Jagr vs. Lemieux, perhaps for the last time
By MIKE ZEISBERGER -- Toronto Sun
Could this be the final time Mario and Mario Jr. face each other?
With an NHL work stoppage looming, Jaromir Jagr may never again have the opportunity to play against his mentor, Team Canada captain Mario Lemieux.
So, he plans on making it a memorable night.
Barring a last-minute setback, Jagr is poised to return to the ice tonight when his Czech Republic goes up against Team Canada in a World Cup semi-final at the Air Canada Centre.
Jagr returned to the ice yesterday after being sidelined the previous three days because of a hip/stomach muscle strain and admitted feeling rusty.
But such inactivity does not appear to be enough to keep him out of the lineup against a favoured Canadian squad.
"I want to (play)," Jagr said. "At least I survived practice. Hopefully, it heals even more by game time.
"It wasn't easy out there. I didn't have my legs under me."
JAGR A 'FORCE'
The ankles might feel a bit rubbery, but Jagr does expect to play.
"He's a force, especially when he's healthy," Lemieux said.
The Lemieux-Jagr relationship goes back to the days when the two were teammates in Pittsburgh, where they captured a pair of Stanley Cups and shattered scoring marks along the way.
Even with Jagr back in the lineup, the key for a Czech upset will be the play of their goaltender, Tomas Vokoun of the Nashville Predators. He might not be well recognized in these parts, but understand that he is one of the better goalies in the NHL.
"I play for Nashville, so people might not know me that well here," he said. "But for me, the only respect I need comes from my teammates here in this dressing room."
Obviously, Music City is rubbing off on Vokoun, who admitted clicking on country tunes on the radio in his hotel room immediately after the Czechs arrived in Canada on Wednesday.
