Jaromir Jagr Broke One Of Wayne Gretzky’s Most Impressive Records At The Age Of 50

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When Wayne Gretzky retired in 1999 to bring his illustrious NHL career to an end after 20 seasons, his name was listed at the top of a laughable number of entries in the NHL record book thanks to his virtually unparalleled dominance.

The hockey legend who was rightfully dubbed “The Great One” is still the man to beat in more than 60 categories, including a number of records (like single-season goals and career points and assists) that are seemingly unbeatable.

Based on how things are currently trending, it seems like Alexander Ovechkin will be able to top the 894 goals Gretzky scored over the course of his NHL career before the Capitals superstar hangs up his skates.

However, that number doesn’t encompass all of the goals Gretzky scored as a pro, as he put the puck in the net a grand total of 1,098 times if you include his 122 postseason tallies, the 46 he racked up during his stint with the World Hockey Association, and the 26 he scored while representing Canada in international play.

As of last weekend, no hockey player had managed to surpass that mark. However, there’s now a new man to beat courtesy of another hockey icon with some insane longevity.

It’s only a matter of time until Jaromir Jagr is immortalized in the Hockey Hall of Fame. However, the 50-year-old winger (who—despite his best efforts—played the last of the 1,733 NHL games he participated in with the Flames back in 2017) isn’t eligible for induction because he’s still playing for Rytíři Kladno, the Czech Extraliga team he’s owned since purchasing a majority stake from his father in 2011.

Jagr doesn’t really have anything left to prove at this point. With that said, his willingness to keep his career going into his 50s allowed him to beat Gretzky’s aforementioned record when he scored his 1,099th goal as a pro with a nice little wraparound during a game on Sunday.

Well done.