Iginla to have No. 12 retired by Flames on March 2

Jarome Iginla
will have his No. 12 retired by the Calgary Flames on March 2 prior to their game against the Minnesota Wild at Scotiabank Saddledome.

Iginla is the Calgary/Atlanta Flames all-time leader in goals (525), points (1,095) and games played (1,219). He played his first 16 NHL seasons with the Flames and was one of the League's premier power forwards, finishing his career with 1,300 points (625 goals, 675 assists) in 1,554 games from 1996-2017. He's tied with
Joe Sakic
for 16th in NHL history in goals and is one of 13 players to score at least 30 in 12 seasons.
He did not play during the 2017-18 season and returned to Calgary to officially announce his retirement on July 30, 2018.
"It's humbling, a huge honor, a thrill and to be honest, a little bit surreal," Iginla told the Flames website Thursday. "I am extremely grateful to the Flames ownership and organization for bestowing this tribute on me and my family."
"I'm looking forward to it but I don't know what to expect or how I'll handle my emotions. I'm obviously very excited but I think now that my kids are really into hockey and the NHL that it's going to be so neat to share it with my family. To have them there, and friends, alumni and of course with the fans, will really make the day special."
Iginla led the Flames in scoring for 11 consecutive seasons. He was captain of the Flames from 2003-04 until he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 28, 2013, and also played for the Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche and Los Angeles Kings.
Iginla won the
Art Ross Trophy
as the NHL's top scorer with 96 points (52 goals, 44 assists) in 2001-02. He won the
Rocket Richard Trophy
as the leading goal-scorer that season and again in 2003-04 (41 goals), when he also had 22 points (13 goals, nine assists) in 26 Stanley Cup Playoff games to help the Flames get to the Final for the first time since 1989 before losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games.
The Edmonton native was a three-time First-Team NHL All-Star (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.
"We are all so proud of Jarome, a gentleman and extraordinary player," CSEC Vice-Chairman & CEO Ken King said. "On behalf of the Flames ownership and the organization, we congratulate Jarome on an amazing career.
"For 16 years Jarome was the centerpiece of our Flames culture. He set the standard and established a legacy that will be cherished for years to come. He conducted himself with grace, humility and dignity matched with fierceness and passion in his play. We are honored to have his No. 12 retired and proudly displayed in the Scotiabank Saddledome rafters to be celebrated with Flames fans for all-time."
Iginla's on-ice accomplishments were only part of what made him great.

"He's a caring, smiling, charismatic person," Martin Gelinas, who played with Iginla from 2002-04, said at his retirement ceremony in July. "What we saw on the ice is that player, that force, that guy who could score goals. For me, what made Jarome a complete, complete package is what he did off the ice. What he did on the ice, we all saw it. We were all lucky enough to play with him and cherish those memories.
"But what he did off the ice was exceptional. Jarome had a gift of doing so with a simple autograph or shaking hands or going to a school and spending time with charities, calling someone out of the blue and making their day. That's what makes him the classiest, I think, person I've played with, on and off the ice."
Iginla won the
King Clancy Memorial Award
, given to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community, and
NHL Foundation Award
, given to the player who applies the core values of hockey -- commitment, perseverance and teamwork -- to enrich the lives of people in his community, in 2004. He received the
Mark Messier Leadership Award
, given to the player who exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice, in 2009.
As a teenager, Iginla won back-to-back Memorial Cup championships with Kamloops of the Western Hockey League in 1994 and 1995. He also won a gold medal with Canada at the 1996 IIHF World Junior Championship, at the 1997 IIHF World Championship and at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and 2010 Vancouver Olympics. His pass set up Sidney Crosby's overtime goal in the gold-medal game against the United States in 2010.
Iginla was selected by the Dallas Stars with the No. 11 pick in the 1995 NHL Draft, but was traded to Calgary with center Corey Millen for center
Joe Nieuwendyk
on Dec. 19, 1995.
No. 12 will be the third number retired by the Flames, joining No. 30 (
Mike Vernon
) and No. 9 (
Lanny McDonald
). Two others, No. 2 (
Al MacInnis
) and No. 25 (Nieuwendyk) are recognized as part of the "Forever a Flame" program.