Mark Giordano
Canadian defenceman and former captain of the Calgary Flames and Seattle Kraken, known for his Norris Trophy win in 2019.
Mark Giordano (born October 3, 1983) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player who is an advisor for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). In the NHL, he played as a defenceman for the Calgary Flames for 15 seasons, where he was the team captain for his final eight seasons, and the Seattle Kraken, where he served as captain during the first six months of their inaugural season. An undrafted player, Giordano signed with the Flames as a free agent in 2004 after playing two seasons of major junior ice hockey with Owen Sound Attack of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).
Quick Facts
- Position
- Defenseman
- Nationality
- Canadian (New Westminster, BC)
- Drafted
- 2003, 15th overall – New Jersey Devils
- Stanley cup
- 2012 (New Jersey Devils)
- Seattle tenure
- 2022–23 (inaugural Kraken season)
- Playing style
- Defensive anchor
- elite faceoffs
- physical two-way play
Lore & Background
Mark Giordano was born in Toronto, Ontario, on October 3, 1983. His father, Paul, was a real estate agent and his mother, Anna, a hairdresser. He is of Italian descent. Giordano has an older sister, Michelle, and had another older sister, Mia, who was killed in a car accident when he was 14. He taps his helmet twice with his stick at the end of the national anthems before each game as a quiet tribute to his sister. As a youth, Giordano played both hockey and baseball, but focused on hockey. He played minor ice hockey in North York and attended Chaminade College School. He played in the 1997 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a team from Richmond Hill.
Reader's Guide
Giordano played one season of Junior A hockey with the Brampton Capitals of the Ontario Junior Hockey League in 2001–02, then moved up to major junior, playing two seasons with the Owen Sound Attack of the OHL. He was the top scoring defenceman on the team for both years. Despite his offensive success, he went unselected at the NHL entry draft. He accepted an invitation to attend the Phoenix Coyotes' training camp but returned to the OHL for a second season. After graduating from junior, he enrolled at York University and planned to study at its school of business when he received a late invitation from the Calgary Flames to attend their summer camp. The Flames signed him to a contract following the camp. He was assigned to the AHL's Lowell Lock Monsters for the 2004–05 season, then to the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights for 2005–06. He made his NHL debut on January 30, 2006, against the St. Louis Blues. Unable to come to terms on a new contract prior to the 2007–08 season, Giordano left the NHL to sign with HC Dynamo Moscow of the Russian Super League. He returned to Calgary for the 2008–09 season on a three-year contract. He was named the 19th captain in Flames history on September 20, 2013. Giordano was named to his first NHL All-Star Game in 2015. In 2019, he was awarded the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL's best defenceman.
Did You Know?
- Giordano was named the recipient of the J. R. 'Bud' McCaig Award by the Flames for his charitable work in 2012.
- Internationally, Giordano played with Team Canada at the 2010 IIHF World Championship and was a member of the 2007 Spengler Cup winning team.
More in Players & Coaches
Elsewhere in Seattle Kraken
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced