Jaromir Jagr turned 50 on Tuesday, and he's still not willing to slow down as he continues to produce in the top Czech league.
To all the 50-year-olds out there – are you still playing sports at a high level? Because there's a good chance you're definitely not on Jaromir Jagr's level.
Jagr turned 50 on Tuesday as he continues his quest to be one of the oldest professional hockey players in the history of the sport. And with 19 points in 35 games in the top Czech league with the team he owns, Rytiri Kladno, he's still performing at a high level.
Last season, Jagr helped Kladno back up to the top Czech league through the promotion system. But this season, they currently sit 14th in the 15-team league despite former NHLer Tomas Plekanec sitting fourth in league scoring with 48 points in as many games.
There are three other O-40 players in the Czech league this season: 43-year-old former Washington Capitals prospect Viktor Hubl, 42-year-old and former Los Angeles King forward Tomas Zizka and 40-year-old Martin Sevc. Only Hubl (21 points) has more than Jagr (19), despite Jagr playing 12 fewer games and having seven years on him.
So, relative to everything, Jagr is still playing pretty darn good for his age. Jagr has shown no interest in retiring anytime soon. His professional career started over 30 years ago in the top Czech league, and back then, only Plekanec (1982) and Jakub Suchanek (1984) on Kladno were alive when Jagr got started (1988).
A surefire Hockey Hall of Famer when he retires – whenever that actually is – Jagr had 1,921 points in 1,733 games in an incredible 24-year NHL career. He played in five Olympics with the Czechs, 10 World Championships, two World Cups and had 18 points at the 1990 World Junior Championship. Simply put, Jagr has been a force for decades, and is still producing at this point in his career.
Will he ever stop? Who actually knows?