The Hallowed Career of Jarome Iginla

Earlier this month, it was announced that Jarome Iginla would return to the team where he still serves as a household name: the Calgary Flames, but in a front office position, as the advisor to the general manager. I often beam when I hear the name Jarome Iginla, not just as a diehard hockey fan, but as a diehard Black hockey fan as well. The man affectionately known as "Iggy" set a huge bar overall for hockey, but for Black players and hockey fans, he would become the undisputed measuring stick.

Jarome Arthur-Leigh Adekunle Tig Junior Elvis Iginla was born on July 1, 1977, in Edmonton, and growing up, baseball was actually his favorite sport. While he was striving to become a two-sport star, hockey ended up being his calling, with Iginla idolizing several Black hockey players, with the legendary Grant Fuhr being among them. Iginla played goalie as part of his emulation of Fuhr, but later switched to playing a forward position (right wing, to be exact). His hockey career began in the Western Hockey League, leading the Kamloops Blazers to two Memorial Cup Championships in 1994 and 1995.

Speaking of 1995, that year's NHL Draft saw Iginla picked by the Dallas Stars, who had the 11th pick. However, on December 20, 1995, Iginla was famously traded to the Calgary Flames (along with Corey Millen) for Joe Nieuwendyk, who was on the 1989 Stanley Cup Championship team. It would have been the most talked about trade that year...if someone hadn't traded Patrick Roy exactly two weeks prior. I wonder what became of that team who got Roy. Anyway, Iginla's NHL debut with the Flames came during the 1996 Stanley Cup Playoffs, playing in two games in the first round series against the Chicago Blackhawks. He picked up his first NHL point when he assisted on Theo Fleury's goal in one game, and the second game saw Iginla score his first NHL goal. The Flames were swept by the Hawks.

The following season was officially Iginla's first in the league, scoring 21 goals and racking up 29 assists for 50 points, which led all rookies. In spite of this, Iginla was the runner-up in voting for the Calder Trophy. After finishing with 18 fewer points in his second full season, the scoring started to pick up in later years, which included a 2000-01 campaign that saw Iginla score 31 goals--his first of eleven straight 30+ goal seasons. This also included scoring a career high 52 goals in the 2001-02 season, which saw him finish with 96 points and win the Ross and Richard Trophies that year.

The 2003-04 season saw Iginla score 41 goals and rack up 32 assists for 73 points, as well as the Flames reach the playoffs for the first time since Iginla's debut in 1996. It was a memorable Cinderella run for the sixth-seeded Flames, as they defeated the Vancouer Canucks (seven games), the Detroit Red Wings (six games), and the San Jose Sharks (six games)--all division winners--to reach the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since winning the whole thing in 1989. The Flames fell one win short of the Stanley Cup, losing Game Seven to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Iginla's stats during that magical run: 13 goals, 9 assists, 22 points in 26 playoff games.

The Flames' 2004 run was the first of five straight playoff appearances for the team. During that stretch, Iginla would have his second and last 50-goal season of his career, scoring 50 even in the 2007-08 season. The Flames wouldn't go far in their next four postseasons, though he would score 25 combined points in 26 combined playoff games, nearly a point per game. The Flames would continue to struggle afterwards, though Iginla continued racking up the milestones (reaching 500 goals and 500 assists) and the points, even scoring 43 goals during the 2010-11 season.

Iginla's tenure with the Flames came to an end during the shortened 2012-13 season, as he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins, which was his team of choice due to a desire to play with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Iginla finished as the Flames' franchise leader in goals and games played, as well second in assists behind Al MacInnis. In just 13 games with the Penguins, Iginla had 11 points (5 G/6 A), but would be part of the Penguins' playoff run to the Eastern Conference Final, where they were shockingly swept by the Boston Bruins. Speaking of the Bruins, Iginla would join that team on the following year, which included playing in Calgary for the first time since the trade, and receiving a standing ovation, of course.

Iginla scored 30 goals one more time during the 2013-14 season with the Bruins, who won the Presidents' Trophy that season. The Bruins only reached Round 2, and regarding Iginla, he had 7 points (5 G/2 A) in 12 playoff games.

Iginla became a free agent after his lone season with the Bruins, and of all teams, he signed with the Colorado Avalanche. I couldn't believe it. As an Avalanche fan, I've seen this team get players who I never thought would wear our jersey, and in 2014, that list ended up including someone who I consider as the Black version of Wayne Gretzky. Iginla continued to tear it up with the Avs, scoring 29 goals during the 2014-15 season, and 22 in the following year, but neither season resulted in a playoff appearance, as the Avs struggled following that 2013-14 campaign. He would play 61 games for the Avs during their infamous 2016-17 season before he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings, where he would play his final 19 games of his career.

In 20 seasons in the NHL, Jarome Iginla scored 625 goals and racked up 675 assists for a grand total of an even 1300 points. Iginla's 625 goals tie him with the great Joe Sakic for 16th on the all-time list. It's so epic to see Jarome Iginla mentioned in the same breath as legends like Mario Lemieux, Joe Sakic, Mark Messier, and Steve Yzerman, among others. Also, that trade worked out for everyone involved, as Nieuwendyk would add a second Stanley Cup with Dallas in 1999. Jarome Iginla is one of the greatest players of all time, but more than that, he raised the bar that players like Willie O'Ree and Grant Fuhr set, and this Black hockey fan is immensely grateful.