Jaromir Jagr is back home in Kladno, Czech after a short vacation in Mexico. It’s time to get back to work. Jagr has started on-ice training twice a week, starting this week.
“Training camp is still far away, but I wanted to be back on the ice already”, Jagr says. “There’s still plenty of time until the season starts, but I’ve been wanting to be on the ice.”
“It feels tough at first, but I hope it starts feeling better next week.”
“I have to be prepared. I haven’t played in the NHL in three years. It won’t be easy. The NHL is just something completely different.”
At age 39, there is only one goal in Jagr’s mind.
“If the Flyers didn’t have a chance to win the Stanley Cup, I wouldn’t have signed with them. They were in the finals two years ago, they always have their goals set as high as possible and it never changes.”
“I think positively and believe that the Flyers can go deep in the playoffs.”
Jagr isn’t sure what kind of a role he can expect for himself on the team.
“Maybe it will be the first line. Maybe it’s the second. Maybe it’s the third. It depends on how things work out.”
“I wouldn’t have signed, if I didn’t believe that I could still play in a good role in the NHL.”
Jagr says he talked briefly with Chris Pronger before signing with the Flyers.
“I talked with Chris before I signed. He told me about the team and how things are over there.”
“I’m glad to have him on my side and that I don’t have to play against him.”
Jagr’s return to the NHL was, and is, big news. Jagr says he’s aware of the attention, both positive and negative.
“Most of the negative critic has come from the Penguins fans who couldn’t understand my decision to sign with the Flyers.”
“I think we’re all free to make our own decisions.”
This report was based off of a Czech-language story in the publication TN.
