t age like fine wine. Fine wine ages like Jagr.
Here are several reasons why we celebrate the awesomeness of Jaromir Jagr.
Jagr has almost completed the NHL circle of life
When Jagr debuted with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1990-91 he was the youngest player in the NHL at 18 years of age. Jagr will turn 43 in February, and barring a late-season return to the league from Teemu Selanne or Chris Chelios, he will finish out the campaign as the oldest player in the league.
Whether this season or next proves to be Jagr’s final turn in the NHL, he could join Gordie Howe as the only players to begin a career as the youngest in the league and retire as the oldest. That’s good company.
The Goal versus the Blackhawks in the 1992 Stanley Cup Final
Remember those Chicago Blackhawks teams of the early 1990s that featured Jeremy Roenick, Ed Belfour, and Chelios? Jagr made them look like Pee-Wees on this all-time great goal.
He’s honest
Like his former Boston Bruins teammate David Krejci, Jagr lists his favourite player growing up as… Jaromir Jagr.
He was once virtually unstoppable
In his prime you could knock him down, but you best believe that puck will still find its way to the back of the net.
The hardware
Jagr lays claim to five Art Ross Trophies as the league’s leading scorer (1994-95, 97-98, 98-99, 99-2000, 00-01), a Hart Memorial Trophy as the league’s most valuable player (98-99), and three Lester B. Pearson Trophies as the league’s most outstanding player as voted by the NHLPA (98-99, 99-00, 05-06).
Let’s not forget about two Stanley Cups from his Penguins days. It all adds up to a brilliant career that’s not quite finished.
A great sense of humour
In an era where most NHL players appear to keep their personality tucked into one of the side pockets on their gear bag, Jagr keeps it loose and isn’t afraid to bring the funny.
Jagr wasn’t about to let his former Flyers teammate Ilya Bryzgalov live down an apparent fascination with bears he once displayed in an episode of HBO’s 24/7:
Selfie or photobomb? How about Jagrbomb:
photobomb:
Best Jagrbomb ever? RT @rayfoy4: @NHLDevils @NHL just me and Jagr having fun at the game. #besties #photobomb pic.twitter.com/O1okEvKiea
— NHL (@NHL) March 16, 2014
Ruutu to Tootoo 2-on-1? Sure.
He’s got the highlights
He had his own line of peanut butter
Jagr was the face of a peanut butter brand produced by PLB Sports back in the ’90s. He was given a jar by a Philadelphia media member as a reminder in 2011.
He once played Santa Claus on skates
Complete with a bizzaro voice-over.
Global domination
With stops in Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, and Russia, Jagr has pretty much dominated at every stop along the way.
His training regimen
Jagr’s dedication to keeping his game in top form is the stuff legends are written from.
Take this excerpt from a 2013 Elliotte Friedman piece, in which Flyers equipment manager Derek Settlemyre describes Jagr’s routine:
“The first time I found out [about the late-night routine], I arrived at the rink first thing in the morning…and saw this huge mess of Jagr’s gear soaking wet on the ground. He’s, uh, kind of a messy guy,” Settlemyre said, and you can tell he’s smiling at the memory. “It wouldn’t be like our guys to leave that. So I asked him if he forgot to get his stuff washed. He said, ‘Oh no buddy, that was last night. I came in around 11.’
“We had a key made for him. He would do double workouts, even after games.”
The Hair
Lastly, but certainly not least, it’s the hair.
It’s not too late to petition a return of the mullet as Jagr powers his way through the twilight of his career.
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