Flames All-Time Countdown: The Final Chapter

1. Jarome Iginla

Iginla, a 6’1", 210 lb. right winger, was born in Edmonton, Alberta on July 1st, 1977. He tops our season long countdown due to 16 years of top-notch production, including six all-star campaigns, two Maurice Richard Trophies, an Art Ross Trophy, a King Clancy Memorial Trophy, and a Ted Lindsay Trophy. He played in all 82 games in nine of his 15 full campaigns, never appearing in less than 70. He first earned notice while playing with the Kamloops Blazers in 1993-94, when he scored six times with 23 assists and 33 penalty minutes. The following season would see him exponentially increase his production, scoring 33 times with 38 helpers and 111 penalty minutes. The Dallas Stars selected him in the first round of the 1995 NHL Entry Draft with the 11th overall selection. He doubled his WHL production in his last season in juniors with the Blazers, scoring 63 goals with 73 assists and 120 penalty minutes in 63 games. He also made his NHL debut for the Flames in the 1995-96 postseason, earning an assist on April 21st in a 7-5 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks in game three of the Western Conference Quarterfinals. He scored a goal in his second game, a 2-1, Flames elimination loss.

In 1996-97, Iginla played in all 82 games for the Flames, finishing second in the running for the Calder Memorial Trophy and getting named to the NHL All-Rookie First Team. He lit the lamp 21 times on 169 shots, with 29 assists for a team-fourth 50 overall points, a minus-4 rating, and 37 penalty minutes. He also tied for third amongst the team’s skaters with a 4.8 point share. He had more than one point on nine occasions, including a three assist performance on February 7th in a 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals. On March 1st, he scored on each of his two shots in a 4-1 victory against the Dallas Stars. The Flames closed the door on a 32-41-9 season, eight points behind a playoff spot.

1997-98 would see Iginla light the lamp 13 times on 154 shots, with 19 helpers in 70 games. He finished with a minus-10 rating, a career low 2.5 point shares, and 29 penalty minutes. He had eight two-point games. On October 28th, he scored twice in a 6-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Calgary went a franchise-worst 26-41-15 on the season.

Iginla played in 82 games for Calgary in 1998-99, ranking fifth on the team with 51 points and with 5.9 point shares. He scored 28 goals on 211 shots with 23 assists, a plus-1 rating, and 58 penalty minutes in 16:30 per night. He was second on the team with four game winning goals. 14 times he had multiple points, including on January 19th, when he scored twice including the game winner in a 3-1 triumph over the Detroit Red Wings. On March 9th, he scored a goal and added two helpers in a  7-3 win over the St. Louis Blues. The Flames went 30-40-12, missing the playoffs by six points.

In 1999-00, Iginla increased his production to 29 goals on 256 shots, with 34 assists for a club-second 63 total points. He posted an even rating and 26 penalty minutes, ranking second on the team with four game winning markers in 18:24 per game. He was second on the forward corps with 7.0 point shares. He had 15 multi-point games, including three times where he had three or more. On January 21st, he scored a goal and added two assists in an overtime, 5-4 win over the Nashville Predators. He had a marker and three assists on February 26th, in a 5-2 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers. The club went 31-36-10-5, missing the playoffs by 10 points.

2000-01 would see Iginla continue to increase his output, scoring a team-best 31 goals on 229 shots with 40 assists in 77 contests. He played 19:58 per game, posting a minus-2 rating and spending 62 minutes in the penalty box. His four game winners tied for third on the team, and his 71 points and 7.9 point shares led the team. There was 19 times where he had more than one point, and four games of three or more. On January 21st, he figured into all of the Flames goals in a 4-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings with a goal and three assists. The team continued to struggle, going 27-36-15-4 and finishing 17 points short of the postseason.

Iginla led the NHL in scoring in 2001-02, with 52 goals and with 96 total points. His 14.4 point shares was third in the league. He appeared in his first all-star game and was named to the NHL All-Star First Team, winning the Art Ross Trophy for scoring the most points, the Lester B. Pearson Award as the NHL’s Most Valuable Player, and the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy for scoring the most goals. His plus-27 rating was seventh in the league, while his 77 penalty minutes represented a career high, since exceeded three times. He led all Flames forwards with 22:22 average time on ice through the season. He took 311 shots on goal and ranked second on the team with 44 assists, leading the team with seven game winners. He had 31 multiple point games, with a dozen of three or more points. On October 25th, he scored two goals with two assists in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Predators. He finally earned his first hat trick on March 4th, adding an assist in a 5-3 triumph over the New York Rangers. The Flames got better, going 32-35-12-3, but still missed out on the playoffs.

In 2002-03, Iginla played in his second all-star game. He led all skaters with an 8.2 point share and led the team with 67 points, scoring 35 times on an NHL third 316 shots with 32 assists. He also led the Flames with six game winners and with three shorthanded markers. He posted a minus-10 rating and 49 penalty minutes. There was 16 games where he had more than one point. On February 7th, he scored a hat trick on seven shots and added an assist in a 4-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers. On February 23rd, he scored every Flames’ goal in a 4-2 win over the Phoenix Coyotes. Calgary missed the playoffs for the seventh time in Iginla’s seven full seasons by posting a 29-36-13-4 record.

2003-04 would see Iginla play in his third all-star game and win his second Maurice Richard trophy, scoring an NHL leading 41 goals on 265 shots, with 32 assists for a Flames-best 73 points. He was also named to the NHL All-Star Second Team, leading the NHL with 10 game winning markers, posting a club-best plus-21 rating and earning 84 penalty minutes. He led the team with 11.1 point shares and with four shorthanded goals. He had 19 multiple point games, nine of them with three points. On February 3rd, he scored three goals in a 4-4 tie with the Los Angeles Kings. The team returned to relevancy by making the playoffs with a 42-30-7-3 record. Iginla won the King Clancy Memorial Award by being voted the Most Valuable Player of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, scoring 13 goals (including three game winners) with nine assists in 26 contests. In the decisive game-seven against the Vancouver Canucks to open the playoffs, Iginla scored two goals with an assist in a  3-2 overtime win. The playoffs culminated in a seven game defeat at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Flames momentum was stopped by a full seasons’ labor dispute.

When play resumed in 2005-06, Iginla again played in all 82 contests for the Flames. He led Calgary with 67 points, scoring 35 goals on 293 shots with 32 helpers, posting a plus-5 rating and earning 86 penalty minutes. He ranked third on the team with six game winning markers, playing 21:42 per game and finishing second on the team with 7.8 point shares. He had 15 multi-point games. On November 10th, in a 4-3 win against the Coyotes, he scored a goal with a pair of assists. He scored twice with one assist on December 7th, as the Flames topped the New Jersey Devils 4-1. Calgary went 46-25-11, winning the Northwest Division. They drew the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the first round, losing in seven games. Iginla had five goals and three assists through the series.

Iginla scored 94 points for the Flames in only 70 games in 2006-07. He scored 39 goals on 264 shots with a career high 55 assists. He also posted a plus-12 rating and earned 40 minutes in the box, leading the team with 11.1 point shares and all forwards with an ATOI of 22:04. He had more than one point in 27 contests, and three or more in 11. On December 12th, he had two goals and two assists in a 5-2 win over the Minnesota Wild. He repeated the feat four nights later, in a 6-3 win against Phoenix. On March 29th, he earned a hat trick as the Flames again topped the Wild, 4-2. Calgary went 43-29-10, earning a playoff spot and a first round date with Detroit. The Wings eliminated them in six games, holding Iginla and Company to 10 goals. Iginla had two goals and two assists in the series.

In 2007-08, Iginla scored a career high 98 points, scoring an NHL-third 50 times on 338 shots with an NHL-10th 48 assists. He was named to the NHL All-Star First Team, and played in his fourth all-star game. He ranked sixth in the league with 14.2 point shares, earning a plus-27 rating and 83 penalty minutes. He had multiple points 25 times, with 14 three-pointers. On December 13th, he scored a hat trick and added an assist in a 9-6 win over the Lightning. Three nights later, he scored two goals with two assists in a win over the St. Louis Blues, 5-3. On March 22nd, he scored three times in a 5-4 triumph over Minnesota. The Flames went 42-30-10, losing in the first round of the postseason to the San Jose Sharks in seven games. Iginla had four goals and five assists through Calgary’s abbreviated playoff stay.

2008-09 would see Iginla lead the Flames with 54 assists and with 89 points, scoring 35 goals on 289 shots. He finished the season with a minus-2 rating and earned 37 penalty minutes, playing in every game. He played 21:37 per contest and earned 9.5 point shares, second amongst skaters to Mike Cammalleri. He was named to the NHL All-Star First Team for the third time, and skated in his fifth all-star contest. He earned multiple points two dozen times, with eight games of three or more. He scored another hat trick on October 23rd as the Flames defeated the Predators, 5-3. On New Years’ Eve, he scored twice with three assists in a 6-4 win over Edmonton. On March 1st, he again scored twice with three helpers as the Flames dropped an 8-6 decision to Tampa Bay. Calgary posted a 46-30-6 record, but lost in the first round of the postseason to the Blackhawks in six games. Iginla scored three goals with a single helper through the series.

In a recurrent theme, Iginla appeared in all 82 contests for the Flames in 2009-10. His 69 points, five game winners, and 8.2 point shares led the team. He scored 32 times on 257 shots with 37 assists, a minus-2 rating and 58 penalty minutes. He had more than one point 17 times. On November 21st, he scored three goals on four shots in a win over Los Angeles, 5-2. On March 7th, he netted another hat trick, adding an assist in a 5-2 victory over the Wild. Calgary went 40-32-10, breaking their string of five consecutive playoff appearances.

In 2010-11, Iginla led the Flames with 43 goals, 289 shots, 86 points, six game winning markers, and 11.0 point shares. He added 43 assists, an even rating, and 40 penalty minutes in 20:56 per contest, again making 82 appearances. 22 of them would see him score more than one point. On November 19th, he scored three goals in a 7-2 win over Chicago. He had three goals and an assist in a 6-1 win over Edmonton on April 6th. Calgary nearly qualified for the playoffs, going 41-29-12 and earning 94 points - falling just three points shy.

2011-12 would see Iginla earn his sixth all-star selection, to date. How many games did he play you ask? 82. Did he lead the team with goals, points, and point shares? Yes, he did, with 32, 67, and 8.3, respectively. He also had 35 assists, a minus-10 rating and 43 penalty minutes. He also led the club with five game winners. He skated in 31 games for the Flames in 2012-13 before Calgary traded him to the Penguins for Kenny Agostino, Ben Hanowski, and a first round pick (Morgan Klimchuk). He played 13 games for Pittsburgh, scoring five goals and six assists. Last season he played 78 games for the Boston Bruins, scoring 30 goals with 31 assists. He is currently employed by the Colorado Avalanche, entering the first year of a three-year, $16,000,000 contract. When his career ends, he is a sure-fire, first-ballot Hall-of-Famer.

All-Time Statline: 1219 games, 525 goals, 570 assists, plus-46 rating, 831 PiM, 137.24 point shares.