Jaromir Jagr
Encyclopedia
Jaromír Jágr (ˈjaromiːr ˈjaːɡr̩; born February 15, 1972) is a Czech
professional ice hockey
right winger
who plays for the Philadelphia Flyers
of the National Hockey League
(NHL). Jágr formerly played with the Pittsburgh Penguins
, Washington Capitals
, and New York Rangers
, serving as captain of the Penguins and the Rangers. After leaving the Rangers, Jágr played for three seasons in the Kontinental Hockey League
with Avangard Omsk
before returning to the NHL with the Flyers.
Jágr was the fifth overall selection in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft
. He won two consecutive Stanley Cup
s in the 1991 and 1992 seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He has won the Art Ross Trophy
as the NHL's leading point scorer five times, received the Lester B. Pearson Award
as voted by the NHL Players' Association three times, and won a Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player. He has been named to seven NHL First All-Star Teams
. Jágr is currently in the top 15 NHL players in career goals
, assists
and points
(as of the end of the 2010–11 NHL season
), and is the all-time leader among European trained players in all three categories, as well as the leading point scorer among active NHL players. Jágr was the Czech Republic's flag bearer for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.
He is one of a small group of hockey players to have won the Stanley Cup
(1991, 1992), the Ice Hockey World Championships
(2005, 2010), and the Olympic gold medal in ice hockey
(1998). This is known as the Triple Gold Club
, and Jagr is one of only two Czech players (the other being Jiří Šlégr
) in the Triple Gold club, the 15th player to complete it out of 25 total, as of June 2010.
.
was falling. Because of this, after Jágr was taken by the Pittsburgh Penguins
with the fifth overall pick in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft
, he was able to come immediately to North America from Czechoslovakia. He was a supporting player with the powerhouse Penguins that won back-to-back Stanley Cup
s in 1991 and 1992. He was one of the youngest players in NHL history, at 20 years of age, to score a goal in the Stanley Cup finals.
Before he had a clean grasp on the English language
, he could be heard reading the daily weather forecast on Pittsburgh radio station WDVE
in his broken, thickly accented English. He and teammate (and fellow countryman) Jiří Hrdina
were promoted as the "Czechmates", a play on the term "checkmate
" from chess
. He would also play Scrabble
in an attempt to increase his English vocabulary. Some Penguins fans realized that the letters in his first name could be scrambled to form the anagram
"Mario Jr.", a reference to teammate Mario Lemieux
.
In the 1994–95 NHL season Jágr won his first Art Ross Trophy
as the scoring champion of the NHL. He tied Eric Lindros
with 70 points but won based on his 32 goals to Lindros' 29. The next year, Jágr set a record for most points, 149, by a European-born player. Both his 62 goals and 87 assists from that season still stand as career-highs. His 1995–96 totals for assists and points stand as the records for right-wingers in those categories. After the 1997–98 season, Ron Francis signed with the Carolina Hurricanes, leaving Jágr the Penguins' captaincy. From 1997–98 to 2000–01, Jágr would win four straight NHL scoring titles. In 1999, Jágr would win the Hart Memorial Trophy
, as the NHL's Most Valuable Player
as well as the Lester B. Pearson Award
. In 1998, he led the Czech Republic's team to a gold medal at the Nagano Olympics
.
On December 30, 1999 Jagr scored 3 goals and 4 assists for a career high 7 point night against the New York Islanders. He would match this feat on January 11, 2003 by once again scoring 3 goals and adding 4 assists for a total of 7 points in a game against the Florida Panthers while playing for Washington.
In 2000–01, Jágr was struggling to find his scoring touch and faced criticisms about his relationship with coach Ivan Hlinka
. With the return of Mario Lemieux from retirement, the Penguins had two superstars but friction developed between the two; Jágr held the captaincy but many fans regarded Lemieux as the talisman
of the team. Also, the struggling, small-market Penguins could, with Lemieux back, no longer hope to afford Jágr's massive salary. Thus on July 11, 2001, they traded him (along with František Kučera
) to the Washington Capitals
for Kris Beech
, Michal Sivek
and Ross Lupaschuk
.
In 806 games in Pittsburgh, Jágr became only the second Penguins player, after Lemieux, to score 1,000 points in a Penguins sweater. Jágr currently sits second behind Lemieux in all offensive categories in franchise history, except points per game, where he is third (behind Sidney Crosby
and Lemieux).
in the first round of the playoffs despite winning the first two games.
This prompted the Caps to unload much of their high-priced talent in order to save money—not just a cost-cutting spree, but also an acknowledgement that their attempt to build a contender with high-priced veteran talent had failed. Disgruntled, the Washington ownership spent much of 2003 trying to trade Jágr, but a year before a new Collective Bargaining Agreement
was to be signed, few teams were willing to risk $11 million on Jágr.
On January 23, 2004, he was traded to the New York Rangers
for Anson Carter
and an agreement that Washington would pay approximately four million dollars per year of Jágr's salary. Jágr also agreed to defer (with interest) $1 million per year for the remainder of his contract to allow the trade to go ahead.
During the NHL labor dispute in 2004–05, he played for HC Kladno
in the Czech Republic, and afterward for the Avangard
ice-hockey team at Omsk
in Russia.
Jaromír led the Czech Republic to gold at the 2005 World Hockey Championships
in Austria; and was elected a tournament all-star in the process. He also became a member of hockey's prestigious Triple Gold Club
, players who have won a Stanley Cup
, a World Hockey Championship
, and an Olympic
gold medal.
Prior to the 2005–06 season, the Rangers had missed the playoffs for seven consecutive seasons. Following the fire sale of the high-priced underachieving veterans that made up the team's roster, as well as the retirement of long-time captain Mark Messier
, many experts picked the Rangers to be the worst team in the NHL. Jágr disagreed and promised the team would surprise a lot of people and make the Stanley Cup playoffs. He started strong during the beginning of the 2005 season and the return from the lockout of the NHL. He became only the fourth player in NHL history to score 10 or more goals in less than 10 games at the start of a season. His return to dominance helped the Rangers return to the Stanley Cup playoffs, but injuries to Jágr and others contributed to a quick Ranger exit in a first round sweep of the Broadway Blueshirts by the archnemesis New Jersey Devils
.
Jágr scored his 1,400th point on a power play goal against the Philadelphia Flyers
on March 2, 2006, pushing him past Jari Kurri
into second place all-time among European-born players. He later passed Stan Mikita
to become the all-time leader.
On March 18, 2006, against the Toronto Maple Leafs
, Jágr became only the sixth Rangers player in team history to break the 100-point barrier, and became the only Ranger right winger to score 100 points in a season.
On March 27, 2006, against the Buffalo Sabres
, Jágr had a goal and an assist, which tied both the Rangers' single-season goal record of 52 (Adam Graves
, 1993–94) and the Rangers' single season points record of 109 (Jean Ratelle
, 1971–72). Two nights later, on March 29, 2006, Jágr passed Ratelle when he assisted on Petr Průcha
's first-period goal against the New York Islanders
' Rick DiPietro
. 9 days later, on April 8, against the Boston Bruins
, Jágr scored his league-leading 53rd goal of the season, breaking the Rangers' single-season goals record.
After leading the league in points and goals for most of 2005–06, Jágr was passed by the San Jose Sharks
' duo of Joe Thornton
(125 points) and Jonathan Cheechoo
(56 goals), losing both the Art Ross and Maurice Richard trophies in the final week of the season. Jágr finished with 123 points, 54 goals, and 24 power-play goals, second in the league in all three categories. He finished third in the league in both assists, with 69, and +/-, at +34. Despite being inched out by Thornton for the Art Ross Trophy and Hart Trophy (league MVP), Jágr won his third Lester B. Pearson Award as the league's outstanding player. However, just as in Washington, playoff success was not to be for Jágr, whose Rangers were swept four games to none by the New Jersey Devils. Jágr suffered a dislocated shoulder
in the third period of the first game of the series, which kept him from playing at his top form for the rest of the series. Jágr had surgery on the shoulder after the Rangers were eliminated from the playoffs.
On October 5, 2006, before the first game of the 2006–07 NHL season against the Washington Capitals
, Jágr was named as the 24th captain
in the history of the New York Rangers, replacing Mark Messier
, who retired before the 2005–06 season. Jágr then proceeded to score a goal on his very first shift in the game, just under 30 seconds into the new season.
On November 19, 2006, he scored his 600th career NHL goal on Tampa Bay
goalie Johan Holmqvist
, making him the 16th player in NHL history to do so. Power play linemate Brendan Shanahan
had scored his 600th goal almost three weeks earlier, making them the first teammates in NHL history to score their 600th goal in the same season.
On February 10, 2007, against the Washington Capitals
, Jágr earned an assist
on a goal by Michal Rozsíval
to record his 1,500th career point. He is only the 12th NHLer to reach this mark. He is the fourth fastest player to score his 1,500th point after Marcel Dionne
, Mario Lemieux
and Wayne Gretzky
.
On April 5, 2007, against the Montreal Canadiens
, Jágr scored his 30th goal of the 2006–07 NHL season to record 15 consecutive seasons of 30 or more goals. This tied the NHL record of consecutive 30-goal seasons held by Mike Gartner
.
After a regular season slowed by a weak shoulder, he led the New York Rangers to a sweep of the Atlanta Thrashers
in the Eastern Conference
Quarterfinals. The Rangers would fall to the Buffalo Sabres
in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
On November 14, 2007, against the New Jersey Devils, Jágr scored his 4th goal of the 2007–08 NHL season at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey
, making him the only player to score a goal in 53 different NHL arenas.
for the first time in his career, was informed by Rangers GM Glen Sather
that the club was moving on without him. Sather admitted that the two sides never engaged in detailed negotiations for a new contract, and that after many months of speculation, Jágr was "seriously considering" going to Russia to finish his career, despite offers from other NHL teams. A day later, these reports came true, when Jágr agreed to a two-year deal with Avangard Omsk
of the Kontinental Hockey League
; the deal was reported to pay Jágr the equivalent US$5 million annually. Jágr was named Avangard's captain on January 30, 2009.
Jágr has also expressed desires to finish out his career at his father's club, HC Kladno
.
Jágr was sitting next to Alexei Cherepanov
when Cherepanov, a first-round pick of the Rangers, died. They were discussing the past shift when Cherepanov collapsed right into Jágr on the bench at the Ice Hockey Center 2004
arena.
In April 2009, Jágr publicly stated an interest in returning to the NHL, stating that he really just needed a break from the pressures of an 82 game NHL schedule. Jágr, who claimed to have lost 15 pounds since his last NHL season, and who was "practicing a lot harder than [he] ever did in [his] life" stated he would be interested in joining the Edmonton Oilers
because of the interest they showed in July 2008. However, following the expiration of his original contract with Avangard, Jagr re-signed with Avangard for the 2010-11 KHL season.
of the National Hockey League. Jágr scored his 1600th point during his debut game with the Flyers, assisting on a Claude Giroux goal as Flyers won their season opener 2−1 over the Boston Bruins on October 6, 2011. Usually playing on a top line with Giroux and Scott Hartnell
, Jágr was among the top scorers during the start of the 2011–12 season
. Jágr scored his first and second goals as a Philadelphia Flyer on October 24, 2011, against the Toronto Maple Leafs. . On October 29, 2011, he scored his 650th and 651st NHL goals against the Carolina Hurricanes
.
-based website CaribSports and its owner, William Caesar, to which Jágr owed US$500,000. Sports Illustrated
reported that Jágr agreed to make monthly payments to Caesar to settle the debt, and Caesar leaked the story to the press when Jágr stopped making payments. In 2003, the Internal Revenue Service
filed a US$3.27 million lien
against him for unpaid taxes for the 2001 tax year. Only a few months before, Jágr had settled a US$350,000 claim for taxes dating to 1999. In the summer of 2006, Jágr sued his former accountant over a tax form that was supposed to have been filed in 2003, claiming that the form would have saved him $6 million had it been filed in a timely fashion.
during the off-season. His father, also named Jaromír Jágr, owns a chain of hotels and serves as president of HC Kladno
.
Jágr wears the number 68, which he has worn through his entire career, in honor of the Prague Spring
rebellion that occurred in Czechoslovakia in 1968 and his grandfather, who died while in prison that same year. His grandfather had been jailed by Soviet forces invading Czechoslovakia in 1968 as a response to the Prague Spring for having refused to work on his farm for free.
Jágr has been a long time supporter of the liberal conservative Civic Democratic Party, stating in 2004 that he "had always" voted for the party. In previous election he has appeared at the party's billboards and was among its generous sponsors.
On May 26, 2010, he announced he was backing the Civic Democrats and its leader Petr Nečas
. At the press conference he said: "I realise that there will be elections in two to three days. I would like their outcome to be good."
He also urged the party not to forget about sports when distributing money. "We all know what would happen if the young did not practice any sport. If children practice some sport, they do not have time for other things such as alcohol."
Jágr is an Orthodox Christian
; he was baptized in 2001 by Prague's metropolitan.
Other
arrived in the middle of the World Championships
. The fans' expectations were high as Jágr was an NHL star, but before they were able to integrate into the team Czechs lost their quarterfinal game and were out of the tournament. Jágr was also hurt in numerous other games.
The 1996 World Cup of Hockey
also did not see Jágr at his best. His performance was hampered by the flu and it only underscored the poor play of the whole team. After losing 7-3 to Finland, 3-0 to Sweden and 7-1 even to relatively weak Germany, the team did not qualify for the playoffs.
All this was forgotten in 1998 when the Czech Republic won the gold medal in the 1998 Winter Olympics
in Nagano. It was only the third gold medal for Czech or Czechoslovak sportsmen from the Winter Olympics and it is still fondly remembered.
Jágr did not play in the 1996
, 1999
, 2000
or 2001 World Championships
, where the Czech Republic won the gold medals. He was a member of the team on the 2004 World Championships
in Prague
, Czech Republic, where the expectations were high, especially after the team won all the games in the group, but they lost in the quarterfinals game.
It was the 2005 World Championships
that finally brought a gold medal to Jágr. Although he broke his finger in an early game against Germany, he played with it bandaged during the rest of the tournament and led his team to victory.
More injuries struck Jágr in the 2006 Winter Olympics
in Turin. He was injured after a hit from Jarkko Ruutu
in the game against Finland; he required stitches to his eyebrow. However, the injury was not as serious as it first seemed, and Jágr was able to play in the following games. He was unable to finish the bronze medal game due to muscle injury. Despite this trouble Jágr won the second Olympic medal in his life — bronze this time. Jagr was the flag bearer of the 2010 Winter Olympics
for the Czech Republic.
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
professional ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
right winger
Winger (ice hockey)
Winger, in the game of hockey, is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play on the ice is along the outer playing area. They typically work by flanking the centre forward. Originally the name was given to forward players who went up and down the sides of the rink...
who plays for the Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
of the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
(NHL). Jágr formerly played with the Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
, Washington Capitals
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup...
, and New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
, serving as captain of the Penguins and the Rangers. After leaving the Rangers, Jágr played for three seasons in the Kontinental Hockey League
Kontinental Hockey League
The Kontinental Hockey League is an international professional ice hockey league in Eurasia founded in 2008. As of 2009, it is ranked as the strongest hockey league in Europe....
with Avangard Omsk
Avangard Omsk
Avangard Omsk are a professional ice hockey team from Siberia based in the city of Omsk, Russia. They are members of the Chernyshev Division of the Kontinental Hockey League.-Overview:...
before returning to the NHL with the Flyers.
Jágr was the fifth overall selection in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft
1990 NHL Entry Draft
The 1990 National Hockey League Entry Draft was the 28th NHL Entry Draft. It was hosted by the Vancouver Canucks at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on June 16, 1990...
. He won two consecutive Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
s in the 1991 and 1992 seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He has won the Art Ross Trophy
Art Ross Trophy
The Art Ross Trophy is awarded to the National Hockey League player who leads the league in scoring points at the end of the regular season. It was presented to the NHL by former player, general manager, and head coach Art Ross. The trophy has been awarded 61 times to 25 players since its inception...
as the NHL's leading point scorer five times, received the Lester B. Pearson Award
Lester B. Pearson Award
The Ted Lindsay Award, formerly known as the Lester B. Pearson Award, is awarded annually to the National Hockey League's most outstanding player in the regular season as judged by the members of the NHL Players Association. It has been awarded 40 times to 23 different players since its beginnings...
as voted by the NHL Players' Association three times, and won a Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player. He has been named to seven NHL First All-Star Teams
NHL All-Star Team
The NHL All-Star Teams were first named at the end of the 1930–31 NHL season, to honor the best performers over the season at each position.Representatives of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association vote for the All-Star Team at the end of the regular season.The career leaders in citations are...
. Jágr is currently in the top 15 NHL players in career goals
Goal (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to...
, assists
Assist (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal...
and points
Point (ice hockey)
Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one...
(as of the end of the 2010–11 NHL season
2010–11 NHL season
The 2010–11 NHL season was the 94th season of operation of the National Hockey League . It was the fourth consecutive season that opened in Europe with NHL Premiere . A record three events were scheduled, all in previous NHL Premiere cities: Helsinki, Finland; Stockholm, Sweden; and Prague, Czech...
), and is the all-time leader among European trained players in all three categories, as well as the leading point scorer among active NHL players. Jágr was the Czech Republic's flag bearer for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.
He is one of a small group of hockey players to have won the Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
(1991, 1992), the Ice Hockey World Championships
Ice Hockey World Championships
The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation . First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annual international tournament. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the European...
(2005, 2010), and the Olympic gold medal in ice hockey
Ice hockey at the 1998 Winter Olympics
Ice hockey at the 1998 Winter Olympics was played at The Big Hat and Aqua Wing Arena in Nagano, Japan.-Men's tournament:The 1998 Olympic men's ice hockey tournament was the first in which professional players from the National Hockey League were allowed to participate, allowing national teams to...
(1998). This is known as the Triple Gold Club
Triple Gold Club
The Triple Gold Club is a term used to describe ice hockey players and coaches who have won an Olympic Games gold medal, a World Championship gold medal, and the Stanley Cup, the championship trophy of the National Hockey League...
, and Jagr is one of only two Czech players (the other being Jiří Šlégr
Jiri Slegr
Jiří Šlégr is a Czech professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for HC Litvínov of the Czech Extraliga. He is also the estranged son of former Vancouver Canucks defenceman Jiří Bubla...
) in the Triple Gold club, the 15th player to complete it out of 25 total, as of June 2010.
Career overview
Jágr began skating at the age of three, and he immediately showed exceptional abilities. At the age of 16, he was playing at the highest level of competition in Czechoslovakia for HC KladnoHC Kladno
Rytíři Kladno is a Czech professional ice hockey team based in the city of Kladno. They are currently a member of the Czech Extraliga, the top flight level of ice hockey in the Czech Republic....
.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Jágr was the first Czechoslovak player to be drafted by the NHL without first having to defect to the West; his selection in the NHL draft came as the Iron CurtainIron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
was falling. Because of this, after Jágr was taken by the Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
with the fifth overall pick in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft
1990 NHL Entry Draft
The 1990 National Hockey League Entry Draft was the 28th NHL Entry Draft. It was hosted by the Vancouver Canucks at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on June 16, 1990...
, he was able to come immediately to North America from Czechoslovakia. He was a supporting player with the powerhouse Penguins that won back-to-back Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
s in 1991 and 1992. He was one of the youngest players in NHL history, at 20 years of age, to score a goal in the Stanley Cup finals.
Before he had a clean grasp on the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, he could be heard reading the daily weather forecast on Pittsburgh radio station WDVE
WDVE
WDVE is a mainstream rock music formatted radio station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA at 102.5 MHz. It is often referred to by Pittsburghers as simply "DVE." WDVE's transmitter is located on Pittsburgh's North Side...
in his broken, thickly accented English. He and teammate (and fellow countryman) Jiří Hrdina
Jiri Hrdina
Jiří Hrdina is a former NHL player from the Czech Republic. In 1984 he was a member of the Czechoslovak national hockey team which won silver medal at the Olympic Games in Sarajevo...
were promoted as the "Czechmates", a play on the term "checkmate
Checkmate
Checkmate is a situation in chess in which one player's king is threatened with capture and there is no way to meet that threat. Or, simply put, the king is under direct attack and cannot avoid being captured...
" from chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
. He would also play Scrabble
Scrabble
Scrabble is a word game in which two to four players score points by forming words from individual lettered tiles on a game board marked with a 15-by-15 grid. The words are formed across and down in crossword fashion and must appear in a standard dictionary. Official reference works provide a list...
in an attempt to increase his English vocabulary. Some Penguins fans realized that the letters in his first name could be scrambled to form the anagram
Anagram
An anagram is a type of word play, the result of rearranging the letters of a word or phrase to produce a new word or phrase, using all the original letters exactly once; e.g., orchestra = carthorse, A decimal point = I'm a dot in place, Tom Marvolo Riddle = I am Lord Voldemort. Someone who...
"Mario Jr.", a reference to teammate Mario Lemieux
Mario Lemieux
Mario Lemieux, OC, CQ is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He is acknowledged to be one of the best players of all time. He played 17 seasons as a forward for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League between 1984 and 2006...
.
In the 1994–95 NHL season Jágr won his first Art Ross Trophy
Art Ross Trophy
The Art Ross Trophy is awarded to the National Hockey League player who leads the league in scoring points at the end of the regular season. It was presented to the NHL by former player, general manager, and head coach Art Ross. The trophy has been awarded 61 times to 25 players since its inception...
as the scoring champion of the NHL. He tied Eric Lindros
Eric Lindros
Eric Bryan Lindros is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. Lindros played junior hockey in the OHL for the Oshawa Generals prior to being selected first overall in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft by the Quebec Nordiques...
with 70 points but won based on his 32 goals to Lindros' 29. The next year, Jágr set a record for most points, 149, by a European-born player. Both his 62 goals and 87 assists from that season still stand as career-highs. His 1995–96 totals for assists and points stand as the records for right-wingers in those categories. After the 1997–98 season, Ron Francis signed with the Carolina Hurricanes, leaving Jágr the Penguins' captaincy. From 1997–98 to 2000–01, Jágr would win four straight NHL scoring titles. In 1999, Jágr would win the Hart Memorial Trophy
Hart Memorial Trophy
The Hart Memorial Trophy, originally known as the Hart Trophy, the "oldest and most prestigious individual award in hockey", is awarded annually to the "player adjudged most valuable to his team" in the National Hockey League . The Hart Memorial Trophy has been awarded 86 times to 53 different...
, as the NHL's Most Valuable Player
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
as well as the Lester B. Pearson Award
Lester B. Pearson Award
The Ted Lindsay Award, formerly known as the Lester B. Pearson Award, is awarded annually to the National Hockey League's most outstanding player in the regular season as judged by the members of the NHL Players Association. It has been awarded 40 times to 23 different players since its beginnings...
. In 1998, he led the Czech Republic's team to a gold medal at the Nagano Olympics
1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...
.
On December 30, 1999 Jagr scored 3 goals and 4 assists for a career high 7 point night against the New York Islanders. He would match this feat on January 11, 2003 by once again scoring 3 goals and adding 4 assists for a total of 7 points in a game against the Florida Panthers while playing for Washington.
In 2000–01, Jágr was struggling to find his scoring touch and faced criticisms about his relationship with coach Ivan Hlinka
Ivan Hlinka
Ivan Hlinka was a Czech professional ice hockey player and coach. He was one of the most important figures in Czech ice hockey.-Playing career:...
. With the return of Mario Lemieux from retirement, the Penguins had two superstars but friction developed between the two; Jágr held the captaincy but many fans regarded Lemieux as the talisman
Amulet
An amulet, similar to a talisman , is any object intended to bring good luck or protection to its owner.Potential amulets include gems, especially engraved gems, statues, coins, drawings, pendants, rings, plants and animals; even words said in certain occasions—for example: vade retro satana—, to...
of the team. Also, the struggling, small-market Penguins could, with Lemieux back, no longer hope to afford Jágr's massive salary. Thus on July 11, 2001, they traded him (along with František Kučera
Frantisek Kucera
František Kučera is a retired Czech professional ice hockey defenseman who played in the National Hockey League for the Chicago Blackhawks, Hartford Whalers, Vancouver Canucks, Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals.-Playing career:Originally...
) to the Washington Capitals
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup...
for Kris Beech
Kris Beech
Kristopher Beech is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre, currently playing for Rauman Lukko in the Finnish elite league SM-Liiga.-Playing career:...
, Michal Sivek
Michal Sivek
Michal Sivek is a former professional ice hockey player who last played for Sparta Praha. He was one of three players acquired from the Washington Capitals for Jaromír Jágr.-Retirement:...
and Ross Lupaschuk
Ross Lupaschuk
Ross Lupaschuk is a Canadian ice hockey defenceman who currently plays for the Cologne Sharks.-Juniors:Lupaschuk played his junior-level hockey in the Western Hockey League for five seasons with the Lethbridge Hurricanes, Prince Albert Raiders and Red Deer Rebels...
.
In 806 games in Pittsburgh, Jágr became only the second Penguins player, after Lemieux, to score 1,000 points in a Penguins sweater. Jágr currently sits second behind Lemieux in all offensive categories in franchise history, except points per game, where he is third (behind Sidney Crosby
Sidney Crosby
Sidney Patrick Crosby ONS is a Canadian professional ice hockey player and captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League . Crosby was drafted first overall by the Penguins out of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League...
and Lemieux).
Washington Capitals
Later that year the Capitals signed Jágr to the largest contract ever in NHL history (at that time)—$77 million over 7 years at an average salary of $11 million per year, with an option for an eighth year. However, Jágr did not live up to expectations, as the Capitals failed to defend their division title and missed the playoffs in 2002. Even when the Capitals reunited him with linemate Robert Lang during summer 2002, Jágr failed to finish among the league's top scorers or make the postseason All-Star Team during his time with the Capitals. In 2002–03 Washington managed to finish 6th overall in the Eastern Conference, but lost to the upstart Tampa Bay LightningTampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They have one Stanley Cup championship in their history, in 2003–04. They are often referred to as the...
in the first round of the playoffs despite winning the first two games.
This prompted the Caps to unload much of their high-priced talent in order to save money—not just a cost-cutting spree, but also an acknowledgement that their attempt to build a contender with high-priced veteran talent had failed. Disgruntled, the Washington ownership spent much of 2003 trying to trade Jágr, but a year before a new Collective Bargaining Agreement
NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement
The NHL collective bargaining agreement is the basic contract between the National Hockey League team owners and the NHL Players Association , designed to be arrived at through the typical labor-management negotiations of collective bargaining...
was to be signed, few teams were willing to risk $11 million on Jágr.
On January 23, 2004, he was traded to the New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
for Anson Carter
Anson Carter
Anson Carter is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey right winger of Barbadian descent who last played for HC Lugano in the Swiss Nationalliga A. In the past, he has played for eight different National Hockey League teams, most notably with the Boston Bruins, Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver...
and an agreement that Washington would pay approximately four million dollars per year of Jágr's salary. Jágr also agreed to defer (with interest) $1 million per year for the remainder of his contract to allow the trade to go ahead.
New York Rangers
However, due to the new collective bargaining agreement signed before the start of the 2005–06 season, Jágr's salary was subsequently reduced to $7.8 million, the maximum allowed under the terms of the new salary cap.During the NHL labor dispute in 2004–05, he played for HC Kladno
HC Kladno
Rytíři Kladno is a Czech professional ice hockey team based in the city of Kladno. They are currently a member of the Czech Extraliga, the top flight level of ice hockey in the Czech Republic....
in the Czech Republic, and afterward for the Avangard
Avangard Omsk
Avangard Omsk are a professional ice hockey team from Siberia based in the city of Omsk, Russia. They are members of the Chernyshev Division of the Kontinental Hockey League.-Overview:...
ice-hockey team at Omsk
Omsk
-History:The wooden fort of Omsk was erected in 1716 to protect the expanding Russian frontier along the Ishim and the Irtysh rivers against the Kyrgyz nomads of the Steppes...
in Russia.
Jaromír led the Czech Republic to gold at the 2005 World Hockey Championships
2005 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships
The 2005 Men's Ice Hockey Championships were held March 7 - May 15, 2005, in 7 cities in 6 countries: Vienna and Innsbruck, Austria ; Debrecen, Hungary ; Eindhoven, the Netherlands ; Zagreb, Croatia ; Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro ; Mexico City, Mexico...
in Austria; and was elected a tournament all-star in the process. He also became a member of hockey's prestigious Triple Gold Club
Triple Gold Club
The Triple Gold Club is a term used to describe ice hockey players and coaches who have won an Olympic Games gold medal, a World Championship gold medal, and the Stanley Cup, the championship trophy of the National Hockey League...
, players who have won a Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
, a World Hockey Championship
Ice Hockey World Championships
The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation . First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annual international tournament. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the European...
, and an Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
gold medal.
Prior to the 2005–06 season, the Rangers had missed the playoffs for seven consecutive seasons. Following the fire sale of the high-priced underachieving veterans that made up the team's roster, as well as the retirement of long-time captain Mark Messier
Mark Messier
Mark Douglas Messier is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre of the National Hockey League and current special assistant to the president and general manager of the New York Rangers. He spent a quarter of a century in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, and Vancouver...
, many experts picked the Rangers to be the worst team in the NHL. Jágr disagreed and promised the team would surprise a lot of people and make the Stanley Cup playoffs. He started strong during the beginning of the 2005 season and the return from the lockout of the NHL. He became only the fourth player in NHL history to score 10 or more goals in less than 10 games at the start of a season. His return to dominance helped the Rangers return to the Stanley Cup playoffs, but injuries to Jágr and others contributed to a quick Ranger exit in a first round sweep of the Broadway Blueshirts by the archnemesis New Jersey Devils
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
.
Jágr scored his 1,400th point on a power play goal against the Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
on March 2, 2006, pushing him past Jari Kurri
Jari Kurri
Jari Pekka Kurri is a retired Finnish professional ice hockey right winger and a five-time Stanley Cup champion. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001. He is currently the general manager of Team Finland....
into second place all-time among European-born players. He later passed Stan Mikita
Stan Mikita
Stanislav "Stan" Mikita , is a Slovak-born Canadian retired professional ice hockey player, generally regarded as the best centre of the 1960s. In 1961, he won the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks, with whom he played his entire career.-Early life:Mikita was born in Sokolče, Slovak Republic...
to become the all-time leader.
On March 18, 2006, against the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
, Jágr became only the sixth Rangers player in team history to break the 100-point barrier, and became the only Ranger right winger to score 100 points in a season.
On March 27, 2006, against the Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:...
, Jágr had a goal and an assist, which tied both the Rangers' single-season goal record of 52 (Adam Graves
Adam Graves
Adam Graves is a former professional hockey player. He is best-known for his ten-year tenure with the New York Rangers. He also played for the Detroit Red Wings, Edmonton Oilers, and San Jose Sharks...
, 1993–94) and the Rangers' single season points record of 109 (Jean Ratelle
Jean Ratelle
Joseph Gilbert Yvon "Jean" Ratelle is a former Canadian ice hockey player and a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. It has often been said of Jean Ratelle that he was so consistently effective at a high level of play day in and day out that he has been overlooked by some as one of the greatest to...
, 1971–72). Two nights later, on March 29, 2006, Jágr passed Ratelle when he assisted on Petr Průcha
Petr Prucha
Petr Průcha is a Czech professional ice hockey forward who is currently playing for SKA St. Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League.-Playing career:...
's first-period goal against the New York Islanders
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
' Rick DiPietro
Rick DiPietro
Rick DiPietro, Jr. is an American professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League . He was the first overall selection by the Islanders in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft....
. 9 days later, on April 8, against the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
, Jágr scored his league-leading 53rd goal of the season, breaking the Rangers' single-season goals record.
After leading the league in points and goals for most of 2005–06, Jágr was passed by the San Jose Sharks
San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
' duo of Joe Thornton
Joe Thornton
Joseph Eric Thornton is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League . He was selected first overall by the Boston Bruins in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft and went on to play seven seasons with the club, five as its Captain. During the...
(125 points) and Jonathan Cheechoo
Jonathan Cheechoo
Jonathan Earl Cheechoo is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger currently playing for the Peoria Rivermen of the American Hockey League. During the 2005–06 National Hockey League season, he led the NHL with 56 goals and won the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy...
(56 goals), losing both the Art Ross and Maurice Richard trophies in the final week of the season. Jágr finished with 123 points, 54 goals, and 24 power-play goals, second in the league in all three categories. He finished third in the league in both assists, with 69, and +/-, at +34. Despite being inched out by Thornton for the Art Ross Trophy and Hart Trophy (league MVP), Jágr won his third Lester B. Pearson Award as the league's outstanding player. However, just as in Washington, playoff success was not to be for Jágr, whose Rangers were swept four games to none by the New Jersey Devils. Jágr suffered a dislocated shoulder
Shoulder problems
Shoulder problems including pain, are one of the more common reasons for physician visits for musculoskeletal symptoms. The shoulder is the most movable joint in the body. However, it is an unstable joint because of the range of motion allowed...
in the third period of the first game of the series, which kept him from playing at his top form for the rest of the series. Jágr had surgery on the shoulder after the Rangers were eliminated from the playoffs.
On October 5, 2006, before the first game of the 2006–07 NHL season against the Washington Capitals
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup...
, Jágr was named as the 24th captain
Captain (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, each team can designate an official captain for each game. The player serving as captain during the game wears a "C" on his or her jersey...
in the history of the New York Rangers, replacing Mark Messier
Mark Messier
Mark Douglas Messier is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre of the National Hockey League and current special assistant to the president and general manager of the New York Rangers. He spent a quarter of a century in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, and Vancouver...
, who retired before the 2005–06 season. Jágr then proceeded to score a goal on his very first shift in the game, just under 30 seconds into the new season.
On November 19, 2006, he scored his 600th career NHL goal on Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They have one Stanley Cup championship in their history, in 2003–04. They are often referred to as the...
goalie Johan Holmqvist
Johan Holmqvist
Johan Erik Daniel Holmqvist is a Swedish professional ice hockey goaltender, currently playing for Brynäs IF in Elitserien.-Career:...
, making him the 16th player in NHL history to do so. Power play linemate Brendan Shanahan
Brendan Shanahan
Brendan Frederick "Shanny" Shanahan is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey winger who currently serves as the National Hockey League's Vice President of Hockey and Business Development and head disciplinarian. Originally drafted by the New Jersey Devils second overall in the 1987 NHL Entry...
had scored his 600th goal almost three weeks earlier, making them the first teammates in NHL history to score their 600th goal in the same season.
On February 10, 2007, against the Washington Capitals
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup...
, Jágr earned an assist
Assist (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal...
on a goal by Michal Rozsíval
Michal Rozsival
Michal Rozsíval is a Czech professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Phoenix Coyotes of the National Hockey League . He joined the team in 2011, previously playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2000 until 2004, and the New York Rangers from 2005 to 2011.-Playing...
to record his 1,500th career point. He is only the 12th NHLer to reach this mark. He is the fourth fastest player to score his 1,500th point after Marcel Dionne
Marcel Dionne
Marcel Elphege "Little Beaver" Dionne is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings and New York Rangers...
, Mario Lemieux
Mario Lemieux
Mario Lemieux, OC, CQ is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He is acknowledged to be one of the best players of all time. He played 17 seasons as a forward for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League between 1984 and 2006...
and Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Gretzky
Wayne Douglas Gretzky, CC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. Nicknamed "The Great One", he is generally regarded as the best player in the history of the National Hockey League , and has been called "the greatest hockey player ever" by many sportswriters,...
.
On April 5, 2007, against the Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
, Jágr scored his 30th goal of the 2006–07 NHL season to record 15 consecutive seasons of 30 or more goals. This tied the NHL record of consecutive 30-goal seasons held by Mike Gartner
Mike Gartner
Michael Alfred Gartner is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey right winger who played 19 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Washington Capitals, Minnesota North Stars, New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Phoenix Coyotes...
.
After a regular season slowed by a weak shoulder, he led the New York Rangers to a sweep of the Atlanta Thrashers
Atlanta Thrashers
The Atlanta Thrashers were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Atlanta was granted a franchise in the National Hockey League on June 25, 1997, and became the league's 28th franchise when it began play in the 1999–2000 NHL season...
in the Eastern Conference
Eastern Conference (NHL)
The Eastern Conference is one of two conferences in the National Hockey League used to divide teams. Its counterpart is the Western Conference....
Quarterfinals. The Rangers would fall to the Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League .-Founding and early success: 1970-71—1980-81:...
in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
On November 14, 2007, against the New Jersey Devils, Jágr scored his 4th goal of the 2007–08 NHL season at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, making him the only player to score a goal in 53 different NHL arenas.
Avangard Omsk
On July 3, 2008, Jágr, a free agentFree agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
for the first time in his career, was informed by Rangers GM Glen Sather
Glen Sather
Glen Cameron "Slats" Sather is the President and general manager of the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League . He has also served as the head coach of the Rangers, as well as General Manager and coach of the Edmonton Oilers of the World Hockey Association and later NHL...
that the club was moving on without him. Sather admitted that the two sides never engaged in detailed negotiations for a new contract, and that after many months of speculation, Jágr was "seriously considering" going to Russia to finish his career, despite offers from other NHL teams. A day later, these reports came true, when Jágr agreed to a two-year deal with Avangard Omsk
Avangard Omsk
Avangard Omsk are a professional ice hockey team from Siberia based in the city of Omsk, Russia. They are members of the Chernyshev Division of the Kontinental Hockey League.-Overview:...
of the Kontinental Hockey League
Kontinental Hockey League
The Kontinental Hockey League is an international professional ice hockey league in Eurasia founded in 2008. As of 2009, it is ranked as the strongest hockey league in Europe....
; the deal was reported to pay Jágr the equivalent US$5 million annually. Jágr was named Avangard's captain on January 30, 2009.
Jágr has also expressed desires to finish out his career at his father's club, HC Kladno
HC Kladno
Rytíři Kladno is a Czech professional ice hockey team based in the city of Kladno. They are currently a member of the Czech Extraliga, the top flight level of ice hockey in the Czech Republic....
.
Jágr was sitting next to Alexei Cherepanov
Alexei Cherepanov
Alexei Andreyevich Cherepanov was a Russian professional ice hockey winger who played for Avangard Omsk of the Kontinental Hockey League . The New York Rangers of the National Hockey League drafted Cherepanov with their first selection, seventeenth overall, in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft...
when Cherepanov, a first-round pick of the Rangers, died. They were discussing the past shift when Cherepanov collapsed right into Jágr on the bench at the Ice Hockey Center 2004
Ice Hockey Center 2004
Ice Hockey Center 2004 is an indoor sporting arena located in Chekhov, Russia. The capacity of the arena is 3,300 , making it the smallest arena in the Kontinental Hockey League. It is the home arena of the Vityaz Chekhov ice hockey team of the Kontinental Hockey League.-External links:*...
arena.
In April 2009, Jágr publicly stated an interest in returning to the NHL, stating that he really just needed a break from the pressures of an 82 game NHL schedule. Jágr, who claimed to have lost 15 pounds since his last NHL season, and who was "practicing a lot harder than [he] ever did in [his] life" stated he would be interested in joining the Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
because of the interest they showed in July 2008. However, following the expiration of his original contract with Avangard, Jagr re-signed with Avangard for the 2010-11 KHL season.
Philadelphia Flyers
On July 1, 2011, Jágr returned to North America, signing a one-year $3.3 million contract with the Philadelphia FlyersPhiladelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
of the National Hockey League. Jágr scored his 1600th point during his debut game with the Flyers, assisting on a Claude Giroux goal as Flyers won their season opener 2−1 over the Boston Bruins on October 6, 2011. Usually playing on a top line with Giroux and Scott Hartnell
Scott Hartnell
Scott Hartnell is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who plays for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...
, Jágr was among the top scorers during the start of the 2011–12 season
2011–12 NHL season
The 2011–12 NHL season is the 95th season of operation of the National Hockey League . It is the fifth consecutive season that opens in Europe with NHL Premiere games. As with the previous season, three events are scheduled: two games will be held in Stockholm, Sweden; one game in Helsinki,...
. Jágr scored his first and second goals as a Philadelphia Flyer on October 24, 2011, against the Toronto Maple Leafs. . On October 29, 2011, he scored his 650th and 651st NHL goals against the Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League , and play their home games at the 18,680-seat RBC Center...
.
Off-ice incidents
Although he has repeatedly denied that he has a gambling problem, he admitted in 2003 that he settled debts totaling US$950,000 with two internet gambling sites between 1998 and 2002. The first of these incidents centered on BelizeBelize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
-based website CaribSports and its owner, William Caesar, to which Jágr owed US$500,000. Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
reported that Jágr agreed to make monthly payments to Caesar to settle the debt, and Caesar leaked the story to the press when Jágr stopped making payments. In 2003, the Internal Revenue Service
Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...
filed a US$3.27 million lien
Lien
In law, a lien is a form of security interest granted over an item of property to secure the payment of a debt or performance of some other obligation...
against him for unpaid taxes for the 2001 tax year. Only a few months before, Jágr had settled a US$350,000 claim for taxes dating to 1999. In the summer of 2006, Jágr sued his former accountant over a tax form that was supposed to have been filed in 2003, claiming that the form would have saved him $6 million had it been filed in a timely fashion.
Personal life
Jágr resides in the Czech RepublicCzech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
during the off-season. His father, also named Jaromír Jágr, owns a chain of hotels and serves as president of HC Kladno
HC Kladno
Rytíři Kladno is a Czech professional ice hockey team based in the city of Kladno. They are currently a member of the Czech Extraliga, the top flight level of ice hockey in the Czech Republic....
.
Jágr wears the number 68, which he has worn through his entire career, in honor of the Prague Spring
Prague Spring
The Prague Spring was a period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia during the era of its domination by the Soviet Union after World War II...
rebellion that occurred in Czechoslovakia in 1968 and his grandfather, who died while in prison that same year. His grandfather had been jailed by Soviet forces invading Czechoslovakia in 1968 as a response to the Prague Spring for having refused to work on his farm for free.
Jágr has been a long time supporter of the liberal conservative Civic Democratic Party, stating in 2004 that he "had always" voted for the party. In previous election he has appeared at the party's billboards and was among its generous sponsors.
On May 26, 2010, he announced he was backing the Civic Democrats and its leader Petr Nečas
Petr Necas
Petr Nečas is the current Prime Minister of the Czech Republic and Leader of the Civic Democratic Party. He was sworn into office on 28 June 2010....
. At the press conference he said: "I realise that there will be elections in two to three days. I would like their outcome to be good."
He also urged the party not to forget about sports when distributing money. "We all know what would happen if the young did not practice any sport. If children practice some sport, they do not have time for other things such as alcohol."
Jágr is an Orthodox Christian
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
; he was baptized in 2001 by Prague's metropolitan.
Awards
NHL- Stanley Cup WinnerStanley CupThe Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
– 1991, 1992 (PittsburghPittsburgh PenguinsThe Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
) - Hart Trophy (MVP) – 1999
- Finalist: 1995, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2006
- Art Ross TrophyArt Ross TrophyThe Art Ross Trophy is awarded to the National Hockey League player who leads the league in scoring points at the end of the regular season. It was presented to the NHL by former player, general manager, and head coach Art Ross. The trophy has been awarded 61 times to 25 players since its inception...
(Leading point scorer) – 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 - Lester B. Pearson AwardLester B. Pearson AwardThe Ted Lindsay Award, formerly known as the Lester B. Pearson Award, is awarded annually to the National Hockey League's most outstanding player in the regular season as judged by the members of the NHL Players Association. It has been awarded 40 times to 23 different players since its beginnings...
(Players' MVP) – 1999, 2000, 2006 - NHL First Team All-StarNHL All-Star TeamThe NHL All-Star Teams were first named at the end of the 1930–31 NHL season, to honor the best performers over the season at each position.Representatives of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association vote for the All-Star Team at the end of the regular season.The career leaders in citations are...
– 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2006 - NHL Second Team All-StarNHL All-Star TeamThe NHL All-Star Teams were first named at the end of the 1930–31 NHL season, to honor the best performers over the season at each position.Representatives of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association vote for the All-Star Team at the end of the regular season.The career leaders in citations are...
– 1997 - NHL All-Rookie TeamNHL All-Rookie TeamThe NHL All-Rookie Team is chosen by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association from the best rookies in the National Hockey League at each position for the season just concluded based on their performance in that year...
– 1991
Other
- Flagbearer for the Czechia Olympic Team Flagbearer for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in VancouverVancouverVancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
. - Olympic gold medal winner for the Czech RepublicCzech RepublicThe Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
in the 1998 Winter Olympics1998 Winter OlympicsThe 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...
in Nagano - Olympic bronze medal for the Czech RepublicCzech RepublicThe Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
in the 2006 Winter Olympics2006 Winter OlympicsThe 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
in TurinTurinTurin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat... - IIHF World ChampionIce Hockey World ChampionshipsThe Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation . First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annual international tournament. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the European...
– 20052005 Men's World Ice Hockey ChampionshipsThe 2005 Men's Ice Hockey Championships were held March 7 - May 15, 2005, in 7 cities in 6 countries: Vienna and Innsbruck, Austria ; Debrecen, Hungary ; Eindhoven, the Netherlands ; Zagreb, Croatia ; Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro ; Mexico City, Mexico...
, 20102010 Men's World Ice Hockey ChampionshipsThe 2010 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships was the 74th such event hosted by the International Ice Hockey Federation. Teams representing 48 countries participated in four levels of competition... - IIHF European Club ChampionIIHF European Champions CupThe IIHF European Champions Cup was an annual event organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation , which took place during a long weekend in early January. The winner was considered the official club champion of Europe by the IIHF...
– 20052005 IIHF European Champions Cup-Standings:-Results:All times local -Standings:-Gold medal game:-External links:*... - IOCInternational Olympic CommitteeThe International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
“Sport, inspiring young people” Trophy – 2011 - Golden Stick AwardGolden Hockey StickThe Golden Hockey Stick is an award given to the top Czech ice hockey player. It was originally awarded to the top player in the Czechoslovak First Ice Hockey League, beginning in the 1968–69 season. After the Czech Republic and Slovakia became separate countries in 1993, it was awarded to the top...
(1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011) holder, which is the highest trophy an ice hockey player can get in the Czech Republic. When he won his 6th Golden Stick in 2005, he surpassed Dominik HašekDominik HašekDominik Hašek is a Czech ice hockey goaltender who is currently with HC Spartak Moscow of the KHL.In his 16-season National Hockey League career, he played for the Chicago Blackhawks, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, and the Ottawa Senators. During his years in Buffalo, he became one of the...
for the most such awards in Czech and Czechoslovak history; and in 2011, he won his 10th. - Czech Sportsman of the Year 2005, a trophy awarded by journalists in the Czech Republic
- IIHF World Championship All-Star Team – 2004, 2005 and 2011
- IIHF World Championship directorate award winner (best forward) – 2011
- In 1998 he was ranked number 37 on The Hockey NewsThe Hockey NewsThe Hockey News, commonly abbreviated to THN, is a North American ice hockey magazine published by Transcontinental. The Hockey News was founded in 1947 by Ken McKenzie and Bill Côté, and has since been the most recognized hockey publication in North America...
list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players. This made him the highest-ranked player to have been trained outside Canada. Jagr, who was only 26 at the time, was additionally the second-youngest player on the list, older only than 25-year-old, No. 54-ranked Eric LindrosEric LindrosEric Bryan Lindros is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey player. Lindros played junior hockey in the OHL for the Oshawa Generals prior to being selected first overall in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft by the Quebec Nordiques...
.
NHL records
- Most assists by a rookie in Stanley Cup FinalsStanley Cup FinalsThe Stanley Cup Finals is the championship series to determine the winner of the Stanley Cup, emblematic of the professional club championship of ice hockey. Although the Cup itself has existed since 1893, an annual championship series between professional teams was not established until 1913...
(19911991 Stanley Cup FinalsThe 1991 Stanley Cup Final NHL championship series was contested by the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Minnesota North Stars. It was the Penguins' first Final series appearance and their first Stanley Cup victory. As of 2011, this is the first and only Stanley Cup Final to feature two teams from the...
) - 5 - Most regular season points by a right wing (1995–96) - 149
- Most regular season assists by a right wing (1995–96) - 87
- Most regular season points by a European born and trained player (1995–96) - 149
- Most regular season points by a player born outside of Canada (1995–96) - 149
- Most all-time regular season points by a European born and trained player - 1610
- Most all-time regular season goals by a European born and trained player - 651
- Most all-time overtime goals - 15 (Shared with Mats SundinMats SundinMats Johan Sundin is a retired Swedish professional ice hockey player. Originally drafted first overall in 1989, Sundin played his first four seasons in the NHL with the Quebec Nordiques. He was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1994, where he played the majority of his career, serving 11...
, Sergei FedorovSergei FedorovSergei Viktorovich Fedorov is a Russian professional ice hockey forward and occasional defenceman...
and Patrik EliášPatrik EliasPatrik Eliáš is a Czech professional hockey left winger and alternate captain for the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League . A long-time Devil and currently the team's longest-tenured skater, Eliáš is the franchise's all-time leading scorer, while also holding franchise records for most...
) - Most consecutive 30-goal seasons (1991–2007) - 15 (Shared with Mike GartnerMike GartnerMichael Alfred Gartner is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey right winger who played 19 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Washington Capitals, Minnesota North Stars, New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Phoenix Coyotes...
, including the shortened 1994–95 NHL season, 48 games) - Most consecutive 70-or-more point seasons (15) (including the shortened 1994–95 NHL season, 48 games)
- Most NHL arenas with a goal scored in - 53
New York Rangers records
- Most regular season goals by a Rangers player (2005–06) - 54
- Most regular season points by a Rangers player (2005–06) - 123
- Most regular season power play goals by a Rangers player (2005–06) - 24
- Most regular season shots on goal by a Rangers player (2005–06) - 368
- Most regular season game-winning goals by a Rangers player (2005–06) - 9 (tied with Mark MessierMark MessierMark Douglas Messier is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre of the National Hockey League and current special assistant to the president and general manager of the New York Rangers. He spent a quarter of a century in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, and Vancouver...
1996–97 and Don MurdochDon MurdochDonald Walter Murdoch is a retired former professional ice hockey player. After a standout junior career with the Medicine Hat Tigers, Murdoch made the New York Rangers as a 20-year-old and had an impressive rookie scoring 56 points in 59 games his rookie season...
1980–81) - Most regular season goals by a Rangers right wing (2005–06) - 54
- Most regular season assists by a Rangers right wing (2005–06) - 69
- Most regular season points by a Rangers right wing (2005–06) - 123
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GP | G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to... |
A Assist (ice hockey) In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal... |
Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one... |
PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,... |
GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1984–85 | Kladno Jr. HC Kladno Rytíři Kladno is a Czech professional ice hockey team based in the city of Kladno. They are currently a member of the Czech Extraliga, the top flight level of ice hockey in the Czech Republic.... |
Czechoslovak-Jr. Czechoslovak Extraliga The Czechoslovak First Ice Hockey League was the elite ice hockey league in Czechoslovakia from 1930 until 1993, when the country split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Slovak Extraliga and Czech Extraliga formed from the split.-See also:... |
34 | 24 | 17 | 41 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1985–86 | Kladno Jr. | Czechoslovak-Jr. | 36 | 41 | 29 | 70 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986–87 | Kladno Jr. | Czechoslovak-Jr. | 30 | 35 | 35 | 70 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1987–88 | Kladno Jr. | Czechoslovak-Jr. | 35 | 57 | 27 | 84 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1988–89 | HC Kladno HC Kladno Rytíři Kladno is a Czech professional ice hockey team based in the city of Kladno. They are currently a member of the Czech Extraliga, the top flight level of ice hockey in the Czech Republic.... |
Czechoslovak Czechoslovak Extraliga The Czechoslovak First Ice Hockey League was the elite ice hockey league in Czechoslovakia from 1930 until 1993, when the country split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Slovak Extraliga and Czech Extraliga formed from the split.-See also:... |
29 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 0 | ||
| 1989–90 | HC Kladno HC Kladno Rytíři Kladno is a Czech professional ice hockey team based in the city of Kladno. They are currently a member of the Czech Extraliga, the top flight level of ice hockey in the Czech Republic.... |
Czechoslovak | 42 | 22 | 28 | 50 | — | 9 | 8 | 2 | 10 | — | ||
| 1990–91 | Pittsburgh Penguins Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original... |
NHL National Hockey League The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States... |
80 | 27 | 30 | 57 | 42 | 24 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 6 | ||
| 1991–92 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 70 | 32 | 37 | 69 | 34 | 21 | 11 | 13 | 24 | 6 | ||
| 1992–93 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 81 | 34 | 60 | 94 | 61 | 12 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 23 | ||
| 1993–94 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 80 | 32 | 67 | 99 | 61 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 16 | ||
| 1994–95 | HC Kladno | Czech Rep. Czech Extraliga The Czech Extraliga is the highest-level ice hockey league in the Czech Republic. As of 2009, it is ranked by the IIHF as the third strongest league in Europe.... |
11 | 8 | 14 | 22 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | HC Bolzano | Six Nations Six Nations Tournament (ice hockey) The Six Nations Tournament was an international ice hockey club competition that took place during the 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons.The event was sometimes called Cup of the European Leagues .-History:... |
5 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | HC Bolzano | Italy Serie A (hockey) Serie A is the name of the top tier of professional ice hockey in Italy, which first began play in 1924. They are conducted under the authority of the Federazione Italiana Sport del Ghiaccio... |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | Schalker Haie | Germany 2nd Bundesliga (ice hockey) The 2nd Eishockey-Bundesliga is the second tier of Ice hockey in Germany. It is organised by the DEB, the German Ice Hockey Federation. In the 2007-08 season, it features 14 teams.- History of the 2nd Ice Hockey Bundesliga :... |
1 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1994–95 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 48 | 32 | 38 | 70 | 37 | 12 | 10 | 5 | 15 | 6 | ||
| 1995–96 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 82 | 62 | 87 | 149 | 96 | 18 | 11 | 12 | 23 | 18 | ||
| 1996–97 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 63 | 47 | 48 | 95 | 40 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 4 | ||
| 1997–98 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 77 | 35 | 67 | 102 | 64 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 2 | ||
| 1998–99 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 81 | 44 | 83 | 127 | 66 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 16 | ||
| 1999–00 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 63 | 42 | 54 | 96 | 50 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 6 | ||
| 2000–01 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 81 | 52 | 69 | 121 | 42 | 16 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 18 | ||
| 2001–02 | Washington Capitals Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup... |
NHL | 69 | 31 | 48 | 79 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2002–03 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 75 | 36 | 41 | 77 | 38 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 2 | ||
| 2003–04 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 46 | 16 | 29 | 45 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | New York Rangers New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the... |
NHL | 31 | 15 | 14 | 29 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | HC Kladno | Czech Rep. | 17 | 11 | 17 | 28 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Avangard Omsk Avangard Omsk Avangard Omsk are a professional ice hockey team from Siberia based in the city of Omsk, Russia. They are members of the Chernyshev Division of the Kontinental Hockey League.-Overview:... |
RSL | 32 | 16 | 22 | 38 | 63 | 11 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 22 | ||
| 2005–06 | New York Rangers | NHL | 82 | 54 | 69 | 123 | 72 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2006–07 | New York Rangers | NHL | 82 | 30 | 66 | 96 | 78 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 12 | ||
| 2007–08 | New York Rangers | NHL | 82 | 25 | 46 | 71 | 58 | 10 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 12 | ||
| 2008–09 2008–09 KHL season The 2008–09 KHL season was the inaugural season of the Kontinental Hockey League. It started on September 2, 2008, and finished on February 26, 2009... |
Avangard Omsk | KHL | 55 | 25 | 28 | 53 | 62 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 4 | ||
| 2009–10 2009–10 KHL season The 2009–10 KHL season was the second season of the Kontinental Hockey League. It was held from 10 September 2009 to 27 April 2010, with a break for the Olympic winter games from 8 February to 3 March... |
Avangard Omsk | KHL | 51 | 22 | 20 | 42 | 50 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11 2010–11 KHL season The 2010–11 KHL season is the third season of the Kontinental Hockey League. It was held from 8 September 2010 and ended on 16 April 2011.The season started with the Opening Cup game between the last season's finalists, Ak Bars Kazan and the new team that was created by merging last season's... |
Avangard Omsk | KHL | 49 | 19 | 31 | 50 | 48 | 14 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 8 | ||
| CZE totals | 99 | 44 | 62 | 106 | 30 | 19 | 13 | 9 | 22 | 0 | ||||
| RSL/KHL totals | 187 | 82 | 102 | 184 | 223 | 37 | 11 | 30 | 41 | 34 | ||||
| NHL totals | 1272 | 646 | 953 | 1599 | 907 | 169 | 77 | 104 | 181 | 149 | ||||
International play
Jágr has represented his country many times, but his international statistics are considerably lower than those he posted in the National Hockey League. In 1994 he and Martin StrakaMartin Straka
Martin Straka is a Czech ice hockey centre who plays for HC Plzeň 1929 of the Czech Extraliga. He is also the club's general manager and co-owner.-Playing career:...
arrived in the middle of the World Championships
Ice Hockey World Championships
The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation . First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annual international tournament. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the European...
. The fans' expectations were high as Jágr was an NHL star, but before they were able to integrate into the team Czechs lost their quarterfinal game and were out of the tournament. Jágr was also hurt in numerous other games.
The 1996 World Cup of Hockey
1996 World Cup of Hockey
The first World Cup of Hockey , or 1996 World Cup of Hockey, replaced the Canada Cup as one of the premier championships for professional ice hockey ....
also did not see Jágr at his best. His performance was hampered by the flu and it only underscored the poor play of the whole team. After losing 7-3 to Finland, 3-0 to Sweden and 7-1 even to relatively weak Germany, the team did not qualify for the playoffs.
All this was forgotten in 1998 when the Czech Republic won the gold medal in the 1998 Winter Olympics
1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...
in Nagano. It was only the third gold medal for Czech or Czechoslovak sportsmen from the Winter Olympics and it is still fondly remembered.
Jágr did not play in the 1996
1996 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships
- Group 2 :- Quarterfinals :- Consolation Round 11-12 Place :Austria was relegated to Group B.- Semifinals :- Match for third place :- Final :-World Championship Group B :...
, 1999
1999 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships
-World Championship Group C:Played at Eindhoven and Tilburg, Netherlands April 5–11. Yugoslavia was supposed to particpate in this tournament, but was prevented by the host Dutch government.-Group 1:-Group 2:-Final Round 25-28 Place:...
, 2000
2000 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships
-World Championship Group A :Final standings# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # — relegated to Division I for 2001# -World Championship Group B :...
or 2001 World Championships
2001 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships
-Championship:Final standings# # # # # # # # # # # # # # — relegated to Division I for 2002# — relegated to Division I for 2002# - Group A :Group A was played in Grenoble, France between April 16 and April 22, 2001...
, where the Czech Republic won the gold medals. He was a member of the team on the 2004 World Championships
2004 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships
The 2004 Men's Ice Hockey Championships were held April 24-May 9, 2004, in Prague and Ostrava, Czech Republic. Games for this Ice Hockey World Championships tournament were played at Sazka Arena and ČEZ Aréna...
in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, Czech Republic, where the expectations were high, especially after the team won all the games in the group, but they lost in the quarterfinals game.
It was the 2005 World Championships
2005 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships
The 2005 Men's Ice Hockey Championships were held March 7 - May 15, 2005, in 7 cities in 6 countries: Vienna and Innsbruck, Austria ; Debrecen, Hungary ; Eindhoven, the Netherlands ; Zagreb, Croatia ; Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro ; Mexico City, Mexico...
that finally brought a gold medal to Jágr. Although he broke his finger in an early game against Germany, he played with it bandaged during the rest of the tournament and led his team to victory.
More injuries struck Jágr in the 2006 Winter Olympics
2006 Winter Olympics
The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Turin, Italy from February 10, 2006, through February 26, 2006. This marked the second time Italy hosted the Olympic Winter Games, the first being the VII Olympic Winter...
in Turin. He was injured after a hit from Jarkko Ruutu
Jarkko Ruutu
Jarkko Ruutu ; born August 23, 1975) is a Finnish professional ice hockey player. Ruutu is currently playing for SM-Liiga team Jokerit. He is the brother of Tuomo Ruutu, currently playing in the NHL on the Carolina Hurricanes, and retired player Mikko Ruutu....
in the game against Finland; he required stitches to his eyebrow. However, the injury was not as serious as it first seemed, and Jágr was able to play in the following games. He was unable to finish the bronze medal game due to muscle injury. Despite this trouble Jágr won the second Olympic medal in his life — bronze this time. Jagr was the flag bearer of the 2010 Winter Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
for the Czech Republic.
International statistics
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Czechoslovak | EJC | 5 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 2 | |
| 1990 | Czechoslovak | WJC 1990 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships The 1990 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships was the 14th edition of the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships and was held mainly in Helsinki, Finland... |
7 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 6 | |
| 1990 | Czechoslovak Czechoslovak national ice hockey team The Czechoslovak national men's ice hockey team was one of the world's premiere teams during the Soviet dominated international hockey era, often fighting Sweden for second place but sometimes beating the Soviets... |
WC 1990 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships -Final Round:-Consolation Round:Norway needing to keep their final game within four goals, lost four to nothing to the Germans, and were relegated.... |
10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | |
| 1991 | Czechoslovak | CC 1991 Canada Cup The 1991 Canada Cup was a professional international ice hockey tournament played in September 1991. The finals took place in Montreal on September 14 and Hamilton, Ontario on September 16, and were won by Canada. The Canadians defeated the USA in a two game sweep, to win the fifth and final Canada... |
5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1994 | CzechRep Czech national ice hockey team The Czech men's national ice hockey team is the national ice hockey team of the Czech Republic. It is one of the most successful national ice hockey teams in the world, currently ranked fifth by the IIHF, behind Finland. It is controlled by the Czech Ice Hockey Association... |
WC 1994 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships - Group 2 :- Quarterfinals :- Consolation Round 11-12 Place :- Semifinals :- Match for third place :- Final :-World Championship Group B :... |
3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| 1996 | CzechRep | WCH 1996 World Cup of Hockey The first World Cup of Hockey , or 1996 World Cup of Hockey, replaced the Canada Cup as one of the premier championships for professional ice hockey .... |
3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| 1998 | CzechRep | OG Ice hockey at the 1998 Winter Olympics Ice hockey at the 1998 Winter Olympics was played at The Big Hat and Aqua Wing Arena in Nagano, Japan.-Men's tournament:The 1998 Olympic men's ice hockey tournament was the first in which professional players from the National Hockey League were allowed to participate, allowing national teams to... |
6 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | |
| 2002 | CzechRep | OG Ice hockey at the 2002 Winter Olympics Ice hockey at the 2002 Winter Olympics were held at the E Center in West Valley City and Peaks Ice Arena in Provo, Utah. Both the men's and women's tournaments were won by Canada, defeating the host USA in both games.-Men:... |
4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | |
| 2002 | CzechRep | WC 2002 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships The 2002 Men's Ice Hockey Championships were held between April 26 and May 11, 2002 in Gothenburg, Karlstad and Jönköping, Sweden.It was the 66th annual event, and was run by the International Ice Hockey Federation .- Championship :... |
7 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 2 | |
| 2004 | CzechRep | WC 2004 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships The 2004 Men's Ice Hockey Championships were held April 24-May 9, 2004, in Prague and Ostrava, Czech Republic. Games for this Ice Hockey World Championships tournament were played at Sazka Arena and ČEZ Aréna... |
7 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 6 | |
| 2004 | CzechRep | WCH 2004 World Cup of Hockey The 2004 World Cup of Hockey was an international ice hockey tournament. It was the second installment of the National Hockey League -sanctioned competition eight years after the inaugural 1996 World Cup of Hockey. It was held from August 30 to September 14, 2004, and took place in various venues... |
5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |
| 2005 | CzechRep | WC 2005 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships The 2005 Men's Ice Hockey Championships were held March 7 - May 15, 2005, in 7 cities in 6 countries: Vienna and Innsbruck, Austria ; Debrecen, Hungary ; Eindhoven, the Netherlands ; Zagreb, Croatia ; Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro ; Mexico City, Mexico... |
8 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 2 | |
| 2006 | CzechRep | OG Ice hockey at the 2006 Winter Olympics -Leading scorers:-Leading goaltenders:Goalkeepers with 40% or more of their team's total minutes.-Awards:Antero Niittymäki was named the most valuable player and received the Directorate Award for best goaltender of the tournament. Directorate Awards also went to Teemu Selänne for best forward, and... |
8 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 6 | |
| 2009 | CzechRep | WC 2009 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships The 2009 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships was the 73rd such event hosted by the International Ice Hockey Federation. Teams representing 46 countries participated in four levels of competition. The competition also served as qualifications for the 2010 competition... |
7 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2010 | CzechRep | OG Ice hockey at the 2010 Winter Olympics Ice hockey at the 2010 Winter Olympics was held at Canada Hockey Place, home of the National Hockey League's Vancouver Canucks, and at UBC Winter Sports Centre, home of the Canadian Interuniversity Sport's UBC Thunderbirds. Twelve teams competed in the men's event and eight teams competed in the... |
5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | |
| 2010 | CzechRep | WC 2010 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships The 2010 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships was the 74th such event hosted by the International Ice Hockey Federation. Teams representing 48 countries participated in four levels of competition... |
9 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 12 | |
| 2011 | CzechRep | WC 2011 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships The 2011 IIHF World Championship was the 75th IIHF World Championship, an annual international ice hockey tournament. It took place between the 29 April and the 15 May 2011 in Slovakia. The games were played in the Orange Arena in Bratislava, and the Steel Aréna in Košice... |
9 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 4 | |
| Sr. International totals | 68 | 28 | 29 | 57 | 32 | |||