Jarome Iginla says he is dealing with serious neurological health issues, and the longtime Flames star told Eric Francis of Sportsnet on Tuesday that he still does not have a clear answer on what is causing them.
Iginla and his medical team have not identified the exact source of the problem. He believes it could be tied to a cobalt hip replacement he had a few years ago, and he said the medications that followed have affected his speech and his energy. Even with that uncertainty hanging over him, Iginla kept his outlook steady: “I’m still hopeful that I will recover fully.”
The health battle has cast a heavy shadow over one of the most important players in Flames history. Iginla was drafted 11th overall by the Dallas Stars in the 1995 Draft, then traded later that year to Calgary for Joe Nieuwendyk. He made his Flames debut in the 1996 Playoffs and quickly became the kind of player the franchise could build around.
His first full season in Calgary brought 21 goals and 50 points in 82 games, good enough for NHL All-Rookie Team honors and a runner-up finish in the Calder Trophy race. From there, his production kept climbing.
In his sixth season, he reached 50 goals for the first time and also topped a point per game for the first time in his career. Two years later, before the start of the 2003-04 NHL season, he was named the 18th captain in Flames history after current general manager Craig Conroy stepped down, calling the 26-year-old star the de facto captain.
Iginla backed that up with a huge season. He led the Flames with 41 goals while no other player on the roster even reached 20 goals or 20 points, and he finished with 73 points. Calgary’s run that year ended one goal short of a Stanley Cup, in one of the most controversial finals in league history.
His place in franchise history became official on March 1, 2009, when he became the Flames’ all-time scoring leader by passing Theoren Fleury. He did it in style, piling up five points in one game and scoring his 400th career goal.
Iginla’s Calgary chapter ended in 2013, when he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins at the deadline. He spent the rest of his career moving from team to team in pursuit of a championship, but he never made it back to the Final. The 2004 run remained his only trip.
The scale of his impact in Calgary is hard to overstate. He spent 16 NHL seasons in one city, stayed loyal even when other options were there, and became the face of the franchise. For a player who grew up rooting for the Edmonton Oilers, he ended up becoming the defining figure for the Flames.
Now, the focus is on his health. Iginla originally had the hip surgery after years of contact over nearly 1,600 career games.
The speculation is that cobalt-chromium components in the replacement may have released debris into his bloodstream over time, leading to the neurological issues. It was also revealed that he has high levels of mercury in his blood, and he and his team are trying to determine whether there is any connection.
For Iginla, the priority is clear: his health comes first, while he also continues to be there for his three young kids as the hockey world rallies around him.
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Flames Goalie Picture Just Shifted Again As One Battle Resets
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Sergeevs brief NHL stint included two games and a stretch of practices with the big club before he headed back to the Wranglers. For Calgary, the move resets a competition that has been in flux, with Cooley now available again just as the team sorts out its next turn in goal. [Read more 🡒]