Giordano sets personal mark

Flames captain post-season appearances limited until now, Wes Gilbertson writes.

EDMONTON Mark Giordano suited up Thursday for his sixth battle in the bubble.

That might not seem like a newsworthy sum. He and his Calgary Flames teammates are hoping to stick around for a long while yet.

But Giordano, 36, was marking a personal milestone during a late date against the Dallas Stars. Due to injuries and early exits, the Flames captain and workhorse defenceman has never logged more than five post-season outings in one year.

So six — four during the first-ofits-kind qualification round and two showdowns so far with the Stars — is not insignificant.

“It means a lot. This is what you play for — to play in playoffs,” Giordano said after Thursday’s morning skate in Edmonton. “It’s been tough with some injuries I’ve had to deal with over the years and then not getting in a bunch of years. It’s been really tough.

“You can have all the regular season success you want, but this is what it’s all about. And we have been saying it all year — we think our team is really built well for the playoffs this year. We have to continue to keep playing that aggressiveness that we’re playing with, that solid defensive style, and we think we can carry on.

“Hopefully, we keep it up and keep it going.”

Giordano is Calgary’s longest-serving skater, now in his 14th campaign in the Flaming C.

His career resume includes more than 900 appearances. Including this summer restart, only 18 of those have come in the post-season.

When he and his pals eliminated the Winnipeg Jets in the play-in round, Giordano was on the smiling side of the handshake line for the first time. Back in 2015, when the Flames last won a series, he was recovering from a biceps injury.

While most of the core pieces are 20-somethings, Giordano won’t get too many more cracks.

“You know, you don’t get these opportunities often,” said Flames coach Geoff Ward prior to Thursday’s tilt. “I think as a young player in this league, if you have early success, sometimes you assume that it’s going to happen again and again. But the reality of it is it doesn’t. Our guys have been talking about that an awful lot, right from the beginning of training camp. They have the opportunity now to immerse themselves in the playoffs and to really appreciate what it brings and what the experience is totally like.

“I think everybody in our group right now is really learning from it. They’re really enjoying it. And they’re holding it dear. They appreciate that they’re here.”

IN HIS THOUGHTS

While he prepared his squad for Game 2 against the Stars, Ward was also thinking of a close pal and longtime co-worker.

The Montreal Canadiens announced their head coach, Claude Julien, had been rushed to hospital after experiencing chest pains late Wednesday and was not expected to be behind the bench for the remainder of the opening round.

Ward’s first job in the AHL was an assistant to Julien with the Hamilton Bulldogs.

“He is a great coach. And I’m sure his presence around that team will be missed. But right now, I think everybody’s thoughts are with Claude.”