Subban shouts out Iginla, hockey's fourth Black player in Hall of Fame
Jarome Iginla was an obvious selection for the Hockey Hall of Fame this week, but it was also a historic one.
With 625 goals and 1,300 points during an NHL career that lasted more than 20 years, Iginla was one of the best players of his generation. His trophy case is filled with hardware, including two Olympic gold medals, plus two Rocket Richard Trophies, an Art Ross Trophy, and a Pearson Trophy.
The Calgary Flames legend inspired young hockey players growing up in Alberta, and elsewhere too, including PK Subban.
Iginla will be just the fourth Black hockey player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, joining goaltender Grant Fuhr, Team Canada’s Angela James, and the first-ever Black player to make the NHL, Willie O’Ree.
In an Instagram post dedicated to Iginla, Subban said that seeing a player that “looked like” him starring in the league gave him the “confidence to believe” in himself and “also to believe that anything is possible.”
“This was the first EA Sports NHL game I ever owned,” said Subban, referring to the 2003 version of the game, which featured Iginla on the cover. “Words cannot describe what it meant to me to see a guy who looked like me on the cover of the NHL video game. It gave me the confidence to believe in myself and also to believe that anything is possible. Even playing in the big leagues like this guy!
“Congrats Iggy on an amazing career and thank you for being the role model that me and so many others needed!”
The Toronto native was just 13 years old when Iginla won his first Rocket Richard Trophy, and of course, Subban has gone on to a rather successful career himself, and was featured on the cover of the NHL video game in 2019.
A Norris Trophy winner in 2013, Subban has 426 career points as a defenceman in 713 games with the Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators, and New Jersey Devils.