CALGARY – Late in the second period of a game in which he’d already infuriated the Vancouver Canucks by dumping J.T. Miller into the net, Martin Pospisil was once again in the crosshairs.
This time the Flames rookie laid a solid hit on Quinn Hughes, drawing the ire of Phillip Di Giuseppe, as well as Filip Hronek.
Neither took too kindly to seeing their Norris Trophy frontrunner rocked by a kid they’d never heard of.
Five years earlier, when Pospisil had racked up a remarkable 371 penalty minutes in 93 USHL games, he would have delighted in fighting either, if not both.
However, with five concussions under his belt, and his team clinging to a 2-1 lead, he chose instead to simply clamp on to Hronek and hold tight.
“If it’s this kind of situation, there’s no reason to fight,” smiled the 23-year-old, whose club went up 3-1 less than a minute later.
“But if, for example, someone hit (Nazem) Kadri or (Connor) Zary, or if it was some dirty, dirty hit, then I would step up for him and I will fight.”
“I’m just trying to be smarter.”
Drafted in the fourth round in 2018 by GM Brad Treliving, who famously suggested Pospisil “could find trouble in church,” the Slovakian winger figured his calling card would be to recklessly throw his 6-foot-2, 173-pound frame around.
However, it was only a few games into his AHL career he was served up a painful life lesson in a fight with Colby Cave that finished with the rookie being knocked unconscious with a blow that sidelined him almost three months.
The scary knockout went viral, as did the respectful text exchange the two combatants had the next day when Pospisil admitted he had no recollection of the fight.
It was his first concussion.
Over the next four years, Pospisil’s rugged style led to so many injuries that he missed more games than he played in.
There were torn knee ligaments, shoulder surgery and several more concussions before the fight that ended his season last Christmas.
“My helmet came off and the last punch got me,” said Pospisil of a seemingly harmless bout with Noah Philp that saw both players skate to their respective benches afterwards.
“I felt alright the next day, but two days later I play the next game and after first period I start feeling my head.
“In the middle of the game I can’t even see the puck, my head is spinning, and I had to stop playing.”
Three months later he was still in a fog, prompting fears his career might be over.
“Lights were bothering me, and driving, and I was like, ‘wow, nothing is changing.’
“It was pretty tough mentally.
“I was reading about concussions, and how they ended a lot of careers.
“I wondered if maybe I’m never playing again.
“But then all of a sudden it started feeling better.
“I’m happy I’m healthy now and can play.”
A spectacular start on the farm earned him the NHL debut he wondered for years if he’d ever get.
His six-game callup coincides with the team’s 4-1-1 turnaround, which few believe is a coincidence.
He scored in his first NHL game and has injected energy and physicality that has made his line with Kadri and Zary the team’s most dangerous since its inception.
Pospisil has two goals, two helpers and sits second on the team at plus-5.
And now we’re starting to see more of the moxie that adds an important dimension to his game.
“I still play the same way, I’m just trying to be smarter with it,” said Pospisil who insists he wasn’t aware it was Hughes or Miller he was depositing on their backsides.
“I’m not worrying about who I’m playing.
“I want to help this team, and if this is the way to help the team to take some of their top guys from the team, then I will do it.
“I only realized after, and (with Miller) it’s like, ‘Sorry, buddy, you were in my way.’”
Four years of injuries and uncertainty have made him appreciate the rarified air he’s breathing now in the NHL.
The swanky travel and accommodations, the support staff and the realization he’s, “living the dream,” as he said following his first NHL game.
“Sometimes when I’m at home and have time to think about all this, where I am right now and how hard was the way to get here, it feels pretty special for me,” he smiled.
“Happy for this opportunity and trying to work as hard as I can every day.
“I’m really enjoying it and staying humble and appreciating everything.”
And being more mindful there’s a time and a place for everything.