Jaromir Jagr still showcasing Hall of Fame skill at age 51

He might not have the speed or durability that he once had, but he clearly still has the vision and hands with passing plays like that.

The Czech league is a significant step below the NHL and Russia's KHL in terms of competition, but it is still one of the top hockey leagues in the world. Being able to play at a high level on that stage at 51 is an absolute marvel.

He appeared in 26 games a year ago at the age of 50 and scored five goals with nine assists. 

There are a few things to consider about Jagr's seemingly never-ending playing career.

The first is that because he is still playing professionally, his induction to the Hall of Fame continues to get pushed back. Even though Jagr has not played in an NHL game since the 2017-18 season, he has continued playing in the Czech Republic in the six seasons that have followed. The Hockey Hall of Fame is very clear that to be eligible for induction, a player can not have played in any professional or international game in the three years prior to his enshrinement. The Hall has made exceptions in extremely rare cases (Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux come to mind) but has shown no willingness to do that here. 

It is also worth pointing out that there are only 19 players in the NHL this season older than 36. That means Jagr has been playing professional hockey longer than all but 19 active NHL players have actually been alive. 

Jagr has had one of the greatest and most productive careers of any player in the sport. He is the NHL's second-leading scorer with 1,921 points. His 766 career goals are also fourth all time. A three-year stint in the KHL and multiple NHL lockouts cost him five years of games during his prime years. Without those breaks it is possible — if not likely — that he would have topped Gretzky's all-time goals record. 

Between the NHL, KHL and Czech league, Jagr has scored 953 professional regular-season goals and notched countless accolades — accolades he continues to pile up into his 50s.