BIOGRAPHY

Jarome Arthur-Leigh Adekunle Tig Junior Elvis Iginla[1][2] (born July 1, 1977, in Edmonton, Alberta), is a Canadian professional ice hockey player and team captain of the Calgary Flames. Iginla was selected 11th overall by the Dallas Stars in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft, but was later traded to Calgary and has played his entire professional career with the Flames. A five-time NHL All-Star, he is the Flames all-time leader in goals scored and games played. Named the Flames captain at the start of the 2003–04 season, Iginla became the first black captain in NHL history. He has represented Canada internationally on numerous occasions, helping to lead Team Canada to its first gold medal in 50 years at the 2002 Winter Olympics.

As a junior, Iginla was a member of two Memorial Cup winning teams as Canadian major-junior champions with the Kamloops Blazers, and was named the Western Hockey League’s Player of the Year in 1996. He led the NHL in goals and points in 2001–02, and won the Lester B. Pearson Award as the league’s Most Valuable Player as voted by the players. In 2003–04, Iginla led the league in goals for the second time as he captained the Flames to the Stanley Cup Finals, leading the league in playoff scoring. Iginla scored 50 goals in a season for the second time in his career in 2007–08. Known for his polite and generous nature, Iginla participates in numerous community events, and donates $2,000 to charity for each goal he scores.

Iginla played three years with the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The Blazers captured the league title as well as the 1994 Memorial Cup, Canada’s national junior championship. Iginla scored 33 goals and 71 points in 1994–95, his first full WHL season. The Blazers repeated as league champions, where Iginla scored five goals in the tournament to lead the Blazers to a second consecutive national championship. He was named the recipient of the George Parsons Trophy as the most sportsmanlike player of the tournament.

The Dallas Stars took Iginla with their first round selection, 11th overall, in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft. However, on December 20, 1995, he was traded to the Calgary Flames.

Iginla 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 played his first full NHL season in 1996–97, where he earned a spot on the NHL All-Rookie Team, and runner-up for the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year.

Iginla set new personal highs in 2001-02 when he registered 52 goals and 96 points. He earned the Art Ross and Maurice Richard trophies as the NHL’s leading point and goal scorer, respectively. He was also awarded the Lester B. Pearson Award as the league’s most valuable player as voted by his peers. Iginla was a member of Team Canada’s Olympic gold medal–winning hockey team in 2002.

In the 2003–04 season, Iginla was named the 18th captain in franchise history, and 14th for the team in Calgary. Iginla responded by capturing his second Rocket Richard Trophy sharing the goal-scoring title with Ilya Kovalchuk and Rick Nash with 41 goals.

On December 7, 2006, Iginla reached a milestone mark in his career where he scored his 300th career goal and 600th career point against the Minnesota Wild.

The 2007–08 season saw Iginla post his second career 50-goal season, adding 48 assists for a career high 98 points, good for third overall in the league. He was voted to the starting line-up of the 2008 NHL All-Star Game and captain of the Western All-Star Team. During the season, he signed a five-year contract extension with the Flames;

He recorded his 800th point with a first period assist against the Chicago Blackhawks on December 19, 2008. In January, he was named to the 2009 NHL All-Star Game in Montreal, the fifth such selection of his career. Representing the Western Conference, Iginla scored his first career NHL All-Star Game goal in a 12–11 shootout loss.