Jagr Watch 2017

[Crankshaft]

New Jersey Devils ‏@NHLDevils 14s
Jagr on his empty-netter: "Great move: spin-o-rama, backhand shot, top shelf. Faked the goalie out. What a great move, what a great deke."

[Pitts]

I can't wait for the trade deadline.

Yeah, I don't see him finishing the season with the Devils.

Jagr to the Pens!

[Factorial]

I can't wait for the trade deadline.

Yeah, I don't see him finishing the season with the Devils.

Jagr to the Pens!

Could be last chance.

[Lesky]

Rich Chere ‏@Ledger_NJDevils 5m

Jaromir Jagr isn't ruling out 2018 Olympics at aged 46.

[Lesky]

Tom Gulitti ‏@TGfireandice 2m
After OT game, Jagr talked to media and then went for short ride on stationary bike. "I have to make myself tired."

[Pitt87]

I can't wait for the trade deadline.

Yeah, I don't see him finishing the season with the Devils.

Jagr to the Pens!

Could be last chance.

Not going to happen; they'd have the re-change the ring of honor.

[the wicked child]

I can't wait for the trade deadline.

Yeah, I don't see him finishing the season with the Devils.

Jagr to the Pens!

Could be last chance.

Not going to happen; they'd have the re-change the ring of honor.

It's all part of the Hollywood script... After spurning and burning the Pens, Jagr returns to lead the team abck to the promised land one last time!

Spoiler:

probably not.

[Crankshaft]

Jagr was never a leader. He's not leading anyone anywhere.

[Tico Rick]

He leads the Devils to Atlantic City.

[Tomas]

Courtesy of "Blesk" daily:

This is where he lives:



This is what he drives:

[Crankshaft]

How did you hack into Lesky's computer?

[Lesky]

Good Pittsburgh article on Jagr last visit to Pittsburgh.

http://triblive.com/sports/dejankovacev ... z2nOObiPbT" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Greatness in sports shows itself at what can feel like a fleeting glimpse, and then it's gone.

Most places, anyway.

Not here.

Not in a city that's home to at least one MVP-recognized talent with each of its three professional franchises — Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Troy Polamalu and now Andrew McCutchen — and a place that has seen so many other sensational talents, so many iconic moments, a dozen world championships in the past half-century and not one but two chapters of Mario Lemieux, the greatest player to grace his sport.

We aren't just blessed. We're spoiled.

Spoiled rotten, at times.

At 7:08 p.m. Friday at Consol Energy Center, one of the top 10 athletes in Pittsburgh's history, right up there in that conversation generally reserved for Lemieux, Honus Wagner, Mean Joe Greene and their ilk, will take to the local stage for what could — that's could — be the final time.

And he will be booed.

Jaromir Jagr, Hart Trophy winner, five-time scoring champion, two-time Stanley Cup champion as a mullet-headed teen, will hit the ice as the New Jersey Devils' leading scorer — 11 goals, 14 assists — a couple months shy of his 42nd birthday. That's amazing.

And he will be booed.

Jagr will report to the rink with his teammates early this morning — he'll probably be the first to show — and he'll face the usual crowd of cameras and microphones with the trademark boyish grin, the hair shorter and grayer but not much else different. He'll speak with regret over how the relationship between him and the Penguins and their fans went so wrong. He'll talk about how much he loved it here, how he still worships Lemieux. Some of what he says won't make sense. But in the moment he's saying it, as those who know him best can attest, it'll come from the heart.

And he will be booed.

Why exactly?

Anyone remember?

Because of that ridiculous “dying alive” remark?

That was more than a decade ago.

Because he approached Lemieux about a trade?

Immaterial. The Penguins were in a huge financial hole and would have had to move him anyway.

So what is it?

Maybe Jagr won't retire after this season or anytime soon. Longtime fans will recall he once predicted he would play until he was 50. But if he does, if this final visit from the Devils to Consol this season really is his last, do yourself — and maybe your kids, too, if you're of the Lemieux/Jagr generation — a real favor and savor every time No. 68 goes over the boards.

When you see Jagr fend off a defender by turning his hips and protecting the puck with the resolve of a redwood, tell your son or daughter there has never been anyone better at it.

When you see Jagr take that one swooping stride into the slot and fire that wicked wrister, tell your kid that his goal total of 692 — now eighth all-time after just passing Lemieux's 690 — represents scoring at a level we'll never see again in Gary Bettman's NHL.

When you see Jagr dig up that extra gear as times get tough, the way he did in outperforming the Penguins' current stars while eliminating them the past two seasons as a member of the Flyers and Bruins, tell your kid what it means to be a big-game performer.

And you know what?

Tell your kid that, if not for Jagr, you just might not be sitting there.

Tell your child about May 2, 1999, the day of Jagr's defining performance. That was Game 6 of the first round against this same New Jersey franchise, and the Penguins faced elimination. Jagr wasn't supposed to play, hobbled by a bum groin, and it wasn't until just before faceoff that the Civic Arena crowd learned — and loved — that he would. The defense-first Devils led 2-1 with time ticking away, but Jagr, essentially skating on one leg, scored the tying goal with 2:12 left. And then, at the end of a long, already-dominant shift midway through the first overtime, he one-timed a Martin Straka feed past Martin Brodeur to bring one of the loudest roars the old place had ever heard.

As one wise man is still fond of saying, you had to be there to believe it.

The Penguins won Game 7 in New Jersey, too, and lost in the next round. but that's not what mattered here. The team was in bankruptcy, and sentiment was mounting that it could move.

Jagr would famously say many years later, “That was probably my best game ever, I would say. I'll probably never score a goal that important. Probably if I hadn't scored, the team wouldn't be in Pittsburgh right now. Crosby would be in Kansas City.”

That might be a stretch, might not. But on Thursday I ran it past Tom McMillan, then and now the Penguins' vice president of communications, and he credited the goal with at least a badly needed boost in spirits.

“I remember coming to Game 6 wondering if it would be the last hockey game ever played in Pittsburgh,” McMillan recalled. “It's easy to forget now how bleak things were. Financially it's obvious what a few more home playoff games would mean to a team in bankruptcy. But psychologically the feeling of winning a series and having such a positive atmosphere in those circumstances was incalculable.”

Yeah, tell your child that one. They'll love it.

That might be when they look around and ask what all the booing is about.

[Lesky]

Devils' Jagr eighth on goals list, record game-winner

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=6966 ... l:topheads" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

EWARK, N.J. -- New Jersey Devils right wing Jaromir Jagr moved up on two of the NHL's all-time lists for goals with one shot Wednesday.

Jagr's power-play goal early in the second period at Prudential Center put him in sole possession of eighth place on the NHL's all-time goals list with 693 and eventually moved him into first place on the League's all-time list for game-winning goals with 122.

Jagr's next goal will tie him with Mark Messier for seventh place on the goals list. Jagr was tied with Gordie Howe on the game-winning list, but Jagr now has first place to himself because his goal was New Jersey's third in a 5-2 win against the Ottawa Senators.

In typical Jagr fashion, he cracked a joke when asked about his achievements.

"It's a long streak for me without a goal," said Jagr, who snapped an eight-game drought. "[Dainius Zubrus] did a great job to shut me down for eight games."

Zubrus scored three goals in the previous two games.

With the Devils on a power play, Jagr took a pass from Travis Zajac between the circles and shoveled a backhand past goalie Robin Lehner at 2:08 of the second.

"Finally I jump on the ice when he wasn't there so I could break the streak," Jagr said. "Hopefully I can keep scoring."

Jagr leads the Devils with 12 goals.

[Lesky]

Devils' Jagr ties Lemieux on all-time points list

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=699507" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

NEWARK, N.J. -- New Jersey Devils forward Jaromir Jagr assisted on a goal in the first period on Tuesday to tie former Pittsburgh Penguins teammate Mario Lemieux for seventh place on the NHL all-time point list.

Jagr assisted on a goal by Adam Henrique 57 seconds into the game to tie Lemieux with 1,723 points. Steve Yzerman is sixth on the list with 1,755.

But he was in no mood to talk about individual accomplishments after the Devils' 3-2 overtime loss to the Philadelphia Flyers at Prudential Center.

"We don't learn," he said after New Jersey lost its third consecutive game. "We keep doing the same mistakes over and over and over. It happened to us against Columbus [in a 2-1 shootout loss] and other games too. When you have those points that might be the difference between playoffs and no playoffs, you have to take advantage."

Jagr, 41, has scored 1,723 points in 1,435 regular-season games. Lemieux, Jagr's teammate though most of his first 11 NHL seasons, needed 915 games.

Jagr's next goal will be the 695th of his career, which would move him into sole possession of seventh place on the all-time goal list ahead of Mark Messier (694). Jagr has been held without a goal in seven straight games.

Jagr also has four game-winning goals this season, moving past Gordie Howe into first place all-time with No. 122 against the Ottawa Senators on Dec. 18. He is also first in NHL history with 18 overtime goals, including one this season, his first with the Devils. He leads the team in assists (22), points (35), plus-minus (plus-12) and is second on the team in goals (13) through 44 games.

[Lesky]

Jagr passes Lemieux for seventh on NHL scoring list

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=7002 ... l:topheads" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

New Jersey Devils forward Jaromir Jagr passed former Pittsburgh Penguins star and teammate Mario Lemieux on the NHL all-time points list Saturday.

Jagr assisted on Marek Zidlicky's goal with 2.1 seconds to go in overtime against the Florida Panthers at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Travis Zajac won a faceoff back to Jagr; he backhanded a pass to Zidlicky, whose shot from above the right circle beat Tim Thomas to give New Jersey a 2-1 victory.

"Give credit to Travis," Jagr told MSG Network. "It's not easy to win it exactly where you wanted to win it."

The assist gave Jagr 1,724 points in the NHL, breaking the tie with Lemieux for seventh place on the League's all-time list. Lemieux reached 1,723 points in 915 games. Jagr passed him in his 1,437th regular-season game.

Jagr has 694 goals, tied with Mark Messier for seventh place on the all-time goals list.

Jagr, who turns 42 next month, has 11 points more than any Devils teammate (36; 13 goals, 23 assists). He has four game-winning goals this season and moved past Gordie Howe into first place all-time with No. 122 against the Ottawa Senators on Dec. 18.

Steve Yzerman is sixth on the points list with 1,755. Mike Gartner is sixth on the goals list with 708.

[Sam's Drunk Dog]

[newarenanow]

We better retire Jags number.

[Crankshaft]

If/when he actually retires, then you can go down that road. But it's a non-conversation until he is actively retired from the NHL.

[Kovy27]

I hope he plays until he's 55 and plays for every team. Piece of crap.

[Lesky]

Devils' Jagr passes Messier for 7th on goals list

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=700673" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

MONTREAL -- Some people may look at Jaromir Jagr's career NHL statistics and wonder what could have been.

To those people, Jagr says don't bother. He doesn't.

Jagr passed another milestone is his prolific NHL career Tuesday when he scored his 695th goal in a 4-1 New Jersey Devils win against the Montreal Canadiens, passing Mark Messier for seventh place on the League's all-time goals list.

Jagr scored at 17:23 of the first period with a nice move to the middle around Canadiens defenseman Josh Gorges before putting a low shot through a crowd past Carey Price just inside the far post.

Jagr said he doesn't think much about the history he has the potential of making every time he steps on the ice because the thought of retirement hasn't entered his mind despite being 41 years old.
Many people could be tempted to look at Jagr's three years spent playing with Avangard Omsk in the Kontinental Hockey League from 2008-11 and wonder how much higher his NHL numbers would be.

"Every time I make a decision I don't look back. It wouldn't help me anyway," Jagr said when asked Tuesday if he regretted the decision. "You don't know what would happen if I didn't go there. Maybe I wouldn't be playing right now. Maybe I wouldn't have that fun. You cannot just take that time and say it would be better if I stayed; it doesn't work like that.

"I made the decision, I left, and maybe because I missed it so much I'm a different player and I enjoy it more and I'm still playing. Maybe I wouldn't be playing anymore. I think I wouldn't be playing anymore."

Not only is Jagr still playing, he is doing so at a high level.

His goal Tuesday was his 14th of the season, putting him on pace to finish with 23 in 82 games. If Jagr were to do that he would fall just short of Mike Gartner's career total of 708, which is sixth all-time.

But because Jagr says he has no intention of retiring, he would have next season to pass Gartner and maybe even challenge Phil Esposito's total of 717 in fifth place.

Jagr has scored 49 goals in 166 games since returning to the NHL in 2011 at age 39, six fewer than the 55 he scored in 164 games over the final two seasons of his first NHL stint from 2006-08.

Jagr is convinced that had he stayed in the NHL he would not have had the energy to continue producing on a consistent basis, and maybe his career numbers would have suffered as a result.

"I had fun over there," Jagr said. "Maybe I was too tired. It's not easy. I always love the pressure, but if you have it for 80 games plus playoffs for 18, 19 years, and everybody expects you to score all the time, sooner or later you're going to get tired. Maybe I was too tired, mentally not physically. But maybe it helped those three years I left in Russia."

Jagr's conditioning regimen since his return to the NHL has added to his legendary status, with players 10 or 15 years younger struggling to keep up with his workouts. That, too, is something Jagr learned during his time in Russia, and he is reaping the benefits of it today.

"The way I look at it, I was playing on the big ice, I was playing 25 minutes [a game] on the big ice, and I think that was great practice for me," Jagr said. "You play 80 games on the big ice, it's tougher. The practices we had in Russia, in training camp, you did it for eight hours. That helped me too. It's a lot harder to practice over there, trust me."

Whenever Jagr decides to retire, and whatever his final numbers are, he may look back at a decision that appeared to hurt his NHL legacy as one that ultimately solidified it.

[SolidSnake]

I'd honestly like this to stop

[Kovy27]

I'd honestly like this to stop

There is no way to make it stop. Lesky or Jagr is going to have to die for that to happen. Unless someone makes a Michael Jackson/Jagr love board.

[DudeMan2766]

Kovy you really think if Jagr dies first we won't get every word quoted from every article, obituary, and tribute from every news source on the planet?

[Gaucho]

Nobody forces you to visit the thread over and over and over again.

[Kovy27]

Kovy you really think if Jagr dies first we won't get every word quoted from every article, obituary, and tribute from every news source on the planet?