Jarome Iginla is a Hall of Famer, and the epitome of greatness

Jarome Iginla earned induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Wednesday.

If you’re an avid American hockey fan, there’s a good chance you’ve only seen Jarome Iginla a few play a few dozen times.

Almost assuredly, you watched him in the Stanley Cup playoffs with the Calgary Flames. He was a dynamo packed inside a 6-foot-1, 210-pound frame who played 20 years in the NHL, beginning his odyssey as a 19-year-old.

Unlike Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, Iginla never got the star treatment from the networks when picking national games. The Flames were never going to draw, because for most of the hockey world, they were a franchise of anonymity.

It’s a shame, because Iginla was the total package. In 1,554 games played (including 11 82-game campaigns) the Edmonton native scored 625 goals and notched an even 1,300 points, with the former ranking 16th all-time.

Iginla reached made four All-Star Game appearances, won the Maurice Richard Trophy twice (including his age-24 season of 52 goals before new emphasis legislated hooking and holding) and the Art Ross once. He was a captain and the rare star who would drop the gloves to set the tone or defend a teammate in need.

In the 2004 Stanley Cup Final, Iginla famously fought Lightning center Vincent LeCavalier in The Saddledome in front of a raucous crowd. This came a month after Iginla fought Detroit Red Wings defenseman Derian Hatcher at old Joe Louis Arena, in the waning seconds of a Calgary defeat.

Now, Iginla goes into the Hockey Hall of Fame. He’s a deserving member and only the fourth Black player to ever be enshrined. He also made history in the 2010 Winter Olympics, becoming the first Black athlete to win a gold medal in any event.

For 16 years of his career, Iginla starred in Calgary. Even for the NHL, the Albertan city is about as far-flung as it gets from the national spotlight. When the Flames played the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2004 Final — Iginla’s only appearance in the showcase — it was a great series and yet widely talked about as a hard sell due to the markets involved.

Playing in western Canada, Iginla was brilliant. He was also the consummate star who never got the national commercials despite a perfect smile and a game to match.

Iginla also reignited a fanbase’s love affair with a team which went cold for a decade. He was a bright light for a franchise that before reaching the Stanley Cup Final in ’04, had gone 10 years without a playoff series victory and seven years without a postseason appearance.

Iginla may not be remembered by the casual fan who heard more about him than actually saw. He never won a championship, coming within a single game of the title. Iginla is the greatest Flame of all-time by a wide margin, an honor he’s likely to own for a while. Last March, the team retired his jersey and raised it to the rafters.

For years, Iginla was wonderful and yet hard to see for so many. Now, he’s immortalized for all time, giving generations to come a reason to look him up, and understand his greatness.