'WE THANK HIM'

Glen Gulutzan just happened to luck out as he searched for a way through the locked back door kitty-corner to parking Lot D of the Scotiabank Saddldome on Sunday night.
Wouldn't you know it. He'd forgotten his swipe-card/keys.

"Jags,'' reported the coach mid-afternoon the next day, "actually let me in the building.
"I called him and he came to the back door and let me in. He was still working out. The bike was smokin' by the time he got off.
"I really think it's unfortunate. Anybody who's around the game could see that in some of the games where he was healthy, he was dominant.
"He could just never get any traction."
As the Flames reconvened from a three-day all-star hiatus, two stalls down from winger Curtis Lazar, Jagr's Flaming C nameplate remained up even as official word began to spread that the 45-year-old, who battled through an injury-plagued NHL season, had been loaned to hometown team of Kladno in the Czech 1 Liga after clearing waivers.
Jagr heads back overseas 34 games away from Gordie Howe's all-time NHL games-played record of 1,767.
"I get to say I played alongside Jaromir Jagr,'' said Lazar. "That's something pretty special. He was playing in the NHL when I was still in a crib. You could hear in the background 'Lemieux sets up Jagr!' and I'm a baby in a crib.
"Just having him here, seeing the buzz around the city, getting to know him in the dressing room. Me and Bart (Matt Bartkowski) would just sit beside him and watch all the crazy stuff he does.
"It's something you can always look back on. He's a surefire, first-ballot Hall-of-Famer. You look at what he's accomplished and the numbers he's put up, the dedication he still has when he comes to the rink.
"It's fun to be able to say you a part of it. A small part, granted - but still."

Countryman Michael Frolik had grown up idolizing his hometown hero, and remembers Jagr, then in the early days with Pittsburgh, attending one of his practices and skating with the kids in a Penguins jersey.
"It's obviously said to see, especially for the young guys, to see him around the room was pretty cool,'' said Frolik. "He's a living legend. We wish him the best. He goes to play for his hometown, meaning a full building and a lot of excitement."
The consensus was that while the experiment ultimately ended disappointingly for all concerned, it remains worthwhile.
"I played against Jags a ton out east,'' said defenceman Travis Hamonic. "We played in the playoffs just recently. He was obviously a guy I had to play against a lot. A big body.
"Obviously his track record speaks for itself. I don't know what I'm going to be doing at his age (45) but it's pretty impressive that he was able to come in and contribute for our team.
"Someone I'm very proud to have suited up beside."
General manager Brad Treliving only wished Jagr could've been healthy enough to properly springboard his comeback bid.
"It was a short time and I think in a lot of ways it was a Perfect Storm that worked against him in terms of not being able to have a training camp and then having to deal with some injuries,'' reasoned Treliving.
"Having said all that we don't regret the experience, we don't regret the decision to bring him here. We thank him.
"Any time you're around greatness, any time you're able to pull from that, I think you can only improve.
"It's been a difficult time for him with the injuries. Lots of stops and starts. He couldn't really build a base. The league is quick whether you're 25, never mind 45.
"We'll never stop trying to make ourselves better. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. But you have to keep swinging at the plate and we'll continue to do that."

Mark Giordano, like the rest in the room, bid the living legend a fond farewell.
"I mean, obviously things didn't go the way he'd have liked,'' acknowledged the captain. "Just little nagging things, injuries, not in the lineup as consistently as he would've liked.
"We take away a great guy who worked really hard. Obviously, he's going to keep playing and we hope it goes well for him."
Gulutzan echoed the sentiments of his general manager on the subject of value in the signing.
"He's really made our team better,'' said Gulutzan. "The way his mindset was and the way he approached things, the way he saw the game.
"Especially with Johnny (Gaudreau). His talks with Johnny with what it takes to win the scoring title and do those things he did and the reasons why they're important, how they benefit the team.
"Whenever you're around a guy like that, that's been at a high level for so long, you're going to learn things if your ears are open and you're watching.
"Yeah I think there are going to be lessons there, for sure.
"I've had quite a few chats with him, just some of the nuggets there that he's left me, just what the top guys think and feel.
"And there aren't many guys more top than him."