Doubt the old man at your peril, because at 44 years old last year Jagr was still on the edge of being elite. The knock on him is that he’s slow, which is true, but that lack of speed doesn’t seem to hinder him because his hockey sense is nearly unparalleled.
Jagr remains one of the best generators of on-ice goals at even strength in the NHL, transitions the puck more effectively than almost any winger in the game, and dumps the puck less than any other right-winger. Jagr’s ability to protect the puck and complete a smart play makes his linemates better, and he was almost the sole reason the Panthers weren’t completely in the tank while most of their star players suffered injuries last year. He’s incredible, and some team needs to sign him right now.
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Definitely in for getting that Czech guy to a game, always appreciate his "insider" knowledge from over there.
Also definitely in if there's a group buy on jerseys happening
Jagr: “I train mostly the same. Sometimes skate at night … My body can take a lot more than I do right now. I’ve tried to work smarter. For me, the toughest games are the first 10 to 15 games, just to get into it. When you’re old, and you have three to four months without a game, it’s brutal. I told my linemates, you have to skate for me the first 15 games. They’re young. They know.”
Q: You said a couple years ago that you’d like to play until you’re 50. Is that still realistic?
Jagr: “I know I’m going to play to 50. I know that - if I don’t get injured. I never said I’m going to play here (in the NHL) until I’m 50. That’s a different story. You can always play ’til 50. There’s a lot of guys that play until 60, you know, just beer hockey.”
Q: But what about the NHL?
Jagr: “I don’t think I could go until 50. It’s very tough.”
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Q: Why?
Jagr: “First of all, the thing is, you can see it: there’s a lot of young guys getting the green light. It’s tough to compare (young guys) to me in training camp. For the young guys, they know it’s the playoffs for them. They’re getting ready the month before training camp. They have to make it. They have to play the best hockey in training camp. For older guys, you want to play the best hockey in playoffs. It’s a totally different mentality. A lot of times, the younger guys look a lot better than older guys in the training camp. It’s a misunderstanding. There’s no way you can peak then, and play a top game for 9 months. It doesn’t work like that.”
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Jagr is a god damn legend. I am honoured to be a Flames Fan right now. He's hands down in the top 5 best player to ever play the game of hockey. I know at age 46 he is not he player he used to be, but he will influence the young guys in a positive way, and damn will that mullet look beautiful floating around in the dome.
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i knew it was just a matter of time. Just too much mutual interest based on his interview and the fact that Treliving talked to him so early on in free agency. Having a living legend on this team has so much upside for the business side of the team and hopefully for the performance on the team. If he's sheltered properly and plays on the PP, I think 40-50 points is a very reasonable expectation. Guy still has the hands and a great shot. Not to mention that big frame to draw defenders down low and open up space for teammates.
I like this signing. I think this kid might have potential.
Do you see 600 goals 1200 point potential?
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Calgary Flames, PLEASE GO TO THE NET! AND SHOOT THE PUCK! GENERATING OFFENSE IS NOT DIFFICULT! SKATE HARD, SHOOT HARD, CRASH THE NET HARD!
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