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Flames captain Giordano (broken ankle) out 6-8 weeks

markgiordanogetty

The Calgary Flames had some tough injury updates to share on Tuesday, announcing that captain Mark Giordano was put on injured reserve with a broken ankle, while veteran winger Lee Stempniak would be lost for 3-4 weeks with a broken foot.

Giordano, 29, will be out of action for 6-8 weeks.

A former standout with OHL Owen Sound, Giordano signed with the Flames as an undrafted free agent in 2004 and worked his way through the American Hockey League before making his NHL debut in 2005-06.

In 2010, he signed a five-year, $20 million deal with the Flames and, this past September, was named the 19th captain in franchise history.

Giordano’s had an outstanding season thus far -- nine points in eight games -- and is a huge loss on the club’s blueline, given he often plays over 25 minutes a night.

Losing Stempniak will hurt the Flames as well. The 30-year-old got off to a nice start -- nine points in 10 games -- and actually had a two-game goalscoring streak going prior to getting hurt.

The Flames have surprised many with a fairly impressive start to the season -- 5-4-2, 12 points, three back of eighth-place Minnesota -- and it’ll be interesting to see how the team adjusts to life without two of its most important veteran presences.