Andrew Mangiapane was back in his old stomping grounds Tuesday, facing off against his former Calgary Flames teammates for the first time as a Capital.
After Calgary selected him with a sixth-round pick in the 2015 Draft, Mangiapane spent his first eight pro seasons in the Flames’ organization, including parts of seven seasons in the NHL, before Washington traded a second-round pick to acquire him this summer. He recorded 215 points (109g, 106a) in 417 NHL games for the franchise, including a 55-point season in 2021-22 that saw him score 35 goals and 20 assists.
The Flames honored Mangiapane with a video tribute midway through the first period, drawing a round of applause from fans at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
Mangiapane was visibly emotional while watching the video, wiping his face after rising to salute the Flames faithful.
“It was awesome,” he said of the moment postgame. “It was a great video tribute. Obviously, it was great to watch all those plays, goals, and everything like that. So a lot of great memories here. Scored a lot of big goals.
“And just watching a great fan base and crowd, always had my back here. And every time I stepped out on the ice they wanted nothing but the best for me. So I’m happy to be back. Happy to be coming away with two points. But yeah, it was a good video tribute that I’ll remember forever.”
Logan Thompson, a Calgary native, spoke on Mangiapane’s impact on the Flames, something that provided even more motivation for the Capitals to pull out a win in his old barn.
“Even when I was a fan, he was a big part of the Flames organization and I grew up watching him so it’s cool [for him to] be on my team,” Thompson told Monumental Sports Network’s Al Koken after the game, adding, “I think he’s [been] loved everywhere he’s played. And yeah, we wanted to get these two points for him.”
After Mangiapane made it through his entire junior career and close to a decade as a pro without being traded, Tuesday marked his first time playing against an old team. He admitted before the game that it would be strange to line up against his former teammates but was happy postgame to come out of the night with both a lifelong memory and another win under his belt.
“It’s a great feeling,” he said. “I know a lot of guys on that team — I think half of them were maybe at my wedding, so good relationships there. Definitely nice to get the two points, and really impressed by the way our team battled tonight, and really dug deep. And power play, PK, everything was huge for us. And really great feeling to come away with two points.”
