Flames' Iginla knows playoffs are different

CALGARY, Alberta - Unlike many of his teammates and certain corners of the Calgary media, Jarome Iginla gets it.

So while much of the city was incredulous that young Blackhawks Adam Burish, Kris Versteeg and Ben Eager would even consider disrespecting Iginla with trash talk, the Flames' captain admitted nobody is above such gamesmanship come playoff time.

"I don't know who thinks that," Iginla said Wednesday morning. "I hear a lot of it and I definitely give it, too. It's fine.

"As far as respect or anything like that, it's playoffs. There should be respect for players as far as elbows and sticks to the head or anything like that, but anything between the rules is all fair game come playoff time, for sure."

Iginla actually likes the give-and-take with the Hawks.

"There's been a lot this series, but to be honest, it's fun and I kind of enjoy it," Iginla said. "It gets me more in the game when it's coming at you and you're giving it. It helps to get you going and gets you focused. You forget things that might be going wrong in the game. I don't mind it at all."

Burish knows Iginla understands, and he respects the Calgary captain.

"I think hockey guys understand that's part of the game, that's what goes on in playoffs," Burish said. "To me it's a nonissue. If you have a problem with it then you're in the wrong game. It's been going on since hockey started. You try to get in a guy's face and challenge a guy. They come back and try to challenge you."

Burish couldn't care less if Flames coach Mike Keenan thinks the Hawks' tactics are questionable.

"Mike's trying to make a big story out of nothing," Burish said. "Ask the guys playing and they don't care. Jarome understands that. What we're saying to him, I'm sure he's heard it a hundred times. Just like what guys say to me, I've heard it all before. I don't care."

Burish said he has been a yapper since youth hockey.

"Maybe we're using some bigger words here than when we were in midgets, but I don't think we're hurting our feelings," Burish said. "It's a matter of, can you handle it? Can you take it?

"I hope I'm not hurting anyone's feelings over there because my mom wouldn't be too happy."

Iginla admitted he has had to brush up on his smack talk.

"I haven't done it as much lately," he said. "I did it a lot more earlier in my career. Now I'm trying to revisit some old lines. A lot of them are recycled lines that everyone uses. You just try to find something that sticks and gets under their skin."