Jaromir Jagr Teases Return to Penguins

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Between a head coaching change, trade speculation, and a new report that Mario Lemieux is considering Stars Pete DeBoer Firing Shows Tough Coaching Culture, it’s been a busy offseason for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Lemieux might not be the only former franchise legend returning to the Penguins organization.
Jaromir Jagr showed up at PPG Paints Arena, posting a video to his Instagram page of him admiring his retired jersey number. Before looking to the rafters, Jagr posted a video of him unpacking bags of Penguins gear and a nice bottle of wine.
With the caption “Tryout camp,” it seems Jagr is teasing some sort of return to the Penguins, likely as a member of the staff.
“There’s some stuff for workout,” Jagr said in the video. “I was thinking they just want to talk, but I guess they want me to work out.”
In Jagr’s own sense of humor, he quipped that the Penguins might be trying to add Jagr to the roster.
“I was hoping they know what kind of player they’re getting,” Jagr said. “I’ve been playing professional hockey for the last 37 years.”
Jagr last played in the NHL during the 2017-18 season, finishing a 24-year career in North America, but he’s continued playing in his native Czechia. At 53 years old, Jagr has been playing professional hockey since 1988, and was with the Penguins between 1990 and 2001.
During Jagr’s jersey retirement weekend, it was made pretty clear that the Penguins would welcome Jagr back to the organization in almost any capacity. Unpacking from workout gear from the team and appearing at PPG Paints Arena the same day new Report: Mario Lemieux Considering Buying Back Penguins gives his introductory press conference, it’s too many factors to be a coincidence.
While the Penguins are a team in transition, a new element somewhere in the organization might be one of the game’s all-time greats.

Nick Horwat is a contributor with Breakaway On SI. He was previously a credentialed reporter for The Hockey News covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A Pittsburgh native, Nick graduated from Point Park University and started reporting on news and sports with KDKA Radio and 93.7 The Fan. After hosting a Penguins talk radio show in college, he morphed the show into a podcast. The Tip of the Ice-Burgh Podcast has been a leading Penguins podcast since 2019. Follow him on Twitter @NickHorwat41.