Jagr Watch 2017

[Godric]

I hate you Lesky.

[Lesky]

Awesome Jagr article!

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/opinion ... e-gym.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Jaromir Jagr demands dedication in the gym

Two weeks after Jaromir Jagr was traded from the Washington Capitals to the New York Rangers, he arrived in Minnesota for the 2004 NHL All-Star Game.

"He asked me to see if Minnesota's trainers would let him use their gym," John Rosasco, the Rangers' vice-president of public relations and player recruitment, wrote by email. "They did and he was at the building long after every player was gone. First guy I have ever seen do that at All-Star. You know what those typically are for players."

On a day where Gregory Campbell is being celebrated (and deservedly so) for defending his post a full minute after his leg was broken by a slapshot, Jagr's contribution deserves its own praise.

The Hall-of-Famer-to-be played 15:43 in regulation of his team's 2-1 win in Game 3. He was well ahead of that pace in overtime, at 10:52 before Patrice Bergeron ended the game. As the night went later, he got better. One week ago, Jagr was struggling. But six days between the Eastern Conference semifinals and final was perfect for the 41-year-old, not that he'd be surprised.

"He'd walk around in a towel, flexing, saying, '40-years-old. I look good, eh boys?'" said a laughing Derek Settlemyre, head equipment manager for the Philadelphia Flyers, where Jagr played upon returning to the NHL in 2011-12.

He's worked hard at it.

You think you know...

John Dellapina is now the NHL's senior director of media relations. When Jagr was a Ranger, Dellapina covered the team for The New York Daily News.

"I remember dealing with Jags in Pittsburgh, you could barely get a word out of him," Dellapina said Thursday. "I hated the way he was portrayed as a prima donna; he works his ass off. I was told, 'You don't know the half of it, you should see what he does at night."

So, he went up to Jagr and asked about the late-evening workouts.

"He said, 'Yeah, yeah, yeah, but you can never write about it.' There were two reasons: the first was, 'I've got something going for me here and I don't want let everyone in on it.' Number two, he didn't want to make a big deal about it. He didn't want to be seen as grandstanding."

"When he was here, most times he went to the gym in his building," Rosasco wrote. "He took in Petr Prucha in Prucha's rookie year. Prucha told me what Jags would do at night and said to me, 'While the rest of the NHL is sleeping, he is working.'"

"That was another place I tried to get to into," Dellapina said. "I was told it was like this goofy Spartan bachelor place. A television, one seat and gym equipment. He used it to sleep and work out."


Upon Jagr's return from the KHL, Dellapina, in his current role, tipped off HBO's 24/7 cameras to the workout routine prior to the 2012 Winter Classic.

"We begged [Jagr] to let [HBO] film it," he said. "He wouldn't do it."

"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."

'Jaromir Jagr hockey camp'

Settlemyre was responsible for making sure two important pieces of Jagr's routine were always available at home and on the road -- first, a wheel from a golf cart that was carved into a "heavy puck." Jagr used it for shooting drills and strengthening his wrist.

Then, there was his 30-pound weight vest.

"We took it everywhere. One night, when we won and he played well, I joked, 'Good thing you wore the weight vest during the game, eh Jags?' The other players all looked up, saying 'What?'

"We had all these young kids," Settlemyre added. "A handful of them joined him for the late night workouts. We called it the Jaromir Jagr hockey camp. They had to stop doing it, because it wore out some of the guys."

"I once asked him, 'What did you do as a kid?'" former Flyers teammate Scott Hartnell said Thursday. "He said that when he was 12 years old, he was doing sets of 100 squats."

Hartnell set career highs in goals (37) and points (67), while tying his personal assists mark (30) playing with Jagr and Claude Giroux. It was no accident.

"I did kind of screw around in practice, I like to have fun," he said. "Jagr didn't like that. He would say, 'It's time to work.' He believes that how you practice is how you play. He expected me to be dialed in...That was such a great season for me, and last year was such a disappointment."

Hartnell broke his foot three games into the lockout-shortened schedule and fell to 12 points in 32 games.

"I'm working out this summer with the mindset he gave me. I don't want a repeat."

'I have to do this'

When Jagr moved from Philadelphia to Dallas, the Stars were ready.

"He had a key," said one source who preferred not to be identified. "When you sign a guy like him, you let him do whatever he wants...For being a legend, he was great to work with."

Like the Flyers, who practise at a public rink in Voorhees, N.J., the Stars practise at a public rink in the Dallas suburb of Frisco. Jagr would be given a schedule indicating when the ice would be free, usually around 11 pm. There would be a zamboni flood.

Then it was all his.

After the lockout, members of the Stars' equipment staff stayed late for about a week to make sure his gear was set up and he was comfortable.

He'd skate anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour with the weight vest. Sometimes, there were additional weights on his skates. Once in awhile, he'd run, but it was mostly on-ice stickhandling and shooting.

When the Stars called up Czech forward Tomas Vincour, Jagr invited him to join. Rookie defenceman Brenden Dillon participated a couple of times.

The goal of all this is to condition the body for prime physical exertion at night. Here's a text from one veteran NHLer 12 minutes before Boston won.

"You happen to notice Jagr is flying in both overtimes. He always said he wished he could play two games. He has his legs now. Just takes him a game to get them. He will have a factor in this if Boston wins."

After the winner, he texted: "Jagr -- called it." (See, it's not just media that celebrates accurate predictions.)

Last Saturday, one hour after his team's victory in Game 1, Jagr was working out with a bungee cord outside the visitor's dressing room.

Dellapina, finished his work for the night, said, "Jags, go home."

"No," he answered. "I have to do this."

[pittsports87]

Hopefully either the Blackhawks beat the Bruins or someone on the Blackhawks hurts Jagr in a way that he can never actually be able to lift the Stanley Cup.

[Sarcastic]

Hopefully either the Blackhawks beat the Bruins or someone on the Blackhawks hurts Jagr in a way that he can never actually be able to lift the Stanley Cup.

He probably won't be able to lift the Cup anyway. He's like way old.

[canaan]

Leskys major wood for jagr is like the dude that used to be on here that did the same kinda stuff for foppa. So weird.

[ExPatriatePen]

Leaky can have his fun, his hero is still playing, ours are not.

I sure as hell would have been the first to have given him (Leaky) hell if Jagr had let in the game winner and the Pens had advanced.

[Kovy27]

Can you at least link the article that you copy? Thanks.

[Lesky]

Can you at least link the article that you copy? Thanks.

Done sir (edited post).

[Lesky]

Leaky can have his fun, his hero is still playing, ours are not.

I sure as hell would have been the first to have given him (Leaky) hell if Jagr had let in the game winner and the Pens had advanced.

What are you talking about? I support the Penguins FIRST. Then Jagr. I was sick to my stomach when the Pens were eliminated by Boston.

[Lesky]

BOSTON – Jaromir Jagr has been exactly where Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are right now after coming up with nothing but zeroes in a critical playoff series for their team. He knows what it’s like to have a team’s entire defense geared around stopping him, and experienced that many times over when he was a teen-ager dominating the NHL with loaded Pittsburgh Penguins teams more than 20 years ago.

So he wasn’t taking any glee from the struggles of Crosby or Malkin once the Bruins had completed their 1-0 win in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, and had swept both superstars and their Pittsburgh hockey club right out of the playoffs. Crosby, Malkin, Kris Letang, Jarome Iginla and James Neal finished with zero points and a minus-22

Instead there was full empathy from a 41-year-old future Hall of Famer, who has seen it all over the course of his 23 years of pro hockey.

“Good defense means that you play the zone, and you play as a five man unit. So if somebody makes a mistake and you don’t play the tight defense, it’s a lot easier for somebody to score because there’s nobody even close,” said Jagr. “But with the type of defense we play if somebody makes a mistake or loses an edge, there’s somebody else close by to stop them. You have to beat five guys and not one guy. That’s why I think it was tougher for Malkin and Crosby because it was a five guy unit.

“They are great players. There is no question about it. It’s not easy when [you’re them] and everybody is waiting for you to do something. It’s like in basketball when you have a good guy, and you double team them. You let somebody else beat you. If you’re going to play against Lebron James you’re going to put two guys on him, and let somebody else beat you. Let the Bird Man (Chris Anderson) beat you. He’s pretty good, but that’s the way it is.”

Who knew that “The Jagr” was such an NBA fan?

Full article: http://www.csnne.com/blog/bruins-talk/j ... sby-malkin" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[DudeMan2766]

Can't you just read them to yourself?

[Lesky]

Can't you just read them to yourself?

I post them here for archive purposes.

Seriously, why do you come to a message board and post when you can keep stuff and your opinion to yourself?

Its insane how many snide remarks this thread brings, Jagr really brings out the worst from Pens fans.

People are rude, intolerant and just behave like ******* in this thread.

I really love the Pens, otherwise the fans of this board would have scared me off already with all the uncalled for insults

If you do not like Jagr or do not want to read about him, why do you even click on this thread? You must have an obsession with Jagr to behave like that

Nevertheless, I just laugh at all the mocking post I get here, its amazing how this thread can make people behave like dicks.

[Kovy27]

I don't know...posting the whole article is ridiculous. A link would be nice...

That could be why you get some crap from people.

Other people, like myself, hope Jagr fades away.

[SolidSnake]

I bet Lesky is the biggest Bruins fan ever now.

[DudeMan2766]

Can't you just read them to yourself?

I post them here for archive purposes.

Seriously, why do you come to a message board and post when you can keep stuff and your opinion to yourself?

Its insane how many snide remarks this thread brings, Jagr really brings out the worst from Pens fans.

People are rude, intolerant and just behave like ******* in this thread.

I really love the Pens, otherwise the fans of this board would have scared me off already with all the uncalled for insults

If you do not like Jagr or do not want to read about him, why do you even click on this thread? You must have an obsession with Jagr to behave like that

Nevertheless, I just laugh at all the mocking post I get here, its amazing how this thread can make people behave like dicks.

It takes half a second for me to click this thread when its at the top of the page while Im bored and surfing so even tho I pretty much know nothing in here is going to be of my liking its still a time waster. Secondly, its pretty obvious no one on this board is anywhere near the level of caring about Jagr (either way) like you, so I dont understand why you feel you need to post every photo you ever see of him or any article you come across that has a word that so much starts with the letter J in it. You're on a Pens message board and constantly post uninteresting nonsense about a lightning rod like Jagr, yet you don't expect being mocked for it?

[newarenanow]

Now that the Pens are out, I honestly wouldn't mind seeing Jagr win a cup and then retire.

[Kovy27]

Now that the Pens are out, I honestly wouldn't mind seeing Jagr win a cup and then retire.

Hossa.

[Kraftster]

The workout article was pretty awesome. I am definitely pulling for Jagr to win another one.

[Lesky]

I hate you Lesky.

Its OK, Jagr loves you anyway - count on it!

[Lesky]

Two sides to Jagr

There are two things that help define Bruins winger Jaromir Jagr, and they both came up the past couple of days.

The first is how Jagr -- who set up Boston's winning goal in double overtime in Game 3 -- keeps going at age 41.

"You've got to give a lot of credit to his commitment to conditioning, and we all know at that age if you're not a well-conditioned athlete you're not going to survive," Julien said. "He really does a lot of extra work."

Jagr, a former Penguins star, is known for late-night skates and other extra workouts.

"I know a lot of people laugh at all the different things he does after a game and going out late and shooting pucks in weight belts and everything else, but he's committed and dedicated to the conditioning part of his game, and that's what's allowed him to stay on top of his game as much as he can for a guy that age," Julien said.

Then, there's the playful side.

When the Bruins opened their locker room to a throng of reporters after the morning skate Friday, Jagr positioned himself at the door as writers, radio reporters, television sportscasters, etc., started filing in.

He counted them, out loud, and threatened to cut it off at 100 because of fire safety concerns -- even stopping an unsuspecting camera guy who was No. 101 -- before walking away with a big grin and without doing interviews.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/spo ... z2VuIu4DJK

[columbia]

I'd like to see him win another cup, but just not with Boston.

[SolidSnake]

Can't you just read them to yourself?

I post them here for archive purposes.

Seriously, why do you come to a message board and post when you can keep stuff and your opinion to yourself?

Its insane how many snide remarks this thread brings, Jagr really brings out the worst from Pens fans.

People are rude, intolerant and just behave like ******* in this thread.

I really love the Pens, otherwise the fans of this board would have scared me off already with all the uncalled for insults

If you do not like Jagr or do not want to read about him, why do you even click on this thread? You must have an obsession with Jagr to behave like that

Nevertheless, I just laugh at all the mocking post I get here, its amazing how this thread can make people behave like dicks.

It takes half a second for me to click this thread when its at the top of the page while Im bored and surfing so even tho I pretty much know nothing in here is going to be of my liking its still a time waster. Secondly, its pretty obvious no one on this board is anywhere near the level of caring about Jagr (either way) like you, so I dont understand why you feel you need to post every photo you ever see of him or any article you come across that has a word that so much starts with the letter J in it. You're on a Pens message board and constantly post uninteresting nonsense about a lightning rod like Jagr, yet you don't expect being mocked for it?

[Lesky]

I'd like to see him win another cup, but just not with Boston.

Thats sweet, but this year is most likely his last shot at a cup, don´t you think? No guarantee he will even be back in the NHL next season. I am sure Chicago will win though!

[Lesky]

Shoalts: Reinvented Jagr meshes with mighty Bruins machine
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/h ... e12399422/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If you want to know why the Boston Bruins are on the verge of making their second Stanley Cup final in two years while the Pittsburgh Penguins are fending off calls for the coach’s head and a roster blow-up, look no further than their 41-year-old wonder man, Jaromir Jagr.

Four months ago, Jagr was the sad consolation prize the Bruins picked up from the Dallas Stars when they were spurned at the last minute at the NHL trade deadline by Jarome Iginla. He was the premier power forward available but Iginla chose the Penguins, figuring their long list of skilled players such as Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang gave him the best chance of winning a Stanley Cup at the age of 35, once the Calgary Flames determined they had to part company.

This is not to say Iginla, who is not exactly tearing it up in an Eastern Conference final his new team trails 3-0 to the Bruins, would have fit in any better than Jagr with the Bruins under the coaching of Claude Julien. We’ll never know.

What we do know is that somewhere in the past four years when Jagr’s hockey career appeared to be ending with a whimper in Russia, he saw the need for change and dedicated himself to it. He was no longer the happy-go-lucky wunderkind who could score at will and was Mario Lemieux’s designated successor a generation ago with the Penguins, before a bitter divorce that has him booed in Pittsburgh to this day.

Jagr was a big part of those Lemieux teams that won Stanley Cups in 1991 and 1992 in the last years of the NHL’s previous run-and-gun era. He could dangle with the best of them but by 2009, when Crosby won his first and so far only Cup with the Penguins, Jagr looked to be playing out the string in the Continental Hockey League.

One day, though, Jagr realized he may no longer have the consistent hands that could produce as many as 62 goals in an NHL season but at 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds he still had the size that was coming back into vogue in the NHL. General managers, such as Peter Chiarelli in Boston, decided the best way to beat the fast, skilled teams such as the Penguins, which flourished with the offensive-minded rule changes following the 2004-05 lockout, was the old hockey belief that a good big man beats a good small man every time.

“You’ve got to move with the changes and the trends,” Chiarelli said just before the playoffs started. “We’ve got a real good foundation and we’ve had success.”

Chiarelli assembled a roster with speed and size, one without superstars, perhaps with the exception of towering defenceman Zdeno Chara. Julien was able to implement his system of rolling four forward lines that could all contribute at both ends of the ice backed by a defence that allows no second scoring chances and a superb goaltender in Tuukka Rask who covers up any mistakes.

The result was the 2011 Stanley Cup title and the usual form of flattery in the NHL – imitation. The Los Angeles Kings won the following year with the same style. It is no coincidence that three of the four teams remaining in this year’s conference finals – the Bruins, Kings and Chicago Blackhawks – all play the bruising game with a dash of skill.

“I think the last two teams that won the Stanley Cups play great team games,” Kings head coach Darryl Sutter said Thursday. “They get a contribution from everybody in the lineup. It’s not about one player.

“You have to be able to play a 200-foot game. You have to be disciplined in all three zones. Stay out of the penalty box. You can play a physical game without taking penalties.”

While this was going on, it is hard not to conclude Jagr was watching closely and also changing his ways. Once the irrepressible kid who seemed to take nothing seriously, Jagr is now famous for his punishing workouts that keep him one of the strongest players in the league and buy him a few more years in the game he obviously loves. The work got him back into the NHL in 2011 at 39 with the Philadelphia Flyers (Jagr had a hand in knocking off the Penguins in the first round a year ago) and he may have a season or two left in the tank.

“He’s so good with the puck and he’s so strong it’s hard to take the puck off him,” said Bruins defenceman Johnny Boychuk, who added he and his teammates never concerned themselves with the question of settling for second-best when Iginla chose the Penguins.

“It’s nonsense to even think about it now,” he said. “Your head should be somewhere else now.”

While most of his teammates will put in a little time on the exercise bike after a game and then head home, Jagr lingers in the arena for hours with the Bruins strength coach, working out in a weighted vest and with weights around his ankles.

Jagr now avoids reporters after years of seeing his quips and misadventures off the ice make headlines. He was coy Thursday when people were wondering if he worked out after Wednesday’s double-overtime 2-1 win over the Penguins that went nearly four hours.

“No,” he said at first in a brief visit to the dressing room and then, showing his impish nature is still around despite the advance of middle age, added, “it’s easy to work out after the game. You’ve got adrenalin and everything.”

Before he took off, someone asked Jagr about the rumour he slept at the TD Garden after working out following the Bruins’ comeback win in overtime in Game 7 of their first-round series with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jagr smiled again.

“No,” he said. “I’m invisible, man. Sometimes you can even see it during games.”

Whimsical as the answer was, there was a nugget of truth there. At his age, Jagr is not a factor every night. But he always seems to show up when it’s needed, such as stealing the puck from Malkin to set up Patrice Bergeron’s winning goal in overtime early Thursday morning.

It is all part of Jagr’s willingness to change his game from scoring diva to whatever is necessary to help his team. And don’t think his teammates don’t notice.

“I think he’s got that experience, I guess, to always be at the right place on the ice,” Bergeron said. “On that play it’s just a perfect example that he’s buying in and he wants to help in any way he can. That play right there, we don’t get a goal if he doesn’t make that play.

“It just explains that everyone is buying in. It doesn’t matter what it is and who it is, and Jags is a perfect example. He’s pretty much a legend, he’s a guy that’s going to be in the Hall of Fame at some point, and he’s doing the little thing right there just to fight for the puck. You notice that as a teammate and it goes a long way.”

[Crankshaft]

I read this on HFBoards...

Per Igor Eronko
Praha #Lev of #KHL exec told isport.cz club is in talks with Jaromir Jagr #Bruins

Jagr would be the scumbag to start negotiating his next contract while still being involved in the NHL playoffs AND in the Stanley Cup final.