After a regular season that turned heads around the league, the 1991 post-season arrived. Jagr marched into those playoffs seeking glory, flanked by Hall of Famers, and success came swiftly for the star rookie.
RECCHI: When we came to the playoffs, he was ready to roll. Sometimes young guys, they get to that point, 18 years old, and they’re not ready. You know, it’s a long year, especially for a young man coming from Europe. They didn’t play the amount of games that the NHL schedule played. How he handled it was terrific. He really, actually, just kept getting better and better.
MURPHY: With the type of lineup that we had in Pittsburgh, he easily could’ve been relegated to, you know, eight minutes a game, 10 minutes a game. But it speaks to the type of player he was that that wasn’t the case. Of course he wasn’t playing as much as Mario Lemieux was playing, but I mean he was on the power play, he was getting quality ice time right off the hop. For an 18-year-old, that’s exactly what you want, you know? He earned his way right into significant ice time. You talk to anybody in the Penguins organization about Jags, they couldn’t believe it, how fast he caught on. He was off and running. He was an impact guy. And it was clear he was on the way.
RECCHI: In the playoffs, obviously he scored some real important goals for us. He was playing with Bryan Trottier most of the time, and Trotts was unbelievable towards him. They had a great relationship, and I think that really helped him as well. We had veterans like him and Joey Mullen in the dressing room.
MULLEN: It was just the way he handled himself. He was playing on the third line with Bryan Trottier and Troy Loney, with veteran guys who could help him out, get him the puck. He was just a strong player all the way through. You know, that whole year, he just seemed to take another step every game, to get better. And once the playoffs came, he was an outstanding player for us. I mean, he was a force out there — what else can you say about him?
RECCHI: It’s a different game. He embraced it, he loved it, and he actually thrived.
CAUFIELD: If you look at some of the playoff goals, and what he did to help our team win the Stanley Cup, I think he just grew. Being around Mario, watching what Mario did, how he played the game, how he battled through injuries, but what he still did when it was time to play the game. He always found a way to be at an elite level. And I think Jagr probably took all that in.
MULLEN: Finally hitting that ultimate goal, it’s the best feeling ever. So, you just enjoy the moments that you have with your teammates, and Jaromir was right in the mix with everybody.
CAUFIELD: The fanbase fell in love with him. A young guy, who was appealing to everybody. The team got themselves on such a great run with Bob Johnson. He was positive every day he came in the locker room — I think one year of being with Bob Johnson also was a benefit for Jagr. He helped make it comfortable for somebody who was probably going through a lot. I think Bob Johnson was integral as well, just his personality and how it rubbed off on everybody, for our team to win the first Stanley Cup in Penguins history.
