Jaromir Jagr, the 54-year-old hockey legend who ranks among the game’s greatest scorers, could finally be hanging up his skates after an incredible 38 pro seasons.
Now with his hometown Kladno Knights in the Czech league, Jagr said during an Instagram interview he’d be surprised if he returns for a 39th season.
‘Probably not,’ Jagr said. ‘It would have to be a miracle. God would have to come, enter me and make me 15 years younger.’
It wasn’t immediately clear if Jagr will play again this season. The winger, who turned 54 on February 15, has played just six games in the league for Kladno this season. His last game so far was on December 21.
Remarkably, he’s believed to have played over 2,000 professional games.
Jagr, who represented his country at five Olympics and led the Czechs to gold in Nagano in 1998, said he spent the last 10 days watching the Milan Cortina Games on television.
Jaromir Jagr seen during IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship 2024 final match between Sweden and Poland at O2 Arena Prague. He now says he expects to retire after the season
Jagr was drafted by Pittsburgh in 1990 and won Stanley Cups in his first two seasons
Jagr skates during warm ups after having his number retired and raised to the rafters in 2024
‘I do nothing else but eat and watch TV,’ he said. This is the first Olympics with NHL players in a dozen years and Jagr appreciated that.
‘It’s the best tournament in the last 10-15 years, certainly because of the presence of NHL players,’ he said. ‘The games are great.’
But besides following hockey, short-track speed skating and figure skating, Jagr said he is trying to keep fit after recently gaining some 4-5 kilograms (9-11 pounds).
‘It’s really about discipline,’ Jagr said. ‘The worst thing is when you don’t have to. Sometimes, it’s better when you have to. When you don’t have to, forcing yourself is the hardest thing,’ he said.
Jagr (right) is best known for his years alongside Penguins great Mario Lemieux (left)
‘I keep myself going. I try, I don’t train to be ready to play, but I try to go skating every day if I have time.’
Jagr made his debut for Kladno at age 16 and returned to the club in 2018 when the Calgary Flames released him. Jagr remains second on the NHL’s all-time points list behind Wayne Gretzky. Jagr won the Stanley Cup twice with the Pittsburgh Penguins in his first two NHL seasons.
Until early last year, Jagr served in dual roles as Kladno player and owner, splitting his time between chasing sponsors and dealing with administrative duties and ice time.
He sold a majority stake in Kladno last January in a season he had previously suggested would be his last but wasn’t.
This season, if still playing, he has a chance to make the playoffs with Kladno for the first time.
Jagr played in the Czech Republic during the 2004 lockout and later returned to the league
Jagr last played in the NHL in the 2017-18 season, appearing in 22 games for the Calgary Flames.
He spent the first 11 seasons of his career with the Penguins before stops with the New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals and more. However, it was in Pittsburgh where Jagr won his only two Stanley Cups while playing alongside the legendary Mario Lemieux in 1990-91 and 1991-92.
Jagr is a five-time Hart Award winner, which is given to the player who leads the league in points at the end of the season, and has the second-most points in NHL history.
What’s more, he was described by legendary New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur as the best player he ever faced.
‘When I was in my prime, he was in his,’ Brodeur told The Wall Street Journal in 2016. ‘That was the guy for me, I’d say.’
Jagr scored an NHL-high 25 career goals against Brodeur, according to Stats LLC.
His retirement will leave him well short of the mark set by Detroit Red Wings legend Gordie Howe, who came back for a shift in the International Hockey League at age 69.
