The Hall of Fame winger took the ice Saturday with other St. Louis Blues of old to participate in an alumni game against former Chicago Blackhawks players.
While he enjoyed many aspects of the experience, his staking may need some work.
"Well, I mean, it's fun and you think you're doing okay. You're out and you're skating with the guys and you feel good, and then you get out there and it was just - every stride was agony," he told reporters after the game.
"So just the fun part is being in the locker room and chit chatting and having fun. And we get older, the body's changed, but the tongue gets razor sharp. And you have even better lines now than when you played. So it's a lot of fun."
Luckily for the 52-year-old, he was able to count on some considerable talent to hide any skating deficiencies.
Gretzky, Hull, Oates, MacInnis, Pronger and Brodeur on the ice right now. Is this real life?
Alves even helped paint his own mask, with a hat tip to his colleagues.
The mask Jorge Alves will wear tonight features his fellow equipment managers. Erik Huffine drew caricatures. Jorge painted it himself. pic.twitter.com/PHympx1LhC
Eichel reportedly exploded in the locker room after his team dropped its second game in a row at the hands of the Boston Bruins, pounding his equipment, screaming, and storming out without speaking to the media, according to Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News.
It's the kind of passion head coach Dan Bylsma appears to want to see on the ice.
Bylsma on Eichel's anger: "I think every one of us should be. ... We should all find that desperation, that urgency, that anger." #Sabres
While alumni games are generally good-natured fun, Red Wings forward Kris Draper and Maple Leafs winger Gary Roberts nearly dropped the gloves late in the third period, following a heavy hit in the corner and some crafty stick work between the two sportsmen.
The Red Wings won the game 4-3, with Draper scoring the game winner, beating Maple Leafs netminder Curtis Joseph.
Draper spent 17 seasons with the Red Wings, leading up to his retirement in 2011. That stretch included four Stanley Cup wins with the Winged Wheel.
Roberts was with the Maple Leafs for four seasons, spanning from 2000 to 2004. The rugged winger brought his best in the playoffs, as he finished the 2002 postseason with 19 points in 19 games.
The Carolina Hurricanes have signed their equipment manager to a professional tryout.
Jorge Alves, 37, will serve as Cam Ward's backup goalie during Saturday's game against the Tampa Bay Lightning due to an illness that has befallen Eddie Lack.
He regularly practices with the team and brings some measure of experience to the table.
Alves indeed had a few short stints in the ECHL and SPHL prior to entering the world of equipment management, but stands to get a taste of NHL action should Ward fall prey to injury.
Detroit Red Wings legends beat their Toronto Maple Leafs counterparts in the Centennial Classic Alumni Game on Saturday afternoon, though the final score is already immaterial.
Supremacy is a moot point in this sort of exhibition. It's really nothing more than a reunion - a chance to celebrate team, and brotherhood, and to feel those feelings one more time.
But old timers remain intrinsically proud and competitive. And for that, the entire process, from selection to beer-in-hand completion, is an emotional one. Just ask Kris Draper and Gary Roberts.
Here is that spectrum, in their words:
Pride
Lanny McDonald: It is such an honor. Not just the 100th anniversary of the league, but the 100th anniversary of the Maple Leafs. To be able to come back and be a part of this, how they have it set up with the alumni sitting in between the current players. It is so cool. What a class move by Brendan Shanahan and Mike Babcock. Three different generations all hanging out, loving the fact they wore the Maple Leaf.
Bryan McCabe: Pure excitement. It is a complete honor to be included in this group of players, and to participate in this special weekend - especially here in Toronto, where I played seven years. It's a real special time.
Dave Andreychuk: I was honored. There are so many good players here, and there's obviously a lot of guys to pick from. I didn't spend a lot of time in Toronto, when you think about it. It was only three and a half years of my career. But three special ones, that's for sure.
Sudden angst
Steve Thomas: Don't expect very much from me. That's all I have to say right now - seriously.
Darren McCarty: The worst part is playing.
Good nature
Darcy Tucker: We'll have some fun in the first couple periods, then we'll see how it goes.
Chris Chelios: I wanted to cheer for the Leafs. We won the last game, so I was hoping they would pull it off.
Instinctual competitiveness
McCarty: Not shocking. You almost expect it. Guys are volatile. Just because you're retired doesn't mean you don't have the same jam. You just don't have the ability.
Chelios: It started slow, then at the end it comes out. Most players have that.
McCarty: We're no different than buddies getting together on Thanksgiving to throw the football around in the backyard. When you're playing something, and it (starts) getting a little out of hand, and it gets a little more intense and down the wire. Boom.
Perspective
Chelios: This is the best part of the whole alumni weekend, getting together with guys that you haven't seen in 20-25 years. (The game) gives you a little feeling from back when you were playing, and now the fun part is having beers with the guys and reminiscing about the old times.
McCarty: It's just cool - cool to be around the guys.
Tie Domi appears to have been taking shooting lessons from his son.
The former Toronto Maple Leafs pugilist took part in Saturday's alumni game versus the Detroit Red Wings as part of the Centennial Classic celebration.
The tough customer's hands were on display, but not from throwing fists - rather, while firing a puck past Red Wings netminder Manny Legace.
Tie's son, Max Domi, a forward with the Arizona Coyotes, was quick to applaud his father's newfound offensive touch:
Never going to hear the end of that one. Nice shot though pops. #SkillGuy
Domi begin his career with the Maple Leafs in 1989, playing until 2006. His career also included a five-year run with the New York Rangers and time spent with the original Winnipeg Jets franchise. He finished his career with 1,020 games played and 104 goals.
Wendel Clark and Darcy Tucker also scored for the Maple Leafs on Saturday, while Nicklas Lidstrom, Igor Larinov, and Brendan Shanahan replied for the Red Wings.
Forward Kris Draper then sealed the 4-3 Red Wings victory, beating Curtis Joseph with a slap shot late in the third.
