Jaromir Jagr has become one of the most beloved players to ever play in the NHL. He has the talent, he has the look, and he certainly has the longevity.
Nobody was happy when Jagr’s NHL career fizzled to a close after a short, injury-riddled stint with Calgary. Honestly though, he has defied Father Time for so long, would it even be surprising if he somehow found a role on an NHL team next year?
Unlikely, but we can dream. Until then, we can check in on what he is doing.
Jaromir Jagr posted a picture to Instagram of him in an unexpected, yet very familiar spot. The Czech legend was standing on the Great Wall of China.
He wasn’t just visiting the country either, he was there on a mission – to pay forward the life lessons that were once taught to him by former teammate and fellow Pittsburgh Penguins legend Mario Lemieux.
In case you don’t understand Czech, here is the Google translation of his gushy caption.
"I would like to show a different perspective on my trip in China, which has been a lot of talk about.
To explain this, we must first go back 34 years back… we have May 1985 and NHL stars arrive at Prague with the number 66…. They could tell him not to go to that Communist Czechoslovakia, God knows what he is waiting for ... He drove because he loves hockey and wants to represent him. And in that Communist country, one young hockey player noticed him, and it totally changed his life-found idol and won the Stanley Cup in five years. You probably know that the player was Mario Lemieux and maybe if he didn't come to the "enemy" of Prague, there wouldn't be a whole story about the 68 player ... I mean, if I did something similar in China and I would change only one life, it's not a little, it's more than 0 and it's worth it !!! You may think I'm writing nonsense - it's not nonsense. I have experienced it.
I would like to see people think a little before they condemn someone or at least ask a question. What would I do, how would I do if I were in his situation."
There’s no doubt a lot of respect between the two, and they did a pretty good job of leaving their mark on the NHL and the game of hockey in general.
Who knows? Maybe 30 years from know we’ll be hearing how an NHL legend was inspired as a little kid by the teachings of Jagr. It wouldn’t be that surprising.
(H/T Jaromir Jagr Instagram)