Despite his slow start, not only has Jaromir Jagr become a force for the Philadelphia Flyers, but his impact has affected others within the locker room as well.
Claude Giroux is becoming a superstar in front of our very eyes. Scott Hartnell is redefining his role as a power forward. Jakub Voracek‘s dream of playing with his boyhood idol is coming true. Even Peter Laviolette has to be thrilled to have a veteran presence on his team, especially after Chris Pronger went down with his eye injury.
On top of all that, the 39-year-old is second on the team with 15 points (six goals and nine assists). With the way Jagr is playing, it’s hard to believe that he has had a three-year hiatus from NHL action.
So who does Jagr credit with giving him the advice to return to the NHL and specifically to sign with the Flyers?
Simply an anonymous friend.
“He was the only one that knew (what teams) I was talking to beside my agent. And he knew I was talking to probably five or six teams, coaches and GMs, but the Flyers were not involved,” Jagr told NHL.com Tuesday. “Every time I talked to the GM, what they told me I told my friend. Then two days before free agency I was talking to the Flyers. After that I talked to my friend, and he said, ‘That’s it.’ I don’t know what he knew, but he said, ‘You’re talking to me about them differently than other teams.’”
Jagr wouldn’t dish any details on who this “friend” is, but he did say he lives in the Czech Republic and that he was responsible for convincing him to accept the Flyers’ one-year, $3.3 million contract offer.
Whoever this “friend” is, Flyers fans all over Philadelphia should be forever indebted to him.
