After his hiatus for the NHL all-star break, Flames captain Jarome Iginla was the first player to hit the ice for the morning skate.

Iginla and Michael Cammalleri renewed a tradition we saw plenty of during Cammalleri’s first stint in Calgary. They’d hit the ice some 15 minutes before everybody else, sit up a bucket of pucks just inside the top of each circle and feed each other passes.

In turn, both players would fire pucks into the empty net. Hey, it worked back in 2008-09 when Cammalleri netted 39 goals and Iginla potted 35 and added 54 assists.

“I’m excited to get back and get going. It’s a nice break to get going for the stretch drive,” Iginla said.

It’s certainly no easy start out of the break for the Flames, facing the league-leading Red Wings tonight and then the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday.

However, the Flames have won two of three against the Wings already this season and have a chance to win a season series with Detroit for the first time in a decade.

“Part of our success has been being able to be physical and disciplined,” Iginla said. “I think the gap from the top teams to the middle of the pack has definitely become a lot tighter. We believe as good as they are, we can beat them.”

Otherwise, it was a pretty uneventful morning skate for the Flames.

Here are the lines

Alex Tanguay – Mikael Backlund – Alex Tanguay

Michael Cammalleri – Olli Jokinen – Blake Comeau

Lance Bouma – Blair Jones – Lee Stempniak

Tom Kostopoulos – Matt Stajan – Tim Jackman

Defence

Chris Butler – Jay Bouwmeester

Mark Giordano – Scott Hannan

T.J. Brodie – Cory Sarich

Miikka Kiprusoff is slated to start the game.

By the way, during the pre-game skate, all the Flames will wear sweaters honouring former team captain, 1989 Stanley Cup champion and assistant coach Brad McCrimmon, which will be auctioned off for charity.

McCrimmon also played and coached the Detroit Red Wings before leaving to take a head coaching job in the KHL but died in the tragic plane crash that wiped out the Lokomotiv team.

Another road trip, another Flames player hurt.

Winger Lance Bouma was limping in the aftermath of Saturday’s win over the Edmonton Oilers, and appeared to go for x-rays. In the game, he was hit in the foot by a puck. The energy winger wasn’t at Monday’s practice.

Then, during practice, Matt Stajan fell and went to the room.

The Flames did get some good news during the session. Left winger Alex Tanguay, who has missed the last 15 games due to a neck injury, was skating on a line with Tom Kostopoulos and Blair Jones. Therefore, it looks like he’ll be in action when the team plays host to the San Jose Sharks Tuesday.

Also, backup goalie Henrik Karlsson, who has been out of action due to a knee injury suffered Dec. 6, practised with the full team for the first time. He’s not likely to return to action until after the all-star break, but it’s a step forward.

The other lines were:

Michael Cammalleri – Mikael Backlund – Jarome Iginla

Blake Comeau – Olli Jokinen – Lee Stempniak

Brendan Morrison – Roman Horak/Matt Stajan – Tim Jackman

Defence

Jay Bouwmeester – Chris Butler

Mark Giordano – Scott Hannan

T.J. Brodie – Cory Sarich.

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Update time

Coach Brent Sutter said Tanguay is a game-time decision, but he’s leaning to Tanguay facing the Sharks.

As for Bouma, he’s definitely out for the Sharks game.

We all knew it wouldn’t be long before Jarome Iginla and Michael Cammalleri would be reunited on a line. They were in Monday’s practice, with Mikael Backlund in the middle during the skate in anticipation of the three-game road trip which begins Tuesday in San Jose.

That means a new right winger for Olli Jokinen and Curtis Glencross in the form of Blake Comeau.

Comeau’s chance may be something of a surprise since we’re talking about a winger with just one goal in the last 22 outings and only two this season.

However, it’s a calculated move. Comeau, who scored 24 goals last season, has great speed and that should work well with the way Glencross and Jokinen can skate.

“I’m hoping to jump in and join what they’ve been doing. Those are two guys easy to play with, it looks like. Glennie is always around the net and Olli has great vision,” Comeau said. “Hopefully, I’m a good fit on that line.”

In other news, watch for all kinds of players returning from injury soon. Defenceman Scott Hannan looks poised to be back in the lineup – with Anton Babchuk a likely candidate to be a healthy scratch – and Brett Carson’s conditioning assignment is nearing its end.

Forwards Brendan Morrison and Matt Stajan are going on the trip, while Alex Tanguay skated hard before the practice and was taking shots on the injured Henrik Karlsson.

Needless to say, GM Jay Feaster will be forced to make some moves, even if means putting some players in the minors, in the coming weeks.

Some quick bits from the Flames morning skate.

Michael Cammalleri was on a line with Mikael Backlund and Lee Stempniak, keeping Jarome Iginla on a line with Curtis Glencross and Olli Jokinen.

Blair Jones was at centre on a line with Blake Comeau and Lance Bouma, while the fourth line consisted of Roman Horak between Tom Kostopoulos and Tim Jackman.

That would leave Paul Byron as the lone forward being a healthy scratch.

Also, centre Matt Stajan skated with the team for the first time since suffering an ankle sprain Dec. 18. Defenceman Scott Hannan also was part of the practice.

Pretty quiet morning skate at the Saddledome.

Looks like the Flames will dress the same lineup as the one which beat the Minnesota Wild 3-1 on Saturday night.

Defenceman Mark Giordano and centre Brendan Morrison both pushed themselves very hard during the session, but both said they aren’t going to play.

As for the Devils, defenceman Anton Volchenkov will return after missing four games, which means Matt Taormina is a healthy scratch.

Flames head coach Brent Sutter said once again he has no special motivation against the Devils, which he coached for two seasons.

All in all, nothing as exciting as the war of words we’ve had between the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks the last few days.