Iginla 'nervous, excited' to have number retired by Flames

CALGARY -- Jarome Iginla isn't sure which feeling will hit him most when he becomes the third player in Calgary Flames history to have his number retired.

Iginla, the longtime Calgary captain, announced his retirement July 30, 2018, and will see his No. 12 retired by the Flames and raised to the rafters at Scotiabank Saddledome prior to their game against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday (10 p.m. ET; CBC, SN, SN360, SN1, CITY, FS-N, NHL.TV).
"I'm excited. Mixed emotions … partly nervous, excited," the 41-year-old said Friday. "It's coming quick. I've been reminiscing and thinking of all the different memories, different guys I've played with, different years. I'm very thankful for this opportunity. It's really, really neat to have my kids here and family. My mom and dad are excited … my brother and sister and different people coming in. It's awesome to see old teammates. It's a little bit different too.
"You don't really prepare for it. It's a lot of spotlight."
Iginla, who also played for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche and Los Angeles Kings, is the Flames' all-time leader in most statistical categories, including goals (525), points (1,095) and games played (1,219). He played his first 16 NHL seasons with the Flames and finished his career with 1,300 points (625 goals, 675 assists) in 1,554 games from 1996-2017.
"I think it's going to be amazing," said Craig Conroy, an assistant general manager with Calgary and a longtime linemate of Iginla's. "I think, for me, it couldn't happen at a better time. I think doing it so quickly with all the Jarome jerseys still in the building … there'll probably be a lot more [Saturday] night. It's going to be fun.
"I look up there and think, 'That's where that jersey belongs.' It belongs in the rafters. After [Saturday] night it'll be there forever."

Iginla, Calgary's captain from 2003-04 until he was traded to Pittsburgh on March 28, 2013, led the Flames in scoring for 11 straight seasons. He won the Art Ross Trophy as the top scorer in the NHL with 96 points (52 goals, 44 assists) and the Rocket Richard Trophy as the leading goal-scorer in 2001-02.
Iginla won the Rocket Richard Trophy again in 2003-04 (41 goals) and had 22 points (13 goals, nine assists) in 26 games to help the Flames get to within one goal of the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1989, before losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7.
He was a three-time selection for the NHL First All-Star Team (2002, 2008, 2009), played in the NHL All-Star Game six times (2002-04, 2008, 2009, 2012), and won the Lester B. Pearson Award (now the Ted Lindsay Award) as the most outstanding player in the NHL as voted by members of the NHL Players' Association in 2002.
"He treated everyone with so much respect and he was so nice to everyone," said Flames defenseman Mark Giordano, who played seven seasons with Iginla and inherited the Calgary captaincy at the beginning of the 2013-14 season. "But on the ice he was the ultimate competitor. There were a few years there where we had some tough times fighting for a playoff spot. [Iginla] always looked at the bright side and always had hope right until the bitter end.
"That's what I took from him, how much fire and passion he brought to the game. He never lost it. We played different positions, but I felt like I learned a lot and understood more, too, as the years passed and he wasn't here."

Iginla's No. 12 will be positioned in the rafters between No. 9 (Lanny McDonald) and No. 30 (Mike Vernon).
Al MacInnis (No. 2) and Joe Nieuwendyk (No. 25) are also recognized as part of Calgary's 'Forever a Flame' program.
"It is surreal," said Iginla, who initially started wearing No. 12 as a 16-year-old with Kamloops of the Western Hockey League after No. 8 and No. 18, his favorite numbers, were taken, and a request to wear No. 11 in honor of Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Mark Messier failed to come to fruition.
"I never dreamt in my first years of the League that I'd ever have my jersey up there. I didn't even dream like that. I was just thrilled to be in the League, just wanted to make the NHL. It's beyond my wildest dreams. It is surreal. But I think it's cool too.
"Part of me is excited to see it but part of me is nervous. But part of you wants to get it over with because you're nervous about how it's going to go. Just trying to take it in. It's neat to be back. I'll probably be a little emotional. I didn't think I would be, but I probably will be. It's special. I have a lot of family and friends coming in.
"It means a lot. I look forward to it."