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Flames All-Time Countdown Chapter CXXXI: 16. Mark Giordano

Tonight's article shifts focus to resident blue-line leader Mark Giordano.

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16. Mark Giordano

Giordano was born on October 3rd, 1983 in Toronto, Ontario. A 6’, 200 lb. defenseman, he’s the highest ranked current player in the countdown. Before finding his way to the Flames organization, he played with the OPJHL’s Brampton Capitals (48 games, 11 goals, 26 assists), the OHL’s Owen Sound Attack (133 games, 32 goals, 65 assists), and the AHL’s Lowell Lock Monsters (66 games, six goals, 10 assists).

In 2005-06, Giordano played with the AHL’s Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights (73 games, 16 goals, 42 assists) for most of the season. He played in seven games for Calgary, making his first point (an assist) on April 8th in a 3-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks. He had a plus-2 rating with eight penalty minutes and five shots on goal, skating for 12:05 per appearance. Calgary earned a 46-25-11 record, then lost in the first round of the postseason to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in seven games.

2006-07 would see Giordano spend most of his season with the Flames, appearing in 48 games and playing 13:27 per contest. He had seven goals on 49 shots, eight assists, a plus-7 rating, and 36 penalty minutes. Despite his limited playing time, he was fourth on the blueline with 3.2 point shares. On October 14th, he scored two goals for the first time in his career, as the Flames lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs, 5-4. On January 4th, he scored the game winner with 30 seconds left in overtime in a 5-4 win over the Florida Panthers. He had an assist and the game winning goal on February 2nd in a 6-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Flames powered to a 43-29-10 record, then lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Detroit Red Wings in six games. Gio scored once in the four games he played in.

Unable to meet contract terms with the Flames, Giordano spent the 2007-08 season with Moscow Dynamo in Russia. He appeared in 50 games and totaled four goals, nine assists, and 89 penalty minutes.

Prior to the 2008-09 season, Giordano signed with the Flames for three years and $2,675,000. He played in 58 contests before getting derailed by a shoulder injury. He scored two goals on 82 shots with 17 assists, a plus-2 rating and 59 penalty minutes while playing 16:13 per game. As in his first full NHL season, he was fourth on the blue line with a 3.1 point share. On November 11th, he collected two assists in a 4-3 win over the Leafs. On December 23rd, he had a goal and an assist in a 4-3 win against the Anaheim Ducks. Calgary went 46-30-6, then lost in the first round to the Chicago Blackhawks in six games.

In 2009-10, Giordano led the team with a plus-17 rating and ranked first on the blue line with 30 points and an 8.0 point share. He scored 11 times on 111 shots with 19 helpers and a team-fourth 81 penalty minutes. He was third on the club with nine power play assists. He played in all 82 regular season games, averaging 20:50 per game. In a 5-3 win over the Canucks on October 1st, he scored a goal and had an assist. On February 5th, he netted the game winner in a 2-1 win against Florida. He lit the lamp once and added an assist on March 7th as the Flames defeated the Minnesota Wild. Calgary posted a 40-32-10 overall record, but missed the postseason.

2010-11 would see Giordano again appear in all 82 games, setting a career high with a Flames-fourth 35 assists. He scored eight goals on 165 shots with a minus-8 rating and a team-third 67 penalty minutes. He continued to lead the defensive corps in point shares with a mark of 6.4, ranking second with an average of 23:08 on the ice. On March 26th, he tabbed three assists in a 5-4 overtime victory against the Oilers. The Flames went 41-29-12 on the season, missing the playoffs by three points.

Giordano played in 61 games in 2011-12, and ranked seventh on the club with 27 points. He scored nine times on 125 shots, along with 18 assists. He had an even rating and ranked second on the team with 75 penalty minutes. The Flames finished second in the Northwest Division with a 37-29-16 record, but missed out on the postseason.

In 2012-13, Giordano appeared in every game but one, averaging 23:10 over his 47 appearances. He scored four times on 58 shots with 11 assists, a minus-7 rating and 40 penalty minutes. Calgary went 19-25-4, again missing the playoffs.

2013-14 would see Giordano limited to 64 games, but still manage to place second on the club with a career high 47 points. He totaled 14 goals on 180 shots with 33 assists, a team-leading plus-12 rating, and a team-third 63 penalty minutes. He played 25:14 per game and earned a career best 9.8 point shares, both also good for tops on the club. He had 11 games where he earned multiple points. The team went 35-40-7, missing the playoffs for the fifth season in a row. He will be playing in the fourth-year of a five-year, $20.1 million contract.

All-Time Statline: 449 games, 55 goals, 142 assists, plus-25 rating, 429 penalty minutes, 40.55 point shares.

by Kevin Kraczkowski