Jaromir Jagr makes comeback threat to chase Alex Ovechkin on NHL’s all-time goals list
Anthony Scultore
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Jaromir Jagr had a little fun in his video message to Alex Ovechkin after he scored in the Washington Capitals shootout victory over the New York Islanders.
“Alex, ‘The Great 8,’ congratulations,” Jagr said. “Now you’ve become the leading NHL goal-scorer among European players. But keep scoring. Keep scoring, because as you know, I didn’t retire from hockey yet and there’s a chance I might come back to the NHL and start chasing you.”
The video ends with a wink, just in case you thought the comeback threat was serious.
Alex Ovechkin passes Jaromir Jagr
Washington Capitals left winger Alex Ovechkin moved into sole possession of third place on the NHL’s all-time goal-scoring list when he recorded his 767th goal on Thursday against the visiting New York Islanders.
With his 37th goal of the season, Ovechkin broke a tie with Jaromir Jagr. The only players with more career goals than Ovechkin are Hall of Famers Wayne Gretzky (894) and Gordie Howe (801).
Ovechkin’s goal at 15:02 of the third period, off an assist from Russian countryman Evgeny Kuznetsov, gave Washington a 3-2 lead. The Islanders tied the game late before the Capitals won 4-3 in a shootout.
By passing Czech-born Jagr, Ovechkin is now the NHL’s leading goal-scorer among European-born players.
Ovechkin also enjoyed Jagr’s video and paid his respects to one of the game’s greats.
“It’s special,” Ovechkin said. “If he didn’t go back to the KHL, I think he would be 2 or maybe No. 1, but it is what it is. Now I’m happy, and being [the] No. 1 European player, Russian player, it’s pretty cool.”
Jaromir Jagr still doing great things in hockey
Jagr, 50, played in 24 seasons that spanned 1,733 NHL games. His NHL career came to an end in 2017, but his stats are amazing with 1921 points which ranks second all-time behind Wayne Gretzky’s 2857.
The legendary forward owns the Czech Extraliga team Kladno, which he also plays for, and used his influence to help others.
“Hello hockey fans, this is Jaromir Jagr a former NHL player,” he said in a social media post. “I played in the NHL close to 30 years and I enjoyed every minute of it. As you know the last 10 days the world has changed with thousands of people leaving the Ukraine just to survive.”
“All the money we’re gonna get is going to be (used) for those people — kids, moms and old people — to help them to survive,” Jagr said. “But we need more help, that’s why I am asking you (for help).”
Kladno played its regular-season finale in an 18,000-seat arena in the capital city of Prague, and all profits were donated to Ukrainian families who have fled to the Czech Republic.
The NHL specifically made a donation of $68,000 in Jaromir Jagr’s name honoring the #68 he wore during his career
“It is a great gesture,” Jagr said via NHL.com. “I have to personally shoot a video and thank the entire NHL, not only for the amount they donated but also for the promotion of this game. I think that thanks to [the NHL], every hockey fan knows about this game. And that is a great thing, maybe even greater than the money itself.” .
Kladno lost the game 4-1, but Jagr knew who the real winners were.
“I would like to thank everybody who participated and helped,” Jagr said. “The final score shows one team that won and the other team that lost the game, but this is a secondary thing. I think today, everybody won.”
–Field Level Media contributed to this report