An Ode To 68
The ‘Hockey Messiah’
Ajitpaul Mangat, Staff
On Feb. 15, 1972, if one had looked close enough at the heavens above they may have noticed a strange, once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon: the stars aligning as one, the clouds parting ever so augustly, and the sun bathing the earth in an especially warm, nurturing cloak of light.
This was no arbitrary spectacle, as the heavens were preparing earth for the birth of the “Hockey Messiah”: an individual who would revolutionize the sport, and its leading league. Number 68, Jaromir Jagr, was born to play hockey, and has with unparalleled adroitness. But even more significantly, what he has meant to the NHL, a league that was rapidly declining and in dire need of a revitalization heading into the 21st century, has been beyond measure.
Jaromir Jagr has come to epitomize the vast influx of European hockey players into the NHL, which was once dominated by Americans and Canadians during the 1990s. Nowhere is this personification more evident than in relation to the number he chooses to wear: 68. The number represents a year, 1968, which is very significant for his birth country, the Czech Republic. For it was that year when the “Prague Spring,” a short period of political liberalization from communism that ultimately ended when the Soviet Union invaded the country, occurred. This choice of number, and Jagr’s idolization of former American president Ronald Reagan, who was instrumental in the fall of European Communism, exemplifies the European hockey dream — the desire of young European players to escape turmoil and play hockey at the highest level in a tolerant setting.
It is largely Jagr who has made this dream possible by transforming the NHL into an accepting environment. Xenophobic hockey commentators (read: Don Cherry) could no longer disparage Europeans after Jagr achieved unparalleled success — immediately winning two Stanley Cups in his first two seasons, dominating the league by winning five scoring titles in seven years, and displaying longevity by breaking the record for most consecutive 30-goal, and 70-point seasons. Largely due to Jagr, the NHL has caught up to the rest of the world and finally became a truly broad-minded, multicultural league.
The NHL is known to many, especially American sports fans, as a conservative, humble, and (gasp!) boring league. It lacks the stirring hype of the NFL, the brash individualism of the NBA, and the memorable personalities of MLB. Instead, the NHL is often perceived as a league full of countless irrelevant games, a mundane team-first approach to playing, and largely faceless players. However, out of this dense cloud of tedium emerged one man: the Hockey Messiah, mullet flowing majestically and hand saluting and kissing the world.
Style and flair go with the NHL about as well as Tony Romo and blonde, busty pop singers, but Jagr has done much to change that perception. He has become one of the most recognizable players in the league due to his long, flowing “business upfront, party in the back” locks that trail him like a comet tail as he threatens opposing defences. Sure Jagr’s mullet may look outdated and daft now, but if fashion does in fact work in cycles, the Hockey Messiah may have just put the NHL at the leading edge of style at a time when the league could use some chic flair.
Along with his bold sense of style, Jagr has imbued the league with much-needed theatrics. Fans love to see players celebrating, as it can make joyous moments even more unforgettable. The NFL, NBA, and MLB are saturated with memorable player-specific celebrations. And while every Winnipeg Jets fan remembers Teemu Selänne’s dramatic gun-shooting celebration when he broke the rookie goal-scoring record, NHL goal-scoring celebrations were rare when Jagr entered the league. But that began to change when he introduced a string of fun, fan-friendly celebrations, including saluting and blowing a kiss to the crowd, after each of his goals. They were not elaborate, but Jagr’s celebrations did serve to galvanize fans and add some anticipatory fun to typically generic post-goal carousing. From Washington Capitals’ Alexander Ovechkin’s assortment of over-the-top celebrations to the team-oriented receiving line, the theatrical goal-scoring celebrations of the present-day NHL owe a great deal of debt to the Hockey Messiah, who brought further excitement to a too often routine league.
Jaromir Jagr’s hockey resumé speaks for itself, as he has proven himself to be the best player of his generation — the past two decades. But his rejuvenation of the NHL has been even more impressive. When he entered the league, in 1990, it was dominated by North Americans, and stuck largely in the past. By bringing the fun, brash, and pleasing European style of play, and flair across the Atlantic, Jagr has ushered the NHL into the 21st century, and inspired countless future hockey players. The Hockey Messiah did not die for the sins of his sport. Instead he brought some much-needed sin to a too virtuous, pristine sport.
