Iginla highlights class inducted into Hall of Fame

TORONTO — The Hockey Hall of Fame’s pandemic class finally got its moment in the spotlight.

Jarome Iginla headlined the five players and one executive enshrined Monday night — a year later than originally intended because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The former captain of the Calgary Flames was joined by Marian Hossa, Kevin Lowe, Doug Wilson and Canadian women’s national team goalie Kim St-Pierre, while Ken Holland went in as a builder to round out the group voted in by the hall’s 18-member selection committee nearly 17 months ago.

“A career in hockey is a series of exciting chapters where you learn and grow from a wide-eyed rookie to a seasoned veteran,” Iginla said.

“And then in a blink of an eye, you’re done. When I look back on those chapters, each reminds me of so many things I have to say thank you for.”

A mainstay with the Flames from 1996 to 2013, Iginla led his team in scoring 11 times, winning the Maurice Richard Trophy as the NHL’s top goalscorer twice.

The Edmonton native, who also grabbed the Art Ross Trophy as the league’s top point-getter in 2001-02, combined to register 625 goals and exactly 1,300 points in 1,554 games in a career that included four other NHL stops.

Iginla got close to winning the Stanley Cup with Calgary in 2004, but the power forward couldn’t quite get over the hump in a hard-fought series against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Iginla did, however, have plenty of success on the international stage.

He became the first Black athlete to win gold at a Winter Olympics when he helped Canada end a 50-year drought at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.

Iginla also registered one of the most famous assists in his country’s history by setting up Sidney Crosby’s golden goal at the 2010 Games in Vancouver.

“It was truly, truly awesome,” he said of the moment.