Jagr seems to be back!

[Paulio]

Being a huge Penguins fan since 1988, I was 6, I have always been a fan of Jagr. He may be the most hated player by the fans that hockey has ever seen. However, there is no doubt that when he wants to play, he is the best player in the world. Sure, you can argue, but you have to realize that more than half of his accomplishments have been without the services of the the simply great Mario, which everyone seems to forget. A hat trick tonight gave him 10 goals, in 9 games. How did this guy get his heart back? He stated at the beginning of the season that a 6th Art Ross trophy and a Rangers playoff birth were his goals. 9 games in, it looks fairly good. This man deserves respect, not from just the players, whom have voted him the leagues most valuable player on seperate occasions, but the average hockey fan too. He may not be Canadian, but you can't just hate him because he is good and spoils a win for "your" team when he plays them. Playing with heart may just deliver him a hart at the end of the season.

Paulio

[dbleber]

I have to admit he is on fire right now, hate his attitude but if he keeps up this pace the Rocket will be his. Have you noticed that he is not only scoring but he's scoring in pairs or more and in very quick time apart from each other. Still early but should be an interesting year.

[broken27]

I have to admit he is on fire right now, hate his attitude but if he keeps up this pace the Rocket will be his. Have you noticed that he is not only scoring but he's scoring in pairs or more and in very quick time apart from each other. Still early but should be an interesting year.

The bolded part highlights what many consider the difference with Jagr right now. He's back in charge of a team (like when he was winning scoring titles in PIT), and is a leader both on and off the ice. That's according to his teammates and coach, who I think is a pretty good judge (Tom Renney).

Jagr's going to be damn good if he stays healthy, but with his increased passion comes increased risk, and I predict a 10-game injury (or 10 games total) when the last puck drops on the Rangers' season. Will that kill their playoff hopes?

Dan
PS - When Jagr is playing like this, you'd be hard pressed to find a more entertaining hockey player to watch... He's got just the right combo of power and flash...