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Pittsburgh columnist says Penguins ‘still’ better off without Jagr

Jaromir Jagr

Philadelphia Flyers’ Jaromir Jagr, from the Czech Republic, smiles during an NHL hockey media availability, Saturday, Sept. 17, 2011, in Voorhees, N.J. Jagr signed a one-year contract with the Flyers. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

AP

Being an entertainer often comes down to “Giving the people what they want,” but in the case of Jaromir Jagr’s return to Pittsburgh, it depended on which people you were talking about.

Obviously, the boo birds at Consol Energy Center weren’t happy after he scored a goal to help the Philadelphia Flyers win 4-2. Yet the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Josh Yohe probably captured the entertainment value of Jagr’s visit the most accurately in this Tweet:

jagrfascinatingman

James

The general takeaway is that Jagr’s comeback pleased the media, Flyers fans and observers without a horse in the race. Still, when you’re part of a team as long as Jagr was with the Pittsburgh Penguins, there might be a few media members who still don’t think very highly of you.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ron Cook certainly doesn’t appear to be a Jagr fan, as he called Jagr a “phony” and ultimately settled on the point that the Penguins are better off without him.

Things are going well for Jagr and the Flyers now. You wonder how he’ll be when things aren’t going his or the team’s way. How will he be if the puck stops going in for him or if his ice time gets cut? Maybe he really has changed, if you believe Laviolette. But I’m not buying it.

Cook’s argument revolved around Jagr’s moodiness and age, but it’s quite possible that Jagr might not have fit in for other reasons - such as his style. Then again, maybe it wouldn’t have worked out well simply because of the soaring expectations he likely would have faced.

It’s fascinating to imagine how well Jagr would have fit into the Penguins’ fold, but things have worked out nicely for both sides - even if it’s hard for everyone to be happy for Jagr.