CALGARY — Picture the scene at Sphere Vegas, as Gary Bettman summons the Calgary Flames to the podium to make the ninth pick overall at next week’s draft.
Imagine the buzz as Jarome Iginla stands up from the team’s draft table with the rest of the scouting staff to follow Craig Conroy to the stage, holding a folded jersey in his Hall of Fame hands.
After a few short remarks, the Flames GM turns to Iginla to announce the sort of pick that would produce Netflix chills.
“The Calgary Flames are proud to select,” says a beaming Iginla, pausing as the hockey world anticipates one of the most memorable moments in NHL Draft history.
“From the Kelowna Rockets, Tij Iginla.”
Cue the roar from Flames fans, the tears, the father/son embrace, and a photo for the ages.
“I don’t see that happening,” said Iginla, chuckling as he throws cold water on such theatrics.
“I see me staying up in the stands with Tij, Cara and the kids until he’s drafted.
“It brings back some awesome memories with me and my mom and dad and grandparents.
“That moment is a pretty neat one for all the players who get drafted, but it’s also very special for the parents. Cara and I are feeling very blessed and I want to be in the stands in that setting, taking that in as a family.”
“Also, it’s not me making that pick. If the Flames do do that, that’s Connie and the scouting staff, and that’s not me, so it would also be misrepresentation.”
Fair enough.
What Iginla is open to is hearing the Flames call his son’s name.
“Oh ya, I’d be okay with that, and talking to him, he likes Calgary, too,” said the longtime Flames captain who now serves as a team advisor.
“There are tons of things I loved about Calgary, obviously: great place to live, close to home, passionate hockey market.
“But he’d be more than happy to go anywhere.
“As soon as he’s drafted it will be our job, and his job, to focus on all the great things that organization and opportunity has.”
There are many who wondered whether the Iginlas would rather avoid the obvious spotlight and pressure that would come with Tij trying to make his way in the NHL in the town his dad owned for the better part of 17 years.
“As far as pressure, I don’t know if there’s more — I think there’s pressure, period,” said the author of 1,300 NHL points.
“He puts it on himself. He wants to be good, it’s in his compete. He likes it.”
As Dad points out, his sons (15-year-old Joe is poised for his first full year with the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings) are both well-versed in dealing with the expectations and targeting their last name comes with.
“Growing up they would get it a ton, especially in Canada,” said Iginla of the chirpers.
“They’d hear from guys all the time, ‘You’re only on the team because of your dad,’ or whatever.
“Over the years they’ve got tougher skin.
“That’s part of how it goes for all NHL players’ kids. You’re learning anything you can say to get under other kids’ skin.”
As one of the fiercest competitors of an era, Dad was pretty good at that too.
“Ya, I probably deserved my share too,” he laughed.
Slated to be drafted anywhere from fifth to the mid-teens, it’s anyone’s guess if the Flames will even get a chance to select Tij at No. 9.
After being a healthy scratch most of last spring in Seattle, where a deep Thunderbirds team rarely used him as a 16-year-old, Tij skyrocketed up the prospect rankings this year in Kelowna where his 47 goals in 64 games were followed by nine more in 11 playoff outings. By the time he scored the game-winner for Canada at the U18 world championships, he had cracked the top 10 lists of most draft prognosticators.
With a top-10 filled mostly with defencemen, the Canadiens pick fifth and are most likely to take a forward, Utah picks sixth and could use a big name/scorer and the Senators pick seventh, hoping their pick can help them sell tickets.
“The question everyone asks me is, ‘where Tij is going?’ and I literally have no idea, like none,” said Iginla, 47.
“I guess (consensus No. 1 Macklin) Celebrini is the only guy who knows where he’s going.”
As besties and now colleagues, Iginla and Conroy have spoken plenty about Tij, but as the team cobbled together its draft list, Jarome excused himself from all meetings in which his son was discussed.
“It’s just easier, so everyone can talk freely and openly about all the players,” said Iginla, who jokingly admits he is curious to know how his son answered a question from the Flames at a recent combine interview over which parent influenced him most.
“I read one (scouting) report early, by accident, but I didn’t read any after that one. I can see the list of all our players, but I don’t click on his.
“Believe me, it was tempting.”
What’s even more tempting is the six-foot, 185-pound package Tij brings, complete with a passion, compete and the knack for scoring his father was famous for.
“I’ve worked with him over a lifetime as a dad and coach, so we have similar styles,” said Iginla, who coached both sons throughout their journey.
“He scores more on his shot than I would have at the same age, where I probably scored more goals in front of the net, off rebounds.
“I liked to work in the corners, so does he.”
Pressed more on just how similar their playing styles are, Iginla chuckled.
“It’s a little bit different era — not as much fighting now,” he explained.
“When I went to Kamloops in ’93 it was about penalty minutes and willing to show you’re competitive by fighting.
“I worked with Don Hay and was learning how to develop into being a power forward.
In my draft year (1995) anyone who wanted to go in the first round, it pretty much looked like you had to have almost 100 penalty minutes. So I got into a lot of fights and I liked that part of it, that competitive part.
“Now penalty minutes aren’t a big deal.”
His son sure is.
As someone who went from being a projected fifth-round pick to being selected 11th overall by Dallas, Jarome has spent plenty of time talking to Tij about the rollercoaster of emotions he endured right up until his name was called 29 years ago.
He knows the city of Calgary is hoping Tij and Dad will be working together here, which he finds heartening.
“We see some of it on social media and appreciate it and that makes us feel good,” he said.
“I’ve talked to him about it, it’s really cool.
“We’re not sure how it will play out at all.
“It’s so unpredictable, but I believe it will work out the way it’s supposed to.”