FLAMES MAILBAG - 15.02.19

This is the third edition of our new segment Flames Mailbag, which will run bi-weekly throughout the season and be published right here on CalgaryFlames.com. If you'd like to ask a question for a player, coach, or Flames writer Ryan Dittrick, complete the form here or tweet @ryandittrick and include #FlamesMailbag.
Shafik Hassan (@ShafikHassan12): My question is for Mark Giordano: First off, I would like to say that you are an inspiration to me. I admire your perseverance and believe that you are the best defenceman in the NHL. How often do you work out during the regular season compared to the off-season?

"I do a lot of lifting in the off-season, so during the year it's tough to lift as heavy. It's tough to make those big gains in the gym. I think the biggest thing for me, and probably every guy in this league, is to maintain. Usually every day I'm doing two or three sets of each exercise, but it's less about gains and more about maintaining and rebuilding your muscle core. Obviously with the amount of cardio we do - high intensity, sometimes two or three times a day if you include game days - it's all about recovery. Eating well, sleeping well - those nutritional aspects obviously play a huge role as well.
"That's what you're trying to fight all year, is losing the strength you've built over the off-season. It's funny, because that's how the sport has kind of evolved over the years. You work out all summer and come into camp in great shape, and a common misconception is that you naturally stay at that level or improve upon it over the course of the year. But the reality is that your body does break down, especially when you're playing every second night. So, it feels like, in many ways, all that off-season work is more of a preventative measure than anything; to build your body up, so you're better equipped to handle the grind as the year goes on.

"I think as an organization we do an excellent job of establishing a program that allows our bodies maintain a high level of performance. RVA (head strength and conditioning coach Ryan van Asten) is one of the best there is.
"The other side of it, too, is that over the course of a season, your cardio gets better. So it's kind of a trade-off. If you can maintain your strength and improve on your cardio, that's a huge boost come playoff time.
"I'm the kind of guy that likes to be in the gym pretty often, so when we're on the road, after a game is usually our best chance to get a quick 20, 30-minute lift in before we get on the bus. Every team has to have a workout area available to the visiting team, so it's a good setup. Otherwise, on off days, I might scout out a gym in the area or use the one in the hotel, which is pretty convenient as well.
"Overall, it's VERY different than my usual off-season program. It's a little more scientific because I'm adapting on the fly, determining what to do and how much. Recovery, probably, is my biggest focus."
Daniel Brooks: For Rasmus Andersson - Who's the most enthusiastic player on the bench?
"Hammer (Travis Hamonic), without a doubt. Especially on our end of the bench with all the D, he's constantly talking, encouraging guys, telling them they had a good shift, and is pushing everyone to keep their foot on the gas. He's a great leader for our team and never lets it get quiet out there.
"We've got a pretty vocal bench. Chucky talks a lot, too, but it's usually directed at the other team (laughs)."
Caleb Dierich: For Matthew Tkachuk - How did you get so good at tipping shots in the front of the net, and what advice would you give to someone like me who's not every good at it, but wants to get better?
"I never really thought about it as a special talent or anything, but I learned pretty early on in my career that a lot of my offence comes from that area of the ice, in front of the net. A lot of guys are willing to go there, but what can do with the limited real estate you have? I love getting in those battles and getting physical with guys, getting free and trying to get my stick on pucks. Most of the goals come from within that four or five-foot radius around the blue paint, so if I can work on something in practice and have it translate into a game - and, specifically, to an area where it's obvious I can have some success - I'm going to do it.
"I spend a lot of time every day working on it. It's a part of almost every drill, anyway, but I also like to spend some time doing it on my own at the end of practice. And I always, always like to leave on a high note (laughs).

"It's all about positioning. I know that sounds obvious, but there's more to it. A lot of guys like to stand off to the side and wave at pucks on either side of their body. Sometimes it happens that way, where you get boxed out by the defender, or the shot's going wide, or any number of other factors that contribute to a scoring chance in the offensive zone. But a good way to practice is to have your body square to the shooter, take away the goalie's eyes and have your stick directly in front of you. Keep that bottom hand nice and low on the shaft to help with your hand-eye. This helps you track the shot better.
"One of the things I see a lot with younger players, especially, is that they track it nicely but try to 'snap' the blade of the stick to one direction when they're about to make contact. There's no need for that and it throws off your hand-eye entirely. Let your stick do the work. If you're positioned right and it contacts your blade, it will naturally work out. Just let it make contact and if you're trying to put it to one side or another, make one smooth motion so that you can track it better. When you're practicing this, stand in front of the net, have your goalie in so you can work at taking away his eyes, and have a shooter fire some shots about waist-height from the point."
Sean Andrews - I'm curious, how does the travel work for the Flames when they're on the road? If you're in the middle of a road trip, do they leave right after the game, or do they leave the following morning?
With the travel involved, the goal on the road is to give the players the best chance to recover and be at their best the following day. So, nine times out of 10, the team leaves immediately after the game to arrive at the next destination as soon as possible. The goal, always, is to get the players in bed before 2:00 a.m. local time, but that obviously depends on the distance involved and the schedule for the following day. A good example of that happened on this current road trip, when the Flames had two days off between games after Saturday's contest in Vancouver. With a five-hour flight and a three-hour time change, there was no sense in a cross-continent red-eye.

In this case, the schedule played in their favour. Sunday was a full travel day, they checked into their hotel around suppertime, and had the following day to get a good practice in before playing on Tuesday.
Usually, though, it's a mad dash to the bus and, depending on the drive time to the airport, it's wheels-up an hour to an hour-and-a-half after the final buzzer.
It's incredible to watch the trainers pack all the gear, the skate sharpeners, medical trunks and more, including their own personal suitcases, all in a matter of minutes and have it on the way to the airport.
They've got it down to a science.
I'll tell ya: That gets your adrenaline going - especially for us here on CalgaryFlames.com, when we're squeezing every ounce of mobile WiFi out of our iPhones and Jetpacks to post content on our website, app and social media channels.
Jennifer Haskins - With all the young players graduating to the Flames this year (Rasmus Andersson, Juuso Valimaki, Oliver Kylington, etc.), how are things going from a development standpoint with some of the younger players on the Stockton Heat this year?
There's no question that with all the graduates - including those that have had stints with the big club, but are back down with the Heat now (eg. Dillon Dube) - first-year head coach Cail MacLean has had a young group to work with.
That can be challenging in a league that, historically, has been driven by veteran players, but MacLean has embraced the developmental aspect and is encouraged by the progress many of the Flames' hopefuls have shown this year.

I asked him who, in his mind, has taken that 'step' and could be pushing for work here in Calgary sooner rather than later.
"It's a good thing for everyone involved," MacLean said of the "rising tide" with the Flames. "With Juuso, Rasmus, Oliver and Dillon up either full time or just having spent some significant time (in Calgary), it opens up opportunity for guys to take more prominent roles here.
"It pushes guys like Glenn Gawdin into a great spot.
"For him to be in his first year and take significant draws on the penalty kill, and be out there in key situations on the powerplay... He's in a lot of moments that, as a young guy, can be challenging to handle with the poise he does. Obviously, given his background, he can really produce offence, but he also has the sense to play in both ends of the rink quite soundly. I think that's a really good indication for a player like that, who would be that type of player at the NHL level - really well-rounded."

One of the more intriguing storylines for me entering the season was how Curtis Lazar would respond to being sent down after spending the first four years of his pro career playing limited minutes in the NHL.
Well.
The reviews are in.
"How he's approached this as an opportunity, and how he's continued to work and push to get everything out of the opportunity while he's here, it speaks to his character and attitude," MacLean said. "It's second to none.
"Here, he's been put in a lot more offensive situations. He's played on the powerplay, he's handled more pucks, and that gives you the offensive confidence that can drain from you when you're playing a really limited role at the NHL level, where your purpose is to play safe minutes."
Lazar has 36 points (16G, 20A) in 46 games with the Heat.
Finally, MacLean offered some equally encouraging praise for Dube, who's rattled off 21 points (7G, 21A) in his first 22 games after playing spot-duty with the Flames earlier this year.

"Dillon's opportunity here is to learn to play a style of game that uses his speed and skill and tenacity, and to mix that with the details over the course of a game," MacLean said. "It's different when you're in the NHL when you play seven or eight minutes and you're pretty dialled in, but now if you play double that, you've got to really concentrate and make sure you're playing the right way and developing a game that's going to translate. That's a really good lesson for a young player like Dillon in terms of development.
"It's easy to overestimate this league. It's humbling, for some. You're going to have nights when your offence is going to burst through when you have the power and speed combination of a Curtis Lazar, or you've got the straight up ability to fly on skates like Dillon Dube, but it's the lesson that even at the AHL level, if you're not consistent and focused from game to game, then you're not going to make things happen and make a difference in a game.
"You have to learn that. This league - and the NHL even more so - is so good that you really have to be dialled in to be a difference maker.
"Sure, you can chip in a point every once in a while, but to be a difference maker every night, you've really got to bear down.
"Dillon's done really well to identify that early on in his AHL career, and it's paying off."