Iggulden shocked by inclusion into Hall of Fame
Mike Iggulden will never forget his brief time in the National Hockey League.
The 41-year-old St. Catharines native played 11 games for the New York Islanders in 2008/2009, collecting a pair of assists in his Islanders debut and later scoring his one and only NHL goal.
“Playing road hockey and dreaming of being in the NHL and then to experience that, it was a life dream come true,” Iggulden said Wednesday at Meridian Centre, where he was one of five inducted into the St. Catharines Sports Hall of Fame. “I got to play 13 games and each game I remember vividly. It was awesome.”
He was quick to answer when asked about his lone NHL goal.
“In Montreal, against Carey Price,” he smiled.
But Iggulden’s NHL career is only a small portion of his impressive hockey resume.
The Ridley College graduate, who also played a handful of games for the Thorold Blackhawks, played four seasons at Cornell where he was assistant captain and led the NCAA in short-handed goals in his final season.
Iggulden then went on to play pro in the American Hockey League in Cleveland and Worcester where he snuck in a game with the San Jose Sharks in 2008. He finished up his career with seven seasons in Europe and was a member of Team Canada in the Spengler Cup 2010-2011.
In 641 pro games, Iggulden collected 189 goals and 473 points, not bad for someone who didn’t envision a long pro career following graduation.
“Obviously, as a little kid you dream of playing pro but it never was a reality until that year in Thorold and my last couple of years at Ridley where I thought I could make a run at it,” he said. “At the end of Cornell I told my dad I want to play one year of pro and see how it goes and it turned into an 11-year career after D1.
“I’m obviously extremely happy.”
Iggulden also accumulated an impressive athletic resume at Ridley where he not only played hockey, but also was a member of the soccer, lacrosse and teams.
He was taken aback at his inclusion in the Hall of Fame.
“It was a bit of a surprise when I got the call from (HOF chair) Pete Partridge. I was completely blindsided but obviously extremely honoured and happy.
“It was a shock.”
Iggulden, who lives in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., was also shocked at seeing the Meridian Centre for the first time.
“This is a beautiful, beautiful facility. Definitely an upgrade from the old Garden City. It’s spectacular.”
Iggulden, who is a regional vice-president for a global technology company, still loves hockey but isn’t sure he will ever get back into the game.
“I took some time off after hockey and worked my way into the business world,” he said. “It’s a good gig and where we are, we’re kind of settled in Florida. There is a bit of hockey. Would I love to? Ya. But it’s far out of the picture at this point.”
Also inducted Wednesday were rower Clayton Brown, bowler Don Betts, basketball builder Bob Miller and rower Jane Stamp.
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