NHL
Flames’ Jarome Iginla Will Announce His Retirement Monday
After being on the free agent mark for nearly two years, Jarome Iginla will announce his retirement from the NHL on Monday in Calgary. There are not enough words to describe Iginla’s illustrious career with the Flames, Avalanche, Penguins, Bruins, and Kings.
Iginla’s legacy
Calgary
Iginla was selected 11th overall in the 1995 NHL draft by the Dallas Stars, a team he would never play for. He was traded to the Calgary Flames for forward Joe Nieuwendyk the same year. In his first NHL season, Iginla was red hot as he would notch 50 points in 82 games. However, the best was yet to come. In 1998, he set a new career-best with 51 points in 82. In 2003, Iginla was named the Flames’ captain, marking him as the first black captain in NHL history. Since then, Iginla took off with a career-high 98 points in 2008, multiple playoff appearances, and a Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2003. As a result, Jarome Iginla became arguably the face of the Calgary Flames and is a hard act to follow.
Pittsburgh
Unfortunately, Iginla’s 16 year-long career in Calgary would come to a close in 2013. On that season’s trade deadline, he was traded to Pittsburgh for a 2013 first round pick and two prospects. He would end up playing 16 games for the Penguins, notching 11 points in those games. He also appeared in 15 playoff games, scoring 12 points out of those games.
Boston
The following season, Iginla signed with the Boston Bruins for one year where he would regain his form. He would find the back of the net 30 times and would finish his time in Boston with 61 points. He would also play 12 playoff games for the B’s, notching seven points in that span.
Colorado
In 2014, he would sign on with the Colorado Avalanche. As the Av’s were an up and coming team, Iginla would be perfect in teaching new tricks to their young guns such as Nathan Mackinnon and Gabriel Landeskog. This may explain why they panned out and are big names in the NHL. Iginla would play 225 games with Colorado, scoring 124 points.
Los Angeles
Near the end of the 2016-17 season, Jarome Iginla would be traded to the Los Angeles Kings. However, he would only play 19 games in L.A. He would finish his time there with 19 points. Until Wednesday, he was a free agent.
First Ballot Hall of Famer?
Jarome Iginla is arguably one of the greatest players in the NHL and his awards and statistics show for it. In 2002, he won the Ted Lindsey award, Art Ross Trophy, and Maurice Richard trophy. Furthermore, He would win the NHL Foundation Player award and the Maurice Richard trophy again in 2004. In 2009, he would win the Mark Messier leadership award. Additionally, he was selected to five all-star games, all with Calgary. He also played in over 1,500 games, including 81 playoff games, scoring 675 career goals and finishing his career with a total of 1300 points. With his hardware and his stats, it would be the biggest snub in NHL history if he is not inducted in the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
Next Monday, I do not expect to see a dry eye in the Scotiabank Saddledome. Iginla finishes a career that hockey players of all ages could only dream of and look to replicate. Jarome Iginla will announce his retirement; showing that the league is changing dramatically while marking the end of an era.
