Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post - Mr. Jarome Arthur-Leigh Adekunle Tig Junior Elvis Iginla: The Official Tribute Thread

drewtastic · 03-01-2019, 09:58 PM

Well, I don’t have any particular “Iggy story” to share, but I will say this:

I am about one year and two months younger than Iggy. I have played amateur sports my entire life. Because we are so close in age, when Iginla became a Flame, I eventually came to decide that I would continue to play on my teams as long as Iggy played (thinking, in my youth, that I would live forever)...despite the obvious significant disparity in our competitive levels, our general age compatibility made sense to me, and gave me a potential “out” at some point: at very least, I should stop when Iggy stops, because we are about the same age. (It’s a fantastical belief, but one I’ve carried with me nonetheless.)

Because this has been my mindset, the magnitude of tomorrow’s event is really resonating with me tonight. I’m still grinding it out with my teams (I’ve been playing with my Men’s League soccer team for over twenty years—the only remaining original member), yet my idol, my benchmark, my generational contemporary is actually finished.

As we age, we do not necessarily believe that we are “getting older”. (I would argue that mentally, we stop “aging” somewhere in our late 20s/early 30s...physically, we grow older, but mentally, we do not.) I guess that for me, Iggy’s retirement is not only the official end of an era, not only the official heralding of a Calgary sports icon, but also a time of reflection for myself. It makes it exceedingly personal. He has been a hero on multiple levels for me, even though we’re almost the same age (that’s kinda weird...right...?).

Anyways. I’ve made a couple of nerdy Iginla posts to Instagram in his honour, because I respect all that he’s meant to me, our city and our country. For me, he is the first player from MY generation to affect me so deeply. I suppose now that it’s MY turn to be the “nostalgic old man”. (And I’m okay with it.)

First, here’s some Iggy collectibles:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bl7bCqGA...=1xnhui5d6wue5

Second, here are some items I’ve collected over the years:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BufgxOPB...=13n9fhfys0hge

Thank you, Jarome, for the entire ride! (Where has the time gone?)

03-01-2019, 09:58 PM	#101
drewtastic First Line Centre Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: So Long, Bannatyne Exp:	Well, I don’t have any particular “Iggy story” to share, but I will say this: I am about one year and two months younger than Iggy. I have played amateur sports my entire life. Because we are so close in age, when Iginla became a Flame, I eventually came to decide that I would continue to play on my teams as long as Iggy played (thinking, in my youth, that I would live forever)...despite the obvious significant disparity in our competitive levels, our general age compatibility made sense to me, and gave me a potential “out” at some point: at very least, I should stop when Iggy stops, because we are about the same age. (It’s a fantastical belief, but one I’ve carried with me nonetheless.) Because this has been my mindset, the magnitude of tomorrow’s event is really resonating with me tonight. I’m still grinding it out with my teams (I’ve been playing with my Men’s League soccer team for over twenty years—the only remaining original member), yet my idol, my benchmark, my generational contemporary is actually finished. As we age, we do not necessarily believe that we are “getting older”. (I would argue that mentally, we stop “aging” somewhere in our late 20s/early 30s...physically, we grow older, but mentally, we do not.) I guess that for me, Iggy’s retirement is not only the official end of an era, not only the official heralding of a Calgary sports icon, but also a time of reflection for myself. It makes it exceedingly personal. He has been a hero on multiple levels for me, even though we’re almost the same age (that’s kinda weird...right...?). Anyways. I’ve made a couple of nerdy Iginla posts to Instagram in his honour, because I respect all that he’s meant to me, our city and our country. For me, he is the first player from MY generation to affect me so deeply. I suppose now that it’s MY turn to be the “nostalgic old man”. (And I’m okay with it.) First, here’s some Iggy collectibles: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bl7bCqGA...=1xnhui5d6wue5 Second, here are some items I’ve collected over the years: https://www.instagram.com/p/BufgxOPB...=13n9fhfys0hge Thank you, Jarome, for the entire ride! (Where has the time gone?)