'PRETTY COOL TO THINK ABOUT'

ANAHEIM - It's a massive milestone for Trevor Lewis.
Playing 800 regular-season NHL games is an impressive feat.
But that said, the game itself is an important one to the Flames as they look to build another lengthy win streak in their quest to capture the Pacific Division.
So, it should come as no surprise, that for a consummate team guy like Lewis, he was proud of the upcoming accomplishment, but was staying focused on the real goal Wednesday night - a win over the Ducks.
"Whoever thought a kid from Utah would play 800?," said Trevor Lewis following the Flames morning skate at the Honda Center. "It's pretty cool to think about, but it's a pretty big game for us tonight, too, so you've got to get ready the same way."

There are many different roads to the NHL and then to have the longevity that Lewis has, but his path has certainly been unique.
"It was a long journey," he said. "There wasn't too much hockey going on in Utah and my dad's a Canadian, too, so he got me into it at a young age. He was coaching. I had to move away - I had to make a big decision to move away when I was 15 to Colorado to have more competitiveness and stuff like that, and just kind of took off from there."
Like all players when they achieve a lofty landmark such as 800, there are a lot of people along the way who helped them reach it - none moreso than their family, especially their parents. Lewis said family is front and centre in his mind right now.
"I think (about) both my parents, they were both waking up at 5 a.m. and taking me an hour away to skate and stuff like that," he said. "They (made) a lot of sacrifices for me and it's a big reason why I'm here today."

His dad Randy, who grew up in Lethbridge, fostered a love for the game in his son.
"Definitely," he said. "He bought our house when we were growing up right across the street from a rink. He would take me over every day after work. I started skating when I was two, so he made me fall in love with it early."
The proud father is down here in California to watch his boy play and skate in No. 800 tonight.
"He comes all over and he wouldn't miss it," said Lewis. "He's definitely my biggest fan. He's still kind of my coach, too. He tells me what I'm doing wrong after some games, but it's good."
As for the key to his success in sticking in the world's top league?
"I learned from some good pros along the way," said Lewis. "A lot of guys in LA helped me a lot and I credit a lot to the development team in LA. When I first started out, I thought maybe I'd come in and (be) like you are in junior and score, powerplay and all that. I quickly figured out that to make it, I'd have to change my game and be a reliable player - someone the coach can count on. I just try to come to the rink the same way every day and continue to prepare the same way."
Matthew Tkachuk said Lewis has had a big impact in the team's dressing room in his first season in Calgary.
"Eight hundred games, Cups, lots of deep playoff runs - so a lot more than 800 when you think about it.," said Tkachuk. "Just a very big character guy and somebody we're so lucky to have with his experience and the way he plays, his style of play, is kind of part of our culture. Kind of helped change our culture here with guys like that. I'm very happy for him and hopefully we can get the win for him tonight so it's better."
Also notable about tonight's tilt is that defenceman Michael Stone could play in his 500th game.

GO MICHIGAN:

Speaking of Tkachuk, he tried to score one of the popular Michigan-style (lacrosse) goals against Cal Petersen in the Flames 3-2 victory over the Kings on Monday.
Ducks forward Trevor Zegras has scored two of them this season.
The Flames forward was asked Wednesday morning what he's looking for when he's behind the net before he attempts one.
"I don't really look at anything too much," he said, adding the try against L.A. was the closest he's got to scoring with it. "Just, if they give me enough time and I can't find anybody in the slot or the point guys or back-door guys, that's kind of the last-ditch effort. It's not my first option at all. Just read the play and definitely don't want to do that, but sometimes it's your last option."

ONE-TIMERS:

Brett Ritchie - who missed Monday's game with a lower-body injury - has joined the team in Anaheim and was back on the ice this morning at the Honda Center. Calle Jarnkrok was also a full participant after missing the past two games with a non-COVID illness, but associate coach Kirk Muller did not say whether either would play tonight: "We haven't made any firm decision on our lineup tonight, but he (Jarnkrok) is here and good to go, so we have some extra bodies now," he said. ... Muller was asked about the sprint to the finish in the Pacific Division as teams battle for playoff positions: "I think it's great for us. We're riding in this race right now and it's really almost like you are in the playoffs, when you really think about it. From the fan point of view, the excitement from the fanbases and that, but you've got to dial in right now, as a player - individually - and be ready to go because competition's getting harder, there's less room on the ice, teams are checking harder and goaltenders are in top form right now. Everything that you see right now in the games, you've got to be ready to play and play hard" ... Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf announced on April 4 that he will be retiring at the end of the season. The former Calgary Hitmen star - whose banner hangs from the Scotiabank Saddledome rafters - was drafted by Anaheim in the first round (19th overall) in 2003, and is the Ducks' all-time leading scorer in both the regular season and playoffs, and joins a group of 11 other players in NHL history to have captained the same team for 10 years and scored 1,000 points. ... Tonight's game will be the Flames first nationally televised tilt in the U.S. on TNT.