At 39, Giordano is playing in a 2nd round for the very first time in his profession.
“I’m probably the No. 1 poster boy for you don’t get opportunities all the time in playoffs and getting through rounds,” said Giordano, whose playoff beard is freely speckled with grey.
“It’s not an easy league to get there.”
The Leafs were down 0-3 in their second-round series with the Florida Panthers heading into Wednesday’s Game 4.
The just time the Calgary Flames reached the 2nd round throughout Giordano’s almost 15-year period there, he couldn’t play since of his hurt bicep in 2015.
“You get stuck in a rebuild, then you’re five years out. Before you know it, you’ve been in the league for 10 years,” Giordano said. “It goes by quick.
“Then you start thinking, ‘Man, I’m not gonna have an opportunity, ever.’”
Taken by the Seattle Kraken in the growth draft, the 2019 Norris Trophy winner was traded to his home town Toronto in the spring of 2022.
Maple Leafs defenceman Luke Schenn was uninformed his colleague remained in the inmost playoff run of his profession at almost 40 years of age.
“I didn’t even know that, but he’s obviously been a pro for a long time,” Schenn said.
“It’s nice to see a guy like that finally get rewarded team-wise and get an opportunity to advance a little farther. He’s had an unbelievable career.”
A number of 30-year-olds in the second-round series in between the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights — connected 1-1 heading into Monday’s Game 3 — didn’t wait as long as Giordano to get a larger bite of the post-season, however still bided their time.
Oilers forward Nick Bjugstad, who was obtained from Arizona at the trade due date, rode a playoff wave into brand-new second-round area.
“As I get older, you realize how much harder it is to make the playoffs and win a round,” Bjugstad said. “We all have our sights on a bigger goal, so it doesn’t stop here.
“In the moment, after winning the series the other night, there’s 20 or 30 minutes when you go ‘it finally happened’ and then you move on and realize there’s another series to win and another one and another one.
“It’s a long process. It’s just fun to be a part of that challenge and climb a mountain with these guys.”
Bjugstad associates timing, luck and discovering a specific niche with the best group for his playoff development.
“It is for sure finding your place and your role, which I feel like has happened as I’ve gotten older,” said Bjugstad. “A little bit of luck sometimes.
“I was fortunate to get the call I was going to the Oilers. A fortunate bounce for myself.”
Knights goaltender Laurent Brossoit is a playoff starter for the very first time in his profession at 30 after previous stints with the Oilers and Winnipeg Jets.
“I thought it would come quicker than this, but honestly it couldn’t have happened at a better time,” he said.
“Through my career I wouldn’t say I was ever ready to take a team and be responsible as the starter, to take a team deep in the playoffs, and so I’m happy that when I have got this opportunity, it’s been when I was most ready mentally and physically and health-wise and all that.”
Dallas Stars defenceman Luke Glendening, 34, enjoys the 2nd round for the very first time in his profession. The Stars path 2-1 in their series versus the Kraken.
Leafs defenceman Jake McCabe, 29, made his playoff launching this year in his ninth season as a full-time NHLer.
“I’ve been waiting a long time for this,” McCabe said.
— With files from Joshua Clipperton
This report by The Canadian Press was very first released May 8, 2023.
Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press
