Former Boston Bruin Jarome Iginla has been elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame, it was announced Wednesday.
Iginla, 42, played one season in Boston. The St. Albert, Alberta, native had 35 goals and 33 assists in 90 games between the regular season and playoffs during that 2013-14 campaign.
In total, Iginla appeared in 1,554 regular-season NHL games and another 81 in the playoffs. He finished with 1,368 career points on 662 goals and 706 assists. He spent much of his career with the Calgary Flames, captaining the franchise from 2003 through 2013. He concluded his career with brief stints in Pittsburgh, Boston, Colorado and Los Angeles.
Iginla remains in Boston and is involved in the local hockey scene. He’s been a coach for his son’s various teams over the past few seasons. In 2019-20, he was a coach for the Boston Junior Eagles ’06s in which his son, T.J., was one of the better forwards.
Iginla, who was eligible for the first time, will be the fourth black player inducted, joining Grant Fuhr, Angela James and Willie O'Ree. Iginla and Fuhr are the only black NHL players honored for their on-ice accomplishments; O'Ree was inducted in the Builders category two years ago for breaking the NHL color barrier in 1958 with the Bruins
The other five people elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame were longtime Detroit Red Wings GM Ken Holland, now with Edmonton, as a builder; Chicago Blackhawks legend and current San Jose Sharks GM Doug Wilson; former Ottawa Senators and Blackhawks star Marian Hossa; Edmonton Oilers defenseman and front office member Kevin Lowe; and Canadian Olympian Kim St-Pierre.
Harding commits to UMass
After spending one season at Providence, former Nobles star Jerry Harding will transfer to UMass, as first reported by Mark Divver.
Harding, a ’99, likely will have to sit out the 2020-21 season before having three years of eligibility remaining. There is a chance he could request a waiver and be able to play immediately.
He didn’t register a point in 14 games played for the Friars. He spent 2018-19 in the USHL with the Omaha Lancers and Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. The Canton, Mass., native played three seasons of prep hockey for Brian Day at Nobles.
Generals defenseman bound for UAH
Northeast Generals defenseman Mick Heneghan has committed to play college hockey at Alabama-Huntsville, it was announced Wednesday. The ’99 from Niles, Ill., spent the 2019-20 season with the NAHL franchise based out of Attleboro, Mass.
In 48 games, Heneghan had three goals and 34 assists for 37 points. A product of the Chicago Young Americans youth organization, this was Heneghan's third season of junior hockey. He previously spent time with the USPHL NCDC's New Jersey Rockets and three organizations in the NAHL — Lone Star Brahmas, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights and Amarillo Bulls.
He'll matriculate to Alabama-Huntsville this fall.
Hockey returning to New England rinks
While players and coaches have been able to work on skating and skills in small groups for a couple of weeks now, this weekend is the first significant showcase since the coronavirus closed the regions rinks in March.
Many of the region’s top ’06s and will ’07s and a few players from across the country will compete in this weekend’s Sixty Development Camp at the Rinks at Exeter in Exeter, N.H.
Rules in Massachusetts remain stricter than New Hampshire, but games are expected to return to the Bay State in July. New England Hockey Journal will cover action from a few high school and junior leagues expected to take place in Canton and Foxboro, as well as any other event with talent to cover.
