Did Jagr ever play center?
 

Was just having a discussion about him and someone brought that up. I can't recall him playing center or taking faceoffs at all.

I've seen him listed as a LW early in his career, but nope, never have seen him take a regular shift as a center. He's played with Lemieux, Francis, Lang, Nedved, Hrdina, Oates, Nylander, Giroux... maybe the guy who brought it up saw him take a few shifts in a game as a center?

I would see the odd time that his center got thrown out of the faceoff circle, but that's about it. He's a winger much in the same mold that you never see Ovechkin (rarely) take a faceoff

Figured that was the case fellas. Thanks. And yeah I'm guessing he maybe saw Jagr take a draw one time and then translated that in to "Jagr played lots of center."

Jagr was my favorite player when I was younger and am a die-hard Pens fan. I can't recall a single shift at center for Jagr.

I'll take your word over the guy who was trying to tell me he did. Thanks.

Vladimír Růžička was playing him as a center in a few games during the 2005 World Championships. He was playing there in the 2005 play-offs with Omsk, too (Zatonsky-Jágr-Sushinsky).

The guy I was talking Jagr with said he played, "lots of center in his career, mostly with Washington and New York."

Maybe he thought he was playing center, because he carried the puck a lot up ice and into the offensive zone, and he is the rare wing that is a great playmaker, but I don't ever recall him really playing center in the NHL.

I dont think he would have made a good center anyways, his size and skills were best utilized along the boards.

Not necessarily true. Many of the great centers of the history of the game were big, strong, skilled centermen like Beliveau, Esposito, Messier, Lemieux.

I have always wondered about Jagr as a center.

Mainly because of the similarities between Jagr and Lemieux, and because of the failed "Lafleur at center" experiment. What would have been the result of a "Jagr at center" experiement? We saw Kurri at center, we saw Fedorov on the wing, we saw Lemieux on the wing. But Jagr at center, I would have liked to see it.

I think he would have had to have been trained as a center early in his career for him to really play a lot as a center, but maybe I'm wrong. I also don't see him making open ice hits ala Lindros, so he might have been better served as a center by keeping his lighter, faster frame of the early 90s.

i'm guessing he played some shifts at center, but i doubt he ever went into a game knowing he was playing center.

his first couple years he played LW but as you know the bulk of his career was at RW.

Here's a cool playoff game. 19 year old jagr playing LW with battle worn 34 year old trottier. Bob Johnson shuffled lines during games as much as anyone I remember so jagr gets time with just about everyone. he ever played at RW on a penalty kill as well.

Fun wide open game...stand up goalies, neely, borque, janney, wesley, ruzica, baby jagr, lemieux, recchi, stevens, francis....all flying around...plus cusik & sanderson in the both...

Mother of God did I ever detest Kevin Stevens. But on topic, I would imagine Jagr would work quite well as a center although obviously not quite as well as wing. He certainly was versatile enough though.