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Originally Posted by CroFlames
There is Iggy hate out there. He's lazy, he's country club, un-coachable, only cares about his own stats, too slow... It's there buddy.
But there's even hate from opposing fans which annoys me. That's like hating Toews. Who the hell hates Toews?!?
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One of the reason things like that were said was because towards the end of his tenure in Calgary, he was no longer the bull in the china shop power forward we all grew to love.
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When he first came into the league, the six-foot-one, 210-pound winger was a power forward who would hit, fight and race into corners looking for contact as much as he was the puck. But if he tried to play that way today, he would likely not make it to December.
“I’m probably not as physical,” said Iginla, who is 11th on the team with fewer hits than Matt Duchene. “But the game’s not as physical as it used to be. People say the game is faster, and I think it’s consistently fast but it’s not actually faster. The fast guys, like Paul Kariya, they were always fast. But now everyone on the fourth line and the sixth D-man can skate.
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The man had to change the way he played in order to get that longevity that only a handful of power forwards ever have. Imagine him trying to play like he did in his prime at this age. As the article said, he wouldn't make it to December. Yet many people here interpreted this as him not trying as hard. That he didn't care any more. That couldn't be furthur from the truth. Smart players adapt to age. Foolish ones keep trying to do what made them successful when they were younger. The fact that year after year he's a lock for 30 goals at his age....just unbelievable. And while he might not be the power forward of younger days, he still fights when called upon and will still kick ass doing so.
There is no one else that I want to see raise the cup more then Iggy. I'm pretty sure the entire hockey world feels the same. But it's looking less and less likely that as long as he plays for the Avs he will do so. I know he said he would turn down a trade in order to keep his family life stable, and I respect that. But I would be so happy to see him accept a trade in the last couple months of this contract and just take 1 last run.