Mark Giordano

 ( 1983 Births ) 

Unable to come to terms on a new contract with the Flames prior to the 2007–08 season, Giordano left the NHL to sign with HC Dynamo Moscow of the Russian Super League. According to Playfair, Giordano did not sign in Russia over money. Instead, he left because he felt he had proven what he could do in the AHL and, lacking a guarantee that he would be in the NHL, sought a higher-calibre league in which to play. He scored 4 goals and 13 points in 50 games with Dynamo, and played with the winning Canadian team at the 2007 Spengler Cup. The Canadian national team named him an alternate at the 2008 IIHF World Championship in case of injury to a roster player, however he never appeared in a game. Though he feared his decision to leave for Russia would damage his relationship with the Flames, Giordano and the team came to terms on a three-year contract that brought him back to Calgary for the . Giordano appeared in 58 games for the Flames and scored 19 points before a shoulder injury ended his season. He required surgery to repair the damage suffered in a game against the Minnesota Wild. He recovered in time to begin the , but several new additions to Calgary's defensive corps left him concerned about his position with the team. Instead, he solidified his place on the roster with a career year; Giordano set personal highs in goals (11), points (30) and was +17 for the Flames. The Hockey News named him one of the most underrated players in the league, and he was invited to join Team Canada at the 2010 IIHF World Championship. Giordano led the team's defencemen with three goals in the tournament and added an assist in seven games.

Despite having the option to become an unrestricted free agent following the , Giordano opted to remain in Calgary and signed a five-year, $20 million contract extension with the Flames on October 29, 2010. He led the team's defencemen in scoring and set another career high with 43 points in 82 games. Giordano missed several weeks of the after suffering a torn hamstring. The injury caused Giordano, who was named an alternate captain prior to the season's start, to miss 21 games. He finished with 27 points in 61 games, then scored 15 points in 47 games in the lockout-shortened .

Giordano was named the 19th captain in Flames history on September 20, 2013, as he succeeded Jarome Iginla, who was traded late in the 2012–13 season. Giordano was praised by his teammates and coaching staff for both his long tenure with the franchise and for his playing style: Giordano played in all situations for the Flames, was one of the hardest workers on the team and was willing to sacrifice himself to block a shot or defend his teammates. Head coach Bob Hartley praised Giordano's influence on his teammates as the rebuilding Flames team established an identity as a squad which was noted across the league for its work ethic.

A blocked shot injured Giordano early in the as he suffered a broken ankle in late October. He missed 18 games due to the injury, during which the Flames gained only five wins. He still recorded career highs of 13 goals and 47 points. Though he was not named to the team, Giordano's growing reputation placed him on Team Canada's short list for the 2014 Winter Olympics, and he received a first place vote (finishing 10th overall) in voting for the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the league's top defenceman. A surge in offensive production from Giordano and fellow defencemen T. J. Brodie and Dennis Wideman resulted in the Flames being one of the NHL's biggest surprises early in the . Predicted to finish near the bottom of the standings before the season, the Flames instead began December with one of the best records in the league, in large part due to the play of Giordano, who led all NHL defencemen with 25 points, four better than Brodie. His plus-minus of +14 ranked him second in the league. The NHL recognized Giordano's early season play by naming him its First Star of the month of November. He was subsequently named as the Flames' representative at the 60th National Hockey League All-Star Game. Giordano played his 500th career game on February 2, 2015, in a victory over the Winnipeg Jets. He set a personal best by scoring his 48th point of the season in a 3–1 win over the New Jersey Devils on February 25, but also suffered an injury in the game. The Flames announced one week later that he required surgery for a completely torn biceps tendon; the estimated recovery time of four to five months meant that his season was over. In the summer before the , the Flames signed Giordano to a six-year contract extension.

During the Giordano was placed on the same defensive pairing as Dougie Hamilton, causing greater defensive play in both players. His defensive play helped the Flames make the playoffs for the first time since 2015. He played in four playoff games, garnering one point, before the Flames were defeated by the Anaheim Ducks.

During the , Giordano became the fifth defencemen in NHL history to record 60 points at the age of 35 or over. His 60th point came in a 2–1 win over the New Jersey Devils on February 27, 2019. Following the conclusion of the 2018–19 regular season, Giordano won the James Norris Memorial Trophy.

Giordano began the season playing alongside Jamie Oleksiak as the pair allowed 1.7 expected goals against per 60 minutes of play. By mid November, Giordano had recorded three goals and four assists while continuing to lead Seattle in average ice time. However, after testing positive for COVID-19 prior to a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Giordano spent 10 days isolated in a hotel before returning to the Kraken lineup on December 10. As a result of his overall play, Giordano was a candidate for the "Last Men In" for the 2022 NHL All-Star Game but was not selected by the fan vote.

On March 5, 2022, Giordano played his 1,000th NHL game, on the same day as Toronto Maple Leafs forward Wayne Simmonds' 1,000th game (they would later be teammates following Giordano's trade). He is the first player in Seattle Kraken franchise history to reach the milestone.

On May 22, 2022, Giordano was signed to a two-year, $1.6 million contract extension with the Maple Leafs, worth $800,000 annually. The deal was seen by analysts as a significant hometown discount for the Salary cap club, several million dollars less than what Giordano would likely fetch in the summer offseason from competing teams. Giordano and the Maple Leafs had originally agreed in principle to a $1 million annual salary, but Giordano approached the club and asked the team to sign him to $800,000 annually (just over the veteran's minimum) to provide the team with more financial flexibility in icing a competitive, salary cap compliant team.

During the 2022–23 NHL season on February 26, 2023, Giordano passed Kris Russell for the most shots blocked in NHL history with 2,045 after blocking a shot by Carson Soucy against his previous team, the Seattle Kraken. He is now second in career blocked shots after being surpassed by Marc-Édouard Vlasic.