Jarome Iginla, one of the first black captains in the National Hockey League, made it official yesterday in Calgary, Alberta.
His retirement ceremony, attended by friends, family and former teammates, took place at the Scotiabank Saddledome, where he played for the Calgary Flames from 1996-2013.
“I’m going to miss all of you and all of this”
“I remember starting hockey at age 7 and going to my first tryout and dreaming about how great it would be, and it’s been even better. These 20 years in the NHL, it’s been better. I’m excited for retirement and to be with my family, but I’m going to miss all of you and all of this” he said at the press conference in yesterday.
“So many great memories.” The 41-year-old forwrard told the crowd.
Jarome Iginla is leaving after 20 seasons and 1554 games, A revered player he had 625 goals and 675 assists.
The two Olympic Golds with Team Canada were highlights in a great career, one of them for the overtime victory in the game against the United States.
On home ice in Vancouver, Jarome Ignila shared some of his memories of that experience, as well as his early start, with the help of his grandfather:
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Former Calgary Flames captain Jarome Iginla, centre, laughs as his wife Kara, left, applauds during his retirement ceremony from the NHL, after playing 20 seasons, at a news conference in Calgary on Monday, July 30, 2018. (CP/Jeff McIntosh)
He was a champion early, winning as a junior in two Memorial Cup finals while playing for the Kamloops team.
His former teammate, Martin Gelinas, who played with Iginla from 2002-04, told Aaron Vickers, an NHL correspondent, what the man was like off the ice.
“He’s a caring, smiling, charismatic person,” What we saw on the ice is that player, that force, that guy who could score goals. For me, what made Jarome a complete, complete package is what he did off the ice. What he did on the ice, we all saw it. We were all lucky enough to play with him and cherish those memories.
“But what he did off the ice was exceptional. Jarome had a gift of doing so with a simple autograph or shaking hands or going to a school and spending time with charities, calling someone out of the blue and making their day. That’s what makes him the classiest, I think, person I’ve played with, on and off the ice.”
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