Cammalleri excited by Flames' prospects
Passionate forward likes coach Keenan, but not neckwear
Last Updated: Saturday, February 14, 2009 | 12:10 AM MT
By Doug Harrison, CBC Sports
Forward Mike Cammalleri, left, leads the Flames with 29 goals this season and is on pace to surpass his 80-point season from the 2006-07 campaign. (Dave Sandford/Getty Images) Los Angeles Kings general manager Dean Lombardi first witnessed Mike Cammalleri's drive to succeed when the forward arrived at the University of Michigan in 1999.
Working as GM of the San Jose Sharks at the time, Lombardi remembers there being talk about whether the five-foot-nine forward possessed a strong all-around game to survive in the National Hockey League.
"He struggled early [in his college career]. It's not like he was a sure thing [to make the NHL] but he figured it out," Lombardi told CBCSports.ca. "One thing you saw was he wanted the puck and he found a way. He liked to score."
Some things never change as Cammalleri tops the Calgary Flames with 29 goals this season after being acquired from Los Angeles in a trade at last summer's NHL entry draft.
He scored a career-high 34 goals in the 2006-07 season with the Kings and added 46 points for 80 points. With 53 points in 54 games as a Flame, Cammalleri is on track for his best season, which would coincide nicely with being eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer.
"If you want to call it drive or passion, I just loved playing the game as a kid and thought it would be cool to see how good I could get at it," Cammalleri, who's in the final year of a two-year, $6.7-million US deal, told CBCSports.ca by phone from Phoenix, Ariz.
"I had a great coach in minor hockey with the Toronto Red Wings, a guy named Craig Clark, who instilled that passion in us. He said, 'whatever you're going to do in life, do it to the best of your ability.' It's something that has always resonated with me."
Lombardi believes Cammalleri is stronger than that point-a-game player in 2006-07, saying he's better in tight areas on the ice.
"I think he makes more plays now and I don't think he's as easy to knock off the puck as he used to be. This is all part of his maturation," said Lombardi. "He's also in an environment where he doesn't have to be the [go-to guy] and where the team is used to winning."
In a one-on-one interview, Cammalleri discussed leaving L.A., playing for head coach Mike Keenan in Calgary and the Flames' push towards a playoff berth.
CBCSports.ca: What was it like leaving a Kings team that has so much promise with the likes of young forwards Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar and defencemen Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson?
Cammalleri: You just named some very good hockey players with some very bright futures, not just individually, but as a group. I think they're going to find some success and I was really excited to be a part of that. It was more emotional for me the year before going through the process of [salary] arbitration and the way that went. But I've learned more about the business of the game.
Managers have to make decisions and for us as players, you have to keep your focus on your teammates and on what you have to do to be a teammate and try to win hockey games because that's what you can control.
CBCSports.ca: Actor Jack Nicholson is a fixture at the Staples Center in L.A. for Lakers basketball games. Did you get to know any Hollywood celebrities on a friendship basis during your time in California?
Cammalleri: The Kings' Jack Nicholson is Cuba Gooding Jr. He's there a lot and loves hockey. He and [film and television producer] Jerry Bruckheimer are two that are around the game the most. They're both great guys. It's really interesting in L.A., that dynamic of the whole Hollywood and sports world. Obviously, when Wayne [Gretzky] was there it was such a big deal and [Kings' president of business operations ] Luc Robitaille is trying to bring that back. It's important for the city of Los Angeles, which is so entertainment-driven, that that fan base be with the team, too.
CBCSports.ca: As a Canadian citizen, what is special about playing for a National Hockey League team in your home country after spending the first five years in the non-traditional hockey market in Los Angeles?
Cammalleri: I grew up in the Toronto area [in Richmond Hill, Ont.] and was a fan of the Leafs and [Detroit] Red Wings. I remember living and dying with their success, being passionate about it and every morning going to school and every kid in class knew there was a Leafs game on that night. It's a special responsibility for the guys on the team to have [fans] watch them who have so much passion for the game. I can identify with that part and I think that's why it was so exciting for me to get a chance to play in Canada. It's been all that and more, a special experience.
CBCSports.ca: In Los Angeles, most players can walk the streets unnoticed. What's it like in Calgary, where the NHL is the main game in town during the winter months?
Cammalleri: It's different for sure. It's at the point now where if I want to go to the drug store, you throw a toque and some sunglasses on if you don't want to get noticed. In Canada, you turn on the TV and it's hockey 24/7. You open a newspaper and it's hockey 24/7. I expected the craziness and kind of knew a little what to expect because I played a couple of world junior [hockey championships] in Canada and seen the media attention. The one thing I will say about the fans in Calgary is they're very respectful.
Cammalleri, who has excelled playing alongside Flames captain Jarome Iginla, says his linemate is a consummate professional. (Jeff McIntosh/Canadian Press) CBCSports.ca: What is it about your game this season that you're comfortable with and has improved from previous years?
Cammalleri: This year it's about being in a positive headspace, fully enjoying my teammates and being part of something [successful] here. I'm really excited about our team. I'm really excited about the thought of competing in the post-season and trying to win the Stanley Cup. That excitement makes it easy for my focus.
I read a book by [NBA coach] Phil Jackson called Sacred Hoops and that helped me, too. Phil's into the Zen thing and I'm not saying that I practise that, but just the concept of being able to set your thoughts and emotions and focus your energy on where it needs to be. As a pro athlete, there's a lot of things that could be going on in your brain and you need to be focused on performing and have that sense of calm when you play.
CBCSports.ca: In sports, people say players reach their prime at age 27. You won't be 27 until June but you're on track for a career season in the NHL. Are your best days, at least statistically, ahead of you?
Cammalleri: I think so. Guys probably play their best hockey between the ages of 27 or 28 and 31 or 32. It probably has a lot to do with the physical aspect because you're probably at your peak during those years. My goal is to improve as much as I can from year to year to help my team win games and hopefully I'm improving.
CBCSports.ca: You were very successful on the power play during your three full seasons in Los Angeles, scoring 10-16 goals in each campaign. In Calgary, 14 of your team-leading 29 goals have been scored with the man-advantage. Do you have a knack to get in the right places?
Cammalleri: For me, it's a mentality of trying to bear down on the power play, understand its importance to our team and work to the strengths [of my teammates]. When we get a power play, I feel a great responsibility to put up a goal for [our penalty-killers and goalies] that can really help you win a hockey game.
CBCSports.ca: It seems when it comes to Flames head coach Mike Keenan, players either get along with him and excel on the ice or come away from the experience with the worst statistics of their NHL career. How would you describe the experience five months into your first season in Calgary?
Cammalleri: Being the new guy, you always have to prove yourself to the coach, which takes a while for him to get to know your personality and game. But it's been good. He's Mike Keenan. I've got a lot of respect for him and what he's been able to accomplish in his career. He's a wealth of knowledge and experience. That relationship has been one that I'm looking at with open eyes and ears and has been interesting.
The thing I like about Mike that works well for me is he always tells it like it is. That's kind of my personality as well. What I don't like about Mike is that he wears these scarfs on the top of his suit. I'm not a big fan of scarfs. It looks funny.
CBCSports.ca: How does your linemate, captain Jarome Iginla, differ from captains you have had previously in your career?
Cammalleri: Jarome is someone that I've definitely learned a lot from. He's a consummate professional. In L.A., I was fortunate to have [defencemen] Mattias Norstrom and Rob Blake as captains. Along with Jarome, they carry a lot of the same characteristics. They've all been leaders by example, they're all passionate guys who really love the game and love to compete. It's inspiring and I think it's important that your best players be your hardest workers and that's what you have in all three of those guys.
CBCSports.ca: As of Feb. 13, eight points separated the third-place Flames (31-18-5 record) from No. 8 Minnesota, which held down the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. What do you like about the play of your team that makes you confident Calgary will be playoff participants come April?
Cammalleri: What I love about our team is the group of people and our character. I think we have the right formula to be successful. We have a lot of guys that compete in our lineup. I like our depth up front. I think our defencemen are hard to play against. They are guys that in a seven-game [playoff] series nobody's going to have any fun running into. And I think our goaltender [Miikka Kiprusoff] is one of the best in the world.
We've found a bit of a funk here lately. We've got to give our goaltender a little bit more help and keep the puck out of our end. We can't expect him to be God every night, even though he has been most nights.
