With one thunderous check, Blake Coleman cemented his place in Battle of Alberta lore.
Four-and-a-half minutes into the second period of Saturday’s 6-3 victory at Rogers Place, the Flames forward launched Oilers captain Connor McDavid into the boards, sending him hurtling back-first onto the playing surface.
It was the type of hit that superstar players don’t typically receive, and it stood as the opening salvo in what ended up being a pretty physical second period.
The Texas Tiger had a little extra snarl Saturday - he ended up scrapping Edmonton’s Mattias Janmark minutes after the McDavid check - but when asked about the hit, he downplayed its importance, or its intended target.
“It’s an Oiler player,” Coleman said Monday. “It’s anybody on the other team, if you get a chance to get a lick on 'em, you’re gonna finish your hits; that’s what my role is, be hard to play against; doesn’t really matter who’s wearing the sweater, I treat everybody the same on those teams.”
“Obviously, people ran with it more than I even thought they would but for me, it’s ‘finish your check, be hard to play against.’”
Coleman’s been a thorn in opponents’ collective sides all season long.
Not only is he enjoying a career year offensively - his 23 goals and 45 points are both personal bests - but along with linemates Mikael Backlund and Andrew Mangiapane, he’s made the game frustrating for many a top-tier foe.
But it’s that little extra self-sacrifice, the knowledge that two valuable points might be accompanied by a bruise or a scrape, that Coleman sees in his teammates as indicative of everyone’s willingness to stay in the fight.
“It just shows that guys care,” he said. “This point in the season, every point matters, every game matters, no matter who it is, we’ve got to be willing to scratch and claw for everything we get, that’s the type of team we are.”
