A few things come to mind when you think about Jaromir Jagr. Of course, you think about what a great player he was and how amazing it is that he’s still playing hockey, well over his 50s. But many also think about the beautiful hairstyle he rocked in his NHL career’s early days.
Jaromir Jagr is a role model when it comes to hockey mullets, and to this day, it’s what many people think about when you hear his name.
Jaromir Jagr left Czechoslovakia for the NHL and had no idea what was waiting. When Jagr attended the NHL draft, it was the first time a player from his country did so without it being approved by the government.
When Jagr grew up, it would be an understatement to say he disliked the Soviet Union. And so did the US, and that’s why Jagr always liked America.
He couldn’t wait to see the country and, even more, live there.
Jagr loved everything about America, and especially the music. And that’s actually the reason why he started rocking the mullet in the first place. When he joined the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast, he revealed the origin of the mullet after co-host Paul Bissonnette had called it a salad.
”It wasn’t a salad, it was a beautiful style,” Jagr laughed.
”But it’s not a style anymore. I don’t think I had it all that long, but you know, I just loved everything from the US, and from the west.”
”Back then, we could only listen to Czech music, so all of a sudden I had a chance to listen to heavy metal. You know, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Guns N’ Roses, Metallica … They all have long hair, so I thought, ’That’s pretty cool, I want to be like them.’ So that’s why I did it.”
So unlike other hockey players, who grew up idolizing hockey players, Jagr took inspiration from rockers.
”Motley Crue was my first CD, it was the first thing I bought. And I love Jon Bon Jovi. I wanted to be like Tommy Lee.”
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