Why I still love Jaromir Jagr...And would boo him even louder because of it

by Hooks Orpik on Dec 29, 2011 2:02 PM EST

Enough pixels have been spewed on Jaromir Jagr lately on his return to Pittsburgh- we all know the story of the #JagrWatch 2k11, ending in the aging star spurning the Pens to play for the hated Philadelphia Flyers. Pittsburgh fans were hurt, angry and shocked and will surely let Jagr know about it tonight when he steps on the ice in PIttsburgh for the first time in three plus years.

Jagr's commented seven ways from Sunday about why he did what he did, using excuses from Philly having right handed centers like he prefers, to Pittsburgh not seeming that interested in making a serious offer. To hear Jagr tell it, the Pens were never really a serious contender for him and he can't understand why the folks in PIttsburgh who booed him for all these years wanted him back so badly and then were so hurt when he decided a different path.

You know what? Let him have it with both barrels.

Professional athletes are used to receiving boos, playing on the road and most know how to block it out, or actually use the negativity to fuel them. But Jaromir Jagr is a rare case- the booing in PIttsburgh actually throws him off of his game. I was at the Caps/Pens game the first time Jagr came back to Pittsburgh and it rattled him then. In his first five games at Mellon Arena in a Washington Capitals jersey, Jagr scored just three points (one goal and two assists), quite off his usual paces.

And it'll rattle him now.

As a Penguins fan, I still have conflicting emotions. On one hand, I still remember and can enjoy the memories of 68 in the black and gold. The scoring titles. The MVP's. All the happy moments. Obviously he's tainted things by signing with the hated rival, but nothing can take away the impact he made for 11 seasons in PIttsburgh. To me, Jagr will always be a franchise legend, and still is the second best player the organization has ever seen.

Jaromir Jagr made his choice to go to Philadelphia, and that's over now. Pittsburgh fans should boo him tonight, because it'll affect his game tonight and probably give the Pens a better chance to win.

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Exactly!

Well said, Hooks.

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by PensAreYourDaddy on Dec 29, 2011 2:07 PM EST reply actions

Wholeheartedly agree.

I grew up watching the Pens win the cup in ‘90-’91. My tagline down there↓ is an homage to his Devil-killing in the playoffs. But he can f*ck a duck for all I care. He’s the Brett Favre of hockey, plain and simple. If he didn’t care about his reputation in Pittsburgh or his legacy, he wouldn’t have made the comments about coming back to do right by Mario.

If I were there, I’d boo him every time he touched the biscuit. If his heart tells him “Philly” as he claimed, then my heart tells him to shove a broomstick up his arse.

The king is dead. Long live the king.

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by docciavelli on Dec 29, 2011 2:09 PM EST reply actions 1 recs

I ripped my Czech-mate posters off the wall already but I still remember and relish the good ol’ days. I rarely “hate” any players in the NHL. Fans…sure…they suck…players are just doing their job, can’t blame them for that. Would I boo…probably not, but that’s just me. In the end karma is a cruel mistress and she will eventually have the last laugh. That’s why I never picked on any of the “nerds” in high school. ;) Or maybe it was because I was a nerd…either way.

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by tehchico on Dec 29, 2011 2:38 PM EST reply actions 1 recs

Excellent. I’m not sure if I will actually boo just because I’m kind of embarrassed by how my voice sounds when I’m boo-ing — but I have no problem with other people doing it. It’s a sports rivalry — we boo all Flyers. It’s not like anyone is going to set fire to his apartment. Jagr and his money will be fine.

I believe in Geno.

by Cari on Dec 29, 2011 3:40 PM EST reply actions

Boo!

Usually, I’m with ya, Hooks, but this time, I have to differ, mainly because I think booing former players is pretty stupid and decidedly classless. I remember his incredible seasons in the mid-1990’s with the Penguins, and I do recall how badly the deal went down when he left for the Caps. We saw the best and worst of Jagr in a Pens jersey. The point is, he was, and still is, an amazingly compelling figure in the hockey world, and whatever his faults, his weirdnesses, and despite whatever perceived injury he inflicted on the Penguins, he’s one of the greats, and it’s wonderful to see him back in the NHL.

by Doc Nagel on Dec 29, 2011 4:11 PM EST reply actions

If I had a ticket, I would boo Jagr with great pride

I hated how he used us as a bargaining chip to get more money with another team and I would do it with a smile on my face. The sad part about that is the first time around I never booed him and I used to get on people who did. Yeah how he left here blew, but not everyone is a one man team.

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by Bradley James McEachern on Dec 29, 2011 4:38 PM EST reply actions

No boos here.

And I’ll be wearing my ’95 alternate jersey for him. Remember the good times, folks.

Remember when the Red Wings passed up on him in the draft because “they had bad luck with Czechs” and the Pens got him? Enjoy the good rolls of the dice while you can!

Outback Bowl. Yay....

by lolredwings on Dec 29, 2011 5:57 PM EST reply actions

Like I said before. Boo Jagr and Talbot all you want. But boo everyone wearing orange and black while you’re at it.

To dare is to do

by BobPurkey34 on Dec 29, 2011 6:00 PM EST reply actions 1 recs

THIRD best player the organizations has ever seen

Contributions off the ice, as a player, as a captain and a mature professional, also score points in my opinion.

And JJ have proved to me to be the third player in my maths. =)

Let’s BOO them all!

by Gláucio Gonçalves on Dec 29, 2011 6:44 PM EST reply actions

I'm an outsider

So take this with a grain of salt, but I’d have Jagr ranked as #2.

There was a long period of time from the mid-to-late 90s in which Jagr was, by far, the most dangerous offensive player in the NHL. Maybe if Lindros hadn’t gotten himself concussed out of a career, it would have been a different story. It wasn’t, though.

You can make a claim that Forsberg (or Sakic) or Fedorov were better overall players and you might be able to make those claims stand up. That said, Jagr was a cut above everyone else except for 66 for a long, long time. His dominance level was absurd every time he got the puck in the offensive zone, and God help your opponent if he had time and space on the half-wall. He had an array of absolutely filthy dangles, he was huge and strong protecting the puck, he could wire it from anywhere and he seemed to always have a new and creative idea for attacking defensive coverages. He had tremendous vision, there was no pass on the ice that he couldn’t make.

When Jaromir Jagr could be bothered to give a damn (which was reasonably often in the early years), no one except a pantheon player was better. Crosby has had a couple of seasons that stand up to Jagr’s stretch of six or seven years, but only two of them thus far has he clearly been the best offensive player in the game.

As a Caps’ fan, I hope Sid forgets how to play. As a hockey fan, I hope he comes back to his full ability; the game is better when its best player is playing to his potential.

As a Caps’ fan, I loathe Jagr far more than any of you ever will. As a hockey fan, I have to acknowledge that he’s a rare talent and probably beats LaFleur for the crown of “best right wing since the expansion”. Jagr ain’t in the pantheon of 4/66/99, but he’s definitely in the next tier down.

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by Knee high to a duck on Dec 29, 2011 7:22 PM EST up reply actions

Nice post, well said.

Far enough, IF I was just considering the hockey played all over these years, no doubt he would be one of the top players all time. I enjoy his hockey too, and still cheer for Check mostly because of him.

I’ll not leave a ˜BUT˜ in this email, since you’re not a penguins fan and still have a open minded view of the league, and I appreciate this.

by Gláucio Gonçalves on Dec 29, 2011 10:59 PM EST up reply actions

Well now that the game is in the books

and Jagr had a good game and scored a goal and afterwards continued to put his foot in his mouth. I wasn’t a fan of booing the guy the first time around and am lukewarm about it now. Truth of the matter is he’s a dick. Great player, but a dick. After his years in the KHL and getting paid big bucks pre-lockout there is no reason he should have “needed” the extra $$ Philly offered.
Maybe he felt a better fit in Philly, and it does seem to be working well for him, but you would think a guy of his HOF stature would want to end his career the right way. Getting his jersey hoisted to the rafters where it belongs. Chances that he doesn’t get his jersey retired in Pittsburgh are pretty good now and that is a shame. Worst is that the reason isn’t that he played for division rivals or even so much that it was usually about $$$ but that he’s been such a dick on so many occasions.

by Dutch71 on Dec 30, 2011 11:48 PM EST reply actions