Jágr makes his NHL return

Hockey legend Jaromír Jágr has raised already high expectations of what is to come as he makes a return to North America's National Hockey League (NHL) after a three-year absence. Jágr, who has played in Russia's Continental Hockey League (KHL) for the past three seasons, drew quite a bit of attention in his debut with the Philadelphia Flyers Sept. 23.

Jágr had a goal and an assist in the opening period as he sparked the Flyers to a 3-1 exhibition win over the Detroit Red Wings at the Joe Louis Arena.

The 39-year-old says it's playing in the NHL's smaller-sized rinks - not his age - that concerns him most about his comeback.

"It may take me a while to get my timing back," he said.

In his inaugural game, however, Jágr showed no ill effects from being away from hockey's premier league, or from playing in the wider Russian rinks, where games are more about finesse and less physical.

"It's two different games with the same rules," Jágr said before the game. "You've got to skate a lot more [in Russia], and here most of the guys are a lot bigger, and most of the teams play the trap, and the style is more aggressive. Hopefully, it won't take me that long [to adjust], but the game has changed from when I played three years ago."

Jágr scored his first goal with just 1 minute and 42 seconds to go in the first period. He scored off an assist from Scott Hartnell to give the Flyers a 2-1 lead.

"I want to reach ... the NHL [level] as quickly as I can," Jágr said, in a somewhat unusual statement considering his NHL résumé already includes 646 goals and 1,599 points.

Despite his strong past record, there had been serious doubts about whether the veteran winger would be able to keep pace in the NHL after his three-year absence. Critics even dared to predict Jágr would be a hindrance to the development of other younger players. Still, the Flyers offered him a $3.3 million, one-year contract - outbidding Pittsburgh and Detroit. However, an aging Jágr still displays flashes of skill that even skeptics agree are reminiscent of his mullet-headed youth, when he was one of the NHL's top players.

Although it was only a preseason game, Jágr was clearly primed to make a splash in his debut. The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote that, at some points, Jágr looked as if he hadn't missed a beat since departing the New York Rangers in 2008.

Jágr played 11 seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins and, in that time, became one of the most hated players of the none-too-reserved Flyers fans. Now, he dons the orange and black of a once bitter rival.

Most in the NHL view Jágr's signing as strictly a business decision. The Flyers see a player who can help their team, and Jágr sees a team that can possibly return him to Stanley Cup glory.

František Bouc can be reached at
fbouc@praguepost.com