Jarome Iginla

**Jarome Iginla** (born Jarome Arthur-Leigh Adekunle Tig Junior Elvis Iginla on July 1, 1977 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in 1,500 games in the NHL for the Calgary Flames, Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche and the Los Angeles Kings.

## Playing Career

### Early Playing Career

Jarome grew up admiring other black hockey players, including Edmonton Oilers goaltender Grant Fuhr. Emulating Fuhr, Iginla played goaltender in his first two years of organized hockey before switching to the right wing.

He played his entire minor hockey career in St. Albert, leading the Alberta Midget Hockey League in scoring as a 15-year-old with 87 points for the St. Albert Midget Raiders in 1992–93.

### Junior

Jarome 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. The Blazers captured both the league title and the 1994 Memorial Cup, Canada's national junior championship.

In reference to the Blazers' dominance of the league at the time (they had won their third WHL title in five seasons), he 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 Canadiens'. You've got to perform."

Jarome scored 33 goals and 71 points in 1994–95, his first full WHL season. The Blazers repeated as league champions, earning a trip to the 1995 Memorial Cup. He 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.

The Dallas Stars selected him 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.

In his final season in Kamloops in 1995–96, Jarome 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. The Blazers were upset in the Western Conference Final by the Spokane Chiefs, but he still finished fourth in playoff scoring, recording 29 points in 16 games.

Jarome's 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.

### Professional

#### Calgary Flames

Jarome 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.

In his first NHL game, he assisted on a Theoren Fleury goal to record his first point; he scored his first goal in his second game. He remained with the Flames, and played his first NHL season in 1996–97.

Jarome 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.

By his third season, Jarome led the Flames in goals with 28. 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, he 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.

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.

After participating in Canada's Olympic summer camp before the season, Jarome again set new personal highs in 2001–02 when he registered 52 goals and 96 points. This season elevated him to superstar status He earned the Art Ross and Maurice Richard trophies as the NHL's leading point and goal scorer, respectively.

Jarome 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: Jarome tied Canadiens goaltender José Théodore in voting points, but received fewer first place votes than Théodore; 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.

There were fears that Jarome would again hold out after his contract expired following the season. 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. He fell back to 67 points in 2002–03 as injuries, including a lingering finger dislocation following a fight, diminished his play. His 35 goals were still enough to lead the Flames for the fourth time in five seasons.[21] Despite his offensive contributions, the Flames missed the playoffs.

At the start of the 2003–04 season, Jarome was named the 18th captain in Flames franchise history, and 14th since the team moved to Calgary from Atlanta in 1980. He was reported to be the first black captain in NHL history although former Blackhawks captain Dirk Graham (who is of African descent) has also been said to hold that honour.

Jarome 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. The Flames qualified for the 2004 Stanley Cup playoffs as the sixth seed, the team's first playoff appearance in eight years. He 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, they were eliminated in the Eastern Conference champions in seven games. A dejected Jarome 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." While he was hailed as the best player in the world following his performance in the playoffs, he spent the 2004–05 NHL lock-out focused on improving his game further.

Following the lock-out, Jarome 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.[40]

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

The 2007–08 season saw Jarome post his second career 50 goal season, adding 48 assists for a career high 98 points (which was good for third overall in the league). He was voted to the starting line-up of the 2008 NHL All-Star Game along with teammate Dion Phaneuf and was named captain of the Western All-Star Team.

Jarome 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.

He was nominated as a Hart Trophy finalist for league most valuable player for the third time, though he again did not win the award. During the season, he signed a five-year contract extension with the Flames at $7 million per season.

Jarome 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. 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.

In January, he was named to the 2009 NHL All-Star Game in Montreal, his fifth such selection. Representing the Western Conference, Jarome scored his first career NHL All-Star Game goal in a 12–11 shootout loss.

Jarome 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.

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. He 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.

#### Pittsburgh Penguins

Playing the final year of his contract in 2012–13 and with the team languishing near the bottom of the NHL standings, speculation about Jarome's future in Calgary was again raised as April 3, 2013, trade deadline neared.

National media outlets reported that Jarome (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.

The Bruins were considered the leading contender to acquire his 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.

Instead, Jarome'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. He stated that playing with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin played a factor in his decision to move to the Penguins.

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. Jarome (along with Crosby, Malkin, James Neal and Kris Letang) registered a combined 0 points in the series.

Jarome was moved to the third line after a 6–1 Game 2 loss. Bruins forward Milan Lucic said after the series that his 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."

#### Boston Bruins

As a free agent following the season, Jarome chose to go to Boston and signed a one-year, $6 million contract with the Bruins. He required nine games before scoring his first goal as a Bruin as part of a 2–1 win over the San Jose Sharks, but later settled in on Boston's first line with Milan Lucic and David Krejčí.

Jarome 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, he was named the game's third star and took two laps around the rink to more cheers from the crowd. He recorded his 600th career assist in a 3–1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on February 4, 2014.

#### Colorado Avalanche

Salary cap constraints prevented the Bruins from re-signing Jarome and he left the team as a free agent, signing a three-year, $16 million contract with the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche disappointed in 2014–15; by mid-February, they stood in last place in the Central Division, though Jarome himself was among the team's leading scorers. He led the team with 29 goals; however, the Avalanche failed to qualify for the playoffs.

On January 4, 2016, Jarome 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. On December 10, 2016, he played in his 1,500th NHL game, a 10–1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. He is the 16th player to reach this milestone.

#### Los Angeles Kings

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

However, Jarome was not re-signed by the Kings for the 2017–18 season. 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.

On July 30, 2018, Jarome announced his retirement. On June 24, 2020, he was selected for the Hockey Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

## International Play

Jarome first represented Canada at the 1994 Nations Cup, an unsanctioned tournament for players under the age of 18. He led Canada in scoring with five goals and nine points as it won the gold medal.

Two years later, he joined the national junior team at the 1996 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. He led the tournament in scoring with five goals and 12 points as Canada won its fourth consecutive gold medal. He was named an all-star and the tournament's top forward.

One year later, Jarome played in his first tournament with the senior team, competing at the 1997 World Championships as a 19-year-old, the youngest player on the team. He recorded two goals and three assists in 11 games as Canada won the gold medal.

A late invitation to join Team Canada's summer camp in preparation for the 2002 Winter Olympics helped Iginla emerge as a star player. Jarome was so surprised by the invitation he initially thought one of his Calgary Flames teammates was playing a prank on him. He scored two goals in the gold medal game, a 5–2 victory over the United States, as Canada won its first Olympic gold medal in 50 years.

With this win, he became the first black man to win a gold medal at the Winter Olympics. He also represented Canada at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey as an alternate captain, playing on a line with Joe Sakic and Mario Lemieux. Canada won the gold medal.

Jarome participated in his second Olympics and was an alternate captain at the 2006 Turin games, recording three points in six games. The Canadians were unable to defend their 2002 gold medal, losing to Russia in the quarter-finals.

Named an alternate captain once again for the 2010 team in Vancouver, he opened the tournament with a hat trick against Norway. He finished as the tournament leader with five goals, and assisted on Sidney Crosby's overtime winning goal in the gold medal final against the United States.

## Accolades

International
 World Junior Best Forward | 1996

Junior
 CHL First All-Star team | 1996

Team awards
 J. R. McCaig Award(CGY – Respect, courtesy and compassion) | 2008

### Milestones

Jarome reached 900 career points in a two-goal, two-assist effort against the Oilers on January 30, 2010. Six nights later, he played his 1,000th career game against the Florida Panthers. He struggled offensively to begin the 2010–11 season and with the Calgary 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.

Improving his game as the season wore on, Jarome 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. 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.

On March 6, 2011, he scored his 30th goal of the season on a penalty shot against the Nashville Predators; in doing so, he became the 10th player in NHL history to score at least 30 goals in ten consecutive seasons. 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.

Jarome 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.

Midway through the 2011–12 season, he was named an All-Star for the seventh time in his career (the sixth played), representing the Flames at the 2012 All-Star Game.

Jarome 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.

## Playing Style

In his prime, Jarome was considered to be one of the NHL's most prominent power forwards. Upon entering the league, he tried to emulate players like Brendan Shanahan and Keith Tkachuk, hoping to match their combination of finesse and physicality. He is one of the most consistent scorers in the league; between 1998 and 2008, only Jaromír Jágr scored more NHL goals than him.

Even so, scouting reports have argued that his lack of speed makes it easier for opponents to isolate him and restrict his ability to move if his teammates rely on him too much to lead the offence.

The abuse he faced at the hands of opponents early in his NHL career prompted Jarome's coaches to work at developing his physical play. While he was not enthusiastic about fighting, He accepted then head coach Brian Sutter's arguments that he needed to adopt a more aggressive style to improve as a player. He is most effective when he has room to manoeuvre, and to create that space, he had to intimidate his opponents.

Jarome has recorded several Gordie Howe hat tricks (a fight, a goal and an assist in the same game) and as it is not an official statistic, The Hockey News estimated that as of 2012, he was the active leader with nine. His fights (including one with Tampa Bay Lightning star Vincent Lecavalier in the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals) have had a motivating effect on his play and that of his teammates. He has suffered injuries as a result of his fighting, including a broken hand from a 2003 fight with Bill Guerin of the Dallas Stars.

Jarome's physical style of play also leads to a greater risk of persistent injuries and penalties. His truculent style of play has gained approval from hockey commentator Don Cherry. In 2008 during a ceremonial handshake initiated by Iginla to Trevor Linden in his last game. Linden told him that he was the best player in the game at that time.

Jarome commands the respect of his peers, and has been known to stand up to the coaching staff to defend a fellow player. Former teammate Andrew Ference (a former Bruins player himself before his arrival on the Boston team's roster) once described following him as like "following a friend."

Preferring to lead by example, he is not regarded as a vocal captain. He likes to speak with players individually, and tries to ensure that all of his teammates are comfortable. He was named the recipient of the Mark Messier Leadership Award in 2009.

## Personal Life

Jarome was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and raised in the adjoining city of St. Albert. His father, a lawyer, was originally from Nigeria and changed his first name from Adekunle to Elvis when he arrived in Canada.

Jarome's surname means "Big tree" in Yoruba, his father's native language. His mother, Susan Schuchard is originally from Oregon, and has worked as a massage therapist and music teacher. He grew up with his mother and grandparents after his parents divorced when he was a year old.

In addition to hockey, Jarome played baseball as a young man and was the catcher on the Canadian national junior team. He credits his grandfather for his hockey career, as with his mother working and father attending law school, he would not have had the opportunity to play sports at a high level if not for his grandfather's support.

Jaome married his high school sweetheart, Kara and they have three children: daughter Jade and sons Tij & Joe. They had been dating since they were in grade eight. He has two brothers, Jason and Stephen, and two sisters, Theresa and Elizabeth. Theresa played for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies women's hockey team for three seasons from 2004 to 2007. Jarome is an avid golfer and a regular participant in the Calgary Flames Celebrity Charity Golf Classic.

He is a Christian and has spoken about his faith in Jesus by saying, “I believe He died for us, and I believe He’s there for us and we can lean on Him. And I do.”

Jarome is well known for his kind-hearted nature. Former Flames General manager Craig Button described him as being grounded: "He doesn't carry himself with any attitude or arrogance. He's confident in his abilities. He's self-assured. He's genuine. He's a better person than he is a player, and we all know what kind of player he is."

In 2002, while in Salt Lake City for the Winter Olympic Games, Jarome struck up a conversation with four Calgarians sitting next to his table, and found out they were sleeping in their car outside of the hotel. He excused himself from the conversation and booked them accommodations at his own expense at the hotel his family was staying in.

Since 2002, he has operated the Jarome Iginla Hockey School in Calgary as a non-profit organization, donating proceeds to the Diabetes Research Association.

In 2004, Jarome was awarded the NHL Foundation Player Award for his community service and the King Clancy Memorial Trophy in recognition of his humanitarian contributions. He supports many charities. In 2000, he began donating $1,000 per goal he scored to KidSport, a figure he doubled to $2,000 in 2005. Between 2000 and 2013, he donated more than $700,000 from this initiative.

Jarome is a part owner of the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League, for whom he played during his junior hockey days. He purchased a minority share in the franchise (along with fellow NHL players Shane Doan, Mark Recchi and Darryl Sydor) in October 2007.

He is also an ambassador with the NHL Diversity program, which supports youth hockey organizations that offer economically disadvantaged kids the opportunity to play.

Since 2008, he has been a hockey spokesperson for Scotiabank, appearing in commercials and at events supporting its grassroots hockey programs as well as for Samsung Canada. He was the cover athlete and spokesperson for the EA Sports video game, "NHL 2003."

Since retiring, Jarome has resided in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts and Kelowna, British Columbia.