Colorado Avalanche: Jarome Iginla Named to Hall of Fame

Former Colorado Avalanche veteran Jarome Iginla got named to the Hockey Hall of Fame today, joining an impressive list of former Avs to earn that honor.

Former Colorado Avalanche right wing Jarome Iginla was named to the Hockey Hall of Fame today, to the surprise of no one. Iginla is one of five players who got the HHOF call today.

Iginla played 20 seasons in the NHL. Just three of those seasons were with the Avalanche, but he recorded some important milestones in the burgundy and blue. Those included his 1,500th NHL game and his 600th NHL goal.

In all, Iginla played 1,554 games and scored 625 goals, also earning 675 assists for 1,300 points. In his time as an Avalanche, he played 225 games. He scored 59 goals and earned 65 assists for 124 points.

Iginla spent the majority of his career with the Calgary Flames, who drafted him. He will always be a Flame. It’s a pity he couldn’t retire as a Flame, but we’re lucky we got him for the time that we did. Iginla serves as captain in Calgary and was an alternate captain in Colorado.

Some highlights:

Indeed, Iginla has always been well-respected in the NHL. For all that time he was an Avalanche rival, I certainly couldn’t say we ever bore him any ill will.

Jarome Iginla is just the fourth Black player to be inducted into the NHL, after  Grant Fuhr, women’s hockey pioneer Angela James and the great Willie O’Ree. Here’s what Iginla said of that honor:

“Growing up, I loved playing hockey. I didn’t view myself as a Black hockey player, but I was also aware that I was. My mom was just reminding me today of a picture I took with Grant Fuhr when I was 10 and he was in his early 20s. It’s pretty neat to think that he got to the Hall of Fame, and I got there with him. If there are other minorities, other Black kids growing up seeing that it’s possible, it’ll be special to other kids like it was to me.”

Jarome Iginla was also renowned for the great care he took of his body, which explains why he was able to last from 1996 to 2017 in a rough NHL. He was a great leader on our team.

Iginla also played for the Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins, and briefly for the LA Kings. He retired from the Kings as the Colorado Avalanche traded him to give him one last chance at a Stanley Cup. Alas, it was an honor that eluded him.

It was one of the few honors that eluded Iginla. He represented Canada in three Olympics and won two fold metals. He was a First Team All Star three times, wn the Rocket Richard Trophy twice, the Art Ross Trophy once, the Lester B Pearson Trophy once, and the King Clancy Memorial Triohy once. Oh, and the Mark Messier Leadership Award as well as the NHL Foundation Player Award.

In other words, Iginla was a great player, a great leader, and a great human being.

A fellow Hall of Famer:

Today’s Hockey Hall of Fame class included Marian Hossa, Kevin Lowe, Kim St. Pierre, and Doug Wilson. Retired scout Ken Holland also got the nod.

The Colorado Avalanche have three main retired players in the Hockey Hall of Fame — Joe Sakic, Patrick Roy, and Peter Forsberg. HHOFers Ray Bourque, Jari Kurri, Rob Blake and Teemu Selanne all spent a brief time with the Avalanche. And now they can add another — Jarome Iginla.