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“We had a very veteran team and I was a young guy, and I remember Gary Roberts saying: ‘Guys, we have a chance to do something special here. Let’s really enjoy this and take advantage of it, because you don’t know when you’re going to be back in this position,’ ” Stajan recalled. “That’s what he said about his career, because he won in his second year in Calgary, and he said the older guys said that to him and Joe Nieuwendyk. So they were kind of saying the same thing. Nieuwendyk was my roommate that year, so he reminded me.”

With all the makings of a blood-and-guts leader, Tkachuk will one day be telling up-and-coming teammates not to take this opportunity for granted.

Just like Lanny told Nieuwendyk and Roberts.

Just like they told Stajan.

Just like Stajan will stress to him.

“As a young guy, you think it’s going to happen every year,” Stajan said. “But it’s hard to get to playoffs and then when you get there, you have to try to take advantage and make something happen because you don’t know how many chances you’re going to get. I mean, you just look at the fact this will be our second time in the playoffs in the last seven years, so it’s not like it happens every day. And I think with the young team that we have, that’s an important message.

http://www.calgarysun.com/2017/04/08...nchise-legends