Prout adds some punch to Hamonic-less lineup
Rugged blue-liner ready to answer the call against Canucks,
Dalton Prout welcomed a crowd of local media at his stall Friday, a scrum bigger than he has seen throughout training camp or since he started the season with the Calgary Flames.
It’s common to see Sean Monahan, Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk, Mark Giordano or Mike Smith entertain a group that large, especially on an off day.
But the seventh — now sixth — defenceman? Rare, unless there’s a really good reason, so help us try to connect the dots on this one.
Travis Hamonic is out week to week with a facial fracture after Wednesday’s scrap with Vancouver Canucks defenceman Erik Gudbranson.
The Flames welcome the Canucks Saturday for the rematch at Scotiabank Saddledome, the Flames’ home opener (8 p.m., CBC/Sportsnet 960 The Fan).
And Prout, six-foot-three, 215 pounds, was confirmed to be in the lineup on the third pairing with Juuso Valimaki.
Oh, and the 28-year-old veteran of 242 NHL games has famously dropped the Edmonton Oilers’ Milan Lucic, one of the toughest players in the league, with a single right cross.
Like it or not, the “code” still exists in the NHL and although the game is moving away from eye-for-an-eye retribution, it was easy to make the connection that Prout’s presence in the lineup could indicate he may stick up for Hamonic Saturday night.
“It’s absolutely fair,” Prout said of the assumption, which is easy to make considering he has been in 23 NHL fights since the 201213 lockout campaign. “People are fans of the game. At the end of the day, we’re entertainers. People pay to watch us perform. But it’s not fair as in the way they look at us as pawns and puppets, but that’s the reality of our world. That’s what we live in. The game is a tip of an iceberg, it might be five per cent of what goes on in our lives.
“It’s what we do for a living.” Make no mistake, the damage has been done.
Despite returning for the last part of the first period and playing out the rest of Wednesday’s 5-2 loss to the Canucks, Hamonic is on injured reserve.
The Flames recalled Rasmus Andersson from the American Hockey League’s Stockton Heat and he was the extra blue-liner during Friday’s practice.
The fight with Gudbranson was Hamonic’s reaction to what he felt was unfair contact on young teammate Dillon Dube. While Gudbranson was penalized after the act, Hamonic dropped the gloves at centre ice and absorbed a hook to the chin, which did the damage.
In the end, the Calgary club also took it on the chin to kick off the campaign.
“Absolutely, he put the team first and did the right thing,” Prout said. “As far as his own well-being, obviously not. People outside the game don’t understand how much that means inside this locker-room, how much it means to put yourself in harm’s way. He has the utmost respect of everyone in this room.”
When asked if he would have reacted the same way, Prout gave some insight that could make a little more sense after Saturday’s game, depending on the outcome or if anything happens between him and Gudbranson or any other Canuck who may stand up to him.
“It’s tough,” Prout said. “At the end of the day, you have to win a hockey game. But you have to go about it in a smart way. You can’t do it in a way that you’re sacrificing your own game or getting yourself emotionally tied up into mistakes or being frustrated.”
That being said, the Flames and the Canucks have an ongoing feud in the Pacific Division and Prout, who joined the organization from the New Jersey Devils in the Eddie Lack trade last season, respects the rivalry.
“It’s what brings out the best in you,” Prout said. “When this team has its back against the wall, I know there’s enough character in this room to take care of each other and support one another. Any time a teammate gets hurt, you take note of it.
“If you get a chance to finish the body, play hard, play physical and make it uncomfortable for them, we’re going to do it.”
Either way, Prout is in. Hamonic is out.
“That is exactly what will happen,” said Flames head coach Bill Peters. “We might mess around with the pairings, but Prouter will be in, for sure. Prouter was (the No. 7 defenceman) out of camp and now we have an injury, so Prouter deserves the opportunity to go in and play and we’ll reassess from there.
“A big, heavy guy who plays hard, makes it hard on people.”