We already know this about Calgary Flames trade acquisition Brandon Bollig: He’s fearless.
Rewind the tape to Nov. 27, 2013, at the Saddledome, and Bollig — then a member of the Chicago Blackhawks — dropped his mitts for a dance with Flames enforcer Brian McGrattan.
The 6-foot-2, 223-lb. Bollig was on the receiving end of a flurry of rights from McGrattan — 97.1% of fans on hockeyfights.com have scored it a victory for the Flames heavyweight — and needed repairs for a cut near his left eye after the bout, but that’s not really the point.
In this case, the statement was more important than the judges’ scorecards.
“That’s the reason I did it — to let my teammates know that I’m willing to do that against anyone and for anyone on our team,” Bollig said. “I hope my teammates now in Calgary and the coaches and the fans and everyone there realizes that I bring that element, that I’ll do whatever it takes for my team. I hope they realize that.”
Bollig admitted Saturday’s trade was a “shock,” but he seemed encouraged by conversations with both Treliving and Flames head coach Bob Hartley that included talk of an “expanded role.”
“I think any player would want that,” said Bollig, who scored seven times, added seven assists and registered a team-leading 203 hits but averaged only 10:16 of icetime per night in 82 regular-season outings for the Blackhawks last winter.
“The more you play, the better you feel, I think. I loved my role here in Chicago, but when you change teams, you get the new look and new coaches think different things about certain roles and certain players. I’m excited to see where this takes me and, hopefully, expand my role and have a good exciting season up in Calgary.
