Legendary Czech winger Jaromir Jagr appears to be finally ready to say goodbye to professional hockey.
Jagr, who turned 52 in February, first hinted at his intention to retire on social media. He first shared a reel in which he said he would play each game of his “last season” in a different jersey before posting a photo of himself on Instagram with the caption: “The last ride begins.”
The Athletic’s Rob Rossi later reached out to Jagr via phone and got confirmation that the future Hall of Famer will indeed end his career at the end of the 2024-25 season.
Jagr has spent the past six seasons playing in his native Czech Republic for Rytíři Kladno, a club he also owns. His last stint in the NHL was during the 2017–18 campaign when he appeared in 22 games with the Calgary Flames.
Jagr made his NHL debut in 1990–91 with the Pittsburgh Penguins and spent 11 seasons with the franchise before embarking on stints with the Washington Capitals, New Jersey Devils, and Florida Panthers, among other franchises. During his time in the league, Jagr received 13 All-Star nods and won the Hart Memorial Trophy as MVP in 1999.
Altogether, Jagr played 1,733 NHL games in which he scored 766 goals and added 1,155 assists. He also holds a number of NHL records, including most career game-winning goals (135), most career points by a European-born player (1,921), and most consecutive 70-point seasons (15).
