[FanIn80]

With our next pick in the All-Time Hockey Draft, The Flying Elbows are proud to select...

In the #1 RW position, from Spruce Grove, Alberta...

Jarome Iginla!

"I think it was a very classy thing to do. I think Jarome is one of the most classy players in the league, not only that, he’s probably the best player in the league. When you have a captain like that, it was certainly a very classy move on their part, no doubt." - Trevor Linden

Jarome Arthur-Leigh Adekunle Tig Junior Elvis Iginla (born July 1, 1977, in Edmonton, Alberta), is a Canadian professional ice hockey player and team captain of the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL). A first round draft pick of the Dallas Stars at the 1995 NHL Entry Draft, Iginla was later traded to Calgary and has played his entire professional career with the Flames. He is the Flames all-time leader in goals scored and games played, and has played in four NHL All-Star games. Named the Flames captain at the start of the 2003–04 season, Iginla became the first black captain in NHL history. Iginla 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. Iginla 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.

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 appeared in two games for the Flames in their series against the Chicago Blackhawks. In doing so, he became the first 18-year-old to play for the Flames since Dan Quinn in 1983. He recorded his first NHL point in his first game by assisting on a Theoren Fleury goal, then scored his first NHL goal in his second game. Iginla remained with the Flames, and played his first NHL season in 1996–97, where he earned a spot on the NHL All-Rookie Team, and finished as the runner-up in voting for the Calder Memorial Trophy as rookie of the year while leading all first-year players in scoring with 50 points.

At the start of the 2003–04 season, Iginla was named the 18th captain in franchise history, and 14th for the team in Calgary. He was reported to be the first black captain in NHL history, though former Blackhawks captain Dirk Graham is also claimed to hold that honour. "Hey, he was a leader on that team and old enough to where he'd been there a long time. It was time for him. He took us to the Stanley Cup Final that year so it worked out pretty well," said former captain Craig Conroy of his decision to relinquish the "C" to Iginla.

Iginla responded by capturing his second Rocket Richard Trophy sharing the goal-scoring title with Ilya Kovalchuk and Rick Nash with 41 goals. The Flames also qualified for the 2004 Stanley Cup Playoffs as the sixth seed, the team's first playoff appearance in eight years. Iginla led all playoff scorers with 13 goals as he captained the Flames to their first Stanley Cup finals appearance in 15 years. The Flames were unable to defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning, however, falling to the Eastern Conference champions in seven games. A dejected Iginla sat in the Flames locker room after the final game and was met by his father, who told his son that "I'm proud of you. All of Canada is proud of you."

Although he was hailed as the best player in the world by many analysts, including former NHL coach Barry Melrose, Iginla spent his time during the 2004–05 NHL lockout focussing on his conditioning to improve his game further. Following the lockout, he joined a newly created NHL competition committee as one of six player representatives with a mandate of coming up with recommendations for ways to improve the game. He held this position until early 2008.

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. He was expected to play in the 2007 NHL All-Star Game in Dallas, however a knee injury kept him from playing. Iginla missed 12 games as a result of his injury in 2006–07, playing a career low 70 games. He nevertheless scored 94 points, including a career-high 55 assists.

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 along with teammate Dion Phaneuf, and was named captain of the Western All-Star Team. He broke the Flames' franchise record for games played when he suited up for his 804th career game on November 29, 2008 against the Anaheim Ducks. He also broke Theoren Fleury's franchise record for goals when he scored his 365th on March 10, 2008 against the St. Louis Blues. Iginla was named a Hart Trophy finalist for the third time, but again failed to win the award. During the season, he signed a five-year contract extension with the Flames; his $7-million per season wage considered to be less than he would have received had he tested free agency.

Awards

George Parsons Trophy (1995)
WJC-A All-Star Team (1996)
Named Best Forward at WJC-A (1996)
WHL West First All-Star Team (1996)
WHL Player of the Year (1996)
Canadian Major Junior First All-Star Team (1996)
NHL All-Rookie Team (1997)
NHL First All-Star Team (2002, 2008)
NHL Second All-Star Team (2004)
Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy (2002, 2004)
Art Ross Trophy (2002)
Lester B. Pearson Award (2002)
King Clancy Memorial Trophy (2004)
Played in NHL All-Star Game (2002, 2003, 2004, 2008)