Cochrane Minor Hockey product Mason Raymond will be in Calgary with his Vancouver Canucks on Sunday (March 3) to take on the Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome, 6 p.m. puck drop (televised on SportsNet West).
It’s a game he always looks forward to playing.
“You grow up being a Flames fan so it’s always fun going back into that rink and playing,” he said in a Feb. 25 telephone interview with The Eagle. “I’ve had a lot of good memories there. Been fortunate enough to have a few hat tricks in that building, so hopefully that can continue.”
He last turned the trick in December 2010 at the Saddledome.
The fleet-footed left-winger in sweater No. 21 is currently in the top 25 per cent of National Hockey League scorers with five goals and four assists in 18 games so far in this lockout-shortened, 48-game season.
“Things have been clicking well so far,” he assessed. “It’s always nice when your team gets off to good start and helps contribute to your success. Individually, things have been going well.”
Teamed with 22-year-old rookie centre Jordan Schroeder and, at times, Jannik Hansen, the 27-year-old flying forward from Cochrane has been able to utilize his fleet feet to torture opposing defenders.
“I’m playing with a young guy, Jordan Schroeder, who’s been called up at the start of the year here and has done very well. Him and I have clicked well.
“Jordan skates well, myself, we’ve had Jannik Hansen over there, so we definitely try to utilize that (speed) to our advantage. It’s one of our biggest assets.”
And Raymond will have his homeys, an island of Canucks blue in a C of red, cheering him on in Calgary.
“Of course. It’s right out the back door. They (family) don’t ever miss a game in Calgary, that’s for sure. Mom and dad, grandparents, a few friends. It depends on the evening, whether it’s on a Saturday or whatever. The regulars are always mom and dad, my grandparents and my sister.
“It’s just a 40-minute drive to the Saddledome.”
• Cochrane’s Coda Gordon, meanwhile, will be in Calgary with the Swift Current Broncos for a Western Hockey League tilt against the Hitmen on Friday (March 1), 7 p.m. puck drop at Scotiabank Saddledome. The 6-foot-1 left winger, who wears sweater No. 28, was drafted by the Flames in the 6th round (165 overall) of the 2012 NHL entry draft and has 15 goals and 37 assists in 61 games in his second full season with the Broncos.
• In the lacrosse box, Cochrane’s Joel Henry visits Calgary March 8 (7 p.m., Scotiabank Saddledome) with his Minnesota Swarm for a National Lacrosse League battle against the Roughnecks. The 6-foot-1 forward is in his second season with the Swarm and has three goals and three assists in four games so far this season.
