PITTSBURGH — Now, Jaromir Jagr says he will play next season. He just doesn't know where.
Jagr, 36, had played coy about his plans for next season as this one with the New York Rangers wound down. Many assumed it would be his last in the NHL, and there were rumours he would sign to play in the Russian Superleague.
Now, it seems, the Ranger most likely to have played his last NHL season is right winger Brendan Shanahan, 39, who completed his 20th campaign.
Shortly after the Pittsburgh Penguins eliminated the Rangers from the Stanley Cup playoffs yesterday with a 3-2 win in overtime, Jagr said he will probably play again.
"I don't think this will be my last year," Jagr said. "I feel I'll be somewhere. I feel I can still play a few more years. It just depends where."
Jagr said he will not rush his decision. He will first consult his parents back in the Czech Republic.
"The year before, I knew what was going to happen," he said. "This year, whatever happens, I know I'm going to go where I'm going to be happy. I'm going to talk to my parents. They are a big part of my hockey life."
While the Penguins eliminated the Rangers in just five games, Jagr said he might still be playing if his team had not blown a big lead in the first game of the Eastern Conference semi-final and lost.
"We had a 3-0 lead," he said. "Had we won that game, things would have been different. They had a good hockey club with young legs. I thought they would get tired after a while. They didn't."
Shanahan, whose legs looked increasingly old and tired as the series went on, declined to discuss retirement. "I'm not thinking about that," he said. "I'm thinking about hockey."
