Asked if his body could sustain the type of punishing play he exhibited in the NHL playoffs, Micheal Ferland admits he’ll have to go from averaging eight hits a night to five.
He didn’t say anything about limiting fighting.
Two seconds into Wednesday night’s season opener, Ferland and Vancouver Canucks veteran Derek Dorsett established new franchise records for the quickest scrap to open a season.
On a night Flames fans had little to cheer about after the opening introductions, Ferland’s fists got the biggest rise out of the Saddledome crowd.
After that, it was the Flames who found themselves trying to get up off the mat following a humbling 5-1 beatdown.