#61 - Jarome Iginla

Jarome Iginla (Murillo Pyramid Rank = #61)

Adjusted Stats

1996-1997   Cgy          82 GP   22 goals   31 assists   53 points     0.65 PPG
1997-1998   Cgy          70 GP   15 goals   22 assists   37 points     0.53 PPG
1998-1999   Cgy          82 GP   33 goals   27 assists   60 points     0.73 PPG
1999-2000   Cgy          77 GP   32 goals   38 assists   71 points     0.92 PPG
2000-2001   Cgy          77 GP   35 goals   45 assists   79 points     1.03 PPG
2001-2002   Cgy          82 GP   61 goals   52 assists   113 points   1.38 PPG
2002-2003   Cgy          75 GP   41 goals   37 assists   78 points     1.04 PPG
2003-2004   Cgy          81 GP   49 goals   38 assists   87 points     1.07 PPG
2005-2006   Cgy          82 GP   36 goals   33 assists   68 points     0.83 PPG
2006-2007   Cgy          70 GP   42 goals   59 assists   100 points   1.43 PPG
2007-2008   Cgy          82 GP   57 goals   54 assists   111 points   1.35 PPG
2008-2009   Cgy          82 GP   38 goals   58 assists   96 points     1.17 PPG
2009-2010   Cgy          82 GP   35 goals   41 assists   76 points     0.92 PPG
2010-2011   Cgy          82 GP   48 goals   48 assists   97 points     1.18 PPG

Adjusted Playoff Stats

1995-1996   Cgy          2 GP     1 goal       1 assist      2 points       0.96 PPG
2003-2004   Cgy          26 GP   17 goals   11 assists   28 points     1.08 PPG
2005-2006   Cgy          7 GP     5 goals     3 assists     8 points       1.14 PPG
2006-2007   Cgy          6 GP     2 goals     2 assists     5 points       0.76 PPG
2007-2008   Cgy          7 GP     4 goals     5 assists     9 points       1.35 PPG
2008-2009   Cgy          6 GP     3 goals     1 assist      4 points       0.68 PPG      

Career - 1106 GP, 544 goals, 583 assists, 1126 points, 1.02 PPG
Career-Highs - 61 goals (01-02); 59 assists (06-07); 113 points (01-02), 1.43 PPG (06-07)
Avg. (14 seasons) - 79 GP, 39 goals, 42 assists, 80 points, 1.02 PPG
Peak Avg. (00-09) - 79 GP, 45 goals, 47 assists, 92 points, 1.16 PPG, 0 Cups

Playoff Career - 54 GP, 32 goals, 23 assists, 56 points, 1.04 PPG
Playoff-Highs - 17 goals (03-04); 11 assists (03-04); 28 points (03-04); 1.35 PPG (07-08)

Accolades - 1 Art Ross, 2 Richard Trophies
All-Star Teams - 3-time 1st-team, 1-time 2nd-team
Has Not Won Stanley Cup

If Jari Kurri and Jarome Iginla's numbers as right-wingers are incredibly similar, the similarities in their careers end there. Iginla is like the unfortunate doppleganger of Kurri. Kurri was blessed with the greatest center of all-time as his playmaker, Iginla has never been able to find a decent center; Kurri won five Cups in seven years, Iginla remains the good soldier on a perennially mediocre team.

It is now 2011, Iginla is in his 14th season, and rumours are persisiting as he languishes on a Calgary team going nowhere that he may be traded to a Stanley Cup contender. As bizarre as it would be to see Iginla in anything but Flames' orange, I truly hope that Iginla does get out of Calgary while he still has some good years left in him. It would be a shame to see the career of one of the most complete right-wingers to play end without reaching hockey's pinnacle.

Iginla's accomplishments aren't pantheon-level, but certainly Hall of Fame worthy: three appearances on the year-end first all-star team, a runner-up for the MVP award in 2002 (to Jose Theodore of all people), and the only forward to appear on both of Canada's gold-medal Olympic teams, in 2002 and 2010. It's also telling of the level of respect Iginla got that in both those tournaments he was the first-line right-winger to the likes of Joe Sakic and Sidney Crosby. His longevity has also been remarkable: an average of 79 games played per season, leading to career statistics that will no doubt be gaudy when Iginla finally decides to hang 'em up.

Iginla was a very good hitter who could drop the gloves if necessary. Despite the struggles in Calgary (with the exception of their magical run to the Cup final in 2004, in which Calgary probably should have won...that Gelinas puck was over the line!), he always put forward a happy face and has been a tremendous ambassador for the game. Although the Flames only made it past the first round in the aforementioned 2004 run, Iginla never wilted during the postseason. I can only hope that Iginla is rewarded in the next few years for all that he has done for the game. He will probably get to 600 adjusted goals, and 1200 points...but if he doesn't lift Lord Stanley's mug, he may go down as the right-wing equivalent of Mats Sundin.