Player who made NHL debut in 1990 still lacing skates

Jaromir Jagr in action for Calgary Flames. Photo / Getty

You might remember 1990 as the year National won the general election with Jim Bolger starting the first of his seven years as Prime Minister.

Maybe you remember it as the year Queen Elizabeth II visited, or even for Auckland hosting the Commonwealth Games where the nation finished fourth.

But it's likely you won't remember 1990 as the year Jaromir Jagr debuted in North America's National Hockey League.

And it's just as likely you did not know that last Wednesday, October 11, the 45-year-old Czech national took to the ice in what would be his 24th season in the ice hockey league.

Jagr first debuted on October 5, 1990, for the Pittsburgh Penguins after being picked fifth in the 1990 NHL draft. He went on to win the Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 1990-91 and 1991-92 seasons.

From the 1714 games Jagr has played, he boasts 765 goals, 1150 assists and 1159 penalty minutes, additionally, 52 per cent of players on the ice this season were not born when Jagr made his debut.

Playing for the Calgary Flames - his ninth NHL team - the six-foot-three, 230 pound, right winger will turn 46 in February, midway through the 2017-18 season.

Jagr also had stints in the Czech Republic and Russia hockey leagues over his 27-year career, but he's not the only 'old' athlete still kicking on.

Here are some other notables:

Kazuyoshi Miura, 50, entered his 32nd season this year playing for the second-division J-League club Yokohama FC. In March, he became the oldest professional footballer to score a competitive goal. The centre-forward has also played 89 games for Japan and scored 55 goals.

It's not uncommon for great kickers and quarterbacks to have long NFL seasons, and Adam Vinatieri, 44, is no different. Playing since 1996, Vinatieri remains one of the best kickers in the league. Running out for the Indianapolis Colts this season, he has four Super Bowl rings, kicking the winning points in three of the four championships.

Kelly Slater, 44, is one of, if not the best surfer ever. Slater won the first of his 11 world surfing titles in 1992, the same year 2016 champion John John Florence was born. A consistent performer, he won five straight titles from 1994-1998 and then back-to-back titles twice in 2005-2006 and 2010-2011. Slater has spent much of the season on the sideline this year after he broke his foot.

The upcoming 2017-18 NBA season will be 40-year-old Vince Carter's 20th. The six-foot-six shooting guard became a league favorite as he entertained crowds with his spectacular dunking ability, quickly earning him the nickname "Vinsanity". Picked fifth in the first round of the 1998 NBA draft, Carter has been named an All Star eight times but has never won a championship.

The Black Ferns captain since 2012, Fiao'o Fa'amausili is one of the most inspirational women in New Zealand sport. Juggling her job as a police officer, 37-year-old Fa'amausili first debuted in 2002, became the first woman to play 50 games for the Black Ferns, and lead the team to victory in this years Women's Rugby World Cup, afterwhich she retired.