Jaromir Jagr loses weight, training hard for blowout final season, maybe

Or is it Jagr’s final season? The grinning Czech who has carried defenders and responsibility on those enormous legs and shoulders for decades is now waffling about calling it a career after this coming season. From the ice level where he’s already training, he gave an interview to Czech sports outlet Isport, and it took about 30 seconds for Jagr to open the possibility he will continue playing.

The translation from Isport is a little rough–It’s from Google Translate.

“I wouldn’t call it (my last season). (This is) our first, completely normal training session. I went skating a little before. You can say that everything was fine physically,” Jagr told the outlet. “(Worried) that I wouldn’t be able to catch my breath? Not at all. Just a little leg. So far, I’ve been training with the hockey sticks I have left here.”

Jagr admitted over the past handful of years, he hasn’t begun training to play for his Kladno team until November or December, presumably as Jagr the businessman had other duties to keep the team afloat. In the small Czech town, there aren’t many sponsors, and the city no longer provides financial support.

Despite the weight of responsibility, Jagr is not only training earlier than usual but harder, too. The someday Hockey Hall of Famer said he’s lost “six or seven kilos,” which translates to about 13 to 15 pounds, and while he hasn’t set a schedule, he intends to be a full-time hockey player.

“For the last five years, I didn’t do anything in the summer and started preparing in November or December. Now, it’s about something else,” Jagr said. “I still have almost two months of training ahead of me, and I’ll see how I do. At the moment, I am not deciding on the first extra league match, but I want to play in every one. I’m going to train full-time.”

Last season, he played in just 15 games and registered only four assists. Such an output would seem normal for a then-51-year-old still playing, but not Jagr.

Instead of surrendering to the situation, he seems to be doubling his efforts and investing more money in the team, which is surely a lesson he didn’t learn from the Pittsburgh baseball team.

“It’s not easy. Of course, we don’t have many sponsors. The city’s support also ended, (they’re) going to cut back this year,” said Jagr. “We’ve increased the budget. We’ve taken it upon ourselves. Maybe if we play well, we’ll leave it like that for next year. There’s no need to talk about it now. We are calm this year.”

And so the great Jagr skates on.