Monday, November 07, 2005
By Dave Molinari, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
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NEW YORK -- He is beginning to look awfully familiar, that guy in the New York Rangers' sweater who has been tormenting NHL goaltenders since the earliest moments of this season.
And not just because of the unusual figure -- No. 68 -- on the back of that jersey.
That number still triggers instant recognition, but the most striking thing about Jaromir Jagr these days is the way he has been dominating games, overpowering opponents with his muscle and overwhelming them with his talent.
Just as he did for much of his 11-year run with the Penguins, who drafted him in 1990 and watched him grow -- although, some in the organization will tell you, not grow up -- into the NHL's premier offensive force.
While his attitude and intangibles became an issue his final years with the Penguins, who finally traded him to Washington in 2001, Jagr's talent never was questioned. That might have changed a bit during three mostly forgettable seasons with the Capitals and Rangers, but the idea that his game has slipped doesn't get mentioned much anymore.
Mostly because the numbers he has put up -- 14 goals and nine assists in 15 games -- are enough to refute any words.
Jagr enters the Rangers' game against the Penguins at 7:08 p.m. today at Madison Square Garden with a 12-game scoring streak -- he has 12 goals and seven assists during that stretch -- and a legitimate shot at becoming just the sixth NHL player to score 50 goals in his team's first 50 games.
The last player to do it was Brett Hull of St. Louis in 1991-92; he also did it a year earlier. Other members of that most exclusive club are Wayne Gretzky (three times), Maurice Richard, Mike Bossy and Mario Lemieux.
The same Mario Lemieux who was Jagr's hero when he was growing up in Czechoslovakia and his mentor while they were teammates with the Penguins. The same Mario Lemieux who believes Jagr has a realistic shot at 50 in 50, in part because of the league's crackdown on obstruction-related infractions.
"I think he does," Lemieux said. "The way the game is now, and they're setting him up on the power play from what I've seen, I think he's got a good shot."
A lot of people do -- "With where he is right now, yeah," Penguins coach Eddie Olczyk said -- but Jagr insisted during a recent conference call that he doesn't see himself as much of a threat to pull it off.
"It's very tough for any player, and I don't think I am a goal-scorer," he said. "It's tough to score 50 in 82 games. Fifty in 50, I don't know if anybody can do it, even though the rules have changed, that's tough."
And maybe he has a point about not really being a goal-scorer. After all, the guy only has 551 of them; only 18 players in NHL history have scored more.
Precedent suggests the best way to neutralize Jagr is to catch him when he's in a funk; no checking line or game plan can shut him down as effectively as Jagr can himself.
The bad news for the Penguins is that Jagr seems happy and highly motivated these days, so the onus of limiting the damage he does will fall on them.
"It [takes] a total team effort, the five guys on the ice knowing where he is, to [prevent] him from getting the puck," Olczyk said. "Try to put yourself in position to not get beat by him."
Nice idea. Making it happen is a whole lot tougher than devising the strategy.
"With his strength, his speed and the talent that he has, he's going to get his points every night," Lemieux said.
So far, Jagr has been shut out once in 15 games. He is thriving on a line with Michael Nylander and longtime Penguins teammate Martin Straka, the latter of whom is one of six Czechs on New York's roster since the start of the season.
New York's management made a point of bringing in players from Jagr's homeland to make him comfortable, and his play is validating that decision.
"Of course, it helps you," Jagr said. "It helps anybody. Don't forget, we are from different countries, and everything is different. Even if we like it here in America, it is still a different country.
"If you have a guy from the same country we can speak the same language, I think, it is more comfortable. You feel a lot better, and it's better for the hockey.
"I don't know if it's helped my game, but I have a lot of fun. One reason why is because I can speak my own language and I can joke around, and that's always better for the hockey."
Jagr isn't the only reason New York -- an almost-universal choice in the preseason to miss the playoffs for the eighth year in a row -- is leading the Atlantic Division. The Rangers have enjoyed excellent goaltending, solid team defense and good special-teams play.
"They made some moves this summer, got some experienced players in there, so I'm not surprised they're doing that well," Lemieux said. "Especially when Jagr's playing great."
(Dave Molinari can be reached at 412-263-1144.)
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