Through The Eyes of a Child

Is Jaromir Jagr a Hall of Famer?

By Graydon Child

The hair! How it flows! *faints*

Every now and again, TNZT will invite a guest to contribute to the blog. Today, that person is singer/songwriter/DJ Graydon Child.

So my first blog post, here she goes… I wanted to do a segment for the TNZT Podcast where I ask the guys for their take on players or issues that I felt deserve some light shed on them.

Today its Jaromír Jagr. 

Jagr has played professional hockey for 24 years for seven different NHL teams. That number begins to climb when you include his several stints in Russia's KHL.  Picked fifth overall in the first round of the 1990 NHL entry draft by the Penguins, Jagr has amassed 684 goals, 1,014 assists for 1,698 points in 1,405 regular season games. These numbers are undeniably impressive. Theres no way you can call to question the skill this guy possesses, and if he were anyone else, he'd be a first ballot Hall of Famer, no question. 

But he's not anyone else. He's Jaromir Jagr. He's always had an ambivalent attitude toward the NHL. He left to play in Europe during the lockouts of the 1994-95 and 2004-05. After returning to the league to play for the New York Rangers following the 2004-05 lockout, Jagr left in 2008-09 to play for Omsk Avangard of the KHL with no real explanation. This despite what I can only imagine to be multiple offers from NHL clubs. It seems to me Jagr has always had a sense (or at least an air) of entitlement about him that has put some people off. It seems he feels he can come and go at his leisure and any team would be lucky to have him (the latter point I kind of agree with).  

This is why he doesn't get the attention or respect he deserves. After three seasons in Russia he made his way back to the NHL for the Flyers in 2011-12 and helped them to the Eastern semi-finals. At 41-years-old Jagr is now stationed in New Jersey and is quietly going about adding to his already admirable career numbers. 

Ultimately what garnered Jagr his spot here as my first spotlight was him scoring his 119th career game-winning goal, vaulting him past Phil Esposito for second all time behind only “Mr. Hockey” Gordie Howe. That stat just jumped out at me. Obviously Jagr has major poise and game-changing ability so my questions to the podcast were as follows: Do you think Jagr will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer once he becomes eligible? Will he be inducted at all? What are your takes on him as a player and a legend in the NHL? 

My thoughts? Jagr is one of the most dominant players to ever put on a set of blades. He most definitely deserves to be in The Hall, but I doubt he makes it on his first ballot. Whether or not he does will probably depend on who else is available for induction when the time comes. 

Jagr is a legend no doubt about it. His ability to make plays and control the puck with his hands and size make him something special, not to mention his tendency to come through in clutch situations. The way he takes shots through traffic with deadly accuracy and in mid stride without missing a beat is, in my opinion unparalleled. Make sure you listen to this week's episode of The Neutral Zone Trap Podcast for Marnitz, Max, Zak and guest host Andy Cole's answers to the Jagr question.

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Don't let the name mislead you. Graydon Child is 100% man. Find his Twitter machine here: @GraydonChild. Follow, mention, retweet. Love.