Today Jagr made it official, that he is returning to pro hockey for the first time this season. The 50-year-old, is playing his first game since the passing of his father. He will be playing with the Kladno Knights in the Czech league. Jagr owns the Knights, taking over majority ownership from his father in 2011.
At the end of last season, Jagr was questioning whether he had the drive left to keep the professional hockey career going. The demands of running a team, the stresses of business, and age have caught up with Jagr. He said he would have to «force himself to play» if he returned. Jagr has been playing with Kladno since 2017-2018, being forced to play to keep the team afloat.
Jagr last played an NHL game, nearly five years ago with the Calgary Flames. In 1,733 career games, he scored 766 goals and 1,921 points. He is the second all-time leading scorer in the NHL, trailing only Wayne Gretzky (2,857) and is fourth in goals.