On Sunday, the Pittsburgh Penguins finally retired Jaromir Jagr’s #68. Almost twenty-three years after he was traded to the Washington Capitals for Kris Beech, Ross Lupaschuk, and Michal Sivek, the 51-year-old returned to the ‘Burgh and put on the Black and Gold one more time.
It wasn’t the greatest end to an absolutely spectacular era of hockey in Pittsburgh for Jagr. For those that may not know, in the early 2000s, the Penguins had fallen far from the heights of success they had achieved in the prior decade. They were literally broke and rumors of a relocation to Kansas City were swirling.