Jarome Iginla spent 20 seasons absorbing everything the NHL could throw at a man and rarely missing a shift for it. On Tuesday, speaking to Sportsnet’s Eric Francis from his home in Lake Country, British Columbia, the 49-year-old explained what he has been dealing with since.
“Unfortunately I have been battling some health issues,” Iginla said. “Some neurological issues. I’m not entirely sure what it is, it may be from metal toxins from reaction to the cobalt hip.”
Iginla had a hip replacement a few years ago. Complications followed, and the medications he has taken since have affected his energy, his weight and his speech.
Jarome Iginla’s career:
| NHL seasons | Seasons in Calgary | Flames records held | Hall of Fame |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 16 | Games, goals, points | 2020 |
What is wrong with Jarome Iginla?
Nobody has been able to tell him yet, which is the hardest part of it. He has spent more than a year undergoing tests and consulting medical professionals without arriving at a definitive answer. He has also been found to have elevated mercury levels, and doctors are still working out whether the two things are connected.
There are known concerns about cobalt-chromium components in some artificial hips releasing metal ions into the bloodstream through wear or corrosion. Iginla has not been diagnosed with cobalt poisoning, and he has been careful to say he doesn’t know.
What he did offer was some encouragement.
“I need more time to figure it all out, but I’m still hopeful that I will recover fully,” Iginla said. “Things are slowly getting under control, thanks be to God.”
The subject came up at all because of a documentary. Iginla appeared in Amazon Prime’s Hometown Giants, which follows the WHL’s Vancouver Giants and features his youngest son Joe, and supporters watching a clip filmed around the time of June’s draft noticed that he looked considerably thinner and sounded different.
Speculation ran for about a week before he addressed it. He is now working through it, as he put it, and hopeful.
Iginla remains the Calgary Flames‘ all-time leader in games played, goals and points after 16 seasons with the club. He retired in 2018 and entered the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2020.
Read more:
