Quote:
Originally Posted by Rerun
Points wise... yes. Leadership.. no. He was a good leader, just not a great leader. A great leader would have put his own ego aside and played whatever way the coach wanted him to.
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I see this stated a lot, and I'm just not sure I agree that its true that Iggy became a me first player, focused on points and openly ignorant of the defensive side of the game or his coaches wishes. He probably was as declining as an all around player, I will say that, but I think thats more a function of aging.
Let's face it, the primary duration of play we're talking about is the Brent Sutter era. Who in my mind, was the worst coach in Flames history. I just think that was a dysfunctional team all around, I don't think Brent had any of the players buying into what he was selling, none of them enjoyed it, and the results speak for themselves. Most of the good players under his "system" suffered greatly, had some of their worst years in the league.
The guy took a perennial playoff team, told them they weren't able to score on the rush, tried to fit square pegs in round holes, and the team floundered under a brutal suffocating culture of misery.
And yet...Iggy STILL produced, STILL led the way, and STILL maintained class throughout the entire ordeal.
That's leadership.