Jarome Iginla inducted into HHOF

[katfude]

Jarome Iginla, Doug Wilson, Kevin Lowe among Hockey Hall of Fame's class of 2020 - TSN.ca

Look, I get that the years Jarome was an Av were pretty damn dark, but I'm pretty surprised there wasn't at least a thread. Here's my take, because Iginla had a huge impact on my hockey experience:

Iggy is class through and through. I always hated when the Avs played Calgary because I knew J. Iginla was going to steamroll and be a force. I really grew my respect for him watching him with my dad when he was playing against the Avs. He was my dad's favorite player that wasn't on the home team.

Needless to say, I was stoked when he came to Colorado even if the stats were very lean during the struggle years of this franchise.

Congrats Jarome, you're a force of nature and every bit deserving of the recognition. I shall continue to rock your jersey at Avs games (whenever the hell that actually become feasible again).

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[UncleRisto]

I guess I have some thoughts. He was so good for a very long time. And got a Cup run with the Flames with Kiprusoff. Too bad he fell short, but that Tampa team was awesome too. (It came at the right time for young Risto, I was just starting to take notice.) I guess you could say legends truly of my own generation are starting to enter the Hall.

Wasn't too bad here either, but it's a shame we weren't a better team in that time. Kinda wasted that Cup hunt time. But if he did that to stabilize important years in his kids' development, I have a lot of respect for that.

 

[Cousin Eddie]

Congrats Iggy! One of my all time favorite players prior to his time in Colorado.

 

[Pokecheque]

That first year, Iggy was still quite good, though clearly not the player he once was. It was after that the wheels fell off a bit, and then 2016, well, I don't wish hockey like that on my worst enemy. No, scratch that, I absolutely want that foisted upon my worst enemy. Repeatedly.

That final season somewhat sullied his legacy in my own eyes, even though I know it absolutely shouldn't. That said, it does nothing to erase the fact that he was one of the best players of his generation, an elite scorer at a time when scoring was damn near impossible. It would've been nice had he gotten a Cup with the Flames but piss-poor management never really afforded him the chance.

 

[The Abusement Park]

That first year, Iggy was still quite good, though clearly not the player he once was. It was after that the wheels fell off a bit, and then 2016, well, I don't wish hockey like that on my worst enemy. No, scratch that, I absolutely want that foisted upon my worst enemy. Repeatedly.

That final season somewhat sullied his legacy in my own eyes, even though I know it absolutely shouldn't. That said, it does nothing to erase the fact that he was one of the best players of his generation, an elite scorer at a time when scoring was damn near impossible. It would've been nice had he gotten a Cup with the Flames but piss-poor management never really afforded him the chance.

Yeah I think that last year really has tainted his legacy for Avs fans. It was almost impressive how bad he was that year. But like you said, it shouldn’t as one year shouldn’t soil an entire elite career for one of the league’s best goal scorers ever.

 

[McMetal]

He definitely still had it that first season. He may have been slow, but that shot was still good enough to beat NHL goalies clean, which is why he worked so well in Ovi's office on the power play. Goalies knew it was coming, but they couldn't stop it.

Unfortunately, once he started to lose the juice on that shot, there was just nothing left to make him a standout NHL player. His playmaking was never elite, he couldn't skate anymore, and he couldn't score the way he had for his entire career. It happens to every star eventually but it was an ugly end to an otherwise exceptional career as probably the second best pure goal scorer of this generation after Ovi.

 

[Pokecheque]

He definitely still had it that first season. He may have been slow, but that shot was still good enough to beat NHL goalies clean, which is why he worked so well in Ovi's office on the power play. Goalies knew it was coming, but they couldn't stop it.

Unfortunately, once he started to lose the juice on that shot, there was just nothing left to make him a standout NHL player. His playmaking was never elite, he couldn't skate anymore, and he couldn't score the way he had for his entire career. It happens to every star eventually but it was an ugly end to an otherwise exceptional career as probably the second best pure goal scorer of this generation after Ovi.

I think the problem was twofold. He regressed, yes, but the team was also better his first year than it was his third. It can't be said enough how abhorrently slow that 2016-17 team was. Filled to the brim with lousy-as-hell skaters. And on top of that, virtually all of them were perimeter guys. Iggy sure as hell tried but for the most part just couldn't battle in the corners anymore. And players like Joe Colborne and Mikhail Grigorenko simply didn't.

All that said, as bad as he was, he was nowhere near as bad as Francois Beauchemin.

 

[McMetal]

I think the problem was twofold. He regressed, yes, but the team was also better his first year than it was his third. It can't be said enough how abhorrently slow that 2016-17 team was. Filled to the brim with lousy-as-hell skaters. And on top of that, virtually all of them were perimeter guys. Iggy sure as hell tried but for the most part just couldn't battle in the corners anymore. And players like Joe Colborne and Mikhail Grigorenko simply didn't.

All that said, as bad as he was, he was nowhere near as bad as Francois Beauchemin.

I think Beauch had like 7 own goals that season. Amazing feat really. There's a lot of contenders for worst player on that team.