It wasn’t precisely an evening to recollect on the ice for the Pittsburgh Penguins. In got here the rebuilding Los Angeles Kings, seeking to kick off their East Coast street journey on a excessive, and managed to steal the night time simply in time to stroll away with the factors. The house facet went 1-0 up within the first, however a two objectives from Adrian Kempe within the third lower brief any hopes of a uncommon dwelling win for the Penguins.
Nonetheless, away from the ice, it was all celebrations as a star of the NHL returned to be honored by the franchise he began his illustrious profession and located the glut of his success. Lastly, the crew retired the well-known quantity 68, sending the black-and-yellow jersey to the rafters to hail the good Jaromír Jágr.
A legend of the sport
Born in Czechia in 1972, Jaromír Jágr made his option to the NHL because the fifth total choose within the 1990 draft. Picked by the Penguins, he’d debut that season and open his illustrious catalog with 27 objectives and 57 factors in 80 common season video games. He made a direct influence en path to turning into a pop-culture icon, as The Athletic particulars.
The very subsequent season, the younger European winger would internet his first Stanley Cup win, adopted by one other in 1992. Ultimately, Jágr performed 11 seasons for the Penguins earlier than bouncing round to the Washington Capitals, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Dallas Stars, Boston Bruins, New Jersey Devils, Florida Panthers, and Calgary Flames.
He ended his NHL profession with 1,921 factors in 1,733 common season video games with a further 201 factors in 208 video games throughout the postseason, ending second solely to Wayne Gretzky for profession regular-season factors and third for profession factors together with postseason scoring. The best European participant to ever grace the NHL is legendary far past the rink.
He’s an icon of 90s popular culture, the mullet is understood far and vast, and he even has his personal official on-line slot, which was launched in 2019. At a number of of the websites which have earned a five-star evaluation from BonusFinder Canada, Jágr’s Tremendous Slot stays a sizzling choose. The extra open bonuses, like deposit-match promos, may even be used to expertise the Czech legend’s personal recreation.
Jersey to the rafters for a still-active star
The skater with the second-most factors in NHL historical past now has his quantity retired and within the rafters. The ‘Have a good time 68’ day held at PPG Paints Area noticed the banner get raised earlier than a rowdy crowd whereas Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, and Evgeni Malkin all skated out for warm-ups with No. 68 jerseys and mullet wigs.
Considerably surprisingly, the ceremony wasn’t for a retired participant. Jágr continues to play the occasional recreation for his crew in Czechia. Because the proprietor and largest star on the Rytíři Kladno roster, he’s now in his thirty sixth skilled season of play, and he’s nonetheless including factors to his file.
Within the 2023/24 season up to now, he’s collected 4 assists in 15 video games. A part of the rationale he continues to play is to uphold the marketability of the membership and its attraction to sponsors. Evidently, Jágr stays a celebrity of hockey, and despite the fact that he hasn’t been within the NHL for some time, he’s nonetheless extremely well-liked with followers in North America.
Jaromír Jágr has now joined simply two different Penguins stars with retired jersey numbers (Michel Briere and Mario Lemieux), and his enjoying profession isn’t even performed but. He could even come again to Pittsburgh in a front-office position sooner or later.
