I Love Jah-RO-Mur Jogger

Saturday night in Toronto, the Flyers went into overtime tied at 4 with the Maple Leafs. Jaromir Jagr grabbed the puck and dip-see-doodled around the Leafs’ zone, made their defensemen look like cones, and kept possession of the puck for a solid 40 seconds.

The only thing going through my mind was, “Forget it. I love Jah-RO-Mur.”

Flashback to July 1, 2011: I remember exactly where I was when a friend called to inform me that the Flyers had just signed the 39-year-old. I remember because I had to leave the room due to the waterfall of confused, flabbergasted expletives coming out of my mouth.

Jah-RO-Mur Jogger, the man whose real name had never come out of my mouth – mostly as a testament to my deep-rooted dislike of him. The Penguin with the awful mullet I grew up hating. (Literally, my first Flyers game was against Pittsburgh and I still remember the way the Spectrum shook with boos and jeers when Jah-RO-Mur took the ice.) The guy who caused me to berate the Flyers defensemen from my living room because they wouldn’t hit him when he would play Follow the Leader around the ice. The guy who when he faded away to the KHL, everyone assumed he was just another burnt out superstar too afraid to let go of the game. The list goes on and on.

Between Jah-RO-Mur’s age, his history with the fan base, and with the Mike Richards and Jeff Carter trades having happened the week before, I truly thought that Flyers General Manger Paul Holmgren had lost his mind.

But, I’ve been wrong before (see Charlie Manuel over Jim Leyland circa 2005), and I did really enjoy how angry the Penguins fans were.

Come back to Saturday night. That was the moment I decided to stop fighting it. Somewhere in the last six months, Jah-RO-Mur has turned into an endearing nickname. I realized that you can’t hit what you can’t catch. And I finally admitted that I am a Jah-RO-Mur fan.

More than anything, I’ve loved the intangibles that Jah-RO-Mur brings to the locker room. On a team whose play on the ice could put you to sleep a year ago, the man who always seemed like such a grump has infused life and old-fashioned little kid fun into Flyers’ game. His 46 points don’t hurt either.

In no way does Homer need my apology – or will he ever read this – but I need to get this off my chest: I was wrong about signing Jah-RO-Mur. Not only was it not a bad decision, it was a great decision. I – much like when Peter Forsberg graced us with his presence – have enjoyed seeing one of the game’s greatest players night after night in the Orange and Black.

Now, if only he’d bring Philly a Cup…