[link_box id=”22277″ site_id=”17″ layout=”link-box-third” alignment=”alignright”]Jaromir Jagr recently hit a big milestone by recording his 1,887th NHL point which drew him level with the great Mark Messier. Jagr, who is in his 23rd season in the NHL at the age of 44 and is continually proving that age is just a number, once again stated his desire to keep playing well beyond when the average player hangs up his skates.
Speaking with Sportsnet, Jagr reiterated that he will work every day to reach his goal of playing when he’s 50.
“When I said I want to play until 50 everybody laughed at me, but I’ll work every day to do it.”
As for his accomplishments, Jagr doesn’t seem to be giving any of those a second thought. Instead, his lone goal is to keep competing in the league he loves.
“You know maybe when I retire I’ll look back at what I did and maybe I’m going to think about it a little more. But right now I just enjoy every moment I can to have a chance to play in this league and try and do everything to stay in this league. I love it so much.”
Jagr will turn 45 in February and is still an important member of the Florida Panthers’ offense. He’s currently trailing his production pace from 2015-16, but he’s far from slacking with 19 points in 33 games.
There are tall odds standing between Jagr and his goal, but if anyone can compete in the NHL at age 50, he’s the one to do it. Gordie Howe’s record of playing at 52 will likely remain unbeaten, but it will be fascinating to see how far Jagr can go.
