"Do it again": Kevin Bieksa loved hearing Flames fans boo him
How would you react to a stadium full of angry Calgary Flames fans booing you?
The topic of booing players is a hot one in Calgary this weekend after former Flames defenceman Nikita Zadorov was booed by fans in his first game in the city since being traded to the Vancouver Canucks last week.
The Russian defender didn’t seem too phased by the lukewarm reception after the game but was hopeful that not too many fans were “pissed” at him for demanding a trade. It was about as middle-of-the-road of an answer you could get from a player facing some vitriol from his former fanbase.
However, former Canucks defenceman turned Sportsnet analyst Kevin Bieksa told TV audiences a bit of a different way that he dealt with Flames fans booing him in his playing days.
“There’s a hate between the two teams,” said Bieksa on the Sportsnet panel. “When I got booed there my last three years, I used to try to hold the puck behind the net as long as I could to see how committed the fans were to booing.”
"I used to hold the puck behind the net to see how committed the fans were to booing me." – @kbieksa3 š pic.twitter.com/q8yPmKsOh7
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 3, 2023
This type of tongue-in-cheek behaviour is what made hockey fans both love and hate Bieksa during his career. For Canucks and Anaheim Ducks fans, it must have been a riot, but for Flames fans, it must have been infuriating.
Bieksa did, however, commend the Flames fanbase on their dedication.
“Sure enough, they would boo me right until I moved it,” Bieksa continued. “Everyone [of my teammates] would swing, and I’m like ‘do it again, do it again,’ and it would be ‘boooo’ the whole time.”
NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, who was also on the panel, was delighted with the story, saying it gave him a greater appreciation for the city.
“This is why I say Calgary is one of my favourite cities in Canada,” laughed Friedman. “Cause they boo you and wouldn’t stop.”
Perhaps the vitriol that Flames fans feel for Bieksa came from him waving goodbye to the team after the Anaheim Ducks eliminated the Flames from the 2017 NHL Playoffs.
.@kbieksa3 is on the ice waving goodbye to the Flames šš
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) April 5, 2017
Regardless of any remaining bad blood between the Flames and Bieksa, it’s hard to say that this isn’t completely on-brand with the former Canucks’ fiery personality.
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