Ex-Oiler Jason Strudwick discloses Jaromir Jagr’s grueling childhood training to enhance his on-ice skills

By Nestor Quixtan

Modified Jul 30, 2024 22:06 GMT

Former Edmonton Oilers player Jason Strudwick opened up about his experience with NHL legend Jaromir Jagr. During a recent appearance on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast, Strudwick talked about Jagr’s childhood training regimen to boost his on-ice skills.

“he was so talented. And you didn’t realize how big and strong he was. He’s like 6'4", 230 pounds. And his legs are the size of like craters.”

Strudwick, who played with Jagr while a member of the New York Rangers during the mid-2000s, described the great shape Jagr was in during his playing days:

“Like, it’s not — I don’t have very big legs. And he would get them, he’d have to cut a slit up the side. Like, he was like, you know, a girl going off the line. Oh, a little bit of a rig though. Yeah, so I said, how’d your legs get so big?”

The work ethic had been ingrained in Jaromir Jagr from a young age. Strudwick recalled what Jagr told him about his childhood that motivated him to work hard and stay in shape:

“He’s like, when I was eight years old, I was playing with kids three, four years older than me. I was getting pushed off the puck. So I asked my dad, like, how do I get stronger legs? And my dad’s like, you need to do squats.”

The work ethic stuck with Jagr throughout his career allowing him to continue playing professionally well into his 50s. Jagr still maintains an impressive physique for his age. That is why he is yet to officially retire from the NHL.

Jaromir Jagr did 1,000 squats a day

Strudwick recalled a particular episode from Jaromir Jagr’s childhood, as he said:

“So, he (Jagr’s father) didn’t tell him a number. So, he decided that at age eight, he would do a thousand squats a day. And so, he’d get up and do a hundred, then brush his teeth to a hundred. A hundred, a hundred, a hundred, you know, over the day, then finish off a hundred.”

Strudwick concluded the anecdote, stating:

“So, he thinks, over 10 years, he did 300 days of a thousand squats. So, you do the math on that over 10 years.”

The thousands of squats over a decade helped Jagr stay in shape long enough to play in over 1,700 games. He ended up second on the all-time NHL scoring list with 1,921 points. Unfortunately, he fell roughly 80 points shy of becoming the second NHLer to rack up 2,000 career points.

Nevertheless, Jagr’s NHL career spanned from his rookie year with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1990-1991 to his final season with the Calgary Flames in 2017-18. Jagr continues to play professionally in his native country of Czechia.