<p>Maybe Connor McDavid&#8217;s &#8220;<a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/so-yeah-mcjesus-aaron-ekblad-talks-about-connor-mcdavids-incredible-assist-in-game-2">McJesus</a>&#8221; nickname really is fitting.</p>
<p></p>
<p>According to NHL legend Jaromir Jagr, at least, who in an interview with <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/i-can-see-the-god-in-him-jaromir-jagr-talks-connor-mcdavid-panthers/"><em>Sportsnet</em></a> said he believed a &#8220;higher power&#8221; has touched the <a href="http://oilersnation.com/combinations">Edmonton Oilers</a> captain.</p>
<p>&#8220;I respect the game he plays. It’s fun to watch,&#8221; said Jagr. &#8220;The way he plays, he sometimes makes very good players look silly. And it’s special. I always admire people who are greater than the rest of ’em.</p>
<p>&#8220;I believe in God. So, I can see the God in him. It’s something that’s great. I always appreciate it. Because it’s got to be something more than the rest of us.&#8221;</p>
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<p>It would take one to know one, as Jagr, now 53, himself seemingly has been graced by a higher power, now preparing to play in his 38th season of professional hockey. Drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins fifth overall in the 1990 draft, he&#8217;s won it all and done it all in the hockey ranks, playing 24 seasons in the NHL with nine different teams, retiring from the NHL after the 2017-18 campaign, only to continue playing in Czechia for Rytíři Kladno — the team which he&#8217;s been an owner of since 2011-12.</p>
<p>Jagr wouldn&#8217;t say specifically if McDavid was touched by god, but knows there&#8217;s something that allows him to be as great as he has.</p>
<p>&#8220;Some higher energy. Something,&#8221; Jagr said. &#8220;You just gotta have something extra to be dominating on that level. You gotta have something special.</p>
<p>&#8220;Like, when you look at basketball, you get Jordan. You got to be different. And to be that different, it’s special. That’s the way I see it. I can appreciate the greatness of the people. Gretzky was different. Mario Lemieux was different.&#8221;</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Mullet and McDavid post game. <a href="https://t.co/r04EErxMJz">pic.twitter.com/r04EErxMJz</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Gene Principe (@GenePrincipe) <a href="https://twitter.com/GenePrincipe/status/1933376148966199701?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 13, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>After racking up 766 goals and 1921 points in 1733 NHL games — good enough for fourth, second and fourth all-time, respectively — his time in Czechia post-NHL retirement has seen him continue to produce, scoring 36 goals and 102 points in 189 games across eight seasons.</p>
<p>McDavid would need to play another 15 NHL seasons to chase down Jagr in terms of games played. If he continued to average the 1.5 points per game that he has up to this point in his career, averaging 71 games per season, he could catch Jagr sometime in the 2031-32 season — something well within his grasp.</p>
<p>And given how long Jagr has been able to play professionally, he was also asked about guys like <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/06/13/inside-corey-perrys-first-intermission-speech-that-helped-push-oilers-to-game-4-win/">Corey Perry</a>, 40, and Brad Marchand, 37, and what&#8217;s allowed them to continue to play at such a high level.</p>
<p>&#8220;I feel like the league was lot tougher before, harder because it was a more physical game. Now, it’s more speedy,&#8221; Jagr said. &#8220;But if you&#8217;re a good skater, you don&#8217;t get tired skating up and down. It’s tougher in playoffs. That’s why I feel like it was a tougher game (when Marchand and Perry entered the NHL), because there was a lot of one-on-one battles.</p>
<p>&#8220;The rules and everything changed. It&#8217;s more speed. Nobody can hook you; nobody can hold you. But if you’re a good skater, it&#8217;s easier. It&#8217;s quicker, but it&#8217;s easier. You don&#8217;t get tired as much. Those guys, they were built for the tougher game a long time ago. As long as they can keep up the speed, they should have an advantage.&#8221;</p>
<p>Now, the Oilers are hoping that McDavid can channel his inner &#8220;McJesus&#8221; and help lift the team to it&#8217;s first Stanley Cup since 1990.</p>
<h2>READ MORE</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/68-days-until-the-season-begins">How Jaromir Jagr was almost an Edmonton Oiler</a></li>
<li>
<div class="pb-2"><a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/the-revisiting-series-what-if-jaromir-jagr-signed-with-the-oilers"><span class="text-3xl font-bold">The Revisiting Series: What if Jaromir Jagr signed with the Oilers?</span></a></div>
</li>
<li><a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-stars-connor-mcdavid-leon-draisaitl-meet-up-with-legendary-jaromir-jagr">Oilers stars Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl meet up with legendary Jaromir Jagr</a></li>
</ul>
<hr />
<p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s associate editor, senior columnist, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRSWOpthKmdtmFOKQDd7TQdTU2KSKXYvX">DFO DFS Report</a>. He can be followed on Twitter, currently known as X, at</span></i> <em><a href="http://www.x.com/zjlaing"><span style="font-weight: 400;">@zjlaing</span></a></em><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"><em>,</em> or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.</span></i></p>
<hr />
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Maybe Connor McDavid's "<a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/so-yeah-mcjesus-aaron-ekblad-talks-about-connor-mcdavids-incredible-assist-in-game-2">McJesus</a>" nickname really is fitting.



According to NHL legend Jaromir Jagr, at least, who in an interview with <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/i-can-see-the-god-in-him-jaromir-jagr-talks-connor-mcdavid-panthers/"><em>Sportsnet</em></a> said he believed a "higher power" has touched the <a href="http://oilersnation.com/combinations">Edmonton Oilers</a> captain.

"I respect the game he plays. It’s fun to watch," said Jagr. "The way he plays, he sometimes makes very good players look silly. And it’s special. I always admire people who are greater than the rest of ’em.

"I believe in God. So, I can see the God in him. It’s something that’s great. I always appreciate it. Because it’s got to be something more than the rest of us."
<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2107" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="325"></div>
It would take one to know one, as Jagr, now 53, himself seemingly has been graced by a higher power, now preparing to play in his 38th season of professional hockey. Drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins fifth overall in the 1990 draft, he's won it all and done it all in the hockey ranks, playing 24 seasons in the NHL with nine different teams, retiring from the NHL after the 2017-18 campaign, only to continue playing in Czechia for Rytíři Kladno — the team which he's been an owner of since 2011-12.

Jagr wouldn't say specifically if McDavid was touched by god, but knows there's something that allows him to be as great as he has.

"Some higher energy. Something," Jagr said. "You just gotta have something extra to be dominating on that level. You gotta have something special.

"Like, when you look at basketball, you get Jordan. You got to be different. And to be that different, it’s special. That’s the way I see it. I can appreciate the greatness of the people. Gretzky was different. Mario Lemieux was different."

https://twitter.com/GenePrincipe/status/1933376148966199701

After racking up 766 goals and 1921 points in 1733 NHL games — good enough for fourth, second and fourth all-time, respectively — his time in Czechia post-NHL retirement has seen him continue to produce, scoring 36 goals and 102 points in 189 games across eight seasons.

McDavid would need to play another 15 NHL seasons to chase down Jagr in terms of games played. If he continued to average the 1.5 points per game that he has up to this point in his career, averaging 71 games per season, he could catch Jagr sometime in the 2031-32 season — something well within his grasp.

And given how long Jagr has been able to play professionally, he was also asked about guys like <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/06/13/inside-corey-perrys-first-intermission-speech-that-helped-push-oilers-to-game-4-win/">Corey Perry</a>, 40, and Brad Marchand, 37, and what's allowed them to continue to play at such a high level.

"I feel like the league was lot tougher before, harder because it was a more physical game. Now, it’s more speedy," Jagr said. "But if you're a good skater, you don't get tired skating up and down. It’s tougher in playoffs. That’s why I feel like it was a tougher game (when Marchand and Perry entered the NHL), because there was a lot of one-on-one battles.

"The rules and everything changed. It's more speed. Nobody can hook you; nobody can hold you. But if you’re a good skater, it's easier. It's quicker, but it's easier. You don't get tired as much. Those guys, they were built for the tougher game a long time ago. As long as they can keep up the speed, they should have an advantage."

Now, the Oilers are hoping that McDavid can channel his inner "McJesus" and help lift the team to it's first Stanley Cup since 1990.
<h2>READ MORE</h2>
<ul>
 	<li><a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/68-days-until-the-season-begins">How Jaromir Jagr was almost an Edmonton Oiler</a></li>
 	<li>
<div class="pb-2"><a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/the-revisiting-series-what-if-jaromir-jagr-signed-with-the-oilers"><span class="text-3xl font-bold">The Revisiting Series: What if Jaromir Jagr signed with the Oilers?</span></a></div></li>
 	<li><a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-stars-connor-mcdavid-leon-draisaitl-meet-up-with-legendary-jaromir-jagr">Oilers stars Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl meet up with legendary Jaromir Jagr</a></li>
</ul>

<hr />

<i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s associate editor, senior columnist, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRSWOpthKmdtmFOKQDd7TQdTU2KSKXYvX">DFO DFS Report</a>. He can be followed on Twitter, currently known as X, at</span></i> <em><a href="http://www.x.com/zjlaing"><span style="font-weight: 400;">@zjlaing</span></a></em><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"><em>,</em> or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.</span></i>

<hr />

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