Jagr issues jovial warning in congratulation to Ovechkin for goals milestone

Jaromir Jagr has known for a while that Alex Ovechkin would pass him on the NHL career goals list, and he was prepared.

After Ovechkin scored his 767th career goal to pass Jagr for third on the league’s all-time list, Jagr congratulated the 36-year-old Russian in a video — and told “The Great 8” that his place on that list isn’t safe.

“Alex, The Great 8, congratulations. Now you become the leading NHL goal scorer among European players,” Jagr said. “But keep scoring. Because, as you know, I didn’t retire from hockey yet, and there’s a chance I might come back to the NHL and start chasing you.”

Jagr, 50, currently plays for the team he owns in the Czech Republic. His half-joking congratulations was far from the only one Ovechkin received Tuesday night after the Capitals defeated the Islanders 4-3 in a shootout, as current and former players congratulated the veteran on the achievement.

A very special congratulations from Jaromir Jagr to Alex Ovechkin (plus a little surprise at the end). 😉 pic.twitter.com/HGgSlqRTaQ

— NHL (@NHL) March 16, 2022

Ovechkin’s reaction to Jagr’s congratulations video is…something lol 🤣 pic.twitter.com/TfWJ6yhyQa

— NBC Sports Capitals (@NBCSCapitals) March 16, 2022

The adulation-filled night was 180 degrees from the criticism Ovechkin has been receiving in recent weeks due to Russia’s invasion into Ukraine. 

The Capitals star was one of the few Russian NHL players to respond to the invasion — saying “please, no more war” — during a press conference the day after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered strikes on the neighboring country. But he dodged a question about whether he still supports Putin. Ovechkin campaigned for the Russian leader on social media in 2017, and his profile picture is still one of him posing with Putin. He’s lost sponsors and was booed when the team was in Western Canada last week. 

Jagr was the third player Ovechkin has passed recently. He leapfrogged Marcel Dionne (731) and Brett (Hull) earlier in the season. He’s now 34 goals behind Gordie Howe (801) and 127 behind Wayne Gretzky (894). 

Jagr said in February that he believes Ovechkin will pass Gretzky. And he isn’t the only one. 

Islanders coach Barry Trotz on Tuesday joined a growing contingent in the NHL world to say he believes Ovechkin will one day pass “The Great One” as the sport’s all-time goals leader. 

“The one thing that I’ve learned about Ovi is … when you doubt Ovi or you say he can’t do it, he digs in,” Trotz said before the game Tuesday. “I was one of the guys that say, ‘It’s absolutely amazing that this guy is the greatest goal scorer of all time’ — and will be, in my opinion, until someone else beats him — but how physical he is and how durable he is. That’s amazing. That’s even more incredible to me.”