Jarome Iginla
| Jarome Iginla | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| File:Jarome-Iginla.jpg | |||
| Born |
July 1, 1977 St. Albert, Alberta | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||
| Weight | 204 lb (93 kg; 14 st 8 lb) | ||
| Position | Right Wing | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| NHL team | Calgary Flames | ||
| NHL draft |
11th overall, 1995 Dallas Stars | ||
| Playing career | 1996–present | ||
Jarome Arthur-Leigh Adekunle Tig Junior Elvis Iginla [1] (born July 1, 1977 in St. Albert, Alberta) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League. A first round draft pick of the Dallas Stars in 1995, Iginla was later traded to Calgary, and has played his entire professional career with the Flames. He is the Flames all-time leader in goals scored and games played. Iginla was named the Flames captain at the start of the 2003–04 season, the first black captain in NHL history.[2]
As a junior, Iginla was a member of two Memorial Cup winning teams as Canadian major-junior champions, and was named the Western Hockey League's Player of the Year in 1996. Iginla has led the NHL in goals twice, and has scored 50 goals in a season twice. In 2002, Iginla helped Team Canada win its first gold medal at the Winter Olympics in 50 years. Iginla also won the Lester B. Pearson Award as the league's Most Valuable Player as voted by the players, and finished second in voting for the Hart Memorial Trophy. In 2004, Iginla led the Flames to the Stanley Cup Finals, leading the league in playoff scoring.
Early life
His surname Iginla means "Big tree" in Yorùbá, his father's native language. His parents separated when he was a baby, and he was raised by his mother and grandparents in the Edmonton suburb of St. Albert. Jarome has a half-brother, Tyler, and a half-sister, Theresa, who was a standout forward for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies before being asked to leave the team due to off-ice issues during the 2007-2008 season.[3]. The youngster's first love was baseball (he was the catcher on the Canadian National Junior team), but also starred in the St. Albert Minor Hockey Association before graduating to juniors. He played goaltender in his first two years of organized hockey, then switched to the right wing, and developed a knack for scoring. Iginla played his entire minor hockey career in St. Albert, which included stints with the Bantam AAA Sabres and the Midget AAA Raiders. It was during the 1992-93 season with the Raiders that Iginla, then an under-age midget player, scored 87 points to lead the Alberta Midget AAA Hockey league (AMHL) in scoring. Following the 1992-93 season with the Raiders, Iginla joined the Kamloops Blazers as a 16 year old.
Iginla played 3 seasons in the Western Hockey League and won two Memorial Cups with the Kamloops Blazers.
NHL Career
Iginla was first picked in the first round (11th overall) by the Dallas Stars in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft, then traded with Corey Millen to the Flames for Joe Nieuwendyk. Arguably Iginla's best season was 2001-02 when he had 52 goals and 96 points (he went on to better this total in 2007 - 08 with 50 goals and 98 points), becoming the first player of African descent in history to win the regular season goal and point scoring titles. He also won the Lester B. Pearson Award as the league's best player as voted by his peers, and was a nominee for both the Hart Memorial Trophy (narrowly beaten by then-Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jose Theodore) and the King Clancy Memorial Trophy. Iginla was also a key member of Canada's Olympic gold medal-winning hockey team in 2002. This season elevated him to superstar status and he became a fan favourite. Jarome is widely regarded as one of the best players in the league today.
At the start of the 2003-04 season, Iginla was named captain of the Calgary Flames, making him the second player of African descent to be named captain of an NHL team (Dirk Graham of the Chicago Blackhawks was the first). That season, he scored 41 goals, sharing the goal-scoring title with Ilya Kovalchuk and Rick Nash, picking up the second Rocket Richard Trophy of his career. On May 19, 2004, Iginla scored his 10th playoff goal to help the Flames advance to their first Stanley Cup Finals in 15 years. He recorded a Gordie Howe hat trick (a goal, an assist, and a fight) in Game 3 of the Finals when he fought Vincent Lecavalier. However, the Flames eventually lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games.
In 2006, Iginla played for Team Canada as an alternate captain in the Winter Olympics. However, Canada suffered an early exit in the quarter-finals to Russia.
On December 7, 2006 Iginla made a milestone mark in his career where he scored his 300th career goal and 600th career point. He would have been chosen to play in the 2007 NHL All-Star Game in Dallas along with teammates Dion Phaneuf and Miikka Kiprusoff, however his knee injury kept him from playing. The following season, he was voted to the starting line-up of the 2008 NHL All-Star Game, along with Dion Phaneuf, and was named captain of the Western All-Star Team. On March 1, 2008, he scored two goals against the Phoenix Coyotes to tie Theoren Fleury's franchise goal-scoring record. He later scored a goal on March 10 in a game against the St. Louis Blues to become the Flames' all-time leading goal scorer. On March 23, 2008 Iginla scored his 7th career hat trick as the Flames beat the Minnesota Wild 5-4.
On April 29, 2008, Iginla was announced as a finalist for the Hart Memorial Trophy along with Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin[4].
Iginla is known as an elite power forward. He possesses a fine set of hands with an impressive skill set, and has also proven skillful in setting up his linemates for chances. He has garnered in the past a reputation of someone who may require a playmaking center to truly dominate, but he has established himself as the Flames' undeniable leader. He can use power or finesse to work his way around defenders and has one of the league's most powerful wrist shots. He is not afraid to compete in high-traffic areas. He often plays with a mean streak and is a proven leader, having helped lead Calgary within one win of a Stanley Cup victory in 2004.
Off the ice
Since becoming a proven NHL star, Iginla has entered into several endorsement contracts with various companies [1]. One of his most prominent corporate relationships is with the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. Iginla also supports many charities, including Cure for Cancer and KidSport. In 2004 he was awarded the NHL Foundation Award for Community Service as well as the King Clancy Memorial Trophy in recognition of his humanitarian contributions. He also helps out children who are less fortunate by providing them with toys and clothes.
Iginla and his wife Kara have two children, Jade and Tij.
Awards
Major Junior
| Award | Year |
|---|---|
| Memorial Cup Championship team | 1994, 1995 |
| George Parsons Trophy (Memorial Cup Most Sportsmanlike Player) | 1995 |
| WHL West First All-Star Team | 1996 |
| Four Broncos Memorial Trophy (WHL Player of the Year) | 1996 |
| CHL First All-Star Team | 1996 |
NHL
| Award | Year |
|---|---|
| NHL All-Rookie Team | 1997 |
| First team All-Star | 2002 |
| Played in NHL All-Star Game | 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008 |
| Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy | 2002, 2004 |
| Art Ross Trophy | 2002 |
| Lester B. Pearson Award | 2002 |
| ESPY Best NHL Player | 2002, 2004 |
| Second team All-Star | 2004 |
| King Clancy Memorial Trophy | 2004 |
International
| Award | Year |
|---|---|
| World Junior All-Star team | 1996 |
| Best Forward (World Juniors) | 1996 |
Career statistics
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1991-92 | St. Albert Raiders | AMHL | 36 | 26 | 30 | 56 | 22 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1992-93 | St. Albert Raiders | AMHL | 36 | 34 | 53 | 87 | 20 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1993-94 | Kamloops Blazers | WHL | 48 | 6 | 23 | 29 | 33 | 19 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 10 | ||
| 1994-95 | Kamloops Blazers | WHL | 72 | 33 | 38 | 71 | 112 | 21 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 34 | ||
| 1995-96 | Kamloops Blazers | WHL | 63 | 63 | 73 | 137 | 120 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 29 | 44 | ||
| 1995-96 | Calgary Flames | NHL | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1996-97 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 82 | 21 | 29 | 50 | 37 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1997-98 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 70 | 13 | 19 | 32 | 29 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1998-99 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 82 | 28 | 23 | 51 | 58 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1999-00 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 77 | 29 | 34 | 63 | 26 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2000-01 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 77 | 31 | 40 | 71 | 62 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2001-02 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 82 | 52 | 44 | 96 | 77 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2002-03 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 75 | 35 | 32 | 67 | 49 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2003-04 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 81 | 41 | 32 | 73 | 84 | 26 | 13 | 9 | 22 | 45 | ||
| 2005-06 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 82 | 35 | 32 | 67 | 86 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 11 | ||
| 2006-07 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 70 | 39 | 55 | 94 | 40 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 12 | ||
| 2007-08 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 82 | 50 | 48 | 98 | 83 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 2 | ||
| WHL Totals | 183 | 102 | 134 | 236 | 264 | 56 | 26 | 30 | 56 | 88 | ||||
| NHL Totals | 860 | 374 | 388 | 762 | 631 | 48 | 25 | 20 | 45 | 70 | ||||
International statistics
| Year | Team | Comp | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Canada | WJC | 6 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 4 | |
| 1997 | Canada | WC | 11 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | |
| 2002 | Canada | Oly | 6 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2004 | Canada | WCH | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | |
| 2006 | Canada | Oly | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| Senior Int'l Totals | 29 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 8 | |||
All Star Games
| Year | Location | G | A | P | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Los Angeles | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2003 | Sunrise | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 2004 | St. Paul | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2008 | Atlanta | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| All-Star Totals | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
International play
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  Canada
| ||
| Men's Ice Hockey | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
 |
2002 Salt Lake City | Ice Hockey |
| World Championship | ||
|
1997 Finland | Ice Hockey |
| World Cup | ||
|
2004 World Cup of Hockey | Ice Hockey |
| World Junior Championship | ||
|
1996 USA | Ice Hockey |
Played for Canada in:
- 1996 World Junior Championship (gold medal)
- 1997 World Championship (gold medal)
- 2002 Winter Olympics (gold medal)
- 2004 World Cup of Hockey (gold medal)
- 2006 Winter Olympics
See also
References
- ^ LaPointe, Joe (2002-06-18). "Iginla's dream season heads into overtime". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-10-20.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Iginla becomes first african american captain in NHL history". ESPN. 2003-10-08. Retrieved 2008-04-17.
- ^ http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/news/sports/story.html?id=1dc83fdd-c6ed-49d8-9ba2-ecae97cd718b
- ^ "Iginla, Malkin, Ovechkin named Hart Trophy finalists". NHL.com. 2008-04-29. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)
External links
- 1977 births
- Ice hockey personnel from Alberta
- Art Ross Trophy winners
- Black Canadian sportspeople
- Calgary Flames players
- Canadian ice hockey right wingers
- Dallas Stars draft picks
- Ice hockey players at the 2006 Winter Olympics
- King Clancy Memorial Trophy winners
- Kamloops Blazers alumni
- Lester Pearson Award winners
- Living people
- Memorial Cup winners
- National Hockey League All-Stars
- National Hockey League players with 50 goal seasons
- National Hockey League first round draft picks
- People from Edmonton
- Rocket Richard Trophy winners
- Olympic ice hockey players of Canada
- Canadians of Nigerian descent
- Yoruba people
- Winter Olympics medalists