Topic: Mark Giordano

Mark Giordano (born October 3, 1983) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was a leading scorer amongst defencemen in two seasons with the Owen Sound Attack of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) but went unselected in the NHL Entry Draft. The Flames signed him a contract in 2004, and after playing two seasons in the American Hockey League (AHL), he made his NHL debut in 2006. He spent the 2007–08 season with Dynamo Moscow of the Russian Super League before returning to the Flames the following season. Internationally, Giordano played with Team Canada at the 2010 IIHF World Championship.

Giordano was born in Toronto, Ontario on October 3, 1983. His father, Paul, is a real estate agent and his mother, Anna, a hairdresser. He has a younger sister, Michelle, and had an older sister, Mia, who was killed in a car accident when he was 14. He taps his helmet twice with his stick at the end of the national anthems before each game as a quiet tribute to his sister, who's death had a lasting impact on Giordano and his family, bringing them closer together.

A product of Toronto minor hockey, Giordano played a season of Junior A hockey with the Brampton Capitals of the Ontario Junior Hockey League in 2001–02, scoring 24 goals in the playoffs to help lead the Capitals to the Ontario provincial championship. He then moved up to major junior, playing two seasons with the Owen Sound Attack of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He was the top scoring defenceman on the team years, scoring 48 and 49 points in 2002–03 and 2003–04 respectively.