Any of the greatest players of their sport have a fierce, undying love for their game. In hockey, nobody embodies love for the game more than Jaromir Jagr, who's now making his season debut late this year, at the ripe age of 51.
Jagr owns the team he'll be playing for, Rytíři Kladno of the Czech elite league. In the past few years, Jagr has laced up for his team when they're struggling and at risk of being relegated to the second tier of Czech pro hockey. Last season, Jagr played 26 games for the team, scoring 5 goals and 14 points. Now 51 years old, Jagr believes he can still be effective enough to save his team from the demotion.
It's fantastic to see Jagr lace them up and return for another year, but each time he returns to professional hockey, there's a unique downside. Since he still hasn't formally retired, Jagr is ineligible for induction into the hockey hall of fame. At this point, he's one of the more iconic figures in hockey, and the media is clamouring to get him inducted. With 1733 career games played in the NHL, totalling 766 goals and 1921 points with nine different teams, he's a slam dunk candidate for the hall of fame.
It's great for himself and the sport of hockey that Jagr is lacing them up for another year, but it's not likely than many fans will dial into his Czech league games. However, millions of hockey fans will be wanting to see him appear once again in North America and take his rightful place in the Hall of Fame.
