Jarome Iginla

Iginla played three years with the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League (WHL). As a 16-year-old in 1993–94, he recorded six goals and 29 points in 48 regular season games before playing an additional 19 in the playoffs.[13] The Blazers captured both the league title and the 1994 Memorial Cup, Canada's national junior championship.[14] In reference to the Blazers' dominance of the league at the time (they had won their third WHL title in five seasons), Iginla described the expectations of success as being similar to those placed on the Montreal Canadiens, the NHL's most successful franchise: "When you put on a Blazers jersey, it's like putting on the Canadians'. You've got to perform."[15]

Iginla scored 33 goals and 71 points in 1994–95, his first full WHL season.[13] The Blazers repeated as league champions, earning a trip to the 1995 Memorial Cup. Iginla scored five goals in the tournament to lead the Blazers to a second consecutive national championship. He received the George Parsons Trophy as the most sportsmanlike player of the tournament.[16]

The Dallas Stars selected Iginla with their first pick, 11th overall, in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft; however, on December 20, 1995, they traded him to the Calgary Flames, along with Corey Millen, for the rights to forward Joe Nieuwendyk, who was then in a contract dispute with the Flames.[17]

In his final season in Kamloops in 1995–96, Iginla finished fourth in league scoring with 136 points, including 63 goals in 63 games played, and was awarded the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy as the league's most outstanding player.[18] The Blazers were upset in the Western Conference Final by the Spokane Chiefs, but Iginla still finished fourth in playoff scoring, recording 29 points in 16 games.[19] His performance during the season earned him an invitation to play for Team Canada at the 1996 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Boston, where he led the tournament in scoring with 12 points and helped Canada to its fourth consecutive gold medal.[20]

Iginla made his NHL debut in the 1996 Stanley Cup playoffs, as he was signed to a contract and flown to Calgary immediately after his junior season ended in Kamloops. He appeared in two games for the Flames in their series against the Chicago Blackhawks. In doing so, he became the first 18-year-old to play for the Flames since Dan Quinn in 1983.[21] In his first NHL game, Iginla assisted on a Theoren Fleury goal to record his first point;[22] he scored his first goal in his second game.[23] He remained with the Flames, and played his first NHL season in 1996–97. He earned a spot on that year's NHL All-Rookie Team and finished as the runner-up to Bryan Berard in voting for the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year after leading all first-year players in scoring with 50 points.[24]

By his third season, 1998–99, Iginla led the Flames in goals with 28.[24] His success complicated negotiations for a new contract, as he and the Flames struggled to agree on a new deal following the season. Hoping to help resolve the contract impasse, Iginla agreed to attend training camp without a contract and purchased his own insurance as the team would not have been responsible financially if he suffered an injury. He remained without a contract at the start of the 1999–2000 season and missed the first three games as a holdout before signing a three-year deal worth US$4.9 million, plus bonuses.[24][25] He finished the year with career highs in goals (29) and points (63). He then topped both marks in 2000–01 by recording 31 goals and 71 points.[24]

After participating in Canada's Olympic summer camp before the season, Iginla again set new personal highs in 2001–02 when he registered 52 goals and 96 points. This season elevated Iginla to superstar status.[26] He earned the Art Ross and Maurice Richard trophies as the NHL's leading point and goal scorer, respectively.[24] He was also awarded the Lester B. Pearson Award as the league's most valuable player as voted by his peers, and was a nominee for both the Hart Memorial Trophy and the King Clancy Memorial Trophy. The Hart Trophy voting proved to be controversial: Iginla tied Canadiens goaltender José Théodore in voting points, but received fewer first place votes than Théodore.[27] However, one voter, rumoured to be from Quebec—Théodore and the Canadiens' home province—inexplicably left Iginla off his ballot. As a result of the controversy that followed, the Professional Hockey Writers Association changed the rules on how its members voted for the award to prevent a recurrence.[28]

There were fears Iginla would again hold out after his contract expired following the season.[29] They were unfounded, however, as he signed a two-year, $13 million deal before the season and was looked on to again lead the Flames offensively.[30] Iginla fell back to 67 points in 2002–03 as injuries, including a lingering finger dislocation following a fight, diminished his play.[31] His 35 goals were still enough to lead the Flames for the fourth time in five seasons.[24] Despite his offensive contributions, the Flames missed the playoffs.[32]

Iginla with the Flames during the 2003–04 season.

At the start of the 2003–04 season, Iginla was named the 18th captain in Flames franchise history, and 14th since the team moved to Calgary from Atlanta in 1980.[33] His predecessor as captain, Craig Conroy, cited Iginla's experience and leadership for his decision to relinquish the captaincy. "He was a leader on that team and old enough to where he'd been there a long time. It was time for him. He took us to the Stanley Cup Final that year so it worked out pretty well."[34] Iginla was reported to be the first black captain in NHL history,[35] though former Blackhawks captain Dirk Graham, who is of African descent, has also been said to hold that honour.[36]

Iginla responded to being named captain by capturing his second Rocket Richard Trophy, sharing the goal-scoring title with Ilya Kovalchuk and Rick Nash with 41 goals.[37] The Flames qualified for the 2004 Stanley Cup playoffs as the sixth seed, the team's first playoff appearance in eight years.[38] Iginla led all playoff scorers with 13 goals as he captained the Flames to their first Stanley Cup finals appearance in 15 years. The Flames were unable to defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning, however, falling to the Eastern Conference champions in seven games. A dejected Iginla sat in the Flames locker room after the final game and was met by his father, who told his son that "I'm proud of you. All of Canada is proud of you."[39]

While he was hailed as the best player in the world following his performance in the playoffs,[40][41] Iginla spent the 2004–05 NHL lock-out focused on improving his game further.[42] Following the lock-out, he was named as one of six player representatives on the newly created NHL competition committee, with a mandate to suggest recommendations for ways to improve the game. He held this position until early 2008.[43]

On December 7, 2006, Iginla reached career milestones when he scored his 300th career goal and 600th career point against the Minnesota Wild.[44] He was expected to play in the 2007 NHL All-Star Game in Dallas; however, he missed the game with a knee injury.[45] The injury kept him out of 12 games in 2006–07. He nevertheless scored 94 points, including a career-high 55 assists.[24]

The 2007–08 season saw Iginla post his second career 50 goal season, adding 48 assists for a career high 98 points,[24] good for third overall in the league.[47] He was voted to the starting line-up of the 2008 NHL All-Star Game along with teammate Dion Phaneuf,[48] and was named captain of the Western All-Star team.[49] He broke the Flames' franchise record for games played when he played his 804th career game on November 29, 2007, against the Anaheim Ducks. He also broke Theoren Fleury's franchise record for goals when he scored his 365th on March 10, 2008, against the St. Louis Blues.[24] Iginla was nominated as a Hart Trophy finalist for league most valuable player for the third time, though he again did not win the award.[50] During the season, he signed a five-year contract extension with the Flames at $7 million per season.[51]

Iginla is presented with a silver stick in honour of his 400th NHL goal, March 2009.

Iginla continued his pursuit of Fleury's franchise record of 830 points in 2008–09. He recorded his 800th point with a first period assist against the Chicago Blackhawks on December 19, 2008.[52] He ended 2008 with a career high five points in a New Year's Eve game against the Edmonton Oilers. He had 14 previous four point games.[53] In January, he was named to the 2009 NHL All-Star Game in Montreal, his fifth such selection.[54] Representing the Western Conference, Iginla scored his first career NHL All-Star Game goal in a 12–11 shootout loss.[55] He passed Fleury as the Flames' all-time scoring leader on March 1, 2009, by recording five points, including his 400th career goal, in an 8–6 loss to the Lightning.[56] He finished the season with 35 goals and 89 points, but a disappointing playoff performance led to questions of whether he had been playing with an injury. Iginla quickly denied the rumour, admitted that he had not played with the level of consistency he expected and stated that he would spend the summer focused on improving his play in 2009–10.[57]

The Flames struggled in 2009–10, failing to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2003.[58] Iginla accepted responsibility for the team's failure, admitting that finishing around 70 points for the season was "not enough".[59] The Flames' declining fortunes and Iginla's season led to increasing questions on whether he could be traded from the team with whom he has played his entire NHL career.[60] Iginla, who would have to approve any trade the team attempts to make due to a no-movement clause in his contract, expressed that he did not wish to leave Calgary, but would accommodate a trade if the Flames wished to do so.[61] Former Flames' general manager Craig Button argued against trading Iginla, blaming a lack of complementary players for both Iginla and Calgary's failures: "There's nothing easier in hockey than to be able to shut down one player. And the Calgary Flames, I would argue, have made it really easy for teams to shut down Jarome."[62] The Flames publicly stated that they had no plans to trade him.[63]

Iginla takes the ceremonial faceoff for the Flames during the 2011 Heritage Classic

Individually, Iginla reached 900 career points in a two-goal, two-assist effort against the Oilers on January 30, 2010.[64] Six nights later, he played his 1,000th career game against the Florida Panthers.[65] Iginla struggled offensively to begin the 2010–11 season, and with the Flames falling to the bottom of the standings, there was renewed speculation over his future in Calgary. Team management repeatedly reiterated that they were not interested in moving him to another team.[66][67] Improving his game as the season wore on, Iginla reached another personal milestone, recording his 500th career assist on January 11, 2011, the same day he was named to play in his sixth All-Star Game.[68] He announced several days later that he had declined to play in the All-Star Game as he wished to spend the time with his ailing grandmother.[69]

Iginla scored his 30th goal of the season on a penalty shot against the Nashville Predators on March 6, 2011, and in doing so became the 10th player in NHL history to score at least 30 goals in ten consecutive seasons.[70] A month later, he scored his 1,000th career point, notching the game-winning goal against the St. Louis Blues in a 3–2 win on April 1, 2011.[71]

Iginla scored his 500th goal on January 7, 2012, against Niklas Bäckström of the Minnesota Wild in a 3–1 victory. He was the 42nd player in league history to achieve the feat, and the 15th to do so with one organization.[72] Midway through the 2011–12 season, Iginla was named an All-Star for the seventh time in his career (the sixth played), representing the Flames at the 2012 All-Star Game.[73] Iginla scored his 30th goal of the 2011–12 season in a 3–2 win against goaltender Antti Niemi of the San Jose Sharks on March 13, 2012. He is the seventh player in league history to score 30 goals in 11 consecutive seasons.[74]

Iginla in 2014 with the Boston Bruins

Playing the final year of his contract in 2012–13 and with the team languishing near the bottom of the NHL standings, speculation about Iginla's future in Calgary was again raised as April 3, 2013, trade deadline neared.[75] National media outlets reported that Iginla, who had a clause in his contract preventing the Flames from moving him to another team without his permission, had given the organization a list of four teams he would be willing to accept a trade with: the Chicago Blackhawks, Los Angeles Kings, Boston Bruins or Pittsburgh Penguins.[76] Those four teams had won the last four championships and all four would go on to make the conference finals that season. The Bruins were considered the leading contender to acquire Iginla's services, and after he was held out of the line-up of Calgary's March 27, 2013, game against the Colorado Avalanche, it was reported that a trade between the two teams had been completed.[77] Instead, Iginla's 16-year career in Calgary ended when he was sent to the Penguins in exchange for Pittsburgh's first round selection at the 2013 NHL Entry Draft and college prospects Kenny Agostino and Ben Hanowski.[78] Iginla stated that playing with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin played a factor in his decision to move to the Penguins.[79] The Bruins and Penguins met in the 2013 Eastern Conference Finals. Despite having the top scoring offence in the league, the Penguins lost the series without winning a game. Iginla, along with Crosby, Malkin, James Neal and Kris Letang, registered a combined 0 points in the series. Iginla was moved to the third line after a 6–1 Game 2 loss. Bruins forward Milan Lucic said after the series that Iginla's spurning of Boston ignited the series sweep: "When a guy chooses another team over your team, it does light a little bit of a fire underneath you."[80]

As a free agent following the season, Iginla chose to go to Boston and signed a one-year, $6 million contract with the Bruins.[81] He required nine games before scoring his first goal as a Bruin, as part of a 2–1 win over the San Jose Sharks,[82] but later settled in on Boston's first line with Milan Lucic and David Krejčí.[83] He made his first return to Calgary on December 10, 2013, where the fans greeted him with a long standing ovation prior to the game as the Flames played a video tribute. Following the contest, a 2–1 Bruins victory, Iginla was named the game's third star and took two laps around the rink to more cheers from the crowd.[84] He recorded his 600th career assist in a 3–1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on February 4, 2014.[85]

Iginla played three seasons with the Avalanche.

Salary cap constraints prevented the Bruins from re-signing Iginla. Consequently, he left the team as a free agent and signed a three-year, $16 million contract with the Colorado Avalanche.[86] The Avalanche disappointed in 2014–15; by mid-February, they stood in last place in the Central Division, though Iginla himself was among the team's leading scorers.[87] He led the team with 29 goals, however the Avalanche failed to qualify for the playoffs.[88] On January 4, 2016, Iginla became the 19th player in NHL history to score 600 career goals. His milestone marker came in a 4–1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings.[89] On December 10, 2016, Iginla played in his 1,500th NHL game, a 10–1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. He is the 16th player to reach this milestone.[90]

On March 1, 2017, Iginla was traded to the Los Angeles Kings for a 2018 conditional fourth-round pick.[91] He chose to wear the number 88, as number 12 was already taken by Marián Gáborík.[92] As a 10-year-old, Iginla had purchased a Kings jersey and placed his name and the number 88 on the back after Wayne Gretzky was traded to the team.[92] Kings general manager Dean Lombardi hoped a fresh start for Iginla would ignite him after playing for a struggling team in Colorado.[92]

Iginla was not re-signed by the Kings for the 2017–18 season.[93] It was reported that he had hip surgery in the autumn of 2017, but that he hoped to make a return to the NHL when interviewed during a practice that he took part in with the Providence Bruins in February 2018.[94]

On July 30, 2018, Iginla announced his retirement.[95]

On June 24, 2020, Iginla was selected for the Hockey Hall of Fame, in his first year of eligibility.[4]