Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Number 68-So Great!!
For a number
of years, I have sent out little signals that Jaromir Jagr was not
quite finished as a hockey player. He proved that yet again last
Saturday night, when he moved into third place on the NHL All Time
Goal scoring list with his 741st and 742nd
goals. He now trails Gordie Howe and Wayne Gretzky. The Panthers
topped the Winnipeg Jets 3-1.
He held
court in his corner of the locker room for quite some time after the
game. He wore the “Spacey in Space” hoodie which is given to the
player of the game, as determined by his teammates. “When I got
birthday cake for my 44th birthday, you get the wish. I
said, “I wish to be a goal scorer. So it worked for me. Maybe I'm
going to catch Gordie and maybe Wayne Gretzky too!”
He held the
puck numbered “742”, and continued. “I don't really think about
it, to be honest with you. I don't feel I played well the last few
games, so I wanted to make sure I played a little bit better today. I
had a little bit more jump. I'm glad I helped the team win.”
Milestones
always feel better after a win.
Jagr's first
goal came on a tipped shot, a seemingly harmless shot from the point
off Kulikov's stick. 16 210 fans cheered for the oldest player in the
league, including players from both benches who stood to acknowledge
the feat. It was Jagr's 19th goal this season. Not to be
outdone, Reilly Smith also potted his 19th goal on a crisp
wrist shot, also assisted by Kulikov.
In the third
period, Jagr found a loose puck at the front of the net and wristed
it up to the top corner of the net, beside the proverbial peanut
butter. He did an emphatic fist pump to celebrate, a little out of
character. Again, both benches stood to pay respect.
Coach Paul
Maurice pulled the Jets goalie Michael Hutchinson with 2:32 remaining
in the game. Jagr made two trips to the ice to try to get the hat
trick goal, to no avail. As the final buzzer sounded, the fans
littered the ice with rats, again a customary gesture here in South
Florida.
Roberto
Luongo saved the Panthers bacon on several occasions in the game. One
reporter asked him about the two clear breakaways in the second
period. Luongo raised his eyebrows, smiled and said, “There were
three!” After a couple of tough games, he told the throng that he
felt good that evening. “My body was going toward the puck.”
He also
commented on Jagr's game. “It was awesome. He was flying tonight.
You could tell that he was on top of every puck.”
It was
centre Kyle Rau's first NHL game. He played at the University of
Minnesota, and was drafted by the Panthers in 2011. I congratulated
him. “I am really fortunate to be in this position at this time.”
Michael Matheson also played his first game for the Panthers.
The team
lost Jonathan Huberdeau in the first period. There is a serious
injury bug at this time for the Panthers. Currently in sick bay? Dave
Bolland (24), Willie Mitchell (12), Erik Gudbranson (7), Alexander
Barkov (5), Brandon Pirri (2), and Quinton Howden (2). Games missed
are in parenthesis.
That needs
to be straightened out before the playoffs begin. No kidding!
James Hurst
February 22,
2016.
# posted by James Hurst @ 6:19 AM 
