Although it looked for a while like he had finally hung up the skates and was focusing on being an owner, Jaromir Jagr was recently forced back into action to help out his team.
On Sunday, Jagr suited up for the Czech Extraliga’s Rytíři Kladno — the team he owns — after an illness had already forced the team to postpone one game and was leaving it very shorthanded for the next.
Although Kladno fell 7-3 to Liberec in the game, the 50-year-old recorded two assists in his first on-ice action since April.
Jagr has been Kladno’s majority owner since taking over from his father — also named Jaromir — in 2011. Jagr the younger began his pro career with Kladno in 1988, played for them during various NHL lockouts in 1994, 2004, and 2012, and was a regular for the team following his last stint in the NHL with the Calgary Flames in 2017-18.
Over an astounding 24-season NHL career, Jagr earned an estimated $135.4 million from his NHL contracts. His 1,921 points are second on the all-time list — trailing only Wayne Gretzky’s likely unbreakable record of 2,857.
With numbers like those, it could be surprising that Jagr isn’t already a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. However, that’s a result of his incredible ability to keep playing.
HHF rules dictate that a player must be retired for at least three full seasons from professional hockey before being considered eligible for induction. Therefore, Jagr’s appearance for Kladno on Sunday pushes his first possible induction to 2026.
