? Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Jaromir Jagr becomes oldest pro hockey player to score goal at 52

Originally posted on Daily Faceoff | By Tyler Kuehl | Last updated 4/18/24

Father Time is having a hard time catching up to this legend.

On Thursday, Jaromir Jagr returned to the ice for his club, Rytíři Kladno, as they try to avoid being relegated from the Czech Extraliga.

Kladno is taking on Czech 1. liga side Vsetin in a best-of-seven series to see who will play in the top division in Czechia next season. It is the third straight season Jagr’s club is having to play itself into staying alive.

Jagr was playing in his first game since February, as the 52-year-old had been in Pittsburgh for his jersey retirement, and for a very strange saga involving some missing bobbleheads.

Kladno lost the first game of the series, but just minutes into Game 2, Jagr tapped in a nice feed from former Oshawa General Jakub Strnad for the first goal of the contest.

Jaromír Jágr (@jj68jaromirjagr) naskočil po svých 5⃣2⃣. narozeninách do prvního střídání a hned je z toho branka! #baraztelh | #TELH | @RytiriKladno pic.twitter.com/UXjte8uwom
— Tipsport extraliga (@telhcz) April 18, 2024

With the goal, Jagr became the oldest player to ever score a goal in a professional hockey game. At 52 years and 63 days, he surpassed the legend Gordie Howe, who scored in his final NHL on April 11, 1980, when Mr. Hockey was 52 years and 11 days old.

Jagr also added an assist in a 7-2 route of the second-tier club. In 15 regular-season games this year, he registered four assists.

The former New York Ranger has been playing for Rytíři since he returned to Czechia after a stint with Calgary Flames during the 2017-18 season. Jagr has haped Kladno get promoted from Czech 1. liga to Extraliga in 2019, before the team was relegated the following season. Kladno has been in the top division since 2021, though they have had to win a relegation series in order to stay in the Extraliga in the previous two seasons.

Jagr, who sits second all-time in NHL scoring with 1,921 points, has posted 301 points in 356 games in playing professionally in Kladno. Throughout his entire career, that has seen him play in Russia, Germany and Italy, Jagr has scored 2,671 points (including playoffs).

This article first appeared on Daily Faceoff and was syndicated with permission.

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