Another season of hockey has arrived and that can only mean one thing -- Jaromir Jagr is scoring goals somewhere in the world.
The 49-year-old Jagr is still playing, if you were unaware, and helped his team, Rytíři Kladno of the Czech Republic, to a split of two games over the weekend.
On Friday, while HC Bílí Tygři Liberec came out on top 3-2, Jagr scored his first goal of the season while tying the game in the opening period.
🎥 Rychlou souhru @RytiriKladno na ledě Liberce zakončil parádní ranou do vinglu Jaromír Jágr, který se dočkal své první branky v letošní sezóně #TELH 🔥👏🏻 pic.twitter.com/MjKDZS37Wv
— Tipsport extraliga (@telhcz) September 17, 2021
[Related: Jaromir Jagr planning to return for 34th professional season]
Jagr, the No. 5 overall pick in the 1990(!) NHL Draft, continued the production on Sunday during a 3-2 win over HC Litvinov. He factored into all three Kladno goals with a pair himself, including the game-winner on a wraparound, and added an assist for good measure.
🚨🚨+🅰️ = bilance Jaromíra Jágra v utkání proti Litvínovu, které @RytiriKladno vyhráli 3:2! 👏#TELH #KLAvLIT pic.twitter.com/tMwjrvITfr
— Tipsport extraliga (@telhcz) September 20, 2021
Through four games of the Czech Extraliga Jagr has already surpassed his goal total from last season with three.
“I’ve been reading lately that he can’t play anymore, he’s overweight,” said Kladno head coach David Čermák. “And you see, he had 2 + 1 and decided the match for us.”
Since being waived by the Calgary Flames after a knee injury in 2017 Jagr has spent parts of the past six seasons with Kladno, where he is team owner. He was part of the their playoff run last spring which helped them earn promotion to the Czech top division.
The future Hall of Famer turns 50 in February and can still be a player on the ice, though not like he used to during his productive NHL days. His importance to the team is a main factor in why he’s staying around.
“The main reason I am still playing is my responsibility to the club,” Jagr said in April via Michael Langr of NHL.com. “If I did not have any, I would not be flying around on the ice here. Because I am embarrassing myself there, I can say. ... “I expect much more from myself and I don’t have it,” he said. “But I am aware that when I leave, many (business) partners will leave the team too. That’s why I have no choice.”
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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.