Jaromir Jagr had just come off the ice, his T-shirt soaked in sweat. He had stayed out late after a Florida Panthers practice — later, anyway, than a few of his teammates half his age — before he sat down at his stall inside the team’s locker room.
“You’ve got to like the hard work,” a then-44 year old Jagr told this newspaper in Feb. 2016 when asked about his love for what he does. “I think everybody has it, not only sportsmen, but everybody who works hard.
“I always said the toughest thing to go work out is to put tennis shoes on. Once you do it, you’re going to feel good after.”
Jagr will be passed by Patrick Marleau on the NHL’s all-time games played list Tuesday night when the Sharks play the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center. Marleau will play his 1,734th career game, one more than Jagr, as he centers the Sharks’ fourth line with Noah Gregor, 22, and Rudolfs Balcers, 23, on the wings.
Jagr was often the most dominant winger of his generation, and finished his NHL career with a staggering 1,921 points, second only to Wayne Gretzky’s 2,857. Marleau, with 1,189 career points, has to be considered one of the most durable and consistent wingers of his time.
The biggest similarity between Jagr and Marleau, according to Sharks coach Bob Boughner, is their passion for what they do.
“Both guys obviously are married to the game, love the game,” said Boughner, who was teammates with Jagr with the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2000-2001. “I think (Jagr) at one point of his career sort of took a step back from that, and later on in his career, reestablished his game, his love for the game, and even dedicated himself more.
“Both guys train hard off the ice, both guys love coming to the rink and practicing hard. To play that long you have to have so much passion.”
Jagr would likely be the NHL’s all-time leader in games played — eclipsing Gordie Howe’s total of 1,767 — had he not left for Russia and the KHL from 2008 to 2011. Mark Messier is second on the all-time games played list with 1,756.
“It’s pretty cool to see those guys’ names up there,” Marleau said. “Obviously (Jagr’s) one of the best players that’s ever played the game. Pretty cool to be in that same company.”
For the 2015-16 season, Jagr finished as the leading scorer for a Panthers team that also had Jonathan Huberdeau, Vincent Trocheck and a 19-year-old Aleksander Barkov, all players who were on the cusp of their respective primes.
“If you retire or you stop playing hockey, you still have to (work out). Otherwise, you’re going to become fat,” Jagr said. “You still have to do it, but now you’re getting paid for it, you’re having a lot of fun, you’re around young guys.
“The toughest thing, honestly, is when the game doesn’t go your way. When you struggle, there’s times (you ask), ‘Is it worth it?’ Of course it is worth it, but you’ve got to go through the tough times.”
Jagr would also play the 2016-17 season in Florida before he played 22 more games the following year with the Calgary Flames. He was placed on waivers by the Flames in Jan. 2018, less than three weeks from his 46th birthday.
Now, a week shy of his 49th birthday, Jagr’s still playing. He owns Kladno, a team in the Czech League, and has played in 13 of the team’s 27 games. He has one goal and two assists.
Marleau, 41, isn’t putting up big numbers anymore, and there’s no doubt he’s had some frustrations with his lack of offense this season with just one assist in 10 games.
Still, he and Boughner felt Marleau played his best game this season on Saturday against the Anaheim Ducks, and there remains an important role for him with the Sharks, on and off the ice.
“He’s doing a lot of great things away from the puck,” Boughner said. “We’re asking a lot of him, playing center, and he’s mentoring some of the young guys.
“All in all, I think Patty’s season has been good. It won’t show up statistically, but I think that is a responsible guy, he’s been a great leader and a mentor to a lot of the young guys.”
“The next step, getting those chances now, is to put one in the back of the net or setting my linemates up,” Marleau said. “Excited about just building off of the last game. It’s something I take pride in and wanting to help out offensively with the team, so looking forward to doing that.”