CALGARY - Jarome Iginla may not be the face of the Flames for long.
It's not that the 26-year-old right wing is leaving his home province of Alberta to play for another NHL team. Flames fans would probably join hands and form rings around the airport and city limits if he tried, anyway.
But instead of being the best player and Conn Smythe Trophy candidate for the West champions, Iginla may soon be the standard-bearer for Canadian hockey. Offensively gifted, gritty, tough and affable, he has a lot to like, except for opposing defensemen. His inclusion on a deep Canadian World Cup team was a foregone conclusion. He had two goals and an assist in the Canadian's gold win over the United States in the 2002 Olympics, and he may now be ready to take his country and his game where the likes of Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux had once led.
"Iggy could be that next great guy," Flames defenseman Mike Commodore said. "He's probably the best player I've ever played with. No, take that back, he's the best. He just does things at such a high level."
Iginla co-led the league in goals (41) and winners (10) this season, continuing his progression as one of the league's top threats. In an "off" year last season, he had 67 points and 35 goals after leading the league in points (82) and goals (52) in 2001-02. But the Flames struggled throughout, finishing out of the playoffs and no better than third in their division, and fifth three times, since his first full season in 1996-97. This year, with offensive support from Shean Donovan and better goaltending by Miikka Kiprusoff, the Flames have had the talent to follow Iginla's lead.
When Flyers general manager Bobby Clarke spoke of how forward Simon Gagne needed to raise his level of play, he compared to what Iginla had done in Calgary. It wasn't all about stats, but desire. Iginla was typically self-effacing.
"It's very nice of them to say that," he said. "It's been fun playing here and growing with the group that we have. I think we have all grown as players. There's been a lot of experiences that have helped us this year. It's been huge all the way through, trying to push and make the playoffs."
The speedy right wing hoisted the Flames into the Cup final with a league-leading 10 playoff goals and co-leading 17 points and contributed with hustle and scrappiness when he was held scoreless for the first time in the series. Frustrated and shut down in a Game 3 loss at the Saddledome, Iginla mixed it up in one of several scraps that broke out late, and was ejected in the final minutes for vociferously arguing with officials. When the Flames blew a 2-0 series advantage by being swept at home, Iginla provided the spark that lifted the Flames to a 3-0 win in San Jose with a short-handed goal.
When Calgary had a chance to close the series Wednesday, Iginla scored on the power play early in the decisive Game 6, setting the Flames on their way to a 3-1 victory and their first berth in the Stanley Cup final since they won it in 1989.
"Iggy does what Iggy does," linemate Craig Conroy said. "That's why he's our captain."
Iginla doesn't have to be heard to be influential, though.
"He doesn't talk much," Conroy said. "He says whatever needs to be said and he lets his actions do the talking."
