Mark Madden's Hot Take: Despite playing for 9 NHL teams, Jaromir Jagr always will be a Penguin

Here are 10 factoids about prodigal son Jaromir Jagr, who returns to Pittsburgh to get his No. 68 retired Feb. 18 at PPG Paints Arena. And that’ll be the way to get along…

• Jagr played for nine NHL teams. But he’s most remembered as a Penguin. It’s where he won two Stanley Cups and where he played his best hockey.

• Jagr’s No. 68 will be the third number retired by the Penguins. The franchise has been discerning about doing that. But Jagr’s digits always have been a lock. Sidney Crosby’s No. 87 and Evgeni Malkin’s No. 71 will be easy choices moving forward. After that, the waters get murky. (I like the Penguins being selective. Montreal has retired 15 numbers. Their current roster has 12 numbers of 40 or higher. It’s stupid. Those aren’t hockey numbers.)

• Honoring Jagr isn’t long overdue, as we see and hear frequently. With him continuing to play for the team he owns in the Czech pro league, it was a matter of him committing to be at PPG Paints Arena for the ceremony. The Penguins have wanted to do this for years.

• Will Mario Lemieux be present Feb. 18 when No. 68 joins No. 66 in the rafters? Despite a fractured relationship between Penguins ownership Fenway Sports Group and Lemieux, it’s hard to imagine he won’t be. Lemieux won’t snub Jagr. Lemieux oozes class and loyalty. This is about a teammate.

• Jagr’s biggest moment as a Penguin was saving the franchise via almost single-handedly winning Games 6 and 7 of the first-round playoff series vs. New Jersey in 1999. The Penguins needed the next round’s revenue to survive. Jagr’s heroics despite a bad groin should be revered. He conjured pure will that topped even his ample skill.

• Jagr loved Pittsburgh. Still does. But he left in 2001 (and didn’t return later) because he could make more elsewhere. He always has been a pure mercenary. Jagr played three seasons in Siberia because he got paid $8 million per, tax-free. It’s cold in Siberia.

• Rick Kehoe was a low-key factor in Jagr’s success. Jagr wasn’t much of a shooter when he joined the Penguins as an 18-year-old in 1990. But Kehoe, the Penguins’ all-time leading scorer till Lemieux passed him, was an assistant coach then. Kehoe worked long hours with Jagr refining his shot. (But I don’t recall Jagr ever taking a slap shot.)

• Jiri Hrdina was another quiet hero. Jagr was badly homesick during his rookie season. But the Penguins traded for Hrdina, a fellow Czech and steadying influence. Problem mitigated. It was good for Hrdina, too. The forward won two Stanley Cups in Pittsburgh.

• Phil Bourque, now a Penguins radio/TV analyst, was Jagr’s teammate on those championship teams in 1990-91 and ’91-92. He helped convince Jagr to return to Pittsburgh for the upcoming ceremony. Bourque, while on a European vacation, met with Jagr and assuaged Jagr’s fears that Penguins fans hated him for having departed. (Booing Jagr when he returned with other teams wasn’t one of Pittsburgh finest hours. But it wasn’t legitimate dislike. More like spurned-lover syndrome.)

• Jagr is extremely intelligent, quick-witted and funny. During Lemieux’s comeback season in 2000-01, Lemieux and Jagr were often centered by Jan Hrdina (no relation). During one game, Jan Hrdina was knocked silly. Upon on-ice examination, medical staff remarked, “He doesn’t know who he is.” Jagr retorted, “Tell him he’s Mario.”

There will be a longer column (perhaps several) about Jagr to follow as Feb. 18 draws near.

But retiring Jagr’s number is a wonderful thing. Jagr returning home is even better. Make no mistake, Pittsburgh is No. 68’s hockey home.