Jarome Iginla

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

In junior, Iginla was a member of two Memorial Cup winning teams with the Kamloops Blazers and was named the Western Hockey League (WHL) Player of the Year in 1996. He was selected 11th overall by the Dallas Stars in the 1995 NHL entry draft but was traded to Calgary before making his NHL debut. Nicknamed 'Iggy', he led the NHL in goals and points in 2001–02, and won the Lester B. Pearson Award as its most outstanding player as voted by the players. In 2003–04, Iginla led the league in goals for the second time and captained the Flames to the Stanley Cup Finals, leading the playoffs in goals. A six-time NHL All-Star, Iginla is the Flames' all-time leader in goals, points, and games played, and is second in assists to Al MacInnis. Iginla scored 50 goals in a season on two occasions and is one of seven players in NHL history to score 30 goals in 11 consecutive seasons. He is one of 20 players in NHL history to score over 600 goals and is one of 34 players to record 1,300 points in his career. He is a past winner of the Mark Messier Leadership Award and has been recognized by both the Flames and the league for his community work; while a member of the Flames, Iginla donated $2,000 to the children's charity Kidsport for every goal he scored. His number 12 was retired by the Flames in 2019. Internationally, Iginla has represented Canada on numerous occasions. He was a member of championship teams at the 1996 World Junior and 1997 World Championships as well as the 2004 World Cup of Hockey. He is a three-time Olympian and two-time gold medal winner, including at the 2002 Winter Olympics where he helped lead Canada to its first Olympic hockey championship in 50 years. Iginla was selected for the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2020.

In Their Own Story

The air inside the arena is thick with anticipation, the roar of the crowd vibrating through the ice. In the third period, down by one goal, Jarome Iginla takes a faceoff in the offensive zone. He wins it cleanly, snapping the puck back to his winger before crashing the net with terrifying speed. A scramble ensues, bodies colliding against the boards, but Iginla finds the loose puck near the crease. With a flick of his wrist and pure instinct, he tucks it past the goalie. The arena erupts as #12 raises his stick, the embodiment of Calgary's fighting spirit.

Reader's Guide

Iginla was born in Edmonton, Alberta, 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. His surname means 'big tree' in Yoruba, his father's native language. Iginla's mother, Susan Schuchard, is originally from Oregon, and has worked as a massage therapist and music teacher. Iginla was raised by his single mother, with support from his grandparents, after his parents divorced when he was two years old. In addition to hockey, Iginla played baseball as a young man and was the catcher on the Canadian national junior team. Before hockey, baseball was Iginla's favourite sport and his earliest sports memories were of attending amateur baseball tournaments in Western Canada. He played baseball until he was about 17 years old and later in life told Sports Illustrated that he had hoped to become a two-sport professional athlete like Bo Jackson. Iginla 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. Iginla 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.

Did You Know?

• Iginla led the NHL in goals and points in 2001–02, winning both the Art Ross and Maurice Richard trophies.
• He is the Flames' all-time leader in goals, points, and games played, and is second in assists to Al MacInnis.
• Iginla is one of seven players in NHL history to score 30 goals in 11 consecutive seasons.