NHL Hall of Famer Jaromir Jagr suited up to hit the ice this month just like he usually does. But his “usual” is quite unusual because, at the age of 51, he is the oldest pro hockey player in the sport.
Jagr first donned his skates professionally in 1987 when he joined the Klando Knights in the Czech Republic when he was only 15.
Thirty-six years later, he is still playing pro, and now, he is a president and owner of the Knights.
In his first game for the year for the Knights, Jagr skated for 13 minutes and 44 seconds and earned an assist.
It has been a long road to the top. At 15, he was the youngest pro player at the time. And he went on to the pinnacle of hockey by playing in the NFL. He was part of two Stanley Cup teams — one a winner when he was 21.
Jaromir Jagr, #68 of the Philadelphia Flyers, skates against the New Jersey Devils at the Wells Fargo Center on September 29, 2011, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
In fact, he even set a record with his cup stats. He went 21 years between his two cup games, the longest drought on record.
Despite that dubious stat, he is a member of the Triple Gold Club by winning the Stanley Cup, Olympic Gold, and IIHF World Championships.
He has the most game-winning goals on record and is the oldest player to score a hat trick — the latter when he was playing for the New Jersey Devils in 2015 when he was 42 years and 322 days old.
While Jagr is undoubtedly the oldest playing pro hockey today, he is just shy of the record. That was set by Gordie Howe, who played his final game in 1980 when he was 52. The way he is going, though, it seems that Jagr just might shatter Howe’s record.
Jaromir Jagr #68 of the New Jersey Devils during the NHL game against the Montreal Canadiens on December 2, 2013, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Francois Lacasse/NHLI via Getty Images)
He is also number two behind Wayne Gretzky points with 1,921. While he might not be likely to reach Gretzky’s 2,857, he at least has a shot at it.
While Jagr is undoubtedly the oldest playing pro hockey today, he is just shy of the record. That was set by Gordie Howe, who played his final game in 1980 when he was 52. The way he is going, though, it seems that Jagr just might shatter Howe’s record.
Currently, the oldest player in the NHL is Toronto Maple Leafs player Mark Giordano, who is still skating at 40 and is in his 18th season.
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