Burke calls Giordano 'quintessential captain'

The Calgary Sun paints a picture of the road less traveled in terms of Flames captain Mark Giordano's path to the NHL, with him having earned a Masterton Trophy nod Thursday.

Brian Burke recalls Giordano from the defenceman's days in the OHL years ago.

“I feel pretty stupid,” Burke said. “I watched him play and I never walked out a junior rink saying, ‘I need to get this guy on my team.’ What Mark Giordano has done is make a whole bunch of management people like me look foolish, and good for him.

“I’m really glad for him, and it’s not just how well he’s played. He has been a quintessential captain in my mind.”

As the article lays out Giordano's perseverance in getting to the NHL, he's asked if being an inspiration to has great meaning.

“Absolutely, man. That’s probably one of the things I take most pride in,” Giordano said. “Every year, every game, you want to get better and better and prove more people wrong. You know there are going to be people who don’t like certain parts of your game, but with details and hard work, you can do a lot.”

Source: Randy Sportak, Calgary Sun