Jarome Iginla is as big of a Hall of Fame lock as they come

After 20 illustrious seasons and one spent in limbo, it’s finally, officially, the end of the road for Jarome Iginla.

The 41-year-old is set to announce his retirement from the NHL on Monday in Calgary, where he spent 16 of his 20 campaigns while becoming an absolute Flames legend.

The ‘Berta boy from St. Albert was the heart and soul of the team for over a decade and a half. The 18th captain in franchise history rocked the ‘C’ for nine seasons — right up until late in the 2012-13 campaign when he was flipped to the Pittsburgh Penguins. He’s an undisputed fan favourite in Calgary; a consummate leader on the ice, in the room and in the community, Iginla wore the team and city on his sleeve even well after he departed.

And the numbers aren’t so bad, either.

Iginla ranks first in franchise history in most major statistical categories including games played (1,219), goals (525), points (1,095), game-winnings goals (83), power-play tallies (161), shots (3392), goals created (438), point shares (133.8) and sits second with 570 assists in a Flames uniform. He’s a two-time Rocket Richard Trophy winner as the league’s leading goal-scorer, a four-time All Star, and has an Art Ross and King Clancy Trophy on his resume, too. On the international stage he was nothing short of a stud for powerhouse Canada, capturing two Olympic gold medals and a World Cup title, including a legendary two-goal performance in the 2002 Gold Medal game against Team USA.

Though he never could secure an elusive Stanley Cup ring, who could forget the absolutely savage performance he put in in the 2004 playoffs when he lead the Flames to within one win (or a Game 6 goal) away from winning it all.

For his career, Iggy finishes with exactly 1,300 career points, which ranks No. 34 in NHL History. He’s 15th all-time in goals, No. 21 in power-play tallies and sits 13th with 1,554 games played.

So is Iginla a first-ballot lock for the Hall of Fame when he is eligible in 2020?

Dear God, yes, and I’m not sure if there’s ever been an easier debate to settle.

Every single player that has scored over 550 goals has been inducted into the Hall — Iginla added 75 more than that, just for good measure. Another telling sign is the fact that every single retired Art Ross Trophy winner has been enshrined, Iggy checks that box off, too.

To be considered a sure-fire Hall of Famer, one has to be at or near an elite level for not just a couple seasons, but consistently over time — and there’s been fewer more reliable than Iginla, who posted 13 straight 28-plus-goal seasons, including 11 straight 30-tally campaigns. In 2013-14 while playing his only year with the Boston Bruins, he netted 30 in a season for the 12th and final time — 14 years after his first. He followed that up with another 29-goal campaign as a 37-year-old in Colorado.

The longevity and durability he exhibited was some of the greatest we’ve seen.

When you look at players of his generation, he’s right at the very top.

Not only is Iginla ranked No. 15 in NHL history in goals, he’s the leading scorer across his active seasons (1996-97 to 2016-17). He has 134 more goals than HOF inductee Teemu Selanne and 213 more than Martin St. Louis, who was also recently enshrined. Selected No. 11 overall in 1995, Iginla leads all players from that draft in points (328 more than the second-ranked Shane Doan) and goals (223 more than Doan). When you speak of the best players of Iginla’s era, he’s certainly in the top five or six along with Joe Thornton, Eric Lindros, Marian Hossa, Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer — who are all currently inducted or set to be at some point.

Unparalleled production, a championship pedigree and a beloved son. Not only is Iginla an absolute lock for the Hall of Fame, he will likely headline the class on his first sniff of eligibility in 2020.

Nothing has ever been more certain in this cruel, unpredictable world.

Also, in case you weren’t aware, his full name is Jarome Arthur-Leigh Adekunle Tig Junior Elvis Iginla, which put him in elite company even before he began authoring his Hall of Fame resume.

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