Meet Jarome Iginla: Future Hockey Hall of Famer

Jarome Iginla, the hockey player: Needs no introduction.
Jarome Iginla, the person: Deserves the red carpet.
Acquired by the LA Kings on March 1 from the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for a conditional pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, Iginla adds a future Hockey Hall of Famer to the lineup.
While any knowledgeable hockey fan is aware of the resume the 39-year-old Iginla brings to the table -- two Olympic Gold Medals, six All-Star Game appearances, two Maurice Richard Trophies, a Lester B. Pearson Award and an Art Ross Trophy are just the tip of the ice rink- - it's what's behind his million-dollar smile that sets him apart from most.

Born and raised in St. Albert, Alberta, just northwest of Edmonton, Iginla lived with his mother as his parents were divorced.
He began playing hockey at the age of seven, admittedly a late start for a typical Canadian kid.
He credits his grandfather for introducing him to the sport.
"I would go to my grandparents' house after school and they had a [outdoor] rink right down the street, so I tried it there, spent a lot of time there, and just really really liked it," Iginla recalls. "If I didn't have my grandparents there to help out and get me to sports and put me in them, obviously I probably wouldn't be a professional hockey player, but I don't even know what I'd be doing."
Taking a piece from his own childhood, Iginla has built outdoor rinks for his own kids, daughter Jade (12), and sons Tij (10) and Joe (8), in the family's backyard, as all three kids follow their dad's hockey-playing footsteps.
"It's a little bit different, because when you go to the outdoor rink it was at home, and in Canada when it's cold it's kind of fun, you play with everybody, you play with all different ages, and you just have different games or teams or whatever, you never know, whoever's there," Iginla explains. "But [our kids] kind of play together, maybe bring a friend over at the odd time, and we all play together, but it's not the same."
Being that each of his children plays hockey, Iginla would one day like to be involved in coaching his kids' teams.
"I definitely look forward to being able to help out with their teams," declares Iginla, whose wife, Kara, brought the kids to see him last weekend as part of their spring break.
"I don't think I would want to be a head coach of any of their teams because I would like to see them play and be able to help them out, so maybe I can be an assistant with them and get out on the ice and rotate and do whatever their teams would have available."
As it stands, much of Iginla's spare time is spent engaged in various activities with his kids, whether it's hockey, baseball, basketball, or something else.
He does take advantage of his downtime and finds time to relax, during which he enjoys golf, movies, and television. His favorite movie of all time is "Shawshank Redemption," and Denzel Washington and Cuba Gooding Jr. -- the latter of which Iginla has had the pleasure of meeting -- are the names that come to mind when he thinks of favorite actors.
Iginla loves science fiction TV and his current series of choice is "Westworld." Iginla will pretty much listen to anything, music wise, and although he isn't a huge country fan, after playing in Calgary for many years and with teammates who love the genre, he will admit there are a few country songs that have grown on him.

In addition to the NHL hardware Iginla has earned through his play on the ice, he has also been the recipient of the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, given annually to the player who best exhibits leadership and humanitarian contributions; the NHL Foundation Award, for his commitment, perseverance and teamwork in the community; as well as the Mark Messier Leadership Award.
He has been involved with numerous non-profit initiatives throughout his career, but one of the most personally important causes to Iginla was an organization in Calgary called KidSport. KidSport strives to provide financial support to underprivileged children who would otherwise be unable to afford organized sports.
In 2000, Iginla began pledging money to the charity for each goal he scored. By the time he departed the Flames organization in 2013, the sum amassed more than $700,000.
"I played as many sports as I could and had a ton of fun doing it. I feel like I learned a lot, too," reminisces Iginla, who admits he had a lot of energy to burn as a kid. "That was always something that I was passionate about, just giving kids the opportunity to be involved and to enjoy all different sports."
Although Iginla is now obviously focused primarily on hockey, he is as well-rounded a player as they come. With more than 1300 points in over 1500 NHL games, Iginla, going into Friday's game against the Vancouver Canucks, is only one-goal shy of tying Joe Sakic for 15th all-time on the NHL goal-scoring list.

He has also surpassed the 1000-mark in penalty minutes, and has at least a dozen Gordie Howe Hat Tricks -- an occurrence where a player scores a goal, adds an assist, and gets into a fight in the same game -- including one Wednesday night against his former team, the Flames.
When Iginla was a kid, he hated getting penalties and sitting in the penalty box, but has attributed his NHL style of play to his desire to be assertive and an effective power forward. He also doesn't hesitate to drop the gloves, and has already gotten into two fights in his first 13 games wearing a Kings sweater.
"I think [fighting] helps get me into the game sometimes, and sometimes you're also trying to stick up for teammates, and other times you're trying to earn space," states Iginla, who believes that a player who is willing to fight will get hit a little less over the course of his career, just because not everyone wants to face those consequences.
"I find it can be a good adrenaline boost to watch my teammates get into it, battling and competing, and you want to get out there and not necessarily fight, but it raises the juices."
At this point, a Stanley Cup Championship is about the only thing that eludes Iginla in his illustrious career, and getting traded to Los Angeles provided a spark of hope.
"I was excited about [the trade]. The character of the group and the success that they've had in the recent past, the team is fighting for a playoff spot, but it's a team that has done that before and come through before. Also, with Darryl being the coach here it makes it a little more familiar," articulates Iginla, who played for head coach Darryl Sutter in Calgary. "But the biggest thing honestly is the group and playing against them and seeing the success that they've had and what they can do."
It's safe to assume that when Iginla walked into the Kings' dressing room for the first time, he wasn't the only one in awe.