Jagr Watch 2017

[bhaw]

@BizNasty2point0: Hey @BRichards_1991, if you sign with Phoenix you can buy the team. It worked out for Mario. #MakeItRain

[llipgh2]

@BizNasty2point0: Hey @BRichards_1991, if you sign with Phoenix you can buy the team. It worked out for Mario. #MakeItRain

Love it.

[Why Not Us]

I know yinz might not like to admit this, but maybe Ted Leonsis was right about what he said about Jagr when the Caps jetisoned him to the Rangers.

BEPF

Ted Leonsis was spot on with his assessment of Jagr.

Jagr is paranoid -- with a chemical imbalance-- he had gambling issues-- he had IRS issues-- his girlfriend left him and his mother didn't like the area--and he was injured; and he is slow and has too unique of a style of play to fit within a team concept--other than that--he was good to go

[pittsports87]

@BizNasty2point0: Hey @BRichards_1991, if you sign with Phoenix you can buy the team. It worked out for Mario. #MakeItRain

lololololol, thats great.

[llipgh2]

Wow, I agree with Leonsis. The world must be ending.

[spiritfan]

so what would you wish upon Jagr... broken down car at night in south Philly, a rat on a cage attached around Jagr stomach, splinters from Jagr illegal curved stick stuck between his toes, in a fight w/ Brent Johnson, wearing a Cleveland browns jersey to consol arena and his cab get lost on the hill, all of the above

[Big Easy Pens Fan]

To the Flyers:

Be careful what you wish for...

BEPF

[ExPatriatePen]

Phhhheeeeffffftttttt

[Tico Rick]

I think it would be pretty funny if Jagr signed a contract with a KHL team next week.

[ivand87]

This whole thing feels like an old girlfriend from a long time ago who you had forgotten about and long had lost hope on all of a sudden came back to town, teased you for a bit, got you to fall in love with her again and just like that turned around, slapped you in the face, and instead got married to some guy who you really, really hate.

Seriously, why and how did we even want Jagr back in the first place? I was always a Jagr apologist, but no more. His attitude sucked. How does a captain tell the media he's "dying alive"?! How does that happen? He was never a real leader. He never had character. Sure, he had so much skill that at times he did put it in the effort that you'd expect from your captain in a few playoff series, but unlike Mario and Crosby, he never got it done all the way. He never led us to a Cup. So screw it. It doesn't even hurt that much when you think about it. If Mario or Sid had done this instead, THEN I'd be pissed.

Jagr was just a spoiled kid who got to play on some great teams in the early 90's and became an offensive juggernaut of a player - but it was all skill. He lacked heart. He lacked motivation. He feuded with coaches left and right. He didn't know how to handle the media. He never was a good defensive player. He was one-dimensional. He never hit anyone. He didn't play tough. He lacked what was needed to REALLY be considered one of the all-time greatest players ever. Sure, he put up the numbers. But stats don't tell the whole story. He doesn't have a Conn Smythe. Never had a shot to begin with. If Ron Francis hadn't left in 1998, he might have never been captain because he wasn't real captain material. He's like Ovechkin - except Ovechkin plays with much more of an edge. So screw Jagr and the horse he rode in on. It's fitting that a treacherous filthy dog would finish his career in Filthadelphia.

And that's all I have to say about him. I'm throwing my Jagr jersey away. Good f***ing riddance.

[GJ]

Meanwhile, Crosby skates and life goes on.

[ExPatriatePen]

This whole thing feels like an old girlfriend from a long time ago who you had forgotten about and long had lost hope on all of a sudden came back to town, teased you for a bit, got you to fall in love with her again and just like that turned around, slapped you in the face, and instead got married to some guy who you really, really hate.

Seriously, why and how did we even want Jagr back in the first place? I was always a Jagr apologist, but no more. His attitude sucked. How does a captain tell the media he's "dying alive"?! How does that happen? He was never a real leader. He never had character. Sure, he had so much skill that at times he did put it in the effort that you'd expect from your captain in a few playoff series, but unlike Mario and Crosby, he never got it done all the way. He never led us to a Cup. So screw it. It doesn't even hurt that much when you think about it. If Mario or Sid had done this instead, THEN I'd be pissed.

Jagr was just a spoiled kid who got to play on some great teams in the early 90's and became an offensive juggernaut of a player - but it was all skill. He lacked heart. He lacked motivation. He feuded with coaches left and right. He didn't know how to handle the media. He never was a good defensive player. He was one-dimensional. He never hit anyone. He didn't play tough. He lacked what was needed to REALLY be considered one of the all-time greatest players ever. Sure, he put up the numbers. But stats don't tell the whole story. He doesn't have a Conn Smythe. Never had a shot to begin with. If Ron Francis hadn't left in 1998, he might have never been captain because he wasn't real captain material. He's like Ovechkin - except Ovechkin plays with much more of an edge. So screw Jagr and the horse he rode in on. It's fitting that a treacherous filthy dog would finish his career in Filthadelphia.

And that's all I have to say about him. I'm throwing my Jagr jersey away. Good f***ing riddance.

So what you're saying is that he's destined to be a fan favorite in Philly...

[doublem]

OH HAI JAGS.

[pittsports87]

So what are all of your sign ideas for his return to the Burg?

[PensOnDVD]

So what are all of your sign ideas for his return to the Burg?

I was Dying Alive during JagrWatch

[Physical_Graffiti]

So what are all of your sign ideas for his return to the Burg?

"
>
"

?

[jagr's mullet]

Can admin change my username?


[youtube][/youtube]

[Physical_Graffiti]

Can admin change my username?


[youtube][/youtube]

ROFLMFAO

[Tomas]

I rarely contribute to any Penguins "meaningful" discussions, because I don't think I know enough hockey to add anything important (plus, I have to admit, the older I get, the more I find "hardcore" fandom pointless, almost annoying). On the other hand, I spent 3 year covering the team, and since I speak Czech, I don't think that there are many LGP posters who talked to Jagr in person as much as I did (and that includes 90+% of Pittsburgh media including many of those who have been giving Jagr "valuable advice" recently). So, here are my $0.02:

- There is a huge difference between what I saw in terms of Jagr's personality, leadership, work ethic, etc. and what was fed to the fans by the media - Pittsburgh or national. [I think that partially it is Jagr's fault. Even though he was the team captain, I don't think he understood he was supposed to be the representative of the team inside AND outside the locker room. Way too often he was not speaking to the press, and this made his extremely unpopular among media reps.]
- I admit that Jagr has an intriguing, but extremely complicated personality. I am not a psychologist, but I'd say it's a combination of the child protege-like upbringing, a peculiar (at least for me) Jagr family dynamics, as well as surprisingly huge level of self-doubt (both in hockey and in life in general).
- I'd still say that all these character issues are more that outweighed by his positive character traits. During the numerous hours I spent in the Pens locker room I have never seen anything that suggested Jagr would be anything but a well-liked teammate. I don't want to sound it like a cliche, but from the discussions with his Czech teammates, I always had an impression that he behaved like a team leader on the ice and off it. His on-ice productivity was mostly stellar. He apparently was not affraid to bust chops of those who appeared to underachieve (example: Hrdina), but also held his teammates' backs when he perceived their were not treated well (example: by Constantine). And whenever I talked to him, I always saw a guy 100% dedcated to his craft. I wish you could have been there when his reluctant and cranky "but just 5 minutes!" turned into 20-30 minutes of his passionate explanation of how he think the team should play, including his drawing of game signals in the air...
- On the personal level, he really gained my respect when after we (Pro Hockey Euroreport) reported on his highly critical interview about Kevin Constantine, he did not take the cowardly cop-out and blamed "the bad lying Euro papers" (I am looking straight at you, Petr Sykora ), but took it like a man, and stood behind what he said.

Anyway, I have to admit that I was quite nervous when Jagr to Pittsburgh seemed to be a possibility, because I thought it would not be a good fit. Mainly because it seems to me that there is this preposterous sense of entitlement on the part of some Penguins fans that Jagr should return to "redeem himself" and that Jagr "owes the Penguins." I haven't seen the guy in 10+ years, but I really don't think he feels he did anything wrong. And I don't think he should.

[littlemoonboot]

Tomas, excellent post, you do make a lot of good points. Jagr is a complicated person. But I have to say that leading up to this, he really should have kept his mouth shut or picked his words about Mario and the Pens more carefully. That is where I think he did do wrong.

[ExPatriatePen]

Anyway, I have to admit that I was quite nervous when Jagr to Pittsburgh seemed to be a possibility, because I thought it would not be a good fit. Mainly because it seems to me that there is this preposterous sense of entitlement on the part of some Penguins fans that Jagr should return to "redeem himself" and that Jagr "owes the Penguins." I haven't seen the guy in 10+ years, but I really don't think he feels he did anything wrong. And I don't think he should.

Thomas, excellent post and excellent points. I ve always appreciated your posts over the years and wish you'd post more frequently.

I'd like to ask you a question though, what do you think Pens fans meant by your perception ( and I believe that there's quite a bit of truth to it) that they wanted to see Jagr "redem himself"?

Did that mean correct his poor play? Finally produce? Win a championship for the 'Birgh?

No, at least to this fan, it meant "embrace the city and the fans" and allow the fans to cheer for Jaromir.
It was to heal old wounds on both sides, but wounds suffered "off he ice". The on ice successes were never an issue.

Unfortunately, this recent behavior, where he AGAIN said one thing and did another, just made the wounds deeper, and threw salt on top of them.

I don't hate Jagr, but when the day comes to view his sweater in the H.o.F I won't be bragging about how he came back to Pittsburgh to finish out his career and win "one more cup".

Don't be a stranger Thomas, and thanks fr all your wonderful translations over the Years!

[Ben Klingston]

Some good reads on the saga:

Wings blogger perspective:

http://www.kuklaskorner.com/index.php/t ... oap_opera/

Dejan's perspective:

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsbu ... 44984.html

Trib on fans reaction:

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsbu ... 44945.html

[newarenanow]

I listened to his agents interview on the FAN on the way home yesterday. He pretty much kept stubbling on his answers. When asked about "was it for the highest offer", he'd state "no". Then he'd go on to say that Jagr had a tough time because he wanted to come to Pgh. And when asked why he didn't, he said "Jagr picked the best place to succeed". So the FAN asked "which lineup is better on paper, the Pens with Crosby, Malkin, Staal, Fleury, etc or the Flyers who just traded away their captain and Carter". The answer was then "it was Jagr's decision". Asked about the difference of the $1.3MM, that is when Slovboda (sp?) pulled out the upper six amounts.

Finally, and this is what struck me, Slovboda kept trying to point out that Jagr "has done many great things for the Penguins and the city and he would like to come back and celebrate with the fans one day". He was also saying there should be no burned bridges or anything and no intent to do so was made. Starkey chimed in and pretty much said Jagr as burned bridges, not only with the fan base, but with the organization and there is a ton of backlash in the city. Pretty much Slovboda said exactly what I was thinking "what is done is done. People will forgive and forget over time and in time we can all celebrate".

I stated this earlier, but I think Jagr wants the Pens to be his "home" after he retires and where he is honored. He knows everyone is mad right now, but I think he thinks over time, over like the next decade or so, people will forgive and forget like they did when he left the first time. I know I did. And when that time comes, he will get his number in the rafters and the fans will celebrate what he did as a player here.

That is clearly what his agent was trying to say.

Honestly, now, I hope people don't forget. I hope he isn't welcomed here again. If he would have just said he wanted to go to the highest bidder, or a place that he felt was right for him and leave all of the "his heart is in Pgh" crap, and calling Mario, etc. I'd honestly be fine with it. I would wish him well this year and when he retired, I would have welcomed him with open arms.

Not anymore. At least not for a long time.

[columbia]

I'm sure this whole saga did wonders for Shero's opinion on European players; which is unfortunate.

[littlemoonboot]

I stated this earlier, but I think Jagr wants the Pens to be his "home" after he retires and where he is honored. He knows everyone is mad right now, but I think he thinks over time, over like the next decade or so, people will forgive and forget like they did when he left the first time. I know I did. And when that time comes, he will get his number in the rafters and the fans will celebrate what he did as a player here.

That is clearly what his agent was trying to say.

Honestly, now, I hope people don't forget. I hope he isn't welcomed here again. If he would have just said he wanted to go to the highest bidder, or a place that he felt was right for him and leave all of the "his heart is in Pgh" crap, and calling Mario, etc. I'd honestly be fine with it. I would wish him well this year and when he retired, I would have welcomed him with open arms.

Not anymore. At least not for a long time.

I think the saying "fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me" comes to mind. Players leave teams on an ugly note all the time -- time heals wounds and people forgive and forget. But after not just one but two bad incidents, that celebration and homecoming that his agent talked about is going to be a pretty slim chance now. Especially as long as Mario is here and owns this team, and that could be a very long time. Word has been that he was not happy about how this was handled.