Jaromir Jagr has made it crystal clear that he has no intention of retiring from hockey despite the fact he’s the oldest player currently skating in the NHL by a decent margin. At 45, Jagr has said on multiple occasions that he wants to play until he’s 50 (or beyond), but that all relies on a team giving him a new contract to keep his career rolling.
With free agency about to begin on July 1st, Jagr noted that no teams have called him about the upcoming season while other free agents seem to have interest from numerous teams. In classic Jagr fashion, the veteran joked that he’s calling teams instead … but no one is answering.
Everywhere I look,I read:all FA getting calls from10-12teams. Me0 calls.On the contrary,I'm trying to call them,and no ones picking up.😀😳🇨🇿
— Jaromir Jagr (@68Jagr) June 29, 2017
Jagr went a step further, pointing out that he received calls from every NHL team when he was a free agent in 1994. Now, he hasn’t received any.
FA 1994- all GMs called , FA 2017- 0 calls🏆😀 pic.twitter.com/7uLJm95CAB
— Jaromir Jagr (@68Jagr) June 29, 2017
Jagr’s sense of humor seems to be only improving with age.
Realistically, there’s bound to be at least a few teams interested in his services despite his age. He had 46 points in 80 games with the Florida Panthers last year, a mark which players half his age would have been proud to achieve. Jagr is holding up extremely well and is still a useful asset for a large number of teams looking for a bit more offensive help. Some may be worried he’d take away a roster spot from a younger prospect, but it’s pretty difficult to argue against his production.
Should Jagr find a new team, he’ll need to play in just 57 games to set the NHL record for most games played in a career, passing up Gordie Howe’s record of 1,767 games.
