Jaromir Jagr still doesn't want to play in All-Star game; pretty much has to
Florida Panthers forward Jaromir Jagr still doesn't want to play in the 2016 NHL All-Star game, but he really doesn't have much of a choice. Unless he wants to miss an important game for his team.
By
Adam Gretz
•
2 min read
Jaromir Jagr getting voted into the NHL All-Star game is great for nearly everybody in the NHL because the entire weekend, from the skills competition to the game itself, is going to be better with him involved. He is one of the legends of the game, still a top player in the league even at age 43, and is one of the more entertaining personalities in the league.
He is everything All-Star games are supposed to be about.
The only person that isn't excited about it is Jagr himself.
After campaigning for fans to not vote for him during the voting process and joking that he would rather be in the Bahamas, Jagr was still voted in as the captain of the Atlantic Division team.
With the game now one week away, he is still making it known that he doesn't really want to go and instead wants to get ready for the final 30 games of the regular season as the Panthers prepare for their playoff push.
Via George Richards of the Miami Herald.
#FlaPanthers Jaromir Jagr really doesn't want to go to AllStarGame...says team has 30 important games left, he needs to be ready. Stay tuned
— George Richards (@GeorgeRichards) January 23, 2016
This is important because if Jagr ends up deciding not to go, the NHL not only doesn't have one of its biggest stars involved in the game, but the Panthers would also likely lose Jagr for their first game back after the break.
The Panthers' first game back is on Tuesday, Feb. 2 against the Washington Capitals.
In recent years when players back out of the game, whether it's due to injury or just a desire to not play, the league has forced them to sit out their team's first game back. That happened to Pavel Datsyuk and Nicklas Lidstrom of the Detroit Red Wings back in 2009.
Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby also had to miss their first game back after the game a year ago when he did not participate in the game in Columbus.
In 44 games this season Jagr is the Panthers' leading scorer with 32 points (15 goals, 17 assists).
This is all pretty comical when you realize that one of the players voted in (John Scott) really wants to play in the game and the NHL tried to convince him to not play, while another player that doesn't want to play (Jagr) is facing a punishment if he doesn't go.
