Jaromir Jäger continues despite his fifties

Former National Hockey League (NHL) forward Jaromir Jäger will turn 50 on Tuesday, but his age is a far cry from his desire to compete, as he plans to continue his professional career.

A sign that time still moves too quickly on the tastes of his fans, the Czech played his last NHL game for the Calgary Flames in 2017-2018, which didn’t stop him from keeping his skates on his feet. Owner, president and player of Kladno, his hometown team playing at the highest level in his country, Jagger says he keeps himself very busy. He planned it, and never questioned his ability to continue his career when he was over 50.

“When you’re 30 and you say you’re going to play until you turn 50, some people laugh, because they don’t know. And I knew it. I’m built differently,” he told NHL.com.

Of course, time does its job too and injuries, however slight, have tormented him somewhat this season. Sometimes a hockey player and sometimes a part-time assistant, he’s scored 19 points in 35 games so far. He spent notably less than 10 minutes on the ice on Sunday, playing in the fourth streak against Brno FC. Why do you want to continue at all costs?

“I had injuries, but our team did very well. So, I did not want to get into the fray at that time. However, I like to teach the players and pass on what I learned to them. When I am in the fourth grade or when I am not playing, I give the athletes or Young people took more time to help them. “I like it,” he said.

Next year?

Many of his supporters would not be surprised to learn that Jagger is keeping the possibility of participating in the upcoming campaign wide open. However, the whole thing will be related to Kladno’s upcoming performance. The team, including former Montreal Canadiens striker Thomas Pelikanik, are fighting to keep their place in the Extraliga. To do this, he must finish among the top 13 clubs.

At the moment, Kladno is ranked 14th out of 15 teams with a 17-23-8 record, although he has to play all of his matches abroad due to renovations in his arena. The good news is that by avoiding the lower score, there will be no automatic landing. Worse, 14th place means a playoff against the second division champions who will want to be promoted.

“If we’re still in Extraliga and I know there’s a chance to sign good players… I’d say I’d like to stay and be a more player, train more and focus more on the game, because we’ll have a chance to achieve something.”

“First of all, I love hockey for many reasons. It doesn’t have to be doing sports, but rubbing shoulders with guys, helping people on the ice.