Quote:
Originally Posted by Locke
You think Giordano is doing now exactly what he was doing then? Again, I disagree.
Iginla by all accounts was incredibly well respected as a teammate, an athlete and as a leader, but he was also a very passive leader. He lead by example.
Conversely Giordano is a very active leader, do you believe he was exactly as active a leader then when it was Iggy's team as he is now that its his team? I dont believe so. I believe that he stepped up his game in all areas.
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Its not like Gio is some Mark Messier type yelling at guys on the bench. He seems to have a fairly similar demeanor to when Iggy was as captain, in fact he probably has less of a mean streak than Iggy did on the ice
People have a really selective memory when it comes to what Iginla did as a leader on this team. Whether it was goals, game winning goals, assists, fighting at the right time, protecting teammates, community events, being an ambassador for the team, Iginla did it all and then some, and he did it for years upon years. And he did it as one of the best players of his generation. And he always made players around him better.
Gio is now doing a lot of the same things, and hopefully he continues to, but hall of famer he is not (yet).
I'm not even a proponent of bringing Iginla back but let's not forget what the guy was, and what he meant to the organization. I for one, having watched the Flames for the better part of 30 years, have no hesitation in saying Iginla was the best player to ever wear the sweater (so far), and that includes his leadership. The organization's failures shouldn't be pinned on his shoulders. It was time to move on but that doesn't diminish the quality of player we all got to watch for 16 seasons.