Calgary Flames kick off preseason, Captain Jarome Iginla out with ailing back -NHL Update
Calgary Flames were also one of the numerous National Hockey League (NHL) clubs that officially kicked of their preseason training camp on Saturday, but what made them different was potentially losing their captain, Jarome Iginla, who called it quits after
feeling spasms in his back.
Iginla left the arena nearly half an hour after their practice session began and decided to play it safe rather than continuing to going through with the spasms.
Flames head coach, Brent Sutter, confirmed the news about Iginla going out with an ailing back but reassured Calgary fans that it is definitely nothing to be worrying about.
“He’s got some back spasms”, Flames coach, Brent Sutter, said. “Hey, it’s two days into camp. There’s no pressure on anyone to be out there skating if they’re not 100 per cent”.
For Calgary, Jarome Iginla is their first and final hope at achieving anything next season due to their young line-up. The 34-year-old has been with the team ever since he was drafted as the 11th overall draft pick during round-one of the 1995
NHL Entry Draft by Dallas Stars.
Ready to enter his 14th season with the Canadian franchise, Iginla has become the face of the club by maintaining a high point record constantly at the end of each season.
For Iginla, the offseason is not a time to rest, but a time to train and improve his skills even further.
"Over the summer, most of my training was more geared towards skating and puck skills, just to keep trying to improve in those areas and be a more efficient skater, not really so much to be necessarily bigger or stronger", Iginla explained. "Also to try
to use a little bit of camp and work on being ready to go when the games start as opposed to necessarily the first day of training camp”.
Last season, Jarome Iginla potted 86 points (43 goals, 43 assists) and had a tremendous season in regards of his performance even though they were knocked out of the playoff run at the last moment.
Next season will certainly be important for Iginla’s career as he gets closer to winding it all up.
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