Gazdic embraces other side of Battle of Alberta
Former Oilers tough guy and McDavid roommate now sporting Flames colours
In his final season with the Edmonton Oilers during the 2015-16 NHL campaign, Luke Gazdic was roommates with Connor McDavid and Taylor Hall, which — as one could imagine — is a conversation starter in itself.
But the best times, the 28-yearold said, were during a stretch of that year when it was probably the most mentally challenging for both himself and McDavid.
Gazdic, a healthy scratch on too many occasions.
McDavid, sidelined with a broken collarbone.
Night after night, the pair would turn on the TV, sit on the couch and watch hockey.
“I’m a guy away from the rink that likes to shut it off and listen to music and watch baseball,” Gazdic said Sunday at the Scotiabank Saddledome, now a member of the opposition after signing a one-year deal with the Calgary Flames in the off-season.
“But when we got home, he was all hockey. All of the time. There’d be six games on TV, and we’d pick one, and I’d always be picking his brain and asking him questions. And once he started playing again and highlights were on TV and he’d watch them again and I’d ask him, ‘What were you looking for there? What were you thinking there?’ It was cool seeing it from a different perspective and hearing it from a different perspective.”
The perspective from a generational player and the reigning NHL MVP is a powerful one, of course.
Gazdic said everything you’ve heard about the 20-year-old playmaking artist is all true.
“He really doesn’t think like anyone else,” Gazdic said. “His I.Q., hockey-wise, is above and beyond anyone I’ve ever met. I get asked about it all the time, about living with him. I look back on it, and I’m really grateful I had those months because I think I learned more (with McDavid) and being off. “It was really cool.” Gazdic, at one point, was McDavid’s protector on the ice, but all that changed in a hurry when the Oilers moved in a different direction at the end of the 2015-16 campaign.
Last year, he played 11 games with the New Jersey Devils and 37 games with the AHL’s Albany Devils after having broken his foot during the pre-season.
So to play with the Flames against the Edmonton Oilers on Monday night — the teams are splitting their squads and playing two NHL pre-season openers, one at the Saddledome (7 p.m.) and the other at Rogers Place (7 p.m.) — means more to him than just reminiscing with old friends.
“I wouldn’t have minded if it was the season opener, but if I (play in Edmonton), I’ll be pretty juiced up for it,” said the 6-foot4, 223-pounder, who has 28 NHL fights on his card. “A lot of good memories, a lot of bad memories. I wasn’t particularly happy with the way it ended there ... part of me that thinks if you’ll be a good teammate and work hard, they’ll keep you around, but this is my fourth NHL team.
“I realized it’s not all candy and butterflies and it’s business.”
Drafted in the sixth round by the Dallas Stars and having played for Glen Gulutzan with that organization in the minors, Gazdic has five goals and three assists in 147 NHL games to go along with 206 penalty minutes. Connor McDavid he is not. But now skating with the Flames on the other side of the Battle of Alberta, he has something to prove, and it goes beyond simply standing up for Johnny Gaudreau & Co.
“I got away with (being a fighter) my first year in Edmonton, and I thought I was going to get away with it in Dallas. I played three to five minutes a night and got away with it and fighting every big tough guy there was in the league,” Gazdic said.
“I had a spot every night. I didn’t have anything to be worried about. Every morning, I knew I was going to be on the board. And every year since then, it’s gotten to the point where you have to play eight to 10 (minutes). You have to contribute, not just on the scoresheet.”
That being said, Gazdic was brought to Calgary for a reason.
“I’m not afraid to say it,” Gazdic said with a chuckle. “You need to do all of those cliché things like making sure you clear the zone, but it’s about making sure your teammates know they have nothing to be afraid of when they go into a hostile environment like Rogers (Place) there in Edmonton or down to Anaheim, where they have a big tough team — even though I don’t like to give them credit, I don’t like those guys — to make sure these guys have nothing to be worried about.”
(McDavid’s) I.Q., hockey-wise, is above and beyond anyone I’ve ever met. I get asked about it all the time