The Florida Panthers earned a key 5-4 shootout victory over the Philadelphia Flyers to climb two points ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning for second place and pull within a point of the first-place Boston Bruins in the Atlantic Division standings. Veteran winger Jaromir Jagr had a pair of assists in the game, including one where he completely overpowered sturdy defenseman Nick Schultz.
The 44-year-old also logged 18:16 of ice time over the 65-minute game. It was a hard-fought victory, the kind that can be taxing, especially on an older player like Jagr. So how do you think he recovered from that game? Perhaps a nice meal out with teammates? Maybe a little Netflix on the couch? Straight to bed?
Nah, how about a full workout while wearing two weight vests at 1:30 a.m.?
Jagr posted this photo on his Facebook page, included with the rough Czech translation:
Remember, this is after a game that went to overtime and a shootout. It was also the Panthers’ second game in three days. Jagr scored a pair of goals in the first of those two contests before adding his two assists Saturday night. Their next game is Monday. Rest is for the weak apparently.
The translation on that last bit is unmistakable: “If you want to be better than the opponent, you have to train while he’s asleep. All rivals – good night.” This sounds like a man who isn’t going to settle with just getting the Panthers into the playoffs and being happy to be there.
Simply put, Jagr is a freak of nature as is. Yeah, when you’re 44 years old, you probably have to do a little more than your younger counterparts to stay on top of your game. Jagr probably goes well beyond that, though.
He has famously stuck around after games to skate off the remaining energy he has. Sometimes he’ll throw that weight vest on while he does it. Other times he'll just work out, like he showed on Facebook in the wee hours of the morning. You can’t do that without intense passion for the game or unrivaled competitive spirit.
So if you’re wondering how Jagr continues to play at the level he does when his age suggest he shouldn’t be capable of doing so, look no further than that passion. That’s the engine that fuels the work ethic, the desire and the apparent surplus of energy that makes Jagr feel like he needs to work at 1:30 a.m.
Over 65 games this season, Jagr continues to lead the Panthers with 53 points, including 23 goals. He now ranks third all-time in NHL history with 745 goals and 1,855 points and if he keeps going like this, he’s a long ways away from being done in this league.
[H/T @mirtle]
