The Pittsburgh Penguins have retired three numbers in their history: Michel Briere (21), Mario Lemieux (66) and Jaromir Jagr (68). Two of the three played their entire careers with the franchise, while Jagr played for eight other clubs.
Jagr is a future Hall of Famer who is an instant inductee but is not yet eligible because he plays professionally with Rytíři Kladno in the Czech Republic. He has not played in the NHL since 2017-18 and finished his North American career with 1,921 points, second only to Wayne Gretzky’s 2,857 points.
Jagr won the Stanley Cup in 1991 and 1992, his first two seasons in the league, before appearing in the 2013 finals as a member of the Boston Bruins.
When he left Pittsburgh in 2001, Jagr was the team’s second-leading scorer behind Lemieux with 439 goals, 640 assists and 1,079 points.
As of 2024, his name has dropped to fourth place in each category due to the long and productive careers of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
Although Jagr was back on the ice with Lemieux after the Hall of Famer returned from retirement in December 2000, he was traded to the Washington Capitals in July 2001.
Here’s a year-by-year breakdown of Jagr’s performance against the Penguins after he left town:
|
team |
Year |
General medicine |
G |
A |
PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Washington |
2001-02 |
4 |
1 |
3 |
4 |
|
Washington |
2002-03 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
|
New York Rangers |
2003-04 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
4 |
|
New York Rangers |
2005-06 |
8 |
7 |
4 |
11 |
|
New York Rangers |
2006-07 |
8 |
4 |
4 |
8 |
|
New York Rangers |
2007-08 |
8 |
2 |
5 |
8 |
|
Philadelphia |
2011-12 |
6 |
4 |
1 |
5 |
|
Boston |
2012-13 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Boston – Playoffs |
2012-13 |
4 |
0 |
3 |
3 |
|
New Jersey Devils |
2013-14 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
|
New Jersey Devils |
2014-15 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
|
Florida Panthers |
2015-16 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Florida Panthers |
2016-17 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
In 57 games against the team that selected him fifth overall in the 1990 draft, he scored 25 goals and had 22 assists for a total of 47 points.
Of the 30 teams he has played against throughout his career, Jagr scored the 16th most points against the Penguins, sandwiched between the Colorado Avalanche (50) and the Edmonton Oilers (41).
Interestingly, Jagr only had a negative plus/minus rating against three teams: the Minnesota Wild (minus 6), the Los Angeles Kings (minus 6) and the Penguins (minus 4).
Since Jagr left the NHL after the 2007–08 season to play in the KHL in Russia, his final game at Mellon Arena (formerly Civic Arena) was on January 14, 2008. In that game, he scored the only goal for the Rangers, who were defeated 4–1 that night.
When he returned to the NHL, the Mellon Arena had already been demolished and the Consol Energy Center (now PPG Paints Arena) was the Penguins’ new home. Jagr made his debut in the new facility on April 1, 2011 as a member of the Philadelphia Flyers. Of course, he also recorded an assist in the visitors’ 6-4 win.
On March 19, 2017, Jagr played his final game as a member of the Florida Panthers against the Penguins, dropping a point in a 4-0 loss at PPG Paints Arena.
Twenty-three years after Jagr last put on a Penguins jersey, the team welcomed him with open arms at a jersey retirement ceremony in February 2024, raising No. 68 to the rafters as the first and last player to wear the number.
Compared to Jagr’s overall performance in Pittsburgh, the breakdown looks like this:
-
Games played: 806/1733 (46.5%)
-
Goals: 439/766 (57.3%)
-
Templates: 640/1155 (55.4%)
-
Points: 1,079/1,921 (56.1%)
He is one of the best players to ever play in the NHL and his place among the legends of the game is undeniable. Nor is the impact he had as a member of the Penguins for a decade.
It’s fascinating that Jagr scored nearly a point per game against his former team and finished his career with a 0.82 average.
