Calgary Flames fans had mixed reaction to the departure of longtime Calgary Flames captain Mark Giordano.
Giordano, a long time defenseman for the Calgary Flames was selected by the Seattle Kraken in the NHL’s expansion draft.
Giordano made his NHL debut with the Calgary Flames in 2006 at the age of 22. When former Flames captain Jarome Iginla left in 2013, Giordano was his replacement.
Flames Nation writer Ryan Pike said that Giordano was a “unicorn player” and that he’ll be missed by fans.
“He’s one of the lucky ones who managed to stay healthy and he’s been one of the best on the team for over the last decade and he doesn’t seem to be slowing at all,” said Pike.
Pike said that despite Giordano’s age, he’s performed at a high level for the Calgary Flames and far beyond what anyone could have expected from him.
“Giordano became a captain when he was 30 and has somehow maintained an extremely high level of play for the better part of the decade. High level athletes usually see performance drop off sharply in their early to late 30s. For him it was like the opposite,” said Pike.
Fan Reactions
From an asset management standpoint Pike said exposing him in the draft made sense. Given Giordano’s age and the future of the Flames it was time to replace the stalwart defender with a younger player
“I think fans are going to be sad to see him go because he’s been good for so long and probably will be good for another year or so,” said Pike.
Intermission writer and Flames fan George Potter said that losing Giordano is bittersweet. But it opens the door for younger players to step up and take the lead.
“Because of his age it’s probably for the best that we leave on good terms with him but honestly he has been a very great player and he is going to be missed for sure,” said Potter.
Fellow Flames fan Chris Chow shared the same sentiment. He said it’s the first step in rebuilding the Calgary Flames into a more effective team.
“Thank you, Gio. He was really good but the Calgary Flames need to make big changes if they even want to think about winning the Stanley Cup. Losing Gio might be the first step to that,” said Chow
Going forward many fans are speculating who will take the leadership position. Forward Matthew Tkachuk being cited as one of the most popular choices among fans for the position.
Pike believes that he would be a strong choice given his history within the NHL
“Players have reputations with other players and officials and he has solidified his position as being a really tough player to play against,” said Pike.
