Jarome Iginla on whether or not he feels robbed of a Stanley Cup.

The Hockey Hall of Fame, in my estimation, made one of the best decisions any sporting organization has during this pandemic when they opted not to hold the 2020 Hall of Fame ceremony in a virtual setting. Instead they opted to honor the sanctity of the celebration, giving each of that year's inductees their moment to shine among their peers.

Among those who will participate in the delayed induction ceremonies is legendary National Hockey League forward Jarome Iginla, whose career spanned an incredible 1554 games. In spite of a lengthy career in the league and in spite of being a dominant force during his time in the NHL, Iginla's career is also marked by his inability to win it all. Iginla came close at times during his career but never managed to capture a Stanley Cup title, and he was asked this week if he felt robbed of the Stanley Cup, or the Hart Trophy, both of which he came tantalizingly close to as a pro.

To his credit Iginla gave a very honest answer to the question, and in true Iginla fashion it came as no surprise that it was not the individual accolades that he craved.

“No, it’s sports,” said Iginla as per Eric Francis.

“I wasn’t (robbed). With the Hart Trophy, I would have loved to have won it. It’s an opinion. When I saw how close it was, that I was tied (with winner Jose Theodore, in 2001-02), I was still thrilled to be there. What an honour.

“The Stanley Cup obviously hurt more. That was a stinger.”

Not only was Iginla the type of player that many would argue was deserving of a Stanley Cup, but as I mentioned he came unbelievably close on one occasion in particular. During the 2004 Stanley Cup Final there was a highly controversial moment in Game 6 of that series, one in which it appeared as though Martin Gelinas of the Flames may have scored only for the goal not to count. The Flames would go on to lose that final in 7 games to the Tampa Bay Lightning, but the story could have been much different had the goal counted.