  Flames Jarome Iginla (R) celebrates with Olli Jokinen of Finland. (REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson, UNITED STATES SPORT ICE HOCKEY)
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LOS ANGELES -- Jarome Iginla claimed he didn't know Team Canada executive director Steve Yzerman was watching from the press box yesterday until a reporter mentioned it.
He was too busy impressing another important hockey figure, as he netted his first hat-trick of the season to lead the Calgary Flames to a 5-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings yesterday at the Staples Center.
Criticized by head coach Brent Sutter for shrugging off losses and being too "casual" in the dressing room, the Flames were all business in L.A.
"I thought we had a really good response," said Iginla, who scored his first of three goals just 13 seconds into the game. "I thought our attitude was really good.
"We take it to heart when it's said (we're) too casual, because we like to take pride in working hard and getting results."
While the coach's "casual" comment was applicable to the team as a whole, the issue starts with the Iginla. As their captain goes, so go the Flames on most days.
He had his game face on even when parked on the bench.
He showed it during his first shift as he staked the team to a 1-0 lead by streaking across the blueline and snapping a perfect shot through Kings defenceman Sean O'Donnell's legs and past netminder Jonathan Quick inside the far post.
When the Kings stole the lead with a 38-second outburst in the second period on goals from Drew Doughty and Alexander Frolov, it was Iginla who responded to the two-man advantage with his second of the night to wipe the slate clean.
"He played a whale of a game," Sutter said of Iginla. "Just not the fact that he scored. He was just rock-solid in a lot of areas. He showed why he is captain of the team.
"You can tell he was keyed in right from the start, and that just flows through the rest of the guys."
The rest of the guys were more than happy to bail Iginla out when he found himself in the penalty box for back-to-back infractions in the third period.
Daymond Langkow scored the shorthanded game-winner with Iginla in the sin bin for tripping Justin Williams.
"I was thinking, 'Just kill it, just kill it, just kill it ...' " Iginla said with a smile.
Suddenly, he was standing and cheering after Curtis Glencross found Langkow at the top of the crease and fed him a pinpoint backhander.
Then, he was standing and cheering for the winning goal.
Loudly, too.
"It's the least we could do is kill those off for him," said Langkow, who heard some sort of thanks from the captain when he was sprung from the box.
"He said he kind of felt foolish -- it was all quiet, and he's yelling in the penalty box. He was pretty pumped to see that go in."
Iginla added another goal of his own less than a minute after he got out, and a dozen or so hats from the many Flames fans in attendance hit the ice.
David Moss was the beneficiary of a Robyn Regehr one-timer that hit his pants on its way past Quick to round out scoring in the final minute.
Far from casual, the Flames seemed to find a mix that would satisfy their coach and keep them loose at the same time.
"It's got to be fun," Iginla said. "It's even more fun winning.
"I thought this afternoon we had that good balance."
If his coach isn't pleased, likely Yzerman was.
