NEWARK — Father time has nothing on Mark Giordano.
At the age of 35, the defenseman is having the best season of his career. On Wednesday he netted the 14th goal of his season on a leg pump and deke in the second period of the Flames 2-1 win against the New Jersey Devils.
"Honestly, I was thinking shot the whole way and he took everything away so, desperation at the end, you go by instincts and took it to my backhand and it worked out for sure," he said regarding the highlight reel goal.
The marker moved Giordano into a select group of defenseman who have scored 60-or-more points at age 35 or older, joining Sergei Zubov and Hall of Famers Al MacInnis, Ray Bourque and Nicklas Lidstrom.
"[All] guys I looked up to," he recollected. "Nick Lidstrom I had the pleasure of playing against him a few years and he was I think, the best ever. So to be mentioned with him in the same sentence as him is surreal for me. Ray Bourque the same thing. I remember watching him growing up, playing him on video games always he was one of my favorite players. So all those guys, I mean really, really are Hall of Fame guys. To be in that group I don’t consider myself on their level but it’s pretty cool to be mentioned with those guys."
Joining an illustrious group is always special but the captain does need to work on his celebrations to join the likes of Theo Fleury's celebration.
"Well last one they gave it to me pretty hard [after I scored], so I tried something different and they said this one was worse so," Giordano said with a laugh.
When asked what exactly he was doing, he replied, "Um, yeah I was tickling the ice I guess. I don’t even know what to say about that one. I’m embarrassed, to be honest."
Mark Giordano scored his 21st game-winning goal of his career to tie Dion Phaneuf for second-most by a @NHLFlames defensemen. Al MacInnis is the franchise leader with 22. #NHLStats pic.twitter.com/wlbVmYdZJE
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) February 28, 2019
Giordano did acknowledge he needs to be better saying, "hopefully, there’s a next time." Considering the year he's had, currently ranked third in the NHL in points among defensemen, there will be — and his coach appreciates what the veteran brings to the ice.
"Obviously he is a high-end player, a high-end character, and just a warrior," commented Bill Peters. "He will battle in there and he's battling on pucks. Just a complete player. He is a player our young guys should watch and learn from because he is special the way he goes about his business."