Jarome Iginla: More than a hockey player to Calgarians

CALGARY (660 NEWS) — The man with the beaming smile, whose No. 12 is going up to the Saddledome rafters Saturday night, may have tallied 1,095 points wearing a Flames uniform, but he is more than just a hockey player to Calgary.

“He was a great role model for so many,” Cassie Campbell-Pascall said of Jarome Iginla, who played 1,219 games for Calgary.

Together, Iginla and Campbell-Pascall ran a summer hockey camp for a number of years, a way for them both to give back to the community at a grassroots level.

“He was so hands-on when he was with the kids,” she recalled. “He was on the ice all day and then swimming. He put the camp on and took part in it. He didn’t just show up for an hour. I remember how good he was with the kids and how important it was for him to run the camp.”

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And for Iginla, it was always about giving the young generation an opportunity to play hockey — a sport not always in the economic means for every family. That’s where KidSport came in. The organization’s motto is “no kid should be left on the sidelines,” something that meant a great deal to the long-time Flames captain.

“He decided to team up with KidSport and make sure that local kids who relied on our support from low-income families were able to get access to a sport that they needed and deserved,” KidSport Calgary executive director Kevin Webster explained.

In the early 2000s, Iginla donated $1,000 for every goal he scored to KidSport. In 2005, that number went up to $2,000.

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“The dollars were amazing and one of the largest donors we’ve ever had, but what he did for profile and awareness, not only for what the community could to give to KidSport understood, but even more importantly the families out there that didn’t know about us,” Webster added. “With Jarome’s profile and what he did for KidSport, those families learned about us and were able to apply for support and get the support that they needed so sport could be a yes conversation in those households.”

When all was said and done, Iginla had raised $700,000 for KidSport.

And despite the rigours of a demanding travel schedule, fitness, and family, Iginla found time for many other philanthropic efforts. Trips to the Ronald McDonald House, the Alberta Children’s Hospital, supporting Doctors Without Borders, juvenile diabetes, and the Reading Give it a Shot program across Calgary schools are just a few of the highlights of Iginla’s time in the community. He even visited Canadian troops stationed in Afghanistan with then-prime minister Stephen Harper.

“Jarome was a leader on the ice, of course, but as important was the leadership he provided off the ice,” Flames Foundation executive director Candice Goudie said. “He was the captain of our team, and he also led the charge as far as everything we did in the community. He believed in the power of mentorship and grassroots sports.”

In 2004, Iginla was awarded the NHL Foundation Player Award for his community service and the King Clancy Memorial Trophy recognizing his humanitarian contributions. In 2009, Iginla was named the Mark Messier Leadership Award winner.

THE FANS

Iginla has always had a special relationship with fans in Calgary. Even during the coldest winter days, he made sure every autograph was signed and got out of his car to take pictures with those who were waiting after a practice or a Flames game for a glimpse of the captain.

“For a guy that’s so competitive and a guy that could play any role on the ice, he could score, fight, he was just a really nice guy,” Campbell-Pascall said.

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Most Calgarians have a story about meeting Iginla in one way or another — perhaps a chance sighting at a grocery store while running errands or during an event at the Saddledome.

“He was very much the classic Jarome people know,” Logan Gordan remembered of his 2002 meeting with Iginla. “There was a huge line up to see him partially because he was so popular but also because he took time with every fan that was there.

“It was more than an autograph and go; he asked what my name was and if I wanted my jersey signed. I was much shyer and nervous to meet him back then, but he was great. It was one of my earliest hockey memories mainly because of how open and genuine Jarome was.”

One fan recalls meeting Iginla back in 1997 during a function in Camrose when he was carving his niche to become a full-time NHLer.

“He told us he was going to be signing on with the Calgary Flames on Monday,” Mel Johnson recalled, thinking Iginla was joking. “The Calgary Sun had Jarome’s face on the front cover Monday morning. He wasn’t lying!”

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THE FESTIVITIES

Jarome Iginla Night begins when the Saddledome doors open at 5:30 p.m. Saturday. The club is asking fans to be in their seats by 6:30 p.m. when the ceremony begins.

Long-time radio voice of the Flames and Hockey Hall of Famer, Peter Maher, will host the event, and members of the Flames alumni will be on hand.

Flames players will be wearing commemorative Iginla jerseys during warm-ups.

Iginla officially retired from the NHL on July 30, 2018, after playing 20 seasons.