Game Day Notebook - 12.04.24

ANAHEIM – Only one word can properly describe the passion, the guts, and the fearless pursuit of the Cup that year:

Legendary.

As Nazem Kadri prepares to skate in his 900th career game tonight (or 952nd when you include those intensified postseason nights), those are some of the moments the man looks on.

The kind that left an indelible mark in playoff lore.

And what drives him to be better, still.

“It's definitely a relief to be able to consider myself a champ,” Kadri said at the team hotel, as the Flames prepare to take on the Ducks tonight in the milestone game. “That's very cool.

“But at the same time, this is what I play the game for. I want to play for my teammates but also my personal legacy and that's something I take pride in, because one day it's all going to be over and it's just going to be a memory and I want to be able to maximize that as much as possible. Ultimately, getting back to being a champ is something that motivates me a ton.”

In a career full of pinnacle moments, nothing can top his performance in a second-round series against the St. Louis Blues in 2022. At one point, he collided with goalie Jordan Binnington, setting off all kinds of fireworks. From a water being chucked his way in a postgame interview, to the excessive, if not dangerous antics in Game 4 of that series, Kadri let his play to the talking by ignoring the vicious cross-checks and securing his first-career playoff hat-trick in the very next game to quiet the critics and lead his team deeper into the bracket.

Before long, he hoisting that glistening, silver chalice.

Today, Kadri is aging like a fine wine.

At 33, he’s having the second-most productive offensive season of his NHL career, with 26 goals and 68 points to his name, with another four outings left to improve on it.

He’s been the team’s catalyst, the emotional heartbeat among the forward ranks from Day 1 of the season and has brought it upon himself to take others – like Connor Zary and Martin Pospisil – under his wing and show them the ropes.

It’s his way of giving back, while still pushing himself to achieve more.

“Dion (Phaneuf) used to tell me all the time (that it goes by fast) – all the time when I was in Toronto,” Kadri laughed. “I was like, 'Yeah, yeah. I'm living the dream here, leave me alone!' But he certainly was right and I try to preach that message, even though I'm probably getting similar responses.”

Over to Zary on that one …

“It's pretty incredible,” he said. “Anyone who's played in this league knows how hard it is ... And for me, to try get in this league and play even ONE game, let alone 900, is pretty special. So, you really get an idea of what it takes to get to a number like that.

“We're really proud and really happy for him, for what he's accomplish.

“He's done so many good things for me, especially on the ice, teaching me things. Playing with him, picking his brain and growing my game while having him up the middle has been huge. It's been great to have that influence and being around and I look forward to playing many more games around him.”

Kadri was drafted seventh-overall in 2009 and will become the 12th skater from that class to achieve the milestone.

In his first 899 games – between the Leafs, Avalanche and Flames – the London, Ont., product has 269 goals, 636 points, and 688 penalty minutes.

“This year, I feel like he's a different player, where he's taken it upon himself a little bit to make sure he plays the right way every game,” said Head Coach Ryan Huska. “He's been one of our more consistent players on a night-in, night-out basis. So, to see him get to that 900-game level is a pretty cool thing.

“And I would bet it's an interesting trip down memory lane for him, with how he came into the league as that on-the-edge(-type player).

“People used to talk about Kads a lot like people talk about Posp now. And then over the years, you grow and mature, and he's turned himself into a real complete player.”

Farewell, Jakob

Ducks forward Jakob Silfverberg will be playing the final home game of his NHL career tonight, as the 33-year-old announced a few days ago he was retiring at the end of the season.

Silfverberg, 33, hails from Gavle, Sweden – the very same hometown as Jacob Markstrom, where the two grew up and played hockey together, before attending the same high school.

“He's done everything,” Markstrom said. “He's been in Anaheim for – I don't even know how long. He's a special player, a special person, and leader. He's been part of this team for a long time, and I hope that he keeps playing for a while yet. He'll go home to Sweden, settle in a bit better there with his family and kids, and without all the travel.

“It makes me feel old!” he added with a laugh.

There must be something in the water in Gavle, because for a town of about 75,000, it sure fights out of his its weight class when it comes to producing NHL talent.

“It's either hockey or soccer, and hockey has been taking over a little bit the past few years,” Markstrom said, noting that former Flames Elias Lindholm and Calle Jarnkrok, along with Nicklas Backstrom and others call Gavle home. “It's a small town, but everyone loves hockey and it's a huge sport. Around my age group there, a ton of NHL guys kept coming in and it's obviously fun to see so many from your hometown playing in the NHL.”

Silfverberg has played 817 regular-season games in his career, recording 168 goals and 373 points, while adding another 45 points (18G, 27A) in 69 playoff games.

He spent 11 of his 12 years in SoCal after being drafted by and playing for the Ottawa Senators in his rookie campaign.

While Markstrom and Silfverberg will be wearing opposite colours tonight, the Flames’ puck-stopper hopes his Swedish counterpart will be getting a proper send-off from the Anaheim faithful.

“All I can say is congratulations on a great NHL career and I'm looking forward to seeing him this summer,” Markstrom said.

Be Better. Be “Competitive”

You can bet with the Silfverberg news – and with it being the squad's final twirl at the Honda Center this season – that the home team will want to put on a good show for the fans. 

But after suffering a 4-1 setback at the hands of the Kings last night in LA, the Flames aren’t concerning themselves with what the opponent has to offer. 

They need to get their game in order.

As in, several ‘orders’ of magnitude better than it was 24 hours ago. 

“It's huge for us,” Zary said. “We talked about it this morning, how in our back-to-backs this year, we've only taken one point. So, we need to have a big response tonight after how last night went. It wasn't our game. We had spurts here and there, but overall, we didn't like our effort and it's on us to reset and re-focus for tonight's game.”

“Whether we're on the road, our opponent, doesn't matter who it is – this is about our team and making sure we're committed to doing it the right way,” Huska added. “It's showing your teammates that you care and you're going to play and execute and execute the game plan the way it needs to be taken care of.”