The player who made his career with the Flames is leaving the club to chase the Cup alongside the red-hot Pittsburgh Penguins.
Many experts were speculating that Jarome Iginla would sign papers with the Boston Bruins, but he made a deal on Wednesday night that would see him go to the Eastern Conference leading team.
During a press conference on Thursday morning, Iginla thanked Calgary, saying that he never would have dreamt to have played here for so long.
"It's a great, great hockey city, a great community, and such a balance for a passion for hockey and a wonderful place to live and it is hard."
In exchange, Pittsburgh sent two prospects, Kenneth Agostino and Ben Hanowski, as well as the Penguins’ first pick in the 2013 Draft.
Iginla says that he was approached about a month ago about a trade and discussed that the team wasn't in a playoff position.
"I think I've gotten some great opportunity here and I think we've gotten some great opportunity to win. We've got some good teams here and I really thought we'd have some opportunity to get in here, but we haven't yet, so I understood that. I didn't take it personal."
He said it was hard to play his last game, but he's glad that it was at home and they won. "I look back and I wish that I had known it was the last one, as far as the crowd, they were great. When I got that last goal and the crowd's reaction, I didn't really fully acknowledge it because I didn't know what the circumstances were going to be. I want to thank them for that, it meant a lot to myself and my family."
Iginla was originally signed by the Dallas Stars but never played a game with them, instead signing a contract with the Flames during their run for the 1996 Stanley Cup.
He played alongside hockey great Theoren Fleury and scored his first NHL point, an assist, to one of Fleury's goals.
Iginla was also part of Team Canada at the Olympics, winning the gold medal in Salt Lake City in 2002 and Vancouver in 2010.
Flames general manager Jay Feaster says that the trade is the first step in a journey to revitalize the team. “We feel that we’ve embarked on the first step of a journey and a process. And that process is to make sure that ours is a team that not only makes the playoffs on a regular basis but is a team that can legitimately compete for a Stanley Cup.”
Iginla has spent 16 years chasing the Cup in Calgary, with the closest he’s ever come being the trip to the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals.
Pittsburgh may get him that elusive Cup in just three months.
Iginla says that he wanted the deal to be a mutual thing and that management was happy with the deal that they got in return.
"If I was going to leave here, I wanted it for the best opportunity to win."
He says that it is a great opportunity to play on team with the "two best players in the world on a team on a roll like the one they're on."
The Flames haven’t been to the playoffs since 2009 and are currently sitting 14th in the Western Conference.
Many of the Calgary Flames shared their thoughts about Iginla's departure after the game against Colorado.
"He's played a lot of years here," said Mike Cammalleri. "He's played as hard as he could. I'll tell you one thing about Jarome - no matter what he did, everyday he tried his best to win hockey games."
Alex Tanguay says that he wishes Iginla nothing but the best. "He's a Hall of Famer, he's a guy that everybody looks up to and I'm sure he'll be a great influence for his new team."
Jay Feaster also spoke to Iginla's value to the club. "For 16 plus seasons, Jarome Iginla has represented this franchise with dignity, and class, and pride."
Prime Minister Stephen Harper commented on Twitter when he heard the news, saying: "Jarome Iginla is a class act, a proud Canadian, and an all-time Flames great. Thanks for everything, Jarome."
Mayor Nenshi also thanked Jarome for everthing. "Thanks for being you," he tweeted.
