When the legends die

Jarome Iginla has had an illustrious career. Obvious, yes I know. He may not retire after these next few games, but there is one definite certainty. He is going to die.

Yes, that’s right. Iginla is set to become one with the universe in infinity, blown to space dust, scattered across the heavens. He will get a teary eyed sendoff from the fans who love him most, with the team he has most cherished: the Los Angeles Kings.

Jarome Iginla was drafted by the Kings back in 1995 and he never looked back. He ran over opposition jabronies, scored mammoth goals, and is a sure fire hall of famer. Without a doubt, he will smile from beyond at the image of the NHL entering him into their historical canon as a King.

With other teams, Iginla may not have amounted to much. A great player to be sure, but not a two time Stanley Cup winning hero/god that he is in L.A. But that’s how he will be remembered. And even though here in his last go around, his season is ending early, at least he has the victories under his belt. They’ll almost be as precious as the memories he’s had here playing alongside beloved teammates Drew Doughty and Jonathan Quick.

One cannot blame the rest of the league of being envious of the Kings and Iginla, a match made in heaven. Which is why the partnership lasted over 20 years. A union as beautiful as this is hard to come by.

And even though the first decade and a half was tough for Iggy, he and the Kings persevered and won it all. To think he could go down as a two time Rocket Richard winner, Art Ross winner, and perennial all-star without a Cup ever after two decades of playing because he was stuck dragging around a team around that never got him a Cup and didn’t let him look elsewhere until it was too late would be unbearable. Getting screwed out of the Hart trophy was bad enough.

But not Jarome. Not with the Kings. We’ll miss you Iginla. We hope you find a place in the afterlife as good as Los Angeles.