Calgary Flames

Revisiting Jarome Iginla’s best games, year by year

Well, it’s finally here. It’s Jarome Iginla Day, and by the time the clock turns to tomorrow, Iginla’s banner will be hanging high in the Saddledome alongside Lanny McDonald and Mike Vernon‘s.

No doubt about it, it will be a highly emotional day for the city of Calgary as well as all Flames supporters around the globe. In a fun way to revisit Iginla’s outstanding career, we decided to visit his highest scoring games throughout his career, year by year. Let’s kick things off to his first official season with the Flames.

1996-97

February 2, 1997: CGY vs NSH
0 G, 3 A

Nearing the end of his rookie year, Iginla recorded three assists against the Nashville Predators for his first ever three point game. This might have been one of those games where he truly showed how special of a talent he could be.

1997-98

October 28, 1997: CGY vs PIT
2 G, 0 A

Maybe the sophomore slump was a bit different back then. While the season was just getting started, Iginla had his first two goal game. He paced the Flames against the Penguins, as Calgary scored six unanswered goals after going down 3-0 to Pittsburgh in the first period. Iginla had the first two Flames goals of the game, sparking the comeback for the home team.

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1998-99

March 9, 1999: CGY @ STL
1 G, 2 A

Iginla scored the first of five third period Flames goals, in what was a wild comeback victory for the visitors. Iginla had his first assist on the power play on a Phil Housley goal, which started the comeback. Calgary went on to win with an astounding 7-4 final score.

1999-00

February 26, 2000: CGY vs ATL
1 G, 3 A

Iginla had his first four point night in the new millennium. In Calgary’s second game of the season against the new-look Atlanta Thrashers, Iginla scored a goal and an assist on the power play. Calgary blewout the Thrashers 5-2 to return the favour from a 2-1 loss earlier in the season.

2000-01

January 21, 2001: CGY vs DET
1 G, 3 A

Another four point night for Iginla. He led Calgary against a much better Detroit squad and got an even strength, power play, and shorthanded assist en route to victory. His added a goal to end the evening, marking his 15th of the season.

2001-02

March 4, 2002: CGY @ NYR
3 G, 1 A

Iginla’s first career hat trick came during a four point night at the Madison Square Garden. He certainly picked a pretty iconic building to do it in. With the game tied in the second period, Iginla took matters into his own hands, rattling off his 37th, 38th and 39th goals of the season for a natural hat trick.

It was just another early example of Jarome’s ability to shine on the biggest stages. This would be Iginla’s first of two 50 goal seasons; he finished the campaign with 52 goals, as well as the Art Ross and Rocket Richard Trophies.

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2002-03

February 23, 2003: CGY @ PHX
4 G, 0 A

As if a hat trick two weeks earlier wasn’t impressive enough, Iginla netted his first career four goal game in a 4-2 victory over Phoenix. The four goals gave Iginla 28 on the season, and he would close out the season with 35 goals and his third straight 30-plus goal season.

2003-04

February 3, 2004: CGY vs LAK
3 G, 0 A

The underdogs, the deep cup run, “The Shift”, and the goal that never was. This was one of the most magical seasons in Iginla’s career and the Flames’ franchise history. As the Flames had their sights set on making the playoffs, Iginla contributed in the way he knew best.

2005-06

December 7, 2005: CGY @ NJD
2 G, 1 A

Iginla scored his first of the night on the power play in the first period, which would be the first of four unanswered goals by Calgary. Iginla closed out the scoring at the 12:51 mark of the second period. The goal would be Iginla’s 13th on the season, and he would finish with 35 goals; his fifth straight 30-plus goal season.

2006-07

December 12, 2006: CGY vs MIN
2 G, 2 A

Less than a minute in the first period with the game knotted at 1-1, Iginla scored his first of two goals. His second of the night came less than a minute into the second period. It seemed like the first intermission only served as a short pause to keep Iginla from scoring too much. Unfortunately for Minnesota, he added two assists before the second period was over.

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December 16, 2006: CGY @ PHX
2 G, 2 A

For the second time in three games, Iginla netted two goals and two assists. This time, it would come in a 6-3 drubbing of the Phoenix Coyotes.

February 24, 2007: CGY vs SJS
2 G, 2 A

Completing the trifecta of two goal and two assist games, Iginla led the Flames to a 7-4 win over the San Jose Sharks. Iginla’s game-winning goal was his 30th goal of the season; marking six consecutive such seasons. He would finish with 39 goals.

2007-08

December 13, 2007: CGY @ TBL
3 G, 1 A

In a wild game that had a combined 15 goals, both Iginla and Kristian Huselius recorded hat tricks. Iginla reached the 20 goal mark with a third period hat trick, which included a game-winning goal. Iginla closed out the campaign with 50 goals; his second of two 50 goal seasons.

Related: The history of NHL final scores

2008-09

December 31, 2008: CGY vs EDM
2 G, 3 A

Iginla at his best was a true treat to watch. He scored his first ever five point game against the Oilers en route to victory. To make sure it wasn’t a fluke, he did it again two months later…

March 1, 2009: CGY vs TBL
2 G, 3 A

This time around, the Flames were unable to beat the Lightning, despite Iginla’s gargantuan effort.

2009-10

March 7, 2010: CGY @ MIN
3 G, 1 A

Iginla’s 28th of the season would be his first of the night, coming on the power play. He’d top it off with one more power play goal and an empty-net goal in the third. That’d be his 30th on the season; nine straight years of 30-plus goals for Iginla.

2010-11

April 6, 2011: CGY vs EDM
3 G, 1 A

During the Flames’ second last game of the season, Iginla scored a hat trick against the Edmonton Oilers. He picked up the game-winning goal when he scored the Flames’ second goal, but the Flames ended out beating the Oilers by a score of 6-4. Two of Iginla’s goals were scored on the power play.

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2011-12

November 3, 2011: CGY @ DET
2 G, 1 A

The Flames easily handled the Red Wings on the road in their early season game. Iginla scored the game-winning goal on the power play, and provided offensive support to secure victory for the Flames, capping off his multi-point performance with an empty-net power play assist.

December 6, 2011: CGY vs CAR
2 G, 1 A

In a 7-6 Flames victory, Iginla opened the scoring 3:07 into the first, and ended up with the eventual game winning goal, scoring on the empty net to put the Flames up 7-4. The Hurricanes pushed back and scored two goals at 19:28 and 19:55, but would come up short against the Flames.

2012-13

February 24, 2013: CGY vs PHX
2 G, 0 A

In a close battle between the Flames and Coyotes, Iginla kept his team in it, scoring two goals—both of which were game-tying goals. Mark his goal at 18:37 in the third period as the crucial goal of the game, as Curtis Glencross scored the game-winning goal soon after, allowing the Flames to earn a regulation victory when they were facing defeat with less than a minute and half to play.

February 28, 2013: CGY @ COL
2 G, 0 A

Not long after his two-goal performance against the Coyotes, he did it again against the Avalanche. While the Flames led for much of the game, Colorado came back in the third period, scoring three unanswered goals to claim victory.

In the lockout-shortened season, Iginla posted a whopping seven multi-point games. The first four were with the Flames, but he enjoyed three of them as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

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2013-14

January 25, 2014: BOS @ PHI
2 G, 2 A

About halfway through the Bruins season, Iginla proved his worth to the team with a spectacular offensive performance. He scored the game-winning goal, and also picked up three power play points that night as well. It wasn’t known at the time, but it would be Iginla’s last career four-point game.

2014-15

October 24, 2014: COL vs VAN
2 G, 1 A

After another unsuccessful playoff run for Iginla, he signed a three-year contract with Colorado. In an early season game against the Canucks, Iginla showed that he still had it, scoring Colorado’s first goal to tie the game, and also capped off their victory by scoring their seventh goal.

2015-16

November 3, 2015: COL vs CGY
2 G, 1 A

In Iginla’s last season full season with the Colorado Avalanche, he had two occasions of scoring 2 goals and one assist, the first was early in the season when the Flames visited Denver. The Avalanche doubled up the Flames with a final score of 6-3.

February 11, 2016: COL @ OTT
2 G, 1 A

Iginla opened the scoring for the Avalanche, scoring a power play goal. In a special teams battle against the Senators that included five power play goals in total, Iginla managed to score two of them, as well as an empty-net assist to lock in the win.

2016-17

March 9, 2017: LAK vs NSH
2 G, 0 A

As the trade deadline approached in Iginla’s last year in his three-year contract,  it was abundantly clear that the Avalanche were doomed to one of the worst seasons of recent memory. Much speculation about where Iginla should end up ultimately led to him heading to Los Angeles.

With the Kings pursuing the playoffs, Iginla did his best to help the cause. In a late-season game against the Predators, Iginla scored two goals on the power play, and also picked up an empty-net assist. It would be the last ever Jarome Iginla multi-goal game.

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Thank You, Iggy

As we celebrate Iginla’s incredible career, there is little doubt how much he means to us, to the Flames, and to the city of Calgary.

#12 is forever.

Thank you, Iggy.

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Featured photo by Jeff McIntosh/CP.

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