How many teams in the NHL have a leader, a captain, an offensive force, a physical presence, a marketable personality and a charitable contributor all wrapped into one person? The one that immediately comes to mind when listing all these qualities is the captain of the Calgary Flames, Jarome Iginla. Now while things have not gone exactly as planned in Calgary so far this season, if there is a player who can lead a team like the Flames back into playoff contention, it is certainly Iginla. Following a recent rough patch where many in hockey’s chattering masses were calling for him to be traded, Iginla has stepped up his play and shown to Flames fans that he is still the leader of their team who is capable of dominating on a nightly basis. Now while the road back to post-season contention is going to be a long and arduous one, you can bet that Iginla will be the player who the Flames follow as they work to turn their season around. If he continues to play the way he has over the past week, better results are surely on the horizon in Calgary.

• Jarome has been on a tear recently, with six goals and seven points in the past three games, and now sits 63 points away from 1,000 in his illustrious career
• He continues to bring a physical element to his game, with 35 recorded hits and 17 PIMS so far this season
• The heart and soul leader of the Calgary Flames

BIOGRAPHY:

• Born in Edmonton, Alberta on July 1, 1977
• Drafted by the Dallas Stars, 11th overall in the1st round of the 1995 NHL Entry Draft
• Traded to the Calgary Flames, along with Corey Millen, for Joe Nieuwendyk in December of 1995
• Led the Flames to the Stanley Cup Final in 2004
• Received the Lester B. Pearson Award (now known as the Ted Lindsay Award), the Art Ross Trophy, and the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy for his exceptional play in 2001-02; co-won the Richard Trophy in 2003-04
• Has represented Canada numerous times on the international stage, including the 2002 & the 2010 Winter Olympics, where he captured gold medals in both tournaments
• Played for the 1994 and 1995 Memorial Cup champions, Kamloops Blazers of the WHL