Jaromir Jagr, former Pittsburgh Penguins star, returns for age-51 season in Czech Republic
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Jaromir Jagr is ready for another season with the Rytiri Kladno Knights, his hometown team in the Czech Republic.
The 51-year-old hockey player owns the squad and has been playing for the Knights since his final NHL season in 2018. In a Facebook post on Sept. 16, Jagr said he is full go for his 36th season in professional hockey.
"It's been a while," he said in the Facebook post via Google Translate. "But the nervousness, the anticipation before the start... It's still the same."
Jagr was drafted by the Penguins at No. 5 overall in the 1990 draft and spent 11 seasons in Pittsburgh. He was the NHL's MVP in 1999 and was a key piece on Stanley Cup-winning teams in 1991 and 1992.
He won the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL scoring champion five times while in Pittsburgh and tallied 1,079 points with the Penguins.
Jagr was traded to the Washington Capitals following the 2000-2001 season for a collection of prospects. Jagr later played for the New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Dallas Stars, Boston Bruins, New Jersey Devils, Florida Panthers and Calgary Flames.
He tallied 766 goals and 1,155 assists in 1,733 NHL games. His 1,921 points rank second all-time in NHL history behind Wayne Gretzky. Penguins star Sidney Crosby is No. 15 on the list with 1,502 points.
The Rytiri Kladno Knights had their first game on Sept. 15 and are currently 0-2. Kladno is west of Prague, which is Jagr's hometown.
