CALGARY -- The Calgary Flames made Jarome Iginla feel right at home in his return to Scotiabank Saddledome.
Iginla, who played 16 seasons with the Flames and served as captain for nine, was welcomed back to Calgary on Tuesday with a pregame video tribute in front of the 19,289 fans he routinely brought to their feet during his tenure with the Flames.
Former Flames captain Jarome Iginla receives a standing ovation prior to his first game back in Calgary. (Photo: Getty Images)
Iginla, who was in the Boston Bruins' starting lineup, watched the tribute from in front of the bench before skating out to raise his stick in salute of the crowd.
The video homage for the franchise leader in games (1,219), goals (525) and points (1,095) lasted just a minute. The standing ovation from those in attendance more than trumped it, delaying the signing of the national anthems until Iginla offered up a second salute to the crowd.
They erupted again during a shot of Iginla during the Star-Spangled Banner.
Iginla was playing his first game in Calgary since being traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins last spring. He didn't play in Calgary as a Penguin and signed with the Boston Bruins during the summer.
Heading into the ceremony, the 36-year-old admitted he didn't know what to expect. He intentionally avoided coverage of Vincent Lecavalier's return to Tampa Bay and Ottawa's welcome of Daniel Alfredsson.
"I don't have a lot of expectations," Iginla said Monday. "I hope it's positive. I had great experiences here. I love playing here. I hope it's positive. I don't know but I don't have a lot of expectations or anything. I just want to enjoy it."
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