The Legend Returns... Sort Of

While everyone is on "Ovechkin Watch" as he nears 800 goals, there was a monumental happening that took place on Sunday thanks to a few unfortunate breaks. Jaromir Jagr, pictured to the left, suited up for the team he owns, Rytíři Kladno, at the age of 50 thanks to having a number of players injured and/or out with illness that would have forced Kladno to postpone the game had Jagr not donned a jersey. The Czech Extraliga doesn't take lightly to the postponement of matches, enforcing heavy fines on teams that opt for them, so Jagr was back in Kladno's lineup for their game against Liberec on Sunday!

"Wow, that's great, Teebz," I can hear you saying. "Why are you posting about this on Wednesday if Jagr played on Sunday?"

That's a fair question, and the answer is because I went looking for highlights of Jagr's 2022-23 debut after he had, by his standards, a pretty ho-hum game. While Kladno ended up losing the game by a 7-3 score at the hands of Liberec, Jagr certainly did his best to change the Knights' fortunes with his play. A couple of assists in his debut this season certainly pleased the fans in attendance!

Thanks to Hockey New Hub, we have video of Jagr's debut!
Wearing his traditional #68, Jagr recorded two assists with two shots-on-goal in 15:10 of ice-time as he was in on two of three Kladno goals, but it certainly wasn't enough as Liberec scored seven to win the game. It was pretty clear that he's not as quick or agile as he once was, but Jagr still has his shot and offensive skill that made him so dangerous and productive during his NHL days.

One may ask why Jagr would put himself in the lineup when he could simply sign a few guys, but Jagr posted a statement via an interview on the Knights' website that reads,

"On Friday, we found out that Liberec will not postpone the match. There were ten players at training and there were twelve of us on Saturday. We were in danger of losing it by default. I didn't want it to turn out that way."

As the owner, Jagr clearly did what he felt was necessary as Kladno didn't default nor postpone the game with the owner suiting up. There were no indications that Jagr would continue to play beyond Sunday, but he'll have lots of time to make that decision as Kladno doesn't play again until December 20 against HC Kometa Brno.

A couple of posts on social media seemed to allude to Jagr's Hall of Fame induction being pushed back to 2026 because of this game, but I'm in the camp that Jagr gets in whenever he feels like it. He's lterally the most important Czech player in the history of the game, has won at every level he's played, and has a trophy case full of awards and honours. If Jagr wants in, he just needs to say so.

Two assists in his 50th year on the planet is a solid debut for the veteran. Will he score more this season? We'll find out!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!