Jaromir Jagr Missed The Penguins 25th Anniversary Stanley Cup Reunion Because He Had A Game

FTW- The Pittsburgh Penguins welcomed back the members of the 1991-92 Stanley Cup team on Saturday as part of their 50-year ceremony, but there was a notable absence.

Jaromir Jagr couldn’t make it because, well, he astonishingly is still playing in the NHL. The 44-year-old is coming off an All-Star season, and really, shows no interest in aging.

He has 12 points through 25 games with the Panthers, which is a slow start compared to last year but still solid for a 44-year-old hockey player.



At this point I don't think there is anyone out there that doesn't appreciate what Jaromir Jagr has been able to accomplish as the NHL equivalent of a corpse. Being able to play as well as he has this late into his life has become so widely accepted as an unbelievable feat that hearing that he missed the 25 year reunion of the Pittsburgh Penguins Stanley Cup championship team to play in an NHL game somehow didn't even phase me. It seems like it's every other day he has a stat, achievement, or milestone that transcends the bounds of...well...science. Through the concerted effort to value nothing in his life other than hockey (and promiscuous rendezvouses with women half his age) he has basically iced his biological clock to such a standstill that it should be set to that 'Black Beatles' song. I mean, Jagr's astonishing ability to defy the aging process has become such old news that it makes the 'Mannequin Challenge' look relevant by comparison. As is a credit to him, I didn't think there was anything else that could be done to leave me flat out astounded by his longevity. Then I saw this picture...

...and had to remind myself that those are his FORMER TEAMMATES and not the founding members of some 'Knights Of Columbus' on the outskirts of Pittsburgh. Jaromir Jagr - who currently plays top line minutes for the Florida Panthers - was professional peers with this group of guys that look like their average bedtime perfectly corresponds with his pregame warmups. That's simply jaw dropping. I bet the better half of that crew can't even bend down far enough to tie their own skates anymore and the guy who helped them win a Stanley Cup is still competing against the most talented athletes the sport has ever had to offer. They say a picture is worth 1,000 words, and I guess that's true because I thought I had a grasp of the history Jagr was making until I saw a snapshot of the players he once made history with looking like they just got down polishing off their 'Early Bird Specials'.