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Jarome Iginla could suit up for Canada again (Video)

Edmonton Oilers v Calgary Flames

CALGARY, CANADA - JANUARY 26: Jarome Iginla #12 of the Calgary Flames watches the game on the bench in between shifts against the Edmonton Oilers on January 26, 2013 at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Gerry Thomas/NHLI via Getty Images)

NHLI via Getty Images

Unrestricted free agent Jarome Iginla could once again don a Team Canada jersey.

The Hockey Night panel discussed Iginla’s return to the ice on Saturday on Hockey Night in Canada. Iginla recently had a minor operation on his hip. He played 80 games last season split between the Colorado Avalanche and the Los Angeles Kings.

“He had conversations with Team Canada this week,” Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said during Saturday’s broadcast. “He’s going to begin skating in about a week or two and I think Team Canada has re-extended the invitation (to play in the Spengler Cup). If he wants to play in the Spengler Cup before the Olympics, there will be a spot for him.”

The Spengler Cup runs from Dec. 26 to Dec. 31 in Davos, Switzerland.

Hockey Canada’s president and CEO Tom Renny told Sportsnet at the beginning of November that Iginla needs to play hockey to be considered for the Olympic team that will head to South Korea early next year.

It was reported in September that Iginla was being ‘selective’ with where he wanted to sign as a free agent, but teams were being just as selective when it came to Iginla, who had 14 goals and 27 points in 80 games last season.

Earlier this month, Calgary Flames president of hockey operations Brian Burke said the Flames kicked the tires regarding bringing Iginla. 40, back to the town where played for 17 years.

If Iginla signed with an NHL team between now and the start of the Olympics, he would be ineligible to play for Canada.

Iginla is a future NHL Hall of Famer, with 625 goals and 1,300 points in 1,554 career games. He has won gold twice with Canada at the Olympics, in 2002 in Salt Lake City and again in Vancouver in 2010, but has never hoisted the Stanley Cup.


Scott Billeck is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @scottbilleck