There were stick-taps from his Calgary Flames teammates and compliments from the coach.
The captain was most appreciative of anybody, quick to commit to a thank-you dinner.
Matt Coronato, however, didn’t expect approval ratings would be unanimous. Not with his mother, Samantha, in attendance at the Saddledome to witness his first NHL fight.
“She probably won’t like it too much,” Coronato said.
In this case, Mom is in the minority.
Even if his tussle was followed by a stern talking-to, Saturday’s scrap with Jonathan Marchessault of the Nashville Predators will only boost Coronato’s status as both an emerging fan favourite and a guy who is adored in the Flames’ locker room.
Marchessault had just spilled a taken-by-surprise Backlund with a hit along the side-boards.
Coronato, who’s been skating on a line with Calgary’s captain for the past two-plus months, didn’t like that one bit. After some shoving and jawing, gloves dropped to the ice.
While it would be scored as a draw, at best, the sophomore right-winger certainly held his own against Marchessault, who is a dozen years older but also doesn’t do much dancing. As Coronato made his way toward the penalty box, no less than six of his pals skated over to tap his shin pads and shout words of support — Blake Coleman was closest when the dust settled, then Backlund and Kevin Bahl and Connor Zary and Rasmus Andersson and a beaming Ryan Lomberg.
Coronato, hardly a heavyweight at 5-foot-10 and 183 pounds, was no worse for wear besides a small scratch near his right eye. His first big-league bout — and second as a professional, the other coming last winter with the AHL’s Wranglers — turned out to be among the few highlights for the home side in a 4-1 loss to the Predators, a bottom-feeding squad that any playoff hopeful expects to be beating.
The 22-year-old Coronato will now have a few days to smooth things over with one of his biggest supporters as the Flames embarked Sunday on their Mom’s Trip.
“I’m sure (Samantha) got a little nervous there, but he got out of there OK,” Backlund said when asked about his scrapping sidekick. “It meant a lot for him to step up. It was great to see him doing that. He didn’t have to, but it’s great to see a young guy like him stepping up and I’m very proud of him.
“I really enjoy playing with him and I owe him dinner or something now, for sure.”
Moments later, Coronato insisted it wouldn’t be necessary for Backlund to pick up the tab for his next meal.
“Definitely not. He’s done so much for me.”
Still the youngest dude on the roster and having spent a brief stretch in the minors this fall, Coronato is doing a lot for the Flames.
He’s proven plenty capable of the sort of responsible hockey required on a shutdown line with Backlund and Coleman and has, at the same time, served notice that he is among Calgary’s most dangerous scoring threats and a major piece of the long-term plan.
With his wicked release, it doesn’t feel far-fetched to think he could be consistently counted on for 25 or so snipes in a season. Maybe he even has a few Gordie Howe hat tricks in him.
Less than a minute after Backlund halved a two-goal deficit in Saturday’s middle period against the Predators, Coronato pinged the post. If that puck was one or two inches further right, he would have joined Jonathan Huberdeau, Nazem Kadri and Zary as the fourth Flames player to hit double digits in tallies in 2024-25.
“Backs was on him the other day about making a pass,” Coleman revealed with a grin after Saturday’s morning skate. “And I was like, ‘Hey Backs, we know what is going to pay the bills here. Let’s let the kid shoot the puck.’
“We know he has a great shot. On faceoff plays and stuff like that, we’re trying to find some stuff where we can get him loose to get his shot off.”
Perhaps, as the Flame pit-stop in Anaheim and Los Angeles, Backlund and Coleman can help set him up for a couple.
Samantha would certainly prefer a goal or an assist to another knuckle-chuck.
“When you are a good player, you play the game with passion,” said Flames head coach Ryan Huska after Coronato’s punch-up against the Predators. “And I think you kind of put a stamp on it, too, when you’re doing something for a teammate.
“He’s grown on everybody in our room. He’s become a really good player for us this year and that’s just … You’re not going to see him (fight) regularly, I’ll tell you that much, but it’s nice to know that he is more than willing to do that. One, because I think it’s important for top players. And two, because I think it goes a long way in the room.”