Jarome Iginla Earns First Star Of The Month For March
Mar 29, 2014; Washington, DC, USA; Boston Bruins right wing Jarome Iginla (12) scores during the second period against the Washington Capitals at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Jarome Iginla will be in the Hall of Fame. His skill has proven it, the fans support it, and it has the blessings of the Hockey Gods. Jarome Iginla spent fifteen years playing for the Calgary Flames, before jumping ship (in order to earn a Stanley Cup) for the Pittsburgh Penguins. After getting swept by the Bruins last year in the Eastern Conference Finals, there was talk that the Boston Bruins might acquire him. Thanks to some hard work by the Bruins organization (and a serious heart-to-heart with former Bruins alternate captain Andrew Ference), Iginla chose to make his home in Boston for the 2013-14 season (and let’s hope a few more).
The month of March has been a strong month for the veteran Bruins winger. He has spent the majority of the month scoring goals and destroying milestones. He scored thirteen goals and four and tacked on an additional plus twelve. He had four two-goal games and five game-winning goals in the last thirty days. This was supposed to be the roughest month of the Bruins schedule. Iginla helped make it one of the best in recent memory as the Bruins went 15-1-1 in the month of March. As for broken records, He played in the 1300th game of his NHL career this month. He’s passed both Johnny Bucyk and Guy Lafleur on the all-time goals list. That makes him number twenty four on all time scoring (and climbing).
To finish off the month, the National Hockey League added one more platitude. They named him First Star of the Month in March. No one doubts he’s earned this honor, and #12 is very humble about the accolade. “It’s an honor,” Iginla said. “It’s been an enjoyable month, I think, for our whole team. We’ve had a great month as a team. It’s been fun, but it’s one of those things you don’t really expect. I’ve gotten some good bounces, some great passes from my lineies. But I think bigger than that, as a team, we’ve had a great month, and I think we’ve all benefited from that.”
“I think when you look at the way he’s been this month, he’s been really consistent,” Bruins Head Coach Claude Julien said. “He’s been a clutch player. Where we are right now, he’s playing some of his best hockey, so it’s a good thing for us to witness here with him. And again, to me, he’s very deserving of receiving that award.”
So, what are the chances that will get to see Iginla continue or even finish his NHL career in Boston? A few months ago, it would have looked like another Jaromir Jagr situation. Now, I dare say it’s better than average. When asked here’s what he said to the media.
“The guys here are a great group of guys,” offered Iginla. “I think there’s a great balance with the young guys coming in and some of the older guys, I think, will be able to play for a while — some guys right in their prime. The team is in great shape to compete for a while, and you’d love to be a part of that.”
“I’ve been in a great situation, getting a chance to play with Krech[David Krejci] and Looch [Milan Lucic] — they’re great players, they’re very competitive, they do a lot of different things very well, and I’ve gotten some great backdoor passes, things like that. It’s been a great experience for me and my family, and I feel very fortunate to have gotten the chance to be here this year.”