News broke Thursday morning that former NHL superstar Jaromír Jágr intends to retire at the end of the season. Jágr had been playing in Czechia for Rytíři Kladno the last few seasons, which is the same team he is a franchise owner of. The now 52-year-old sits second all-time in NHL history with 1,921 points, winning five Art Ross Trophies and two Stanley Cups during his 24-year NHL career.
During his career, Jágr played multiple seasons with Vancouver Canucks Head Coach Rick Tocchet. The two won a Stanley Cup together with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1992 and competed numerous times against each other at the international level. When presented with the news, even Tocchet couldn’t believe it, asking are you sure before speaking about his former teammates.
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“Probably one of the best one-on-one players said Tocchet. We have that drill with puck possession, one on one. He’s probably top three all-time. If you put a puck in the corner and play the one-on-one drill, that’s what he’s the best at. He was incredible. Passion for the game. He’s a kid. He loves the loves the game of hockey. I would love for him to come back here and somehow get back in the game as a teacher, coach, or something like that.”
As for if Tocchet has any interest in bringing Jágr to Vancouver as a coach, he said, “Hopefully, I was good to him as a teammate. There’s a lot of former guys that that you’d love to pick their brains. Who knows, down the road, maybe. He’d definitely be a guy that if he’s interested, I’d be knocking on his door.”