"Theresa Donohue" <theresadonohue RemoveThis @verizon.net> wrote in message
news:z9YPi.1130$pl2.934@trndny09...
> The season just started and Jagr sometimes looks tired and delicate.
> Sometimes he looks great.... I know he doesn't always put out 100%, but
> has his effectivness diminished this much? Can he still dominate a game
> like the old Jagr?
> If he avoids hitting and getting hit, will he remain healthy?
> What little I've seen so far, worries me.
Well, first thing is that he isn't young anymore. There a natural amount of
youthful aggression and vigor that athletes have when they are younger that
naturally diminishes. It is often replaced by wisdom and an application of
common sense that allows them to be effectively opportunistic.
Next, you have the fact that Jagr was never a consistently over-aggressive
type of player. When he gets hungry and turns it on, that's a different
story. But he's not really the type of player that has the furious fire in
the belly of the more aggressive guys out there.
Also, Jagr is a different sort of bloke all together. You can tell in his
interviews. First, he's sort of a realist. And he has a "play it safe"
attitude. He keeps things in perspective. If you ask him about his teams
chances for a cup, his first instinct is to say, "well, you have to remember
that there are 29 other teams trying to win the whole thing." He's not an
overly confident guy in general. He's just not that type.
Part of much of the above is the fact that he decides to pick and choose his
spots in games. He's a guy that has experienced many injuries of all types.
He's actually and nagging injury prone guy. So he doesn't go all out in
every period of every game. HE knows that will result in injuries for him
and he'll tire in the game and ultimately in the season. HE often waits for
the 3rd period to turn it up. Or if he sees his team dead on the ice or
behind in the game, he'll turn up the effort level. Otherwise he floats and
dogs it until his teammates make things happen. Then the bells and lights
will go if in his head. That's one of the reasons a guy like Nylander is
very good for Jagr. He doesn't push him to overdo it.
Having said all that, Jagr is by far the best player on the team. He is able
to dominate when he sets his mind on it. When he gets going offensively and
his confidence is up, he'll look like the best offensive player in the
league in stretches. And the Rangers success is entirely contingent on him
dominating offensively and Lundqvist dominating defensively. The Rangers are
nothing without those two guy.
>> Stay informed about: Jagr 
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