Penguins Legend Snubbed from ESPN Lists

ESPN dropped the ball twice by not including an all-time Pittsburgh Penguins and NHL legend on their recent top athlete lists.

Feb 18, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins former right wing Jaromir Jagr (68) reacts during warm-ups against the Los Angeles Kings at PPG Paints Arena. The Kings won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

It’s no secret that ESPN has routinely dropped the ball when covering or discussing the NHL. The worldwide leader in sports has improved over the last few years since taking over broadcasting rights, but there is still work to be done.

ESPN’s lack of NHL knowledge showed when they released their list of the top 100 professional athletes of the 21st century. Only three hockey players were featured on the entire list: Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins (22), Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals (54), and Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers (98).

As a follow-up, ESPN released a list of the top 25 NHLers of the 21st century. Crosby, Ovechkin, and McDavid were named the top three as expected, but one big name was absent and deserving a spot on both lists.

Jaromir Jagr’s dominance may have been centered in the 1990s with the Penguins, but his tenure in professional hockey since the turn of the century is still unmatched.

Jagr played 14 seasons in the NHL between 2000 and 2017, appearing in 1,008 games. Aside from a brief stint in the KHL and his final NHL game on New Year’s Eve 2017, Jagr proved that age doesn’t mean much.

As Jagr was aging into his 40s, he was still a regular producer for multiple teams. In his 1,008 NHL games between 2000 and 2017, he scored 379 goals and 584 assists for 963 points.

In the early stages of the 2000s with the Washington Capitals or New York Rangers, Jagr was still a force and had multiple MVP-caliber seasons. His 123 points in 2005-06 with the Rangers is the third-highest total in his career.

Even after leaving the NHL to start 2018, Jagr didn’t stop playing professionally, and “professional athletes” was the name of ESPN’s original list. Jagr went on to play pro hockey in his native Czechia, where he is still lacing up the skates at age 52.

It’s rare for an athlete in any sport to still be playing at the pro level into their 40s, let alone another 10 years on. That alone should have gotten Jagr some sort of recognition.

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