MINSK, Belarus - Jaromir Jagr would much rather be in the Stanley Cup playoffs than at the world hockey championship, especially three months removed from the Sochi Olympics. Devin Harris Jersey . "I thought the young guys from Czech Republic were going to play," Jagr said with a wry smile. "Obviously, they didnt. They took a break." Jagr seemingly never takes a break from hockey and never stops smiling on the ice. At age 42 hes by far the oldest player in the tournament yet the ageless winger has as much fun playing now as he did as a young man. "If it wouldnt be, I wouldnt be playing right now," Jagr said Sunday. "I want to have fun. As long as you have fun, everything is a lot easier. But you have to work hard, you have to love the game, and thats what you do." Jagr, who faces Team Canada on Monday night, is still able to play at a high level because of a unique mix of love for the game, Hall of Fame skill and a tireless, quirky work ethic. Signed on for another season with the New Jersey Devils, Jagr doesnt sound like a man whos close to being ready to hang up his skates. Even now after 1,473 NHL games, 1,755 points and two Stanley Cups, he finds new ways to motivate himself. "Its a big challenge to compete with the young guys," Jagr said. "Its not only physically. "You have to be one step ahead of everybody. Theyre going to be quicker, theyre going to be stronger. But I always have to look for the edge. I always have to think a lot more. Anything I practise, everything I do, I have to think before how to do it. Its a big challenge. Thats what I like about it — just outsmart somebody." Long before Jagr had to outsmart anyone, he oozed the kind of skill that made him an all-star early on in his career. For a very brief time in 1992-93, he was even linemates with Dave Tippett on the Pittsburgh Penguins. "He was a very young guy," the 52-year-old Canadian coach said. "I think I spent a couple shifts on his line and he looked at Scotty Bowman and said, No, next, please. " At the world championships, Jagr is on a line with 20-year-old Tomas Hertl, who flashes the same grin on the ice for practice as his idol. Hertl wasnt even born for Jagrs two Cup victories in Pittsburgh, but as a very young boy growing up in Prague he watched every game of the 1998 Nagano Olympics. Hertl could only dream of making it big like Jagr, let alone playing alongside him. "Its unbelievable because its my idol as small guy," Hertl said Saturday. "Im learning. I watch too many games and YouTube and his shot is unbelievable, too many goals." More than that, Jagrs longevity is unbelievable. He has played for the Penguins, Washington Capitals, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Dallas Stars, Boston Bruins and New Jersey. This past season, Jagr was New Jerseys scoring leader with 24 goals and 43 assists. The mutual comfort between Jagr and the Devils organization led him to signing another one-year deal to return for 2014-15. "Im not surprised. I think he really enjoyed the year," Devils coach and Team Canada assistant Peter DeBoer said. "I think he came in and he really is taking it year-to-year at this point in his career. "He played a big role for us, felt important, was a big part of any of the successes we had during the year and I think he wants to do that again." Jagr said this, his ninth world championship, would be his last — but dont rule out maybe one more run when its in the Czech Republic next year. And certainly dont start the farewell tour thinking 2014-15 is definitely his last go-round in the NHL. "I dont know." he said. "If Im gonna play good, why? I love the game." Jaroslav Spacek loved the game, too, but the defencemans body gave out on him and caused him to retire in 2012. Hes two years younger than Jagr but is now an assistant coach for the Czech team and still gets a kick out of seeing Jagr still playing. "Hes using all his free time to work out and get ready for the games," Spacek said. "Hes got no family so hes putting all pressure on himself to be the best hockey player as he can be. "Thats the one thing hes working on it every day. He can get ready for the season even for the world championship, he can take a couple days off but then he comes and works hard. I never see anybody like that." Infamous for skating late at night and sometimes with weights on his body, Jagr is what Tippett would classify as a "hockey junkie." Seeing up close how those things worked, DeBoer wont question any of his techniques. "I marvel at him every day," he said. "He has some different thoughts on his own training and what makes him go. I can tell you theres very few guys, you can probably count on one hand, that are playing at a level that hes playing at at the age hes at." To continue playing at that level, Jagr consciously makes decisions to maximize preparation. Beyond joking hes here because younger players werent, he saw the world championships as a way to help him get ready for next season. "For my body, my age, to have five months or four months without the ice I think would be too long and would be tough to come back and be ready right away," he said. Jagr has to think about those things, but he doesnt feel like a 42-year-old. Being around Hertl and other young players helps him play down in age as he adjusts. But at some point he wont be able to play anymore. When that time is right, Jagr expects to be able to feel it. "You know," he said. "I think you know. Im not ready yet." Follow @SWhyno on Twitter. Gary Harris Jersey . Richard Jefferson scored 17 points and Diante Garrett had a career-high 15 points as the Jazz had seven players with 10 points or more in Utahs largest margin of victory this season. Tyler Lydon Jersey .Y. - The NFL has fined Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch $20,000 for making an obscene gesture during last Sundays NFC championship game, a person with knowledge of the fine told The Associated Press on Thursday. http://www.cheapnuggetsjerseys.com/ . Louis Cardinals pitcher Jaime Garcia will have surgery on his left shoulder this week and is expected to miss the rest of the season. ANAHEIM, Calif. -- After blowing a three-run lead in the ninth inning on one ill-fated pitch to Raul Ibanez, Jose Valverde needed a lift, and so did his New York Mets teammates. They got one four innings later from Anthony Recker. The backup catcher, the eighth batter in the lineup, led off the 13th with a home run off rookie Matt Shoemaker and also had a two-run single earlier, leading the Mets to a 7-6 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday night. "Obviously, its great to be able to pick him up," Recker said of Valverde. "We want him to have confidence every time he goes out there -- because, lets face it, hes a pretty darn good pitcher. So we dont want to lose that." The Mets evened up their interleague series at a game apiece, but it wasnt easy. Valverde came on in the ninth to protect a 6-3 lead for Jonathon Niese, but the 41-year-old Ibanez drove Valverdes 1-0 pitch deep into the right-field seats after David Freese singled with two outs and Erick Aybar walked. The homer was Ibanezs 302nd in the majors -- and his 2,000th hit. Valverde, who converted all 49 save chances in 2011 for the Tigers, was the 239th pitcher Ibanez has homered against in 19 big league seasons. "Jose wasnt able to come through tonight, but I know he will next time," Recker said. "Hes been there before. Hes been through the good and the bad. Hes a veteran, and hell be OK. We just look forward to moving on from here and getting some more wins." Omar Quintanilla, the Mets No. 9 hitter, provided some temporary insurance in the ninth with a two-run single off Kevin Jepsen. But Valverde, who spent the previous four years in Detroit and lost his closer role last season, ended up with his first blown save in three chances since signing with the Mets as a free agent in February. "We didnt know what was going to happen," manager Terry Collins said. "He didnt pitch a lot last year, so we were hoping that the added rest was going to help him get some arm strength back. And hes throwing the ball very well. Tonights really the worst outing hes had. But the at-bat by Aybar is the one that dismantled him. I was told that when he walks people, he gets in trouble." Shoemaker (0-1), the eighth Angels pitcher, escaped his own bases-loaded jam in the 12th by striking out Juan Lagares. But Recker drove the right-handers second pitch of the 13th into the left-field bullpen for his first homer this seasson. Carmelo Anthony Jersey. "The 12th inning was a momentum boost. It got us going and it got me going. That was exciting," Shoemaker said. "I tried to stay in there as long as could to give the team a chance to win. But the next inning, I was supposed to be locating the fastball low and away and definitely missed my spot. It was much higher than it was supposed to be, and he didnt miss it." John Lannan (1-0) pitched two perfect innings for the victory. Niese allowed three runs and six hits in 7 1-3 innings with five strikeouts and a walk. Jered Weaver was charged with four runs, three hits and four walks in 6 2-3 innings and struck out five. Lucas Dudas two-out solo homer in the second was the Mets only hit against him until the seventh, when Duda singled Curtis Granderson -- who walked -- to third with two outs. Lagares followed with an RBI single on Weavers 99th and final pitch. "He struggled a little bit with location early, but he was able to get by and still made a lot of pitches to get out of trouble," catcher Chris Iannetta said. "In the middle of the game, I thought he pitched great. That last inning he made one tough pitch and that was it. Other than that, it was a really good ballgame for him. "I think its more of a mechanical issue that hes fighting right now. He just needs to make a couple of adjustments here and there, but its minor. Hell be fine. Im not necessarily worried about that." Recker greeted Fernando Salas with a sinking liner to centre field that bounced off Mike Trouts glove as he attempted to make a diving catch. The hit gave the Mets a 4-3 lead. Iannetta homered for the Angels in the fifth, thwarted an attempted double steal and tagged out a runner at the plate to complete a double play started by left fielder Collin Cowgill -- who also homered against Niese, in the sixth. NOTES: Pujols had 21 homers, 63 RBIs and a .311 average in 71 career games against the Mets during his 11 seasons with St. Louis. ... Weaver is 27-15 with a 3.38 ERA in 51 starts since his no-hitter against Minnesota on May 2, 2012. ... The Angels obtained Cowgill from the Mets last June in a trade that sent OF Kyle Johnson to Flushing. ... Dudas homer was his first in 27 career at-bats as a designated hitter to that point. ... Freese was 0 for 3 against Niese and is hitless in 12 career at-bats against the left-hander, who struck him out with a runner at third to end the fourth. 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