The Starting Five

(sharkspages.com)

Calgary Flames superstar right winger Jarome Arthur-Leigh Adekunle Tig Junior Elvis Iginla is the shining light in a sport that has literally known no Darkness. To many Blacks in the United States the sport of hockey falls in the same category as NASCAR or any sport that we have yet to dominate. Iginla is hockey’s first true dominant Black player since Edmonton Oilers goalie Grant Fuhr.

And at his current pace he isn’t done spreading his story or dominance throughout the NHL.

This is for you Michelle!

Jarome, Iggy or Iggy Pop as he’s known throughout the NHL isn’t the pioneer that Willie O’Ree became 40 years ago – intergrating a lily-white sport that would not see another Black player until Mike Mardsen in 1974. Nor is he wasn’t the brick wall backstop on 4 Stanley Cup Champion teams as Grant Fuhr was with the Edmonton Oilers.

What Iginla may well become is the pied piper for a generation of players looking to break into hockey, not just to fortify the checking lines or the enforcer to the teams star player but to become legitimate stars in today’s NHL. The National Hockey League has been looking for decades for a remedy that can close the gap between them and the three major sports in the U.S. Iginla is hockey’s first Black offensive star and is marketed as one of the faces of the league.

This isn’t a token gesture; Iggy is as legitimate a star as there is in his sport.

Born in St. Albert, Alberta, Iginla’s first love was baseball, which was introduced to him by his grandfather who would take him to games in Edmonton. An excellent athlete, Iggy in many of the youth leagues was a pitcher, catcher and from most accounts an excellent shortstop. But in a country where baseball isn’t even on the radar he would don the skates at the age of six. Again his grandfather would lead him into another endeavor, this time it being an indoor floor hockey program – by age 8, he was in an organized league.

Iggy’s introduction to organied hockey paralleled with the success of the Edmonton Oilers, who were in the midst of their run of four Stanley Cups. The Oilers were comprised of The Great One Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Paul Coffey, and in my opinion the underrated one of the bunch Jari Kurri. But the man who stood on his head nightly was goalie Grant Fuhr who just happened to be Black and that drew Iginla to him. Iginla was so enamored with Fuhr’s style of play that he played goalie in his first two years of organized hockey.

Iggy’s introduction to the sport wasn’t an easy one – in fact many in the family felt he was better suited for music than the frozen pond, Jarome’s mother and grandmother both were singers, Jarome sang and also played the recorder and piano. While others had been skating around the time they began walking Iggy labored when it came to handling the ice so goalie didn’t seem like a bad idea.

In 1987, Jarome discovered his ability to put the puck in the net…alot, he would make the switch to forward in the Midget league and lead all Midget players in Alberta in scoring. Solidifying his desire to pursue a career in pro hockey.

At 16, Jarome entered junior hockey (Kamloops Blazers of the WHL) which is the equivalent of minor league baseball here in the States. Iggy spent his first season adjusting to the speed size and skill of the players in the league. In the (’93-’94) campaign Jarome scored only 6 goals and 17 assists. But by seasons end he had stepped up his game and was a major part of the Blazers Memorial Cup run – only the second in their history.

The next season Iginla would grow into his body and would use it to his advantage, he was a physical player but always played a clean game. His instincts for the game had grown; he always seemed to be around the puck, he played in the corners and around the crease which increased his chances of scoring. He would tally 33 goals and 38 assists in his second season and lead the Blazers to their second consecutive Cup, also while winning the George Parsons Trophy as the game’s Most Sportsmanlike Player.

Iggy’s transformation into a scorer opened the eyes of many NHL scouts, although there was still room for growth in his game, he was selected by the Dallas Stars as the 11th overall pick.

Life in Dallas would be short lived, in December of that year he was traded to the Calgary Flames with Corey Millen for 4-time All-Star and 50 goal scorer Joe Nieuwendyk. Jarome learned of the trade while in Boston for the Junior World Championships. He would return to Kamloops and amass 63 goals in 63 games to go with 73 assists. He later added 29 points in 16 games during the Memorial Cup competition, but the Blazers fell short of a third consecutive Cup.

In his first full season in 1997, Iginla would endure a season that included a coaching change and the team’s star player Theo Fleury struggling. Through it all Iggy would be named to the All-Rookie team after notching 21 goals and 29 assists. He was bright spot in an otherwise dismal season. For the next 4 seasons his season point total (goals and assists) would read: 32,51,63,71,

Jarome’s breakthrough season would be in the 2001-02 campaign where he scored 52 goals and added 44 assists, this was significant because he would become the first player of African descent to win the goal and point scoring titles. He won the Lester B. Pearson Award as the NHL’s best player (voted by the players) and the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, he was also a finalist for the Hart Trophy (League MVP). Iggy’s season was capped off with a gold medal victory for Team Canada in the Olympics.

(CNN.net)

Iggy’s whirlwind season catapaulted him to star status in Canada and has made him a hot commodity in the NHL.

Jarome’s place as one of the NHL’s bright young stars did not come without its struggles – the Calgary Flames were one of the league’s worst franchises, missing the playoffs for the past seven seasons. The team’s inability to get to the next level did not sit well with upper management. There was even talk of Iginla being moved to the N.Y. Rangers prior to the 2003-04 season. As the 2003-04 campaign kicked off not much was expected from the Flames as they played to their expectations coming out of the gate 9-12. Iginla struggled as well scoring one goal in his first 21 games. In December the team would gather themselves finishing with a 10-3-2 mark. The team would go through peaks and valleys throughout the season but would make the playoffs as a #6 seed.

Iginla would rebound from his slow start to finish tied for first for the NHL lead in goals scored (41), as well as earning support as an MVP candidate.

In their first round matchup with the Northwest Division Champion Vancouver Canucks, Iggy was shut down for the first six games of the series by a physical Canucks squad. But in a deciding Game 7 on the road, Iginla would score two goals in regulation and an assist in OT in the Flames first round upset. The Central Division Champion Detroit Red Wings were waiting in the second round for the upstart Flames who were not swayed by the firepower of Detroit. The game plan was simple: keep Iginla in check, but as all great players do, they find a way to become a factor. In Games 6 & 7 Iginla would hook up with Craig Conroy and Martin Gelinas (2nd OT) to steal another series on the road.

In the Western Conference Finals, the Flames would face the San Jose Sharks who posted 104 points during the regular season. The two teams split the season series 2-2. In an ironic twist former Sharks goalie Mikka Kiprusof was now the netminder for Calgary after a trade earlier in the season. Iggy would go into this series as determined as ever scoring four goal and an assist as the Flames closed out the Sharks in six games, prompting teammate Craig Conroy to declare, “Jarome Iginla is the best players in the NHL in my mind. Now the whole world will get to see us play.” The Flames earned the right to face the Tampa Bay Lightning for Lord Stanley’s Cup.

(nationalpost.com)

The Tampa Bay Lightning were a resilient team that had endured a 7-game war with the Philadelphia Flyers, they were led by right winger Martin St. Louis, left winger Ruslan Fedotenko and center Vincent Lecavalier, in goal was the oft-maligned Nikolai Khabibulin.

Calgary would hold series leads of 2-1 and 3-2 but could not hold off the Lightning who seemed to be step ahead of the Flames, led by St, Louis who would go on to win the Hart and Pearson Trophies at season’s end.

All was not lost for Iginla who scored 13 goals and handed out 9 assists during the Flames playoff run. He was a +13(times on the ice that a goal is scored a minus when the opposition scores) in the second season. His stellar play would earn him the Richard and King Clancy trophies.

Iginla is the youngest player of African descent to win the NHL scoring title, he has moved beyond the stigma that Black players in the NHL are more than just muckers and grinders or a goon on the checking line looking to nail someone. His ability to score and assist has given young players of color hope that there is room for them on the top line once they arrive in the NHL.

Since the 2003-04 season, Iggy has scored 67, 94, and 98 points respectively, but there is so much more to his game than goals and assists. Iginla is one of the hardest workers in the game but many experts felt that he had the drive to improve his defensive presence. At 6’1″ 204 lbs. it’s not hard to miss Iggy on the ice, but in order to become a complete player he has to make his presence felt in the corners and in the crease area, which may sometimes lead to a misunderstanding…

Iginla speaks:

On becoming one of the NHL’s best:

“I would say that my goal is to try to become a better player, more consistent.”

On being the only Black kid playing hockey:

“Growing up, I was always the only Black kid on my team and (sometimes) I’d get questions from my friends when I say, ‘I want to be in the NHL’ and they’d say ‘Well, there are no Black people or not very many in the NHL’ and as a kid you wonder why. But overall, I didn’t really face any racial difficulties. Nothing too bad or too lasting.”

On being a role model to aspiring Black players:

“I think it’d be great to be a role model to kids. If a young Black player can look at me and say. ‘He did it, so I can too.’ I think that ‘s fantastic, but I hope any young player can do the same.”

On playing in the NHL:

“I kind of have to pinch myself. Alot of dreams are coming true.”

On being the best player in the NHL one day:

“I want to be the top player in the league, and I want to bring my game to another level. I want to play against the oppostion’s best players — and I want to beat them.”

On his visualization of the game:

“When I came up, it seemed like things on the ice were happening so fast. I used to rush my shot. Now I’m realizing that there’s a split second more to do things. I’m getting clear of the defensemen and not getting my shot blocked. I’m getting in closer to the net and getting off a quality shot.”

Quotes courtesy of JockBio.com

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 14th, 2008 at 3:53 pm and is filed under 1987 Edmonton Oilers, 2004 Stanley Cup Playoffs, blog roll, Blogroll, Calgary Flames, Craig Conroy, Edmonton Oilers, Grant Fuhr, Iggy, Iggy Pop, Jari Kurri, Jarome Iginla, Kamloops Blazers, Martin St. Louis, Mike Marden, Mikka Kiprusof, Nikolai Khabibulin, Paul Coffey, Ruslan Fedotenko, Tampa Bay Lighting, Vincent Lecavalier, Wayne Gretzky, Willie O'Ree. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.