Walker waited long enough

By RANDY SPORTAK -- Calgary Sun

Scott Walker isn't in Guy Charron territory. Not yet.

And the way things are going, there's a good chance the longtime
Nashville Predator won't break Charron's record.

Owner of a dubious trivia question, Charron played 734 NHL games
over a dozen seasons with Montreal, Detroit, Kansas City and
Washington. All in the regular season. Not once did he skate in a
playoff contest.

Walker is No. 2 on that list.

Going into tonight's meeting with the Calgary Flames, Walker will
have played 563 NHL games, far and away the longest current run in
the league.

"I found out about that a couple of years ago," said the hard-
working Predator.

"We were playing the Islanders late in the season and Dave
Scatchard (a teammate of Walker's in Vancouver) was getting ready to
play his first playoff game."

Naturally, Walker wishes he could be part of the post-season party
but the 30-year-old isn't about to complain.

"I would love to play in the playoffs and it's every player's
dream, every player's goal, to win a Stanley Cup -- and you have to
get into the playoffs to do that," he said.

"But would I change my time in Vancouver and Nashville? Never.

"It's not a record I want and I'm still quite a way from (Charron).
That's over 700, so I have a way to go."

Florida captain Olli Jokinen is second on the active list with 466
games.

Former Flame and current Atlanta Thrasher Marc Savard is third
(421).

Calgary's Denis Gauthier is eighth on the list, having played 372
games.

Jarome Iginla's streak between playoff games is at 614 and
counting, since he played a pair of post-season tilts prior to
skating in an NHL contest.

"Sometimes it's situational," Walker said.

"A rookie could get called up before the playoffs and then win a
Stanley Cup. Look at Mike Rupp in New Jersey last year.

"There are guys who win a Stanley Cup early and aren't heard from
again."

Iginla, whose run also could come to a close this season, has said
it's become harder every year to miss the playoffs.

Walker doesn't quite see it that way.

"It all depends on the year. It always hurts not to make the
playoffs.

"But you look at last year when we were in the mix and had a late
push -- it hurt a lot but at least through the year we were fighting
for something," he said.

"The worst is being so far out by Christmas you know it's not going
to happen.

"Then the games are hard -- it's unbearable.

"The games are more fun when you're in the race."

Which brings us to this season, the most successful in Predators
history.

As much as Calgary has been a surprise, Nashville has engineered
its own amazing run, sitting tied with Los Angeles for seventh spot
in the Western Conference standings, two points back of the Flames.

Walker, who recently signed a contract extension, can't help but
become more and more excited about snapping his personal streak and
the sense of accomplishment that would come with it.

"I'm an original Predator -- there are only a few of us left," he
said.

"It's going to be satisfying to be with the Predators when we make
the playoffs -- as satisfying as anything I've ever done."