From the Archive: FLAME THROWER

THN Archive is an exclusive vault of 2,640 issues and more than 156,000 stories for subscribers, chronicling the complete history of The Hockey News from 1947 until today. Visit THN.com/archive and subscribe today at subscribe.thehockeynews.com. Today we will revisit a story by George Johnson about the Calgary Flames' all-time leader in goals, points and games played during his breakout campaign.

While scoring 21 goals during his rookie season, he was called Iggy Pop. When he stopped scoring in his second season, he was Iggy Flop. But after five full seasons in the NHL, he was Iggy Top. Of the heap. On the charts. Of the league.

Displaying a newfound power and consistency, fulfilling all the predictions by the Dallas Stars when they drafted him in 1995 and by the Calgary Flames when they traded proven scorer Joe Nieuwendyk for him, winger Jarome Iginla, 24, has rocketed into legitimate star status this year. He has become a power forward in the classic sense of the term and the centerpiece of an astounding Flames team, the NHL’s biggest surprise through the first quarter-of the season. Iginla scores at one end of the ice, goalie Roman Turek stops them at the other and the rest of the Flames fight to the death in between. It has become an unexpected recipe for success and given fans in Calgary a legitimate belief that the playoff drought will stop.

"Iggy has been great, ” said his coach, Greg Gilbert, just realizing how good he can be. The Hockey News' Calgary hockey reporter George Johnson chronicled the burning fire that is Iginla for a few minutes after practice in mid-November. Here’s an edited transcript of their chat:

THN You grew up in St. Albert, a suburb of Edmonton, in a single-parent family. Is that in any way an unsettling upbringing?

Iginla Not at all. My dad was living in Edmonton going to law school when I was growing up, so he was close. I was aware that it was a different set-up than my friends at school had, but I can’t say that I felt different. I felt very loved. My mom worked long hours. She was a massage therapist and if she couldn’t be at my baseball practice because she was still at work, say, my father would be there. We lived with my grandparents and I always felt a tremendous amount of support. Looking back on it, I feel very fortunate at the way I was brought up. I’m very thankful for having many people that cared for me around to help.

THN So you didn’t feel even the slightest cheated?

Iginla No. Not at all. I had a great time growing up. No complaints at all.

THN Your emergence as a bonafide star this season has re-focused attention on blacks in the sport. It is true, after all, that kids can be thoughtlessly cruel? Did you ever encounter any sort of hostility when you were younger?

Iginla No. Not really. About the most I ever heard anybody say was something like, ‘Not many blacks play in the NHL,' you know? But that was true. Not many blacks did play in the NHL when I was growing up. But living in St. Albert, I got to watch Grant Fuhr with the Oilers. He was my idol. Which is why it was so unbelievable for me when he arrived here to play with the Flames. I did pay attention to minorities in the game. Whether they were black or native. It didn’t consume me, but it certainly interested me.

THN Do you consider yourself a role model for aspiring black hockey players?

Iginla Actually, I think it’d be great to be a role model to kids. Period. I really believe athletes are role models, and the way you conduct yourself is important. I know I looked up to players, all players, I thought they carried themselves with respect and dignity and showed they loved the game. If a young black player can look at me and say, ‘He did it, so I can, too,’ I think that’s fantastic. But I hope any young player can do the same.

THN Are you still a big sleeper? I remember Pierre Page being astounded at how much shut-eye you needed.

Iginla Yeah. That hasn’t changed. I love my sleep. I believe everyone should get nine hours. Minimum.

THN There has been a lot made around here of the fact that your name isn’t on the NHL all-star ballot, yet you’re leading the league in scoring. Are you upset by the omission?

Iginla I don’t feel slighted. I mean, they couldn’t reprint them just because I got off to a hot start. I was on there last year, right at the bottom of the ballot and that was pretty cool. The two players we’ve got on there are more than deserving. Roman Turek has played in an All-Star Game and Derek Morris, well, he’s going to be involved in a lot of them the rest of his career. I remember as a kid poking holes in all-star ballots to vote for my favorites players (most of them were Oilers). I’d fill a whole bunch out… stuff the ballot box, I guess you’d say. It’s a neat idea that gets the fans involved. But no, it doesn’t bother me that my name isn’t on there.

THN Maybe the fans at the Saddledome can stuff the ballot box with Iginla votes?

Iginla That would be nice.

THN This tremendous start you’re off to, leading the league in goals and points-there’s a decisiveness to your play that has been hinted at before, but never with this sort of consistency. You’ve emerged as a true power forward. Is this just a coming-of-age thing, a crystallization of experience and talent, or is there something else involved?

Iginla I think it’s a combination of things. I really haven’t changed anything, I’m not superstitious, so there’s no mysterious reason why I’m enjoying more success. Our team has improved. Adding people like Craig Conroy and Roman Turek and Dean McAmmond and Rob Niedermayer makes everyone look better. Plus, our group of young guys-such as Derek Morris and Denis Gauthier and Robyn Regehr-has grown up together and we’re all at a point where we feel comfortable and ready to contribute. And I know it sounds like a pretty standard answer, but a lot of it is my confidence improving. That’s not just me, though. Everyone in this room believes we have a good team here. It’s amazing what attitude can do for you. At the beginning of the year, people thought it’d be a miracle if we could somehow wind up in the playoffs at all. But here, believe me, we won’t be satisfied with eighth place. The attitude is: That isn’t enough. The way we’ve started, top four and home ice advantage should be something we’re shooting for.

THN You’ve mentioned personnel changes, but what impact has having Greg Gilbert behind the bench from the beginning of the season made?

Iginla Gibby has established guidelines and everyone’s sticking with them. We realize that if we slip up in our work ethic or using the system, we could be in for a big shock. Everyone here is having such a good time right now I can’t see us becoming complacent or losing our focus.

THN Has the possibility of going to the Olympics been a primary motivation in your season?

Iginla I’d be lying if I told you I didn’t think about it. But it’s not my main focus. That’s here, with this team. To be picked to go to Salt Lake would be fabulous and I’ll do everything in my power to make it difficult for them not to take me. But I wouldn’t be playing any differently if this weren’t an Olympic year. Getting a chance to skate with (Mario) Lemieux and (Steve) Yzerman and those guys at the orientation camp here in September gives you a real taste of playing at that level. I’ve played internationally before, but the Olympics, well, it’s something special. Obviously. There isn’t a player out there that wouldn’t consider it an honor.

THN OK, confess, if you could choose one dream for 2001-2002- the scoring championship, a trip to Salt Lake or-dare we say it?-a Stanley Cup-which would it be?

Iginla That’s easy. The Stanley Cup. For sure. To talk to guys who’ve won it, like (Mike Vernon) and (Grant Fuhr) when he was here… well, it’s why you start playing this game in the first place. I’ve never even experienced one playoff round, but to go through four, with everything you have to overcome, would be an awesome achievement. And to do it with this team, after everything we’ve been through would be tremendous. We’ve been through some tough times here as young players. Like I said, we’ve grown up in this league together. So to go through an entire season and then another two months of playoffs and wind up being champions is something I can’t see being matched.