Jagr: How to gauge his longevity.

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99goals

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Had a though percolating in my head all day.

What is it that allows Jagr to keep playing?
Apart from athletic prowess, what conditions are allowing him to raise the bar?

Are the reasons below valid?

The league has cleaned up its act, getting rid of the undesirables and instituting a faster moving, puck carrying game. Allowing him to not have to grind it out as hard as he would have in his younger days. That would lead me to believe that his body can last longer not having to endure such physical play?

The rules for contact have changed. You can't clutch and grab like you could in the older days?

Did moving to the 4 referee system allow trouble makers to be sent to the box more often, allowing him to play his style of game?

He plays in Florida which fails to sell out games? Less fan noise, less pressure to perform? Could the same be said for Luongo?

I am interested in your points. Stuck in front of my computer working all night. Would love to see your theories on his longevity.

Your turn!
 
I think there is a lot of factors. The league has changed and so did the training and medical abilities for treating injuries. I think Jagr has fantastic conditioning and obviously good habits. He managed to avoid injuries throughout his career especially concussions or nagging knee and back injuries. The league is bigger and faster but not half as chippy as it was in the pre lockout era. The league has gotten rid of most of the dirty stuff, you hardly even see any hits anymore. The players equipment is also advanced, it's like wearing armour hard to get hurt in it.
 
I imagine it's got a lot to do with how he's taken care of himself. He's got a helluva lot of skill, and it's diminishing, but staying in top shape keeps him around. I'm sure guys like Chelios, Selanne, and Recchi were the same way.

I don't think a faster game helps him at all, but his size and skill allows him to hold Father Time at bay for now.
 
he lives and breaths hockey. this guy is at the rink at 8am hitting the weights. It's rumored and true that he has his own key to the gym.
he takes his pre-practice skates with ankle weights, wrist weights and no socks. He says he wants practice uncomfortable so he can feel good in games.

he's also adapted to use more of his size and hockey sense then speed. He is a guy who knows his limitations out there but knows what he's good at.

He purely loves the game and still has that passion that many players lose at this point in his career.
 
In a different era he'd be the greatest ever. The attention to detail, the effort put in, the pure skill, the size... Consider the numbers he's put up through the worst scoring period(s) in several years, several lockouts, etc. He's dominated the league on some bad teams as well. All around, one of the best ever.
 
lucscaps said:
he lives and breaths hockey. this guy is at the rink at 8am hitting the weights. It's rumored and true that he has his own key to the gym.
he takes his pre-practice skates with ankle weights, wrist weights and no socks. He says he wants practice uncomfortable so he can feel good in games.

he's also adapted to use more of his size and hockey sense then speed. He is a guy who knows his limitations out there but knows what he's good at.

He purely loves the game and still has that passion that many players lose at this point in his career.
Click to expand...

His work ethic is legendary and it rubs off on his teammates, especially the younger kids. Seeing "Old Man Jagr" working his tail off motivates them to try and keep up with him.
 
This is the only thing I can think of about Jagr's longevity


tumblr_ny4rk5c19W1tdtx0ho1_540.jpg




It is the only logical explanation.
 
Im surprised no one is mentioning the possibility of performance enhancements in this case. Sure he trains like a race horse, but its not as if the NHL has a strong drug testing reputation with only 3 players caught in 8 years by its current testing program. We'd be naive to think more NHL players arent doing some form of "supplementation". Im not saying he is. I just hope we dont read any stories a few years down the road saying he did the whole time.
 
I agree being in less media crazy market helps combined with the passion & conditioning

Upcoming reachable milestones

Jagr (1835)15 point back of Howe(1850)for 3rd
Jagr (737) 4 goals back of Br.Hull(741) for 3rd
Jagr (1098) 37 assists back of Coffey(1135) for 5th
 
He's still a solid top 6 forward for sure. His playing in Russia for a few years is also a factor. The season there is shorter and the wear and tear on the body lessened. His conditioning is the number one factor though. I hope he plays a few more years.
 
Whatever the reason, and I'm sure its all because of the mullet, it is neat to think that he has entered into that "Legend" status and can be talked about in the same sentence as Gretzky, Howe, Messier...

As a HOF Rookie Card collector it is sad that his RC's are valued so low compared to others in that club but at the same time it makes them attainable by a much larger group of collectors and that ain't a bad thing!
 
I feel like he has at least one more productive season in the tank. I wouldn't be surprised if he wrapped up his career with a few seasons in the czech league!
 
He is hands down the best player of the last 25 years. I was never a Penguins fan, but what he was able to do during the era that he did it cements his status among the truly legendary. The fact that he still has the ability to play at the level he does, and continue to excel comes down to one major factor: passion. Passion to push himself to his limits, passion to contribute, passion to give back to the game that has given so much to him, and passion for the sport itself. Everything is an offshoot of that passion and desire.
 
Def good posts. Someone else said this before but he did grow up in Mario's shadow. So that must have rubbed off on him to some extent.
 
There have been a couple of posts already, but his workout routine is legendary. When he was in Philly, they gave him his own key to the practice rink.

He's just in tremendous shape, with the luck factor in that he's avoided serious injury. I loved when he was in New Jersey for the simple fact that he provided a great example for the other players.
 

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