Jarome Iginla

“My mom's actually a Buddhist. My dad's a Christian and he was a Muslim, but he converted to Christianity.”

“I grew up here in St. Albert, which is a city just north of Edmonton, and I went to Grade 10 here at Paul Kane High School. But then I went to junior in the WHL, Western Hockey League, at age 16. So I left and went to finish school at Norkam High School in Kamloops for grades 11 and 12.”

“I've always dreamt of being on a Stanley Cup-winning team. That always stayed with me.”

“Just like Grant Fuhr and Tony McKegney showed me it was possible to do what I'm doing, I want to be someone who shows kids that it's possible to be whatever they want to be.”

“I believe in God, stay close, and pray daily. I have to pray, believe, and do the work. Once I go on the ice, I do the best I can and I leave it. If the goalie saves my first shot, my next shot's going in.”

“But once I left home to play hockey, it was a commitment to be the best I could be and try to make the NHL.”

“It was tough leaving Boston with a great city, a great organization and a great bunch of guys.”

“I was a better hockey player than I was a baseball player.”

“As a player, I do love playing Edmonton and Vancouver, those guys, with the intensity.”

“Growing up, I played hockey because I loved playing it. I didn't view myself in minor hockey as a Black hockey player, but I was also aware that I was.”

“My grandfather was a big sports fan and so was my mom.”

“I'd love to be a role model for black kids, whether they play hockey or not.”

“I grew up in a city just outside of Edmonton, St. Albert. So I watched NHL games with my grandpa. I watched a lot of games, back then it was called the Smythe Division, and it was just Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Winnipeg.”

“There weren't many black players when I was growing up, and I remember playing and looking up to the ones that were playing.”

“We all have different styles, so it's part of the game trying to be competitive and compete and be determined.”

“I haven't been to Nigeria, but my dad and I have talked about going. I have a grandma over there who's been here.”

“I've been fortunate enough to have a lot of neat experiences, Olympics and everything, getting to the Stanley Cup Finals was really cool, but to actually make the NHL was just something I don't think I or my family will ever forget.”

“I dreamed of being an NHLer the first day I played. Sometimes the other kids would say there are not many black players in the N.H.L. So I really followed as many black players as I could.”

“I would like to be in the playoffs. I would hope that there is some opportunity to go and play in the playoffs. Those are the best games, the most fun for sure, and you have a chance to win.”

“I mean, sometimes if you're not always going to win on the scoreboard, you want to make sure that you're there physically.”