Tale of two Marks: one follows other’s example
Like many Canadian kids of a certain age, Mark Giordano grew up watching Mark Messier and was in awe of his National Hockey League career.
“It doesn’t get much better than that,” said the captain of the Calgary Flames. “He’s the ultimate leader. I’ve looked up to him my whole career, and he played the game the right way, played the game hard.
“You could just see he had the respect of all his teammates and everyone he surrounded himself with.” Sound familiar? It’s no coincidence that Giordano embodies qualities similar to those of Messier, the six-time Stanley Cup champion better known as The Moose when he played with the Edmonton Oilers, the Vancouver Canucks and New York Rangers.
Giordano leads the Calgary Flames the same way — with his entire heart and soul — and you don’t have to search the team’s dressing room to find proof.
“I could probably go on for five minutes talking about how good of a teammate Gio is,” said Flames winger Johnny Gaudreau. “He’s probably one of the ultimate captains you could have. He looks out for his teammates. He’s the hardest worker on the ice every single day. He’s someone as a younger guy that I look up to. He’s a great captain who I’ve learned from over the years.”
And no one was surprised when Giordano earned a nomination for the 2016-17 Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award, which is presented “to the player who exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice, during the regular season.” Selected by Messier himself — along with suggestions from the 30 NHL teams, NHL personnel and fans — Giordano was nominated along with Anaheim Ducks centre Ryan Getzlaf and Columbus Blue Jackets left winger Nick Foligno.
The award will be announced Tuesday at the 2017 NHL Humanitarian Awards.
“It’s an honour to be mentioned with (Messier), you know what I mean?” said Giordano, who’ll be in Las Vegas this week. “Growing up and playing hockey in Canada, Mark Messier is a name that every kid idolized and looked up to. It’s pretty cool for me.”
According to Flames general manager Brad Treliving, Giordano really is this humble.
“It’s so genuine with Mark,” Treliving said. “The last guy who wants to be recognized for this stuff is Mark Giordano. People don’t know half the stuff he does do, but it’s just part of his DNA. He strongly believes that it is his responsibility to do the things that he does away from the rink. “Nobody has to tell him.” Giordano, the reigning NHL Foundation Player Award winner, is also up for this year’s prestigious Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award, which is granted to a professional athlete for their positive impact on society.
He and his wife Lauren formed Team Giordano in 2014 in conjunction with the Calgary Board of Education and have donated $300,000 to high-needs schools to promote improved physical fitness and academics. The initiative has impacted nearly 2,000 students, funding the purchase of equipment and encouraging children through the “5 G’s” Giordano believes are the keys to success in life.
The 33-year-old Toronto native also has been an ambassador for various team programs, including Reading … Give It a Shot! since 2006-07.
“He leads the way,” Treliving added. “We’ve had people and coaches and players come from other teams where you’ve heard, ‘Oh geez, people are having to arm-bar people to do stuff.’ Our guys smile and say, ‘What time and where?’ and it’s because Mark says ‘This is how we operate.’ ”