Lofty Standards To Hang From Rafters For Penguins

It appears the NHL portion of Jaromir Jagr ?s career has come to an end. While the 46-year-old recently began practicing in the Czech Republic with Ryitiro Kladno, the professional team he owns, it is very unlikely that any of the NHL ?s 31 teams will be willing to give the aging star a training camp invite.

From a Penguins perspective, this begs the question as to whether or not his iconic #68 should be retired. The only two numbers the Penguins have ever retired are, of course, Mario Lemieux ?s #66 and Michel Briere ?s #21. Lemieux needs no explanation, but some fans might not know the story of Briere. He was a very promising young talent whose life was tragically cut short as the result of injuries suffered in a car accident at the age of 21. At the time of the accident, he had just finished his rookie campaign with the Penguins, during which he tallied 44 points (12G, 32A) in 76 games played.

With Jaromir Jagr, there ?s no doubt he is one of the top-five players in franchise history. Statistically speaking, he ranks third in franchise history with 1,079 points, trailing only Sidney Crosby (1,116), and Lemieux (1,723). His 439 goals are second in franchise history trailing only Lemieux (690). During his time with the Penguins he also accumulated 640 assists, which trails only Crosby (705) and Lemieux (1,033). His plus/minus rating of +207 is also the best in franchise history. Of course, he played a key role in the Stanley Cup Championships in both 1991 and 1992. During his tenure with the Penguins he also took home a lot of hardware, winning the Hart Trophy as league MVP in 1999 and the Art Ross Trophy as the league ?s top scorer five times (1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001).

Off the ice, there was the well-documented animosity between Jagr and the franchise in 2011 when he turned down a chance to come back to Pittsburgh, instead choosing the rival Flyers. Going even further back, his ?dying alive ? comments during the 2000-01 season were held against him by many fans, although the comment was likely printed out of context. Despite these past incidents, time heals all wounds and it ?s more than likely that the #68 will be hanging above the PPG Paints Arena ice along with #66 and #21 once Jagr does officially retire.

The Penguins are rare in that they are very selective in choosing which numbers they retire. By some team ?s standards, the Penguins could have over a dozen numbers retired, but they choose to hold that honor for only the most elite players in franchise history; consider that the Colorado Avalanche retired Ray Bourque ?s #77 despite him only having played 94 games with the franchise. That ?d be the equivalent of the Penguins retiring Bill Guerin ?s number. He played 95 games for the Penguins and was a key cog of a Stanley Cup Championship, but he is not an all-time Penguins great.

So, we ?ve established that the Penguins’ criteria is lofty to have one’s number hung high above home ice. This being said, we can all agree that Crosby ?s #87 and Evgeni Malkin ?s #71 will also be hanging in the rafters at PPG Paints Arena once their illustrious careers are over. While both could have up to a decade left in their careers, they are already all-time greats in franchise history. They both have three Stanley Cup championships to their name and both have already won two Art Ross Trophy ?s apiece. Additionally, Crosby has won the Hart Trophy twice and Malkin has won it once. Both are still in the primes of their careers, so their already-impressive list of milestones and achievements will only continue to grow.

Beyond Crosby and Malkin, the line begins to blur as to who is worthy of having their number retired and who is not. Marc-Andre Fleury ?s 375 wins and 691 games played both rank first in Penguins history for goaltenders. In fact, consider that there are only three other goaltenders in NHL history that have won more games for one franchise than the 375 he won for the Penguins; Martin Brodeur (688, New Jersey), Tony Esposito (418, Chicago), and Henrik Lundqvist (431, New York Rangers). Of course, he backstopped the Penguins to the 2009 championship and was a huge factor in the 2017 championship, having won nine of the 16 games required to win the Cup. It should also be pointed out that there were also a few playoff disappointments when Fleury was less-than-stellar; namely the 2012 series versus Philadelphia. However, his 62 career playoffs wins, most in franchise history, are hard to ignore.

For a franchise that has been so top-heavy with offensive talent, the contributions of the goaltender can sometimes get overlooked. However, Fleury ?s contributions speak for themselves. All this being said, at some point in the distant future it ?s likely you ?ll see the #29 retired by the Penguins.

Tom Barrasso was an excellent goaltender for the Penguins, starring between the pipes for the franchise ?s first two championships, but his inability to be liked by fans and teammates alike plays a huge factor in the lack of demand to put his #35 in the rafters. It ?s unlikely you ?ll ever see his number retired.

Other honorable mentions go to Rick Kehoe, Jean Pronovost, Ron Francis, and Kevin Stevens. Again, by the standards of some other franchises in the NHL all of their numbers would be retired, but with the Penguins it is different. Only a select few will ever receive the honor of having their number retired by the Penguins when the number is up on their NHL career.