When Jarome Iginla led the NHL in scoring
Calgary Flame was inspired by Black and white players alike
There have been lots of Black NHL hockey players over the years, from the Boston Bruins' Willie O'Ree in 1958 and, more recently, the Nashville Predators' P.K. Subban.
But only one Black player can claim the most goals and most points in a season, and that's Jarome Iginla.
He won the titles in 2001-02 as a forward with the Calgary Flames.
In 1996, Iginla was called up to the team after his Kamloops Blazers junior team was eliminated during their playoffs. He flew to Calgary the next day, signed a pro contract and was playing that night in the Flames' own playoff bid.
He was 18 years old, and there was a lot to get used to.
"The hardest thing was probably nerves," he told CBC Calgary reporter Doug Dirks at the time. "Your sticks start to feel a little different to you, the ice feels a little different, the crowd."
Inspired by a dynasty
It might have felt a little different playing for Calgary, too, given that Iginla grew up outside of Edmonton. The provincial rival to Calgary dominated the NHL world when Iginla was growing up.
"I had a lot of people I looked up to," he told Peter Mansbridge on CBC's The National in 2004. "Everybody loved Wayne Gretzky ... Mark Messier, his intensity, his leadership. And Grant Fuhr."
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Fuhr was a goalie for the Edmonton Oilers when the team won four Stanley Cups from 1984 to 1988.
"I was the only Black hockey player on my team, and kids would say ... 'there's not many Black players in the NHL,'" explained Iginla. "Other guys I really looked up to were Grant Fuhr, and Claude Vilgrain .. and Tony McKegney. They were Black hockey players that meant a lot to me."
A two-trophy season
In 2002, Iginla shared a stage with one of those childhood idols who played for the Oilers.
With 52 goals in the season, he was the league's top goal scorer — a distinction Gretzky had earned when Iginla was just a kid dreaming of joining the NHL.
He won both the Art Ross trophy for league points leader and the Rocket Richard trophy for most goals in a season.
"When I was younger ... I dreamed about scoring 50 goals," Iginla told a press conference after posing for photos with pucks 50 and 51. (He would go on to score a 52nd goal that season.)
Gretzky was there to praise Iginla's achievement, especially in light of how the game had improved in recent decades.
"It's difficult to score 50 goals," he said. "To score 50 goals is something he should be proud of."
Iginla was well aware that he could be an inspiration to another generation.
"I was aware from seven years old that there weren't very many Black hockey players in the NHL," he said. "It meant a lot to me ... to see Grant Fuhr starring in the NHL. If I can be a role model to young kids like those guys were to me, it would be a tremendous honour."
Iginla returned to Calgary, where he played 16 of his 20 seasons, to announce his retirement from hockey in July 2018.
The Flames retired his number 12 in a ceremony on March 2, 2019.
