'SPECIAL PLAYING HERE'

The ovation, to be certain, promises to be electric.
But after his video plays and the niceties wear off with the locals, Johnny Gaudreau will no longer be the folk hero that was revered around these parts for nine seasons.
No longer the Saddledome subject of Chuck Berry's '58 smash-hit, or the icon - like Jarome - that was known widely on a first-name basis.
Instead, Johnny is now a member of the opposition.
As peculiar as that sounds.

"I don't know," Mikael Backlund said when asked what kind of reception he expects Gaudreau to receive from the Scotiabank Saddledome faithful. "I guess we'll find out.
"I've heard that people expect a lot of boos and I could see that happening with how things ended. But hopefully when the video tribute's out there on the screen, people cheer him on. He was a really good player, a really important player for us for a long time and did a lot of good things for us. I hope people cheer him as well."
Former Flame Erik Gudbranson - who is also making his return to the Stampede City following an off-season departure - helped spearhead a little 'performative' action to help No. 13 prepare for what's to come.
Every time Gaudreau touched the puck at the morning skate, his teammates roundly booed him.
"That was funny," Gaudreau said as he took to the podium down at ice level afterward. "Just lighten the mood a little bit. It's fun. I could barely even stick-handle, I was laughing so hard going up and down the ice."
'Get it out of the way now.' That was message from Columbus Head Coach Brad Larsen, who expects a bit of a hostile response from the crowd after the initial welcome plays out.
The fact is, Flames fans have every right to feel a mix of emotions. No. 13 was coming off a career year, notching 115 points on what became one of the most dominant lines in hockey. All of Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk and Elias Lindholm scored 40-plus, recording 43% of the total offence on a Flames team that won the Pacific and was firmly in its championship window.

Ultimately - and in a life-changing decision that came down to the 11th hour - Gaudreau chose to go elsewhere, turning down a mammoth offer that would have essentially made him a Flame for life.
He understands why some might feel a bit scorned and will break out the boo birds.
That's partly why these hardcore Canadian markets are one of a kind.
"They're a passionate fanbase here," Gaudreau said. "That's why I loved playing here. I don't expect anything else. Obviously, we had some good times here, but the way they supported our team and supported our players, it was awesome to be part of. And they love their Flames.
"I'm not on the Flames anymore. I'm on the other team. So, I get it.
"But that's what made it so special playing here."
Gaudreau - who said he wouldn't change anything about the free-agency process and is happy with his life in Ohio - has 13 goals and 44 points in 46 games with the Jackets this year.
He's moved on. And so, too, will the 19,289 souls that will cram inside the barn tonight to officially send him off.
"The whole time he (was) here, he said he always wanted to play in the U.S. at some point," Backlund said. "You've got to respect that. Going into free agency this summer after last year, it sounded like he was more positive staying and maybe wanted to re-sign. But at the same time, you always knew he wanted to go back to the U.S. and play there at some point. When he made the decision, I wasn't overly surprised."
Gaudreau left Calgary with 210 goal and 609 points in 602 career games in Flames colours. That puts him fifth on the team's all-time scoring list, trailing Joe Nieuwendyk, Al MacInnis, Theo Fleury and the first-place Iggy.
His overtime winner in Game 7 against Dallas last spring will live on, gracing the team highlight feels for years to come, no doubt.
"I've had a lot of great memories here, but my favourite one is after Game 7 last year when Mony (Sean Monahan) was waiting in the tunnel for me," Gaudreau said. "Just waiting to give me a big hug, he was so fired up.
"That's probably one of my most special memories."

"That's probably a good way to say it - the 'culmination,'" Head Coach Darryl Sutter added of Gaudreau's last hurrah. "But he did that a lot. He's a puck possession guy, right? He's not only a transporter, but a guy who did a lot of the changing tides of games."
Add the nightly moments of amazement - the fancy footwork, stickhandling ability, and some most of the most elite vision and hockey sense in Flames lore - it's clear we're talking about someone pretty special to the current generation of fans who either modelled their own game after him, or proudly donned his number as part of the C of Red.
"There's three things: Good person, good player, good teammate," Sutter explained. "And he checked the boxes really good.
"I only coached him for the year and 30 games or whatever it was. So, the important thing for me - what I appreciated most - was seeing the progress that he made as a complete player. And to be able to say that and do that and still be able to hit those offensive numbers."
Among them: Goals (40), assists (75), points (115), plus/minus (+64) and shots on goal (262) - all career highs. There was nary a moment when you didn't think Gaudreau, Tkachuk and Lindholm could sway the momentum of a game.
They were that good.
"He was that gift, right?" said Lindholm, who played (almost) exclusively with Gaudreau for four years. "He has a lot of talent, a lot of skill. Only a few guys in the league have that.
"He was great. I had a lot of tap-ins from him and he made the game pretty easy for myself. He was great for us and he obviously he had a lot of good years
here.
"He was great."
Nowadays, Lindholm has the unenviable task of trying to shut him down.
Fortunately, he knows full well what he's up against.
"He's fast and he's hard to catch, so you've got to stay above him and not give him room out there," Lindholm said. "If he gets space out there, he's going to make plays and make you look stupid out there."
Backlund agreed.
While the night promises to bring a range of emotions right up to the surface, you can't help but stop, look around, and appreciate how lucky we all were to watch him for so many years in this building.
"I think he's one of the best, most skilled players this organization has ever had," Backlund said. "He's a really fun player to play with, to watch play, he's a fun character, great guy. I think what he did on the ice on a nightly basis was high-end skill and drove the offence for us for such a long time."