NHL: Jaromir Jagr, 3 stars of the week (Videos)
By Mike Majeski
Taking a look at the three stars from this past week’s NHL action
Welcome to another edition of the NHL Three Stars of the Week where we will recognize three players who had outstanding performances during this past week’s NHL action. Check back every Sunday for a new list of three stars for the previous week’s play.
No. 1 Star: Jaromir Jagr
Jaromir Jagr may be 42 years old, but he has proven time and again that he has a lot left in the tank. Jagr broke an NHL record Saturday night when he became the oldest player to record a hat trick, at 42 years and 322 days (courtesy of Elias). The previous record holder was Gordie Howe, who scored a hat trick at 41 years and 217 days back on November 2nd, 1969. It was the 15th hat trick of Jagr’s career (his first in the NHL since 2006) and led the Devils to a 5-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. Jagr summed up his third goal on Steve Mason with one word: “Talent”. (Courtesy of Tom Gilitty)
Jagr also went on to say that he was happy to score the hat trick, but he doesn’t like being the oldest player to do it. As long as Jagr continues to play at his current level, he should expect to set many more records.
No. 2 Star: Sidney Crosby
The Pittsburgh Penguins offense exploded Friday night with a 6-4 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Sidney Crosby (big surprise there!) led the way with four assists. Crosby only has 11 goals on the season, but he does have 32 helpers, including one more in Saturday’s 4-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. He trails Jakub Voracek of the Philadelphia Flyers by one assist for the league lead. The Penguins have struggled on offense at times (having your entire team decimated by the mumps has that effect).
Performances like Friday night show how Crosby is the catalyst for the Penguins offense, even if he doesn’t put the puck into the net.
No. 3 Star: Bobby Ryan
Bobby Ryan scored the fourth hat trick of his career (his first as an Ottawa Senators) in a 5-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Monday. It was his first hat trick since 2011. While the box score may make it appear that the Senators won comfortably, the game was tied 2-2 when Ryan scored his third goal 3:03 into the third period. The win snapped a three game losing streak for the Senators.
Ryan followed Monday night’s performance by scoring the game winner Saturday night 46 seconds into overtime, giving the Senators a 3-2 win over the Bruins. Ryan now has 11 goals and 15 assists on the season.
Next: Did Jaromir Jagr make the list of the 25 most dominant offensive players of all-time?