Yes, the nicest cat in today’s NHL is a brotha!!! wit a helluva name

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) and currently captain of the Calgary Flames.

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-sister, Theresa who is a standout forward for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies. 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 this season 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. 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 both the Hart 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.

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 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 and took down 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. 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. Iginla played in the 2006 Winter Olympics, where he was one of Team Canada’s alternate captains. 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 named to the 2007 NHL All Star team in Dallas along with teammates Dion Phaneuf and Miikka Kiprusoff, however his knee injury kept him out of the game. In 2008 he was voted to the starting line-up of the 2008 NHL All Star game, along with Dion Phaneuf.He was named the captain of Western All Star Team.

Iginla is known as an elite power forward, an uncommon trait in today’s NHL stars. 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 also plays often with a mean streak, and is a proven leader, having helped lead Calgary within one win of a Stanley Cup victory in 2004.

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