#68: The Endless Spring

For decades, HC Bozen was closely linked to the legendary venue on Romestrasse, which wrote stories that now seem to come from another time: days before the games, endless queues at the ticket booths. Young people who hid in the toilets after public ice times to avoid paying admission. The crowd for the best seats in the stadium. The rivalries on the ice and in the stands.

Then came the move from the heart of the city to the peripheral industrial zone, to this massive, cold concrete building on Galvanistrasse. The fact that the euphoria in the environment, which has now been rekindled in the EBEL, was initially kept alive was primarily due to one person, or rather a myth: Jaromir Jagr.

It was in December 1994, months after the ice wave opened pompously at the World Cup, when the Czech moved to HC Bozen during the NHL lockout. He immediately amazed South Tyrol's ice hockey fans.

7.000 came to admire the “extraterrestrial.”

At first glance he seemed like a boy from one of the surrounding villages. Shy demeanor, red cheeks, tight jeans worn high and the then trendy mullet haircut, which was in no way inferior to that of TV icon MacGyver. However, this inconspicuous 22-year-old was already a two-time Stanley Cup winner and a big whiz kid in the best ice hockey league in the world.

In South Tyrol that December, Jagr sparked an unexpected level of hype. Bolzano suddenly had an ice hockey superstar in its ranks who would cause countless anecdotes. On the one hand, there was his fee of $10.000 per stake, which was paid to the Czechs immediately after the end of the game. On the other hand, the story of Jagr's shirt number 68, which was dedicated to his grandparents who died in the Prague Spring, but met with little understanding from his Russian teammates Igor Maslennikov and Sergej Vostrikov. The result? They ignored each other on and off the ice. Nevertheless, Jagr's sporting performances are primarily remembered. With goals, assists and real feats with bat and disc, he led Bolzano to win the Six Nations tournament. 7.000 spectators in the ice wave were completely over the moon.

Still crazy about hockey at 43

While a lot has changed at HC Bozen since that unforgettable ice hockey evening 21 years ago, Jaromir Jagr is still the same. He turns 44 in February and this positive obsession still affects him when he laces up his skates for the Florida Panthers. He has almost 1.800 NHL games under his belt and more than 2.000 points in his points account. “I want the time between the end of my career and the day I die to be as short as possible. “I would love to still play ice hockey when I’m an old man,” said Jagr in a recent interview.

On the All Star Team for the tenth time

Over the course of last season, Jagr moved to Florida, where he immediately left his mark. He led the Panthers from mediocrity to second place in the Eastern Conference. With 33 scorer points in 46 games, the Czech contributed significantly to the soaring and earned himself the tenth participation in the NHL All Star Game, which took place last weekend in Nashville.

Due to his age and the strenuous game formula of three-on-three, many had expected the superstar to be rejected. But he didn't think about that for a second. “I was chosen as if I had to perform,” said Jagr in the run-up to the show event.

Youngsters such as Detroit defender Dylan Larkin (born in 1996!) played alongside him on the Atlantic team, and yet Jagr once again took the main role on the ice. He scored his fifth goal in an All Star Game, but rather than the goal, he captivated the spectators in the Bridgestone Arena with his incredible puck handling, his typical running style and his irrepressible wit. Just like he did 21 years ago in the Bolzano ice wave.

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#68: The Endless Spring

21 years have passed since those days in December 1994 when Jaromir Jagr wore the HC Bozen jersey. Since then, a lot has changed on the ice surfaces around the world, but one thing has remained: the unbridled will of the exceptional talent from Kladno to indulge his great passion - ice hockey.

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