"They're a couple of warriors whose National Hockey League careers have evolved along different paths.
One has played on four teams; the other has toiled on one.
One has been a workmanlike cog in the machine; the other has driven it.
Yet, no matter how they've reached this point, Daymond Langkow and Jarome Iginla will this weekend hit a common plateau: 1,000 games in the NHL.
They'll get to celebrate that distinguished total as teammates under the warm Florida sunshine: Iginla on Friday against the Panthers and Langkow 24 hours later in the city that launched his professional career, Tampa Bay.
"I've been around for a long time, so it's a pretty big accomplishment and it's something I'm pretty proud of,'' admitted the 33-year-old Langkow, who also made stops in Philadelphia and Phoenix along the way. "It's kind of hard to believe I've played that many years. Every year is different; new challenges; right now, I'm more focused on what I can do to help this team win.''
"I've been very blessed to play in the league 12, 13 years,'' pitched in the 32-year-old Iginla. "When I started, I just wanted to stick. As the years went by, they add up. They go by so quickly.''
Their first NHL appearances seem indeed a lifetime ago, both during the 1995-96 season. For Langkow, that year saw him play four regular-season games with the Lightning, the club that had drafted him.
"Oh, yeah, I believe it was against — you know what — I think it was Calgary,'' the Edmonton native mused. "It was at home in Tampa, I played three or four games that year, Calgary was one and Winnipeg . . . but I think it might have been Calgary. I was so nervous; it's obviously a big step.''
Iginla, meanwhile, was called up for the playoffs the day after finishing things up with the WHL's Kamloops Blazers. Fans will recall he was part of the trade that sent Joe Nieuwendyk to Dallas.
"It was so cool,'' he related, with relish. "I remember walking through the room here and that feels like it was yesterday. Trying to shake guys' hands, but they were half-dressed. I was a little late coming from the plane and they said, 'just get ready, we'll meet later'. The game, the crowd . . . it literally went from the night before, watching Flames' highlights . . . being a fan of Theo Fleury and I get to be on his line . . . playing against Eddie Belfour, Chris Chelios and Jeremy Roenick . . . it's something I'll never forget."
