Latest / Bleacher Report / Jaromír Jágr Joins NHL on TNT, Talks Still Playing at 53 & His Time w_ the Panthers

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Jaromír Jágr Joins NHL on TNT, Talks Still Playing at 53 & His Time w_ the Panthers · Bleacher Report

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Spent three seasons with the Florida Panthers Hockey Hall of
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  Speaker 1: Famer and sitting right next to Henry Glunk was up
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  Speaker 1: here getting clicks.
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  Speaker 2: Let's go a couple of clicks for your.
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: Legend.
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  Speaker 2: You do it too, Yeah, you do whatever you want, buddy.
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  Speaker 1: I have a million questions. I'm not going to ask
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: any We positioned you next to Hank because he's ready
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  Speaker 1: to grill you right over that listen.
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  Speaker 2: I was so happy when I heard you were coming
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  Speaker 2: on the show. I've been trying to get a hold of.
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  Speaker 3: You for a couple of weeks, so I don't know
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  Speaker 3: if there's something problem with my phone or like, I
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  Speaker 3: know you're coming to New York in the week, and
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  Speaker 3: then you asked me for interview. We're gonna do it,
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  Speaker 3: so we gotta do it.
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  Speaker 4: Yeah, there was just a couple of details, but well, yeah,
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  Speaker 4: let's see this before you you leave the studio.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, Yeah, we do it.
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  Speaker 3: Okay, great, great, Hank?
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  Speaker 2: What was it like playing with him?
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  Speaker 3: It was unreal.
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  Speaker 2: You probably don't remember this.
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  Speaker 3: I remember roommate their first night.
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  Speaker 1: I'll never forget it.
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  Speaker 3: I texted Myra. I was so mad about it too.
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  Speaker 3: I want to know I want to be by myself.
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  Speaker 3: We're gonna think this guy, So I don't know why
• 1:01
  Speaker 3: did they put us together? You know, I was a
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  Speaker 3: nobody and I want to find out who did it.
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  Speaker 2: They had to save a little bit money with what
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  Speaker 2: they were paying you on your contract.
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  Speaker 3: Here you go.
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  Speaker 2: You said you texted your brother in disbelief. Yeah it
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  Speaker 2: was disp but I didn't say one word.
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  Speaker 3: But I just have to say, playing with U Yog's
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  Speaker 3: for three years, it was incredible to see.
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  Speaker 2: How you, you know, how handled everything.
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  Speaker 4: You were a leader for years there in New York,
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  Speaker 4: and it was just cool to be up to Coles
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  Speaker 4: and learn a lot from you.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you very much, appreciate it.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, well, we're watching a lot of these NHL highlights,
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  Speaker 1: but you just finished year thirty seven of a professional
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  Speaker 1: career fifty three years old. Is this it? Can you say? This?
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  Speaker 1: Is it? After thirty seventh? First of all the sacrifices
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  Speaker 1: that were made in year thirty seven a professional career.
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  Speaker 1: You're not just out there for escape. You're going you
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  Speaker 1: lost some chicklets during this season December, you get the
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  Speaker 1: front top grill mocker data.
• 2:01
  Speaker 3: You know what I saw? I said, it's it's might
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  Speaker 3: be my last year. I'm not sure about it. You know,
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  Speaker 3: I still I still love the game. I love to practice.
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  Speaker 3: I don't want to get fat. And that's.
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  Speaker 5: Yeah, that's what.
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  Speaker 3: I look at it. I was. I was pretty heavy
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  Speaker 3: back then, so I last alasta Wayne. Right now I
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  Speaker 3: last like twenty pounds. So I feel a little bit
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  Speaker 3: better and and I love to practice. I just do
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  Speaker 3: it for just to be healthy. And I just enjoyed
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  Speaker 3: the existence. That's what I want. I sold the team
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  Speaker 3: I played for, like I keep only twenty percent, so
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  Speaker 3: there's no pressure. I just want to do what I
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  Speaker 3: love to do.
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  Speaker 2: You have some fond memories playing against Wayne.
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  Speaker 3: There's no memories like you know, we were when I
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  Speaker 3: was when I was rookie, and it was it was
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  Speaker 3: always challenged me or Mario and Wayne, and so we
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  Speaker 3: play in LA and I think they beat us like
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  Speaker 3: a to one, like and he had like six points.
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  Speaker 3: I don't think Marta was happy.
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  Speaker 1: I'm what that.
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  Speaker 5: Trust me, he made up for it, he did. I
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  Speaker 5: played my last game against Yarmer in New York and uh,
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  Speaker 5: he scored an overtime and he apologized. I said, he said,
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  Speaker 5: I'm sorry. I said, don't be sorry. It was it
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  Speaker 5: was a nice way to in for me. But he
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  Speaker 5: was a joy to having our league. He was great
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  Speaker 5: for our game and he's still a wonderful guy.
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  Speaker 4: You played here in Florida at a time when they
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  Speaker 4: weren't winning Stanley Cup championships. Are you made to see
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  Speaker 4: how pumped up the Florida Panthers fan bases now after
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  Speaker 4: the success they've had in the last few I'm.
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  Speaker 3: So excited about everything. So I was in New Jersey
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  Speaker 3: and I was I had the feeling it's I might
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  Speaker 3: be done and Uh and they made the chain before
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  Speaker 3: the deadline. I came here and I played twenty games
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  Speaker 3: and you know, they put me on the line with
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  Speaker 3: Johnny Huberto and UH and Barkie and you know, and
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  Speaker 3: I'm from Ford Line in New Jersey. I having to
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  Speaker 3: the first line and all of a sudden, the sun
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  Speaker 3: and everything energizedart enjoying the hockey again. And I said
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  Speaker 3: for other three years. So it was, you know, it
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  Speaker 3: was so excellent. Then I see them how they how
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  Speaker 3: they play not only defends it's it's it's great. We
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  Speaker 3: never had sold out before, so when I see that,
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  Speaker 3: how exciting they are that's that's great. But you know,
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  Speaker 3: I played with so many, so many players they are
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  Speaker 3: still on a team, you know, and even CHUCKI or
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  Speaker 3: Sam Bennett in Calgary. So I played, like I would say,
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  Speaker 3: with eight guys from Florida. But it's it's good to
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  Speaker 3: see them, how how how good they are are?
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  Speaker 5: They are they still surprised that you're still still playing.
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  Speaker 3: I didn't want to ask them, right, I'm suprised.
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  Speaker 2: I'm I want to ask you about park Off though.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, I think everybody knows you for your incredible
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  Speaker 2: work ethic. And you used to get a key to
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  Speaker 2: the arena. You would come at night and work out
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  Speaker 2: and skate with the weight fast. And he was a
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  Speaker 2: young Sasha Barkoff who you took on. You took him
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  Speaker 2: under your wing, and look at what he's turned into now.
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  Speaker 2: Like you take a lot of credit that, how proud
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  Speaker 2: of you are?
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  Speaker 3: Well, I don't. I don't want to take any credit,
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  Speaker 3: because you know that's the way should be, you know.
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  Speaker 3: And and I tried to help him, but you don't even
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  Speaker 3: have to because he wanted to do it. He is
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  Speaker 3: a hard working guy. I think he's the same way
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  Speaker 3: like me, you know, I think he can play till fifty.
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  Speaker 3: He loves that. He works so hard. I don't think
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  Speaker 3: he changed because he's getting better and better, so he
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  Speaker 3: doesn't change. But the same thing happened to me when
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  Speaker 3: I was in Pittsburgh. Pol Coffee was there and he said,
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  Speaker 3: you gotta go, you gotta do it exactly what I
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  Speaker 3: do after the game, you gotta work out with me
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  Speaker 3: that It was the best thing that happened to me.
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  Speaker 1: Awesome ball Coffee's in the building here. Yeah, he is
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  Speaker 1: influenced every single person for waiting japer for Army. Thank
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  Speaker 1: you so much. Thank you guys, and honestly, I hope
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  Speaker 1: you keep playing.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you for me too.
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  Speaker 1: It's a joy.
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  Speaker 2: I got a spot on my ball hockey team.
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  Speaker 3: If you need a buddy, I'll be there. Let's go,
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  Speaker 3: let's go.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you guys.
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  Speaker 1: I couldn't get a call back, but he's coming for
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  Speaker 1: the ball.
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  Speaker 2: That's a big tech