And it's a part he knows he has to play.
"I don't play good, the team doesn't play good," Jagr said right before the team opened the second half last week. "That's the way it is. I'm not saying I'm the team. But with every player like that it's always like that. I spend a lot of time on the ice. The coach gives me the things I need. I have to be the guy. I want to be. No question about it."
Last season, the future Hall of Famer had no problem filling that responsibility with a team record 54 goals and 69 assists, leading the Rangers to their first playoff appearance in seven seasons. But a dislocated shoulder received in Game 1 of the Easter Conference Quaterfinals against the New Jersey Devils has hampered Jagr this season.
With only 19 goals and 43 assists, he is only on pace for 31 lights on the lamp [he still projects 69 assists]. In the beginning of the season, the 34 year-old was afraid to take shots and now four months into the season still is somewhat tentative on the ice.
"I didn't think the injury was going to take me that much," he said. "I thought it was going to be quicker. But obviously, when I looked at myself, I could see it. I lost 12, 13 pounds and the muscle was not there. I could see it.
"I didn't know it was going to take that long. Probably why I didn't think it was going to take that long was because I never really did much over the summers. But at least I could do something to stay at the same level. This year, I just couldn't do anything. And you just lose it."
To combat the shoulder, Jagr has undertaken extra weight training and results are starting to show, but even if his hinge is healthy, No. 68 may still have a difficult time.
After scoring at will last season, Jagr is forced to face double teams every minute he is on the ice. He is clutched and grabbed so much, teammate Brendan Shanahan ripped the referees after the Rangers 2-1 loss to Toronto on Wednesday.
"I don't know what the deal is," said Shanahan, who has been complaining about the officiating all season. "Guys hit [Jagr] late; guys hit him high; guys hook his hands he doesn't complain; he just goes out and plays. The referees just seem to have a different set of rules about the way people get to play against him.
"The NBA didn't let people grab Jordan by the waist every time he went up for a jump shot, and Jags has to play through that all season. I have seen it and been amazed about it all year. It's not just tonight, it's every night.
"Not since [Slava] Fetisov came over from Russia have I seen a star player ignored like that, and I know why they were ignoring him. I don't know if it's because Jaromir has the puck all night and if they were to make the calls, they'd have to call five or six penalties a game that he draws."
Whether or not Shanahan's words help remains to be seen, but no matter what, it's up to Jagr to lead the Rangers down the home stretch.
"I think when you're the top guy and the captain, if you do well the team does well," he said. "And I understand it's a team game. But when the game is on the line, the individuals have to make the difference. And that's what I truly believe.
"If you want to be the special guy, you have to have those special moments. That's what I play for. That's what I live for."
