Mark Giordano Mark Giordano ( born October 3 , 1983 ) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman , an alternate captain 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 . Early life . 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 an older sister , Michelle , and had another 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 , whose death had a lasting impact on Giordano and his family , bringing them closer together . Giordano played his early minor hockey with the OMHA ' s Richmond Hill Stars up to Bantam before moving to the GTHL North York Rangers for Major Midget hockey . Giordano was never drafted by an OHL team . Giordano then 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 . Playing career . In spite of his offensive success in junior , Giordano went unselected at the NHL Entry Draft . He had enrolled in York University ' s school of business in 2004 when he received a late invitation from the Calgary Flames to attend their summer camp . The Flames signed him to a contract following the camp , and assigned him to their American Hockey League ( AHL ) affiliate , the Lowell Lock Monsters , for the 2004 – 05 season , appearing in 66 games . He remained in the AHL for much of the 2005 – 06 season , transferring to Calgary ' s new affiliate , the Omaha Ak - Sar - Ben Knights . Giordano led the Knights in scoring , recording 16 goals and 58 points in 73 games . Additionally , he was second amongst defencemen in the AHL in goal scoring and fourth in points . He appeared in seven games with the Flames , and made his NHL debut on January 30 , 2006 , against the St . Louis Blues . He split the 2006 – 07 season between Omaha and Calgary , scoring 15 points in 48 games in a Flames uniform that year . Giordano scored his first two NHL goals on October 14 , 2006 , against the Toronto Maple Leafs . Unable to come to terms on a new contract with the Flames , Giordano left the NHL to sign with HC Dynamo Moscow of the Russian Super League . He appeared in 50 games with Moscow , and played with the winning Canadian team at the 2007 Spengler Cup . He was named an alternate for the Canadian roster at the 2008 IIHF World Championship , though he never appeared in a game . Though he feared his decision to leave for Russia would damage his relationship with the Flames , who retained his NHL rights , he was able to come to terms on a three - year contract that brought him back to Calgary for the 2008 – 09 NHL season . Giordano appeared in 58 games for the Flames , scoring 19 points before a shoulder injury ended his season . He required surgery to repair the damage suffered in a game against the Minnesota Wild . He recovered in time to begin the 2009 – 10 season , but several new additions to Calgary ' s blue line left him concerned about his position with the team . Instead , he solidified his place on the roster with a career year ; he set personal highs in goals ( 11 ) , points ( 30 ) and was + 17 for the Flames . " The Hockey News " named him one of the most underrated players in the league , and was invited to join Team Canada at the 2010 IIHF World Championship . He appeared in seven games in the tournament , scoring three goals and an assist . Though he had the option to become an unrestricted free agent following the 2010 – 11 season , Giordano opted to remain in Calgary , signing a five - year , $ 20 million contract extension with the Flames on October 29 , 2010 . Off the ice . Giordano and his wife Lauren are spokespeople for Habitat for Humanity . They launched a program called " 5 - for - 5 " in January 2011 that aims to build five homes for the organization , one in the Calgary area and four in Africa and Asia . Giordano donated $ 25 , 000 of the $ 130 , 000 cost himself , and his contribution was matched by the Flames charitable foundation .