Jaromír Jágr Breaks Gretzky's Professional Hockey Goal Record – Hockey Writers – Hockey History

Like fine wine, Jaromír Jágr has only improved with age. As a 19-year-old in 1990, Jágr made his NHL debut and finished his rookie season lifting the Stanley Cup. Furthermore, in his sophomore season, his peers took notice of his performances, including a meditative display of stick skills against the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Related: The Legendary Career of Jaromir Jagr

It wasn't long before Jágr stepped out of teammate Mario Lemieux's shadow and won his first scoring title and the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player. When his former teammate retired, Jagr dominated the NHL for much of the 1990s. Eventually, he left the Pittsburgh Penguins and took his talents to the Washington Capitals before bringing his showmanship skills to Broadway and the New York Rangers.

After 18 seasons, 646 goals, and 1,599 points, Jágr chose to play in Russia and join the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), spending three seasons scoring goals. However, the hunger to win another Stanley Cup brought him back to the NHL, where he played for six more years, adding to his collection and making sure he gets his wing in the Hockey Hall of Fame when he retires.

Although Jagr left the NHL for the second time in 2018, at the age of 45, he returned to Europe to play in his native Czechia. As a player and owner of Rytíři Kladno, he still has a lot of gas left in the tank. Moreover, in addition to playing with boys half his age, Jágr did everything to keep the team competitive and bring the fans to the field. Amazingly, he's still playing and scoring goals, recently breaking the record for most goals in professional hockey, a mark previously held by Wayne Gretzky.

After scoring 1,099 goals, he became the only player in the history of the game to have scored so many goals. How did Jágr get these numbers? Here's a look back at one of the most famous works ever recorded.

Jágr Scored 766 NHL Goals, Ranking 4th All Time

A young Jágr broke into the NHL after being the fifth overall pick in the 1990 Entry Draft. He scored his first NHL goal on Oct. 7, 1990, against Chris Terreri and the New Jersey Devils and finished his rookie campaign with 27 goals, the lowest total of the next 18 seasons.

Although he flirted with 100 points several times, Jágr didn't cross the threshold until 1995-96, when he had his best season in the NHL, with 149 points and a career-high 62 goals. During this time, he was the best player in the world, winning the Art Ross Trophy five times in six seasons. Additionally, he finished his first decade with 439 goals and 1,079 points in just 806 games.

After two and a half seasons with the Capitals, he scored 83 goals and 201 points in 190 games. Eventually, Jágr ended up in New York and, in his first full campaign with the Rangers, set a single-season record with 54 goals, a mark that hadn't been touched since 2005-06. Furthermore, while serving as the captain of the Original Six franchise, he played 277 games, scoring 124 goals and 319 points before leaving the NHL for the first time, with 646 goals and 1599 points in 1273 games.

Jágr played in the KHL for three seasons and returned to the NHL for good in 2011-12 with the Philadelphia Flyers before embarking on the league journey, pitching for six franchises in the final six years of his career. In his last 460 games in the NHL, he scored 120 goals and 322 points. Although Jágr was still in the twilight of his career, he surpassed the 20-goal milestone twice with the Devils (24) and the Florida Panthers (27).

Overall, after an illustrious career with nine franchises, Jágr's goal total breaks down as follows: Penguins (439), Rangers (124), Capitals (83), Panthers (49), Devils (35), Flyers (19), Dallas Stars (14), Boston Bruins (two), and Calgary Flames (one).

Jágr Continued His Legacy in the KHL with 66 goals

Shockingly, after his success in the Big Apple, the Rangers opted not to offer Jágr a contract for the 2007-08 season, and one of the game's greatest players had nowhere to go. After weighing his options, he decided to play in the KHL with Omsk Avangard on a one-year contract.

However, because of 47 goals and 95 points in 106 games, he signed a contract extension, agreeing to another season with the team that named him captain in 2009, which he respected until the end of his contract, which led to Continental. He won the trophy in 2011. He scored 19 goals that final season to end his three-year KHL streak with 66 goals.

Interestingly, his stay in the KHL was not the only time he skated with Omsk Avangard. He played 32 games with them during the 2004-05 NHL Lockout. Although the team was not part of the KHL at the time, since the league was formed in 2008, he scored 16 goals, bringing his total professional goals in Russia to 82.

Jágr Plays, Owns, and Stars with His Hometown Team Kladno

Jaromír Jágr Sr. he was the president of HC Kladno, allowing Jágr to play with his hometown team throughout his career. As a result, before coming to North America, he qualified for two seasons and collected 25 goals in 71 games as a junior.

During the 1994-95 NHL lockout, Jágr returned home to play 11 games with Kladno, adding another eight goals to his tally, his last time playing in the Czech Republic for ten years. He returned when the NHL was suspended again in 2004-05, suiting up for 17 games and collecting 11 more goals. Almost a decade later, Jágr returned in 2012–13 with 34 appearances, including another 24 goals to add to his Kladno tally.

At the age of 45, Jágr left the NHL for the second time in his career, returning to Kladno in 2017-18. Despite playing sporadically in the first two seasons, he scored one goal in nine games from 2017 to 2019 before making a regular appearance in 2019–20, when Kladno were promoted to the top division of the Czech Extraliga. At the age of 48, he skated in 38 games, scoring 15 goals, his highest goal total in the Czech Republic since 2013.

Although he did not play much in 2020-21, while Kladno was relegated to the lower Czech Extraliga, the team received another promotion. As a result, Jágr returned as a full-time player, collecting another eight goals in 43 games. Given his desire to develop hockey in the Czech Republic, one of the sport's most beloved athletes continues to skate and appeared in 26 games in 2022-23, with five goals, including his 1,099th professional goal, on February 5, 2023.

Related: Jaromir Jagr Returns to Czechoslovakian Roots During Lockout

Internationally, Jágr has represented his country in many world championships (10), Olympic Games (five), and the World Cup of Hockey (two) since 1990, and the record books include his statistics in high-level events, standing. 47 goals and 102 points in 121 games.

Jágr's Legacy is One of a Kind

With more than 30 years of work in various leagues around the world, the HHOF probably already has its own plaque and invitations printed. The Penguins recently retired his No. 68 jersey, a long-overdue honor.

Many would argue that if Jágr never went to the KHL or spent some time in the Czechia, he would have challenged Gretzky's NHL scoring record and become the second player to surpass two thousand points. A few players (like Tom Brady) tried to play professional sports until they were 50 years old but did not succeed. Meanwhile, Jágr will turn 53 on Feb. 15, and whether he plays another nine years or calls it quits after this season, many will remember him for his crazy workout routines, long hair, goal salutes, and longevity.

It may have taken Gretzky a little longer to score 1,098 goals; However, one of the most enduring qualities of Jágr's character is that he plays the game on a different level. With an unparalleled ability to make plays with or without the puck, it's no wonder he defies father time and sets records that would take someone else a lifetime to break.