Jaromir Jagr Is A Freak Of Nature
During the early years of his career there were a lot of people that didn’t like Jaromir Jagr. I admit I was one of them. Sure, he had insane skills and scored goals in bunches but there was just something off-putting about him. Maybe it was the mullet. Maybe it was the fact that he always played for teams I hated. For years I would rant at length about my hatred for Jaromir Jagr and how he was a disgrace to the greatest sport on the planet.
I was wrong. Dead wrong. Jaromir Jagr is a man. He’s everything that’s great about hockey and the personification of why NHL players are the toughest athletes on the planet. Let’s review: Jaromir Jagr is two months away from this 44th birthday. He’s not only playing in the NHL but playing *well* with 10 goals and 14 assists for 24 points in 31 games. He’s leading the team in points. He’s given the up and coming Florida Panthers the most incredible ‘veteran leadership’ that you’re ever going to see in the NHL. Young guys like Aaron Ekblad and Aleksander Barkov don’t just have a ‘solid pro’ in the room they’ve got a freakin’ legend.
Lest we forget, Jaromir Jagr doesn’t need this. He isn’t some cautionary tale about piddling away your talent or your money. Jagr has 732 NHL goals. At the end of his career he’ll be looking up at only two men on the NHL’s all time goals scored list–some guy named ‘Gretzky’ and some guy named ‘Howe’. And–oh by the way–Jagr was the 1990’s poster child for huge contracts. He has over $100 million in the bank. He doesn’t have to do *anything* he doesn’t want for the rest of his life.
Yet Jagr puts himself through the grind of a NHL season. Not just hanging on as a nostalgia act but as a viable player. You can’t ignore one of the most prolific scorers in NHL history. He can put the puck in the net or he can be a decoy. And lest you doubt that hockey players are the toughest athletes in the world–last night Jagr took a high stick to the face. He fell to the ice in a bloody mess and came up with four teeth missing. A NBA player that suffered this injury would have missed the entire season. But this 44 year old man with a nine figure bank account balance *stayed in the game*.
All hail Jaromir Jagr.