The Pittsburgh Penguins have truly had some remarkable talent there over the years. Franchise legends like Sidney Crosby, Mario Lemieux, Evgeni Malkin, and Jaromir Jagr come to mind. Those guys make up the clear-cut Penguins Mt. Rushmore.
Jaromir Jagr is the most unique of them all. He is the only one who went on to play for other teams (up to this point). Following his legendary stay with Pittsburgh, he spent time with the Washington Capitals, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Dallas Stars, Boston Bruins, New Jersey Devils, and Calgary Flames.
There were also some stints in other leagues for various reasons. Over his Hall of Fame NHL career, he scored 766 goals and had 1155 assists for 1921 points in 1733 games. He was a five-time scoring champion and a two-time Stanley Cup champion.
Jagr remarkably played from when he was drafted 5th overall in 1990 until 45 in 2017-18. He then left the NHL for good and went to play overseas. His endurance and love for hockey were always on full display.
The Pittsburgh Penguins honored Jaromir Jagr on Sunday night
Jagr: "To be here with you, hearing the cheers - I don't even have to score, that's beautiful. That never gets old. I'm honored."@68Jagr speaks to his fans ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/FqJQmJx7RC
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) February 18, 2024
Raised to the rafters forever more 6⃣8⃣ pic.twitter.com/akWxnl1P08
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) February 18, 2024
On Sunday night, the Pittsburgh Penguins did something amazing for Jagr. They honored him by retiring his number. That is one of the top honors you can be given in the NHL.
After a ceremony, they hung his iconic number 68 forever. Nobody will ever wear that number for the Penguins ever again. Before the ceremony that retired his number, Jagr took warmups with the current Penguins.
The Pens take the ice in Jaromir Jagr's No. 68 sweater and mullet wigs and ... WAIT A MINUTE THAT'S THE REAL JAGR 🍿 pic.twitter.com/F2eZwaNvxp
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 18, 2024
During that time, the Penguins wore throwback Jagr jerseys in addition to mullet wigs. During his time with Pittsburgh, he was known for his incredible mullet which is what they were mimicking.
Honoring legends is one thing but Jagr is a different story. This is the NHL's second all-time leading scorer we are talking about. Most of his super-elite years came with the franchise that drafted him.
Two Penguins LEGENDS finally sharing the ice together 🚨 pic.twitter.com/BtaISjcawm
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 18, 2024
Crosby. Jagr. Malkin.
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 18, 2024
Imagine these 3 on the same line? 🤤 pic.twitter.com/6dEsXF78VN
A final salute for Jaromir Jagr in Pittsburgh.
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 18, 2024
What a fitting ending to his jersey retirement night 🫡 pic.twitter.com/3xgLQdTaF3
Jagr was always an incredibly fun and entertaining player. He embraced the role that he had in the league and it was a pleasure to watch. Now, seeing the Pittsburgh Penguins honor him the right way was cool.
He always liked to turn hockey into a show which is why the celebration that took place on Sunday made so much sense.