The Calgary Flames have selected the man to take over for former captain Jarome Iginla, who held the post for nine seasons.
Defenceman Mark Giordano was named the 19th captain of the Calgary Flames Friday morning. The club’s captaincy had been vacant since the long-serving Iginla (now with the Boston Bruins) was dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins at last season’s trade deadline.
Veterans Curtis Glencross and Mike Cammalleri will return as alternate captains for the franchise.
“Mark represents all the qualities that we set as a coaching staff and an organization,” head coach Bob Hartley said in a statement. “He is a quality man who is proud to represent the Calgary Flames both on and off the ice. We are very happy with these three men leading and setting the example for our team, and especially our young players, as we move through this crucial yet exciting period in the history of the Flames franchise.”
Giordano, 29, joined the Flames as a free agent in 2004 and spent the next two seasons with the team’s American Hockey League affiliate. He split the 2006-07 season between the AHL and Calgary before becoming a staple on the Flames blueline in 2007-08. The blue-liner was named assistant captain to start the 2011-12 season.
In 385 career games over seven seasons with Calgary, the Toronto native has scored 41 goals and 109 assists for 150 points while accumulating 366 penalty minutes.
Beyond participation in Flames community relations programs and Flames Foundation for Life events, Giordano aligned with Habitat for Humanity as a spokesman along with his wife, Lauren. Giordano is also one of the ambassadors of the Flames’ Reading… Give it a Shot! program which encourages literacy for students through a reading incentive program. For his community efforts, Giordano won the Flames’ 2011-12 J.R. McCaig Award.
The Sabres, Oilers, Lightning and Blue Jackets still have vacancies at captain.
