Penny Oleksiak, Canada’s newest sensation, is no stranger to making news. While her incredible showing at the 2016 Rio Olympics earned her national fame across Canada, she’s found herself in the news once again, only this time, for an entirely different reason.
It’s been well documented at this point that Oleksiak’s older brother is none other than Dallas Stars defenseman Jamie Oleksiak. Her ties to hockey, however, run deeper than just her relation to her brother. When BuzzFeed Canada tweeted Penny Oleksiak asking her what she would do when she returned home, the 16-year-old star had a simple, but perfect response:
First thing I have to do is pick up my biggest fan. My dog jagr 😊🐶 https://t.co/FlmdcPqo7q
— Penny Oleksiak (@OleksiakPenny) August 15, 2016
When Jamie Oleksiak first joined the Dallas Stars organization, he did so in the year that Jaromir Jagr happened to be a member of the franchise. Despite only seeing 16 games of NHL action that season, and Jagr being traded to the Boston Bruins at the trade deadline, Jamie’s ties to the name “Jagr” haven’t quite faded just yet.
While Jagr may have been playing NHL hockey since before either of the Oleksiak siblings were born, his legacy has remained intact all this time. Living legends like Jagr deserve all of the recognition that they get, and it’s probably safe to say that “Jagr” the dog, is as good an honoring as any.
