Jagr nets winner for Panthers, gains on Howe
Jaromir Jagr was able to get a little bit closer to Gordie Howe on the NHL’s all-time points list on Tuesday night when he scored the winning goal for the Florida Panthers in their 3-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets to help them reclaim sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Division.
For the 44-year-old Jagr, it was the 1,848th point in his career, bringing him to within two points of tying Howe for third on the NHL’s all-time list.
As of Tuesday, Jagr has played in 158 fewer games than Howe did in his career.
Here is a look at his goal from Tuesday, which was also the 133rd winner of his career, adding to his already record total.
That is vintage Jagr as a significant number of his 743 career goals were scored on plays just like that where he carries the puck in along the right wall, cuts to the center of the ice, and gets off a quick shot from between the dots.
Assuming he stays healthy, he is going to pass Howe sometime in the next couple of weeks, and if he comes back next season he will be within striking distance of Mark Messier (a player he currently trails by only 39 points) for second on the all-time list. It’s worth repeating (over and over again), but when you combine the fact that Jagr played the bulk of his career in the NHL’s worst era for offense and that he missed what amounted to five total seasons due to lockouts and a three-year stop in the KHL it is an unbelievably productive career that stacks up with any player that has ever played in the NHL.
And he is still playing at a top-line level even though he is in his mid-40s, producing at a level that is almost unheard of for a player that age. His 46 points this season are already more than any player in NHL history has scored in the NHL in a season where they were over the age of 43. Only two players (Messier and Howe) managed to top even 30 points.
When you look at total points in the NHL after turning 40, the only two players that compare are Howe (267 points in 295 games) and Teemu Selanne (197 points in 265 games). Jagr is currently at 195 points in 264 games after his 40th birthday and still going strong as the leading scorer on a first-place team.
Crazy stuff.
Jaromir Jagr is closing in on Gordie Howe on the all-time points list.(USATSI)
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