Jagr jokes fans trying to kill him with nod as All-Star captain
Florida Panthers veteran forward Jaromir Jagr continues to take a lighthearted approach toward the upcoming NHL All-Star Game.
Three days after being selected as one of four captains for the midseason gala, Jagr decided to have some fun at the fans' expense following his two-goal performance in the Panthers' 2-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild. The 43-year-old Jagr joined superstars Alex Ovechkin (Washington Capitals) and Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks) and, ahem, enforcer John Scott (Arizona Coyotes) on Thursday as being voted in by the fans as captains in the new 3-on-3 format.
Via NHL.com:
"I asked the fans don't vote for me; they didn't listen. I think they don't like me much. They want to see me dead."
Jagr, whose 735 career goals are six behind Brett Hull for third on the NHL's all-time career list, has a team-leading 13 tallies and 28 points for the Panthers this season. Florida (23-12-4) has won nine in a row and rests atop the Atlantic Division.
Jagr initially joked with fans last month that new format would be too much for his advanced years.
Per @EliasSports: Jaromir Jagr (@FlaPanthers) registered his 125th career multi-goal game, tied for 10th in NHL history (w/ D. Ciccarelli).
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) January 4, 2016
The 2016 All-Star Game, which will be held at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Jan. 31, will have players representing the four divisions competing in three 20-minute contests in a tournament. A semifinal round will then give way to the championship.
The league is banking that the success of the regular-season's 3-on-3 overtime format will carry over to the All-Star Game.
