Jarome Arthur-Leigh Adekunle Tig Junior Elvis Iginla (born July 1, 1977 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) is a professional ice hockey player in the National Hockey League (NHL).
Playing career
Born to a white Canadian mother and a Nigerian father, his surname Iginla means "Big Tree" in Yorùbá, his father's language. His parents split up when Jarome was a baby, and he was raised by his mother and grandparents in the Edmonton suburb of St. Albert. The youngster's first love was baseball (he was the catcher on the Canadian National Junior team), but also starred for St. Albert in the AAHA 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 3 seasons in the Western Hockey League and won two Memorial Cups with the Kamloops Blazers. He was 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. Iginla's best season was 2001-02 when he had 96 points and 52 goals, 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 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.
Iginla was named captain of the Calgary Flames in October 2003, 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). In the 2003-04 NHL season, he scored 41 goals, sharing the goal-scoring title with Ilya Kovalchuk and Rick Nash. On May 20, 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.
Since becoming an NHL all-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. 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. Iginla played in the 2006 Winter Olympics, where he was one of Team Canada's alternate captains.
Iginla has been married since August 6, 2003 to his high school sweetheart, Kara Kirkland. They live in Calgary, Alberta.
Awards
- George Parsons Trophy (Memorial Cup Most Sportsmanlike Player) - 1995
- WHL West First All-Star Team - 1996
- Four Broncos Memorial Trophy (WHL Most Valuable Player) - 1996
- NHL All-Rookie Team - 1997
- Canadian Major Junior First All-Star Team - 1996
- Named to NHL All-Rookie Team - 1997
- Played in 3 NHL All-Star Games - 2002, 2003, 2004
- Maurice 'Rocket' Richard Trophy - 2002, 2004
- Art Ross Trophy - 2002
- Lester B. Pearson Award - 2002
- King Clancy Memorial Trophy - 2004
Career statistics
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1993-94 | Kamloops | WHL | 48 | 6 | 23 | 29 | 33 | 19 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 10 | ||
| 1994-95 | Kamloops | WHL | 72 | 33 | 38 | 71 | 111 | 21 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 34 | ||
| 1995-96 | Kamloops | WHL | 72 | 33 | 38 | 71 | 111 | 21 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 34 | ||
| 1995-96 | Calgary | NHL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1996-97 | Calgary | NHL | 82 | 21 | 29 | 50 | 37 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1997-98 | Calgary | NHL | 70 | 13 | 19 | 22 | 29 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1998-99 | Calgary | NHL | 82 | 28 | 23 | 51 | 58 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1999-00 | Calgary | NHL | 77 | 29 | 34 | 63 | 26 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2000-01 | Calgary | NHL | 77 | 31 | 40 | 71 | 62 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2001-02 | Calgary | NHL | 82 | 52 | 44 | 96 | 77 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2002-03 | Calgary | NHL | 75 | 35 | 32 | 67 | 49 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2003-04 | Calgary | NHL | 81 | 41 | 32 | 73 | 84 | 26 | 13 | 9 | 22 | 45 | ||
| 2005-06 | Calgary | NHL | 40 | 17 | 16 | 33 | 40 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| NHL Totals | 666 | 266 | 269 | 535 | 462 | 28 | 14 | 10 | 24 | 45 | ||||
International play
| Olympic medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's Ice Hockey | ||
 |
2002 Salt Lake City | Ice Hockey |
Played for Canada in:
- 1996 World Junior Championships (gold medal)
- 1997 World Championships (gold medal)
- 2002 Winter Olympics (gold medal)
- 2004 World Cup of Hockey (gold medal)
- 2006 Winter Olympics (failed to medal)
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 | |||