Jaromir Jagr to make hockey return at age of 51 in exhibition game
Jaromír Jágr isn’t done just yet.
The future Hockey Hall of Famer hasn’t played a game during the 2023-24 season, but that’s about to change. Jágr has been selected to participate in an exhibition game on Dec. 9 featuring Czech hockey legends as part of Sparta Praha’s 120th anniversary celebration.
🏒 Jaromír Jágr na Návratu legend!
Posledním hráčem, který doplní tým česko-slovenských legend v exhibičním utkání ke 120.letům hokejové Sparty není nikdo jiný než legendární Jaromír Jágr.
Sportovní hala v Holešovicích, 9.prosince. Další velký zápas v této hale.
Vstupenky jsou… pic.twitter.com/9lrm2vxqzD
Jágr hasn’t suited up for a game yet this year with his Czech club, Rytíři Kladno. He helped the team when they needed extra roster support later in the season, which included keeping the team in the top pro league. They currently sit last with a 3-11-3-3 record.
Last season, Jágr – who turned 51 in February – played 30 games with Kladno after skating in 48 the year prior. Since leaving the Calgary Flames in 2017-18, Jágr has remained active with his own club, skating in at least a few games every year, no matter which division of Czech hockey they’re competing in.
Greatly considered to be one of the best players in NHL history, Jágr will be a first-ballot hall of famer when he eventually decides to call it quits for good. He finished his 24-year NHL career with 1,921 points, the most by a European in NHL history. Jágr also had 15 seasons of at least 70 points or more, and is a five-time winner of the Art Ross Trophy for most points in a single season, good for fourth all-time with a career-high of 127 in 1998-99.
Jágr has almost too many NHL awards to list. Among others, he is tied with Paul Coffey for having played for the most teams by a 1,000-point scorer (nine), has the most game-winning goals (135), most consecutive 70-point seasons (15) and most consecutive 30-goal seasons (also 15).
Jágr also has over 200 points playing in his native Czech, with an additional 183 points in 187 games between the KHL and the Russian Super League.