Music: {allcanada} Flames' Jackman saves ill mood for ice

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

{allcanada} Flames' Jackman saves ill mood for ice

It's a good thing Tim Jackman (notes) lets his actions speak loudly.Because he probably can't squeeze in a peep off the ice.

Not with the gabby geezer, Craig Conroy (notes), and the yappy youngster, Stefan Meyer (notes), as linemates.

Jackman doesn't mind, though.

"Connie brings that emotion - so happy to be at the rink every day, he just loves the game so much, and that just wears off on guys," says Jackman, a soft-spoken 28-year-old. "And Meyer brings that energy - he's still in awe, thinking how great it is (to be in the National Hockey League). Being a young guy, he likes to talk. And Connie? You can't get the mike out of his hands.

"I just sit there, being quiet, listening to what they have to say."

And they have plenty nice to say about their new right-winger, broad-shouldered and gap-toothed.

"He's fun to play with because you know, if anything happens, he's got your back," says Conroy, whose first-period goal celebration Sunday against San Jose was overshadowed by Jackman, who had been busy high-fiving Ryane Clowe (notes) in the face. "And he's having fun. He enjoys Calgary, loves playing in front of all the fans."

But a tad reserved?

"Oh, he's probably the quietest guy," says Conroy.

Not many knew what to expect from Jackman after he signed a two-year deal in the summer.

But Brent Sutter - who, while at the helm of the New Jersey Devils, got a long look at Jackman, then with the New York Islanders - had a good idea.

"I'm not surprised - I know what he is," says the Flames coach. "A great skater for a big guy. He's going to play hard, he's going to finish checks. And finishing (at the net), it'll come for him. He gets one quality scoring chance, at least, per game. Eventually, the puck's going to go in."

While with the Isles, Jackman received the 2009 Bob Nystrom Award, which is "given out annually to the Islanders player who best exemplifies leadership, hustle and dedication." (Sutter is another past winner.)

"Hey, he's a warrior," says Sutter. "Very reliable, very dependable. The thing with Jack? He's a very coachable guy and you don't need to sit down with him on a daily basis to remind him of his role. He knows it and he takes a lot of pride in it."

Jackman isn't complaining about his new surroundings, either.

"Things have been falling into place," he says of his fourth-line partnership with Conroy and Meyer. "When we go on the ice, we try to play with a lot of structure and responsibility. We get rewarded for that with certain ice time - like (Sunday) night, we got to play in the last couple minutes of the game.

"Hopefully, we continue to play well and build Brent's confidence in us."

Eight games in, the Flames have received nothing but honest toil from the Minot, N.D., native.

A couple of scraps.

Fifteen ill-tempered shifts per night.

"It's evident that that guy is a good player," says Meyer. "He's big, he's strong. He skates fast. He's got a shot on him. And he's mean. If you put all that together - and he's got a great personality - you've got a pretty darned good player. Humble. A genuine good guy."

Jackman fits the bill of earnest throwback. Looks it, too.

In a dressing room full of bean-shaves and stylish shags, he sports something verging awfully close to hockey hair.

And his front teeth? Well, he hasn't seen those Chiclets in nearly a decade.

"Ah, I lost these my first year of pro," says Jackman, grinning. "We were playing Albany. Got high-sticked right in the mouth … and I couldn't get to the dentist till 8 in the morning, so that was a long night."

Who swung the offending stick?

"Don't remember. I just remember he didn't get a penalty and I had no teeth."