The enormous news in the hockey world tonight is the trade of Calgary Flames captain and franchise icon Jarome Iginla to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a first-round draft pick, Yale's leading scorer in junior Kenneth Agostina (15-22--37 in 33 games) and St. Cloud State senior Ben Hanowski (16-13--29 in 34 games).
(By the way, third major deal for the Penguins this week after previously acquiring Dallas captain Brenden Morrow and San Jose defenseman Douglas Murray).
But, did you know that the first NHL trade involving Iginla had an Alaska connection?
When Iginla had been drafted by the Dallas Stars in the first round but was still playing in the Western Hockey League in 1995, the Stars traded his rights and an NHL forward to the Flames for Calgary captain Joe Nieuwendyk, the current Dallas general manager.
That NHL forward included in the deal was none other than Corey Millen, the former University of Minnesota star who played 335 games in the NHL -- 90 goals and 209 points, pretty nice -- and married an Anchorage girl, and now lives here.
Millen, a former Olympian, is vice president of the Alaska All Stars Hockey Association. In the NHL, he played for the Rangers, Kings, Devils, Stars and Flames. He closed his career with six seasons abroad, five playing in the German Elite League and his last season playing in the Swiss A league.
Oh, and now that the man Calgary fans called Iggy is gone, just who might be the leading active Flames goal scorer, according to the Calgary Sun? Why, none other than former UAA winger Curtis Glencross.
These are Reasons No. 4,631 and 4,632 that The Blog always says hockey is a small, small world.
Doyle Woody, dwoody@adn.com
Anchorage