Bruins forward Jarome Iginla received first star honors for March from the NHL on Tuesday. He is first in goals (30) and second in points (61) on the team. Credit: Getty Images
The Bruins have been on fire lately, having posted a 15-1-1 record in the month of March. One of the primary contributors to that was veteran winger Jarome Iginla, who was awarded first star of the month by the NHL on Tuesday.
The 36-year-old forward recorded 13 goals and four assists in the 17 games he played. Iginla, as always, was humble when speaking with reporters.
“It’s an honor, it’s been an enjoyable month for our whole team,” Iginla told media members after Tuesday’s optional practice, “I’ve gotten some good bounces, some great passes from my lineys…But bigger than that, it’s been a great month for our team and we’ve all benefited from that.”
Bruins coach Claude Julien has been noticing Iginla’s fantastic run too.
“He’s been real good,” Julien said. “If you look at the way he’s been [in March], he’s been really consistent. He’s been a clutch player, and those kinds of guys that have been around for a long time are pretty savvy when it comes to dealing with the whole season.”
With just seven games to go in the regular season, Iginla leads all Bruins scorers with 30 goals, while his 61 points are good for second-best on the team, just two points behind David Krejci.
But of course Iginla has his eyes on a bigger prize. Iginla has never won a Stanley Cup, despite all the other accolades he’s received over the course of his 16-year career. The long-time Calgary Flame got to the Finals in 2004, but lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Penguins traded for Iginla last season in the hopes that they would make a Stanley Cup run, but Pittsburgh was swept by the Bruins in the Conference Finals. Iginla hopes this is his breakthrough year.
“I feel very fortunate to have gotten a chance to be here this year,” he said, “Hopefully, everything works out, but at the same time I know the best thing I can do is keep trying to focus on the now and enjoy this now, the run that we’re on and getting ready for playoffs and the goal of winning. That’s where the most focus is, but I’ve definitely enjoyed it and hope that everything works out.”
