By Rob Ficiur
Last week Calgary Flames captain Jerome Iginla became the 42nd player in NHL history to score 500 goals. While the Flames flounder and could miss the playoffs for a third straight season, fans take for granted what Iginla has accomplished. Another look at the stats and the history suggests that Jerome is the best hockey player of our era.
1. Five hundred - 500 Goals a Major Accomplishment in Our Day - Back in the high scoring 1980s there were often five or more players scoring 50 goals a season. In the six seasons since the lockout there have been 15 players scoring 50 goals in one season. In contrast in the six seasons between 1981-1986 there were 48 players with 50 goal seasons. With less than half as many players scoring fifty goals a season, it is twice as difficult to score 500 goals.
2. Iginla scored meaningful goals – Iginla’s 500th goal was the game winner.  That goal was the 80th game winning goal of his career. In contrast Wayne Gretzy, who has 894 total goals, has only 91 game winning goals. However as a percentage of total goals scored more of Jerome Iginla’s goals were game winners:  Iginla 16%  Gretzky 10%. (Jaromir Jagr, whose 113 game winning goals are the most ever, 17% of those were game winners.)
3. Jerome Iginla played with no Hall of Famers - Flames fan can you name a future or current Hall of Famer that played on a line with Jerome? Fact is Jerome has not played with another elite NHL forward in his entire career.  The hockey greats of history all had teammates to complement their skills:  Gretzky had Kurri (and Coffey and Messier), Bossy had Trottier, Lemieux had Jagr, Sedin had Sedin, Esposito had Orr; Sidney Crosby had Malkin.
This week the Flames reaquired Mike Cammalerri from the Montreal Canadiens. Cammalerri scored 39 goals playing with Iginla three years ago.  Nine of the last ten years Iginla led the Flames in goals usually by a very wide margin. The year the Flames went to the Stanley Cup final Iginla had 41 goals. The second most on the team was 18 by Shawn Donovan.
4. Jerome Iginla has been consistent - Iginla has scored 30 goals in ten straight NHL seasons; this year will be his 11th consecutive year. The two years prior to the streak he had 28 and 27 goals. For the last 13 seasons Jerome Iginla has been battled through injuries, slumps and getting older – and yet continued to score at a steady rate.
5. Iginla is a complete player - The game after Jerome scored his 500th goal, he scored his 501st goal and his tenth career Gordie Howe hat trick. A Gordie Howe hat trick is a goal, an assist and a fight. Unlike superstars, Gretzky, Jagr and Lemieux, Iginla has been a physical player. All players take hits, but Iginla gives them as well. Iginla’s 10th Gordie Howe Hat Trick puts him about five behind Rick Tocket who holds the unofficial record of 15.
6. Iginla has been a star in the International Hockey - Iginla scored a goal in the Gold Medal game at the 2002 Olympics. Iginla assisted on Crosby’s overtime Gold Medal goal in the 2010 Olympics. When the stakes were high, Jerome was there.
7. Iginla has been the Flames Offense - Since the lockout Jerome Iginla has been the Flames offense. He has now scored 251 goals since the lockout.  Daymond Lankow is second in Flames goal scoring since the lockout with 123.  Iginla has more than doubled any Flame player.
Who set up Iginla’s 500 goals? Craig Conroy had 85, Lankow 52 and Alex Tanguay 52. Those numbers make it clear that Iginla got the goals no matter who he played with.
Jerome Iginla’s numbers look impressive. As we look deeper and see how much Jerome has done surrounded by average players, you realize that on a team sport, Jerome Iginla has been the best player of our era.