After Two Comments in 2022, Would Jaromir Jágr Return to the NHL?

Posted on by

Jaromir Jágr has long been a fan-favourite among ice hockey fans. From his iconic mullet to the Czech skater’s silky skills, he’s earned his place among the stars of the sport. Throughout his career, which appears to be ongoing into 2022/23, Jágr’s won an Olympic gold medal, the Hart Memorial Trophy, Art Ross Trophy, and the Stanley Cup twice.

While he is 50 years old now, over a matter of months, Jágr has commented on returning to the NHL. Knowing his personality, many perceive these to be jokes, but is there a chance for the Czech forward to come back?

The two comments from Jágr

http://

Jágr’s first nod back to the NHL came as he was tracking the incredible goalscoring season of Alexander Ovechkin. The hulking Russian proved his drive continues at 36 years old by putting up another 50-goal campaign. This put him past Brett Hull, Marcel Dionne, and Jágr in the all-time goals standings.

In response, back in March, the Czech posted a congratulations message to the man who’s only 14 years his junior. At the end of the clip, the legend quips, “there’s a chance I might come back to NHL and start chasing you,” adding a wink to punctuate the point.

Then came July, a most frantic time in the hockey world. The NHL just kept pumping out the headlines of signings and trades, so much so that Jágr decided to throw his hat in the ring. His Tweet, addressed to “NHL GMs,” read, “ I am also free agent, once again. 6,3 265… 50 years old, slow, but strong and good hands.”

Given his antics in the past and his continued fame through off-ice activities, it won’t come as a surprise that Jágr decided to raise the eyebrows of hockey fans with these comments.

A quirky character with a club to run

Performances on the ice from Jágr were spellbinding at times, particularly during his time with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Still, even with the Washington Capitals, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Dallas Stars, Boston Bruins, New Jersey Devils, Florida Panthers, and Calgary Flames, he was a must-watch for NHL fans.

It’s this that made him so marketable and likeable, with him certainly going out there for some of his off-ice antics. In a more recent move, Jágr got his own online slot game made, which can be found at sites with the highest reviews scores, as published for Canada. Jágr’s Super Slot offers 4,069 paylines, a 10,000x maximum win, and high volatility, making the Inspired Gaming-created slot appealing beyond the star of the show.

Of course, Jágr’s most infamous move off the ice was getting in on the bizarre era of ‘90s endorsements in the US. Many NHL players lent themselves to local and national brands, from Eric Lindros’ pizza to Wayne Gretzky’s cereal, but Jágr got into peanut butter, with his reasoning being that he rubbed some on his groin while injured and could suddenly start playing again.

Now, from being in the peanut butter business, Jágr owns and plays for Rytíři Kladno in the Czech Extraliga. He plays the home games, which led to eight goals and 19 points in 43 games last season, and off of the ice, he’s the owner and president.

He’s a legend of the NHL and continues to play a big role in Czech hockey, but his comments were clearly little jokes in line with his playful personality. Unfortunately, we’ll likely never see Jaromir Jágr on the competitive ice in the NHL again.

Photo: Wikipedia Commons