Jarome Iginla - Off The Ice

Off The Ice

Iginla married his high school sweetheart, Kara, and the couple has three children: daughter Jade and sons Tij and Joe. They had been dating since they were in the eighth grade. He has two half-brothers, Jason and Stephen, and two half-sisters, Theresa and Elizabeth. He is an avid golfer and a regular participant in the Calgary Flames Celebrity Charity Golf Classic.

He is well known for his kind-hearted nature. Former Flames general manager Craig Button described Iginla as being grounded: "he doesn't carry himself with any attitude or arrogance. He's confident in his abilities. He's self-assured. He's genuine. He's a better person than he is a player, and we all know what kind of player he is." In 2002, while in Salt Lake City for the Winter Olympic Games, Iginla struck up a conversation with four Calgarians sitting next to his table, and found out they were sleeping in their car outside of the hotel. He excused himself from the conversation, and booked them accommodations at his own expense at the hotel his family was staying in.

Since 2002, he has operated the Jarome Iginla Hockey School in Calgary as a non-profit organization, donating proceeds to the Diabetes Research Association. In 2004, he was awarded the NHL Foundation Player Award for his community service and the King Clancy Memorial Trophy in recognition of his humanitarian contributions. Iginla supports many charities. In 2000, he began donating $1,000 per goal he scored to KidSport, a figure he doubled to $2,000 in 2005. Between 2000 and 2012, he donated $550,000 from this initiative.

Iginla is a part owner of the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League, for whom he played during his junior hockey days. He purchased a minority share in the franchise, along with fellow NHL players Shane Doan, Mark Recchi and Darryl Sydor, in October 2007. He is also an ambassador with the NHL Diversity program, which supports youth hockey organizations that offer economically disadvantaged kids the opportunity to play. Since 2008, he has been a hockey spokesperson for Scotiabank, appearing in commercials and at events supporting its grassroots hockey programs, as well as for Samsung Canada.

Iginla visited Canadian troops in Afghanistan on May 30, 2011, in a surprise whirlwind visit with Prime Minister Stephen Harper. While on the visit, Iginla played some ball hockey, attended a barbecue with troops, and signed autographs. "It was an honor and a privilege to be asked by the Prime Minister to be part of this trip to come and meet and spend time with our troops", Iginla told calgaryflames.com.