Jarome Arthur-Leigh Adekunle Tig Junior Elvis Iginla
(born July 1, 1977 in Edmonton, Alberta) is a
Canadian professional ice hockey player in the
National Hockey League (NHL) and current captain of
the Calgary Flames.
His surname Iginla means "Big tree" in Yorùbá, his
father's native language. His parents separated when
he was a baby, and he was raised by his mother and
grandparents in the Edmonton suburb of St. Albert.
Jarome has a half-sister, Theresa who is a standout
forward for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies.
The youngster's first love was baseball (he was the
catcher on the Canadian National Junior team), but
also starred in the St. Albert Minor Hockey
Association before graduating to juniors. He played
goaltender in his first two years of organized
hockey, then switched to the right wing, and
developed a knack for scoring. Iginla played his
entire minor hockey career in St. Albert, which
included stints with the Bantam AAA Sabres and the
Midget AAA Raiders. It was during the 1992-93 season
with the Raiders that Iginla, then an under-age
midget player, scored 87 points to lead the Alberta
Midget AAA Hockey league (AMHL) in scoring.
Following this season Iginla joined the Kamloops
Blazers as a 16 year old.
