Iggy ducks from spotlight, Versteeg bows to idol
As a youngster growing up in Lethbridge, Kris Versteeg idolized Jarome Iginla.
So, just try to imagine the emotions that came with Versteeg being called up from the AHL in 2008 to play his very first game in the NHL against, of all teams, Iginla’s Flames. In Calgary. However, it was a moment made somewhat awkward when his large contingent of family and friends arrived for his monumental breakthrough showing their true colours.
“I remember my uncle came to that first NHL game of mine and he showed up in his Iginla jersey to watch me,” chuckled Versteeg. “I was with Chicago. I’m like, ‘What the hell are you doing?’ It just shows you, Jarome meant a lot to this city and to a lot of people.”
Diehard Flames fans will face a similar dilemma Wednesday night when Iginla returns with the Los Angeles Kings for what will almost certainly be his final spin at the rink he ruled in for 17 seasons.
While the evening’s focus will revolve around the Flames’ chance to clinch a playoff spot, the Saddledome will be peppered with people in Iginla jerseys hoping for one final chance to salute the most prolific Flames player of all time.
It will most certainly have to be an impromptu moment as Iginla once again rejected the Flames’ request to honour him, as he did his last time through.
After all, so singularly focused is Iginla on keeping the Kings’ unlikely playoff hopes alive he ducked out of media requests at Rogers Place in Edmonton Tuesday, knowing the obvious line of questioning would revolve around his last Calgary visit and his future.
He made a similar move on game day the last time he was in town, proving once again his desire to be the focal point disappeared many years back when the constant demands of captaincy in a hockey market wore thin.
“I’m sure there will be something for him,” said Versteeg of the opportunity fans are hoping for. “I think every time he comes back there’s excitement. Beside Johnny (Gaudreau) and Monny (Sean Monahan) jerseys, there are still so many Iginla jerseys out there and so many people still love him.
“He’s going to have his night here — a really special one with his family in the not-too-distant future, depending on what he decides to do.” You bet he will. At age 39, it appears the end is near as Iginla has just 12 goals in 73 outings, including four in 12 games with the Kings.
The fact that the Avs essentially gave him away at the deadline is surely an indicator of the interest level in a future first-ballot Hall of Famer whose quest for that elusive Stanley Cup he got the Flames to within one win of in 2004 appears destined to fall short.
Versteeg is right, at some point Wednesday, likely late in the evening, a perfect moment to say goodbye will arise. It happened when Wayne Gretzky made his last pass through Calgary and it will happen organically (perhaps with the help of a Jumbotron shot) for Iginla.
The fact that he’ll be wearing No. 88 in black and white matters not — he’ll forever fondly be remembered here as No. 12 in red with a C over his heart and that smile on his face.
For a man who has created and shared so many great memories both for and with this fan base, it will be one last cherished moment to add to his extensive collection. And richly deserved.