NHL Legend Jaromír Jágr Plays in Pro Hockey Game at 52, Breaks Gordie Howe Record
April 18, 2024
Former NHL great Jaromír Jágr became the oldest player to take regular shifts in professional ice hockey on Thursday.
Jágr made his first appearance since turning 52 on Thursday, breaking legend Gordie Howe's record. Howe made his final professional hockey appearance when he was 52 years, 11 days old in 1980. He also suited up for a single shift with the Detroit Vipers in the International Hockey League at age 69 in 1997.
Jágr, who had a 24-year NHL career, rejoined the Kladno Knights in the Czech Republic for the first time since Feb. 10. In his first appearance back on the ice, he scored a goal to give the Knights a 1-0 lead 1:59 into the second game of a playoff relegation series against Vsetin.
B/R Open Ice @BR_OpenIce52-year old Jaromir Jagr is back in the Czech Republic after his trip to Pittsburgh, and scored on his *first* shift 🚨🍷<br><br>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/telhcz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@telhcz</a>, h/t <a href="https://twitter.com/Hockey_Robinson?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Hockey_Robinson</a>) <a href="https://t.co/8dAcLPhiXu">pic.twitter.com/8dAcLPhiXu</a>
Kladno won the game 7-2, taking a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Jágr's final NHL appearance came in the 2017-18 season when he played for the Calgary Flames. He had a goal and six assists that year in 22 appearances.
Jágr spent most of his career with the Pittsburgh Penguins, who retired his jersey earlier this year. During the early stages of his career, he helped lead the Penguins to back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1991 and 1992, becoming one of the youngest players in NHL history to score in a Stanley Cup game at age 20.
The 13-time All-Star ended his career with 766 goals in 1,733 NHL games played. While he had a storied NHL career, he's still breaking records at age 52.