Quote:
Originally Posted by Hockey_Ninja
Gio is current in his 13th NHL season at age 35 and is having his best season and has a strong chance at winning the Norris. He's currently 3rd all-time in franchise history for games played, the 2nd longest running franchise captain behind Iginla, and he's only 7 points behind Paul Reinhart from cracking the top 10 all-time in franchise scoring. Where would y'all rank Gio among the best players in franchise history?
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The way I break it down is by combining a look at overall skill, impact to the franchise, and overall tenure with the team (including retired players only at this point).
Personally for me there is a clear top 3 with Iginla at the top:
Iginla
Fleury
MacInnis
Then you have a second tier of guys that were franchise icons but not quite as elite as the players in the first echelon IMO:
McDonald
Kipper
Vernon
Then there is a third tier of guys that were amazing Flames but maybe not quite as associated with the franchise as the guys in the top two tiers:
Nieuwendyk
Regher
Suter
Roberts
And a fourth tier of guys who were amazing Flames but not quite here long enough (less than 500 games) and didn't retire Flames:
Nilsson
Mullen
Loob
Gilmour
Right now I'd say that with this season, and how good he's been since becoming captain, that Giordano has firmly established himself in the second tier, and if he wins a cup as a Flame that probably automatically vaults him into the top tier with Iggy, Theo, and Mac.