Jaromir Jagr
Jaromir Jagr
Jaromír Jágr; born February 15, 1972) is a Czech professional ice hockey right winger currently playing for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League. He has formerly played in the NHL with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Dallas Stars, Boston Bruins and New Jersey Devils, serving as captain of the Penguins and the Rangers. After leaving the Rangers, he played for three seasons in the Kontinental Hockey Leaguewith Avangard Omsk before returning to the...
NationalityCzechoslovakian
ProfessionHockey Player
Date of Birth15 February 1972
CityKladno, Czech Republic
It was very special for me. I had so much time to look around and put the puck where I wanted to.
First of all, when I was making the decision, I never thought that Pittsburgh fans would want me back. Every time I played there, they were booing me every time I touched the puck. I didn't think it would be such a big deal that I didn't sign with Pittsburgh.
I might be more excited than I was before the Olympics. Our goal is to make the playoffs, but we don't want to just make the playoffs for the first round and go home. I want to be in the best condition I've ever been in my life, to know when a crucial time comes, I'm ready.
I do not think it is soon. I think there is time to leave, at least I feel so. This is my feeling.
Most of the time it's open. It's up to you if you want to take the risk or not.
There was so many good players in one place, ... Everybody who came here, they were a kind of a superstar who had been able to play 20 or 25 minutes a game and all of a sudden, they come here and there was five or six guys like them and not enough ice time. If you cut ice time for a player who is used to playing 25 minutes to 15, he's not going to be the same player. I think it hurts a team.
The Rangers could spend $80 million before, now they cannot do it, ... Every time they make a move, it's got to be a good move and make sense. Before, because we could spend money here in New York, you had to get somebody to satisfy the fans and sometimes too much is not good. You need a lot of hard-working guys and every superstar needs their ice time to be that superstar. If you've got so many of them, somebody is going to get left behind.
When they're calling everything, you have to be smarter. It seems like every time we lose, it's because we've screwed up and we make stupid plays.
I don't like teams where the general manager or coaches are separated, ... Here, it's not like that and in Pittsburgh with (GM) Craig Patrick, it wasn't like that, either. Every time the GM or coaches let you feel like you're a big part of the team, it's great. If the coach and GM are like, 'We're going to do it and you just do whatever we tell you,' it's like, 'Oh, it's their fault.' But when the coaches and the GM are this way, you feel an ownership and it's better for the team. You give more.
It would take a miracle (to play). It's feeling better, but there's too much pain.
I've been playing with Marty for a long time. He knows where I'm going to be and I know where to look for him.
I've been on some hot streak lately. Hopefully, I can play the same way in the Olympics, but hopefully I can play even better when I come back after the Olympics. I go to represent my country, but my job is to play good for the New York Rangers .
The way I saw it from the outside, there was always pressure on the New York Rangers, for the GM to make moves. It was kind of ... necessary,
The way I look at it, home-ice advantage or no home-ice advantage, if we're going to play like that in the playoffs, we're going to lose anyway.