It has been nearly 18 years since Jaromir Jagr recorded his last official assist in a Penguins uniform. But unbeknownst to the franchise's third all-time leading scorer, he is still helping out his former team. Well, sort of.
During his latter years with the Panthers, Jagr's work ethic and attitude left an indelible impression on a trio of young teammates: Erik Gudbranson, Nick Bjugstad and Jared McCann. All three played with Jagr in South Florida during various points between the 2014-15 and 2016-17 seasons. Nowadays, of course, Gudbranson, Bjugstad and McCann are helping to spearhead the Penguins' charge into the playoffs.
While Jagr may have been long removed from his scoring title days, the artist formerly known as "The Kladno Kid" was still productive into his 40's in large part due to his unique -- some would say eccentric -- training regimen with the Panthers.
"He did quite a few things," Gudbranson was saying. "It was some, uh, interesting stuff."
McCann's father Matt, a blue-collar construction worker in Stratford, Ontario, had an affinity for Jagr's white-collar playing style. Naturally, Jared says he had little choice but to be a Jagr fan too. As a 20-year-old in 2016-17, he was even Jagr's linemate for a few games, assisting on one of the future Hall of Famer's 766 career goals. But it was the workouts that stood out most.
"Whether it was the weights on the ankles or going in and skating really late at night, we noticed that stuff," McCann told DKPittsburghSports.com. "As a young guy coming in and seeing his work ethic, you try and learn from it as much as possible."
From his time with Jagr, Bjugstad came away with an autographed stick -- apparently No. 68 didn't like giving those up -- and a valuable lesson in how to better utilize his larger frame. Few players in NHL history were better at shielding the puck from defenders than the 6-3, 230-pound Jagr.
"He was something else, I got a kick out of him," Bjugstad was telling me. "He brought a lot of things. He taught us young guys quite a bit. As far as being a bigger guy, just using my body and watching him how he operates in the corners. His strength, obviously, didn't just come. He made it happen and he was still doing it at, like, 42."
Jagr's rediscovered love of the game in his final seasons was a far cry from how his days in Pittsburgh ended. In the summer of 2001, the Penguins infamously dealt the brooding Jagr to the Capitals after he amassed 1,079 points, won five Art Ross trophies and two Stanley Cup titles. "Dying alive?" Not in Florida.
"He was fun around the locker room," Bjugstad was saying. "I had a lot of laughs with him."
"Just a great guy, easy to talk to," McCann added. "He was pretty quiet sometimes, but you could go to talk to him and he was good."
Since being acquired by the Penguins before the NHL's trade deadline, Gudbranson, Bjugstad and McCann have been quite good too. Once an NHL-worst, minus-27 with the Canucks, Gudbranson is a plus-7 with two assists and 54.2 Corsi For percentage, while solidifying the Penguins' third defense pair alongside Marcus Pettersson. Bjugstad has seven goals in 27 games, including one Monday night against the Rangers, while embracing the third-line center role. McCann had eight goals in 46 games with the Panthers, but in just 27 games with the Penguins he's scored 11 times, three of them short-handed to become the team leader.
Before playing in Florida with Jagr, McCann was teammates with the Sedin twins -- Daniel and Henrik -- in Vancouver, the organization that originally drafted him 24th overall in 2014.
"I just remember their work ethic as well," McCann was saying. "I think that's what separates great players from just just average players and how much detail they focus on their game. I've been able to play with a lot of great players. I'm just trying to pick up their habits."
As McCann was talking, one of those "great" players was sitting about 10 feet to his left: Sidney Crosby. McCann has played with Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and, most recently Phil Kessel. So playing alongside Hall of Fame players is kind of old hat then, right?
"Oh, this is a different kind of step," McCann was saying with a smile. "Sid's a different kind of player."