Replacing Jarome Iginla as captain of the Calgary Flames? Well, there have been easier acts to follow. Say, The Beatles on Sullivan or Sinatra at the Sands.
Giordano, the man picked in 2013 to inherit the honor from Calgary's all-time leading scorer, is considered the backbone of the Flames. A Canadian Olympic Team- and World Cup-worthy defensive talent, as well as the emotional, competitive barometer of his hockey team, Giordano is one of the sport's most respected leaders.
Replacing Jarome Iginla as captain of the Calgary Flames? Well, there have been easier acts to follow. Say, The Beatles on Sullivan or Sinatra at the Sands.
Giordano, the man picked in 2013 to inherit the honor from Calgary's all-time leading scorer, is considered the backbone of the Flames. A Canadian Olympic Team- and World Cup-worthy defensive talent, as well as the emotional, competitive barometer of his hockey team, Giordano is one of the sport's most respected leaders.
He also could be considered the ultimate self-made man. Undrafted out of Owen Sound of the Ontario Hockey League, Giordano generated little pro interest before signing with the Flames in the summer of 2005 following one year with Lowell of the American Hockey League.
The road to stardom proved to be a process. Over his first two pro seasons, the Toronto-born defenseman dressed for 55 NHL games and 78 for Omaha of the AHL.
Giordano, a restricted free agent, chose to move to Dynamo Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League for the 2007-08 season. He returned to North America after one season and his game grew steadily with Calgary.
In 2014-15, Giordano was having a career season -- he was the NHL's leading scorer among defensemen and was among the Norris Trophy frontrunners -- when a bicep tear in the final minute of a late-February road game against the New Jersey Devils ended his season.
That summer, Giordano signed a six-year contract extension. He won the NHL Foundation Player Award in 2016 for outstanding charitable work and community service.
At age 35, Giordano had by far his best offensive season in 2018-19 with 74 points (17 goals, 57 assists), finished with a plus-39 rating and was voted winner of the Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenseman. In 2019-20, he won the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award, given to the player who exemplifies great leadership qualities on and off the ice and who plays a leading role in his community growing the game of hockey.
He was selected by the Seattle Kraken in the 2021 NHL Expansion draft and played his 1,000th game in the NHL on March 5, 2022, when the Kraken lost 5-2 to the Washington Capitals. The Kraken traded Giordano to the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 20 for a second-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft and 2023 NHL Draft, and a third-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.
NOTES & TRANSACTIONS
- NHL First All-Star Team (2019)
- Played in NHL All-Star Game (2015, 2016, 2020)
- Signed as a free agent by Calgary, July 6, 2004.
- Signed as a free agent by Dynamo Moscow (Russia) August 28, 2007.
- Signed as a free agent by Calgary, July 1, 2008.
- Claimed by Seattle from Calgary in Expansion Draft, July 21, 2021.
- Traded to Toronto by Seattle with Colin Blackwell for a 2nd-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, 2nd-round pick in 2023 and 3rd-round pick in 2024, March 20, 2022.
