RICHMOND, Va. -- I will freely admit, I briefly considered changing course with this cartoon yesterday afternoon to focus on the Pirates’ Claude Ritchey, who in 1900 was the franchise's previous shortstop to commit three errors in a single inning.
Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed.
Instead, it’s the first of Jaromir Jagr’s 65 career playoff goals, and it was an important one, enabling the Penguins to steal a game in which they had to overcome three one-goal deficits and had generally been outplayed. It also allowed them to avoid heading to New Jersey in a two-games-to-none hole. Playoff hockey is all about living dangerously, where the smallest moments have huge consequences, and this was no exception.
A couple details I noticed while watching the video of Jagr’s game-winner, which, admittedly, I missed when it happened: One, it was an incredible goal, vintage Jagr before we really knew what "vintage Jagr” meant — patient, timely and just incredibly strong. And two, immediately after scoring the goal, Jagr takes off his left glove and seems to make a gesture. Not the Terrell Davis salute that he adopted in later years, but one that is a bit more…loaded. Not at anyone in particular, mind you, just as an example of exaltation. Maybe it means something different in Kladno.
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ROB ULLMAN / DKPS[/caption]
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