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This season, Calgary fans have seen two teams. The Flames at home and the Lames on the road. For some reason Calgary sometimes comes out flat in a game, and considering the look of their roster, it is unacceptable. The Flames are completely capable of pulling off an upset against The Detroit Red Wings, barring an appearance by the much dreaded Lames. Their last 4 performan...
xmyth writes...

Why the Flames will beat Detroit.

Posted Wednesday | Comments 1
Forget 2004. The teams are radically different in makeup, coaching, style, what have you. The rules are different. The on ice focus is different. This is 2007. I didn't have an intro blog. I don't believe in well written accounts, supported by facts and sources. I have my opinion, and I give it straight forward and fast. We are younger. We are faster. We are ...
On the eve of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the Calgary Flames there are many questions to answer. Can Kipper put this team on his back and take down the mighty Wings in Round 1? Can Jarome Iginla be the superstar he is and light it up against a talented Red Wings Team? Can Calgary outmuscle and outscore the #1 Seed in the West? Can Alex Tanguay be the complim...
WEST [b]Detroit vs Calgary - Calgary in 6[/b] I think Detroit is too soft to compete with Calgary if they forecheck hard all series. The older D for the Wings will get banged up early, and Hasek will look for a way out after losing 2 of the first 3 games. I would also take Calgary's Superstar players over Detroit's in a tough series. The one problem Calgary may have is...
This morning I took my son Douglas to wal-mart to go shopping and he asked for a flames sweater now this normally its a automatic no but for some reason I decided to do it the main reason why I am writing about this is because of his reaction . He acted like I bought him the Stanley Cup, he mademe realize that life is to short sometimes. We can learn a lot by watching...
FusionX writes...

The McCarty Factor

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
Though I didn't watch the last game of the season against the Avalanche, I noticed that McCarty was in the line-up. Ever since this guy's been injured, most Flames fans have been glad that he's stayed out of the line-up for as long as he has. Perhaps for the regular season, I felt this way as well, but come playoff time, this guy could be the difference maker that no one...
curiousgeorge writes...

Predictions, Round 1

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
For your reading pleasure: Western Conference Detroit over Calgary in 6 Anaheim over Minnesota in 6 Vancouver over Dallas in 5 San Jose over Nashville in 6 Eastern Conference Buffalo over Islanders in 5 (should go with a sweep...but will throw the Island a bone) New Jersey over Tampa Bay in 6 Rangers over Atlanta in 5 Ottawa over Pittsburgh in 7 Take t...
Earlier today I was casually reading the lastest edition of the Heralds Hockey section, when I came across something quite intriguing. all The headliner sports writers in the prediction section, including the ones in Calgary picked Detroit in 6 and one lady from Edmonton had them in 7. To me this is really shocking, im fine with the Flames just sneaking into...
jergreen writes...

Flip The Switch

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
Time to add my two cents into the play-off fray. I love the play-offs, and the addition of play-off pools has only heightened my enthusiasm for this time of year. (I have 7 play-off pools) I've spent the last few days being bombarded by "experts" picking play-off winners and analyzing every facet of every match up. Its a toss up whether a team is better off with all...
ladynic writes...

Welcome one and all

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
HI everyone and welcome to my blog. I sometimes have brilliant things to say and sometimes I just muddle on through. Right now I am suffering through hockey hell; my Flyers not being in the playoffs. I have moved onto my secondary and tertiary teams the Preds and the Flames. I am just glad to have Center ice and be able to watch playoff hockey. I hope...
sstrang writes...

Let the Red Mile Begin!

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
It all starts at 5:00MST tonight for Flames fans - the dreaded Red Wings are our first round opponent and some fans couldn't be happier. Sure we beat them in 6 games in 2004 and sure the Oilers beat them last year...but the difference between those 2 Red Wing teams and this one is one man: Dominik Hasek. I think the Red Wings have more confidence this year than othe...
Well last night I talked about how Versus was leaving me in the dark by showing the Canucks game (a move that paid off well) instead of the Wild game, but really that decision isn't Versus problem, it's the NHL's. This time of the year there is four games every night, it's definetly the most exciting time of the season. The NHL should take advantage of that by showing off ...
predjoe writes...

Tonight's PREDictions

Posted Thursday | Comments 2
Even though the Preds are off tonight I will still be watching Versus and the scoreboard from around the league. Here are my PREDictions for tonight’s match ups. [b]Calgary at Detroit[/b]: As much as I want to predict an upset here I think the Wings will come out on top tonight. I see a low scoring affair…2-1 or 3-2 Wings. (Detroit wins the series) [b]NY Islander...
mojoworld writes...

Tonight's Action

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
Tampa's going to SPOOK the devils tonight. 4-2 probably. NYR vs. ATL will be as exciting as the build up was for PIT vs. OTT. Then look what happened, the upper seed played like the upper seed. Kovi and crew, do yer thang! Buffalo -- Score lots, rack up d'em points, my pool entries are count'in on it. Just another day at the office for Vanek and co. And then t...
xmyth writes...

10 Things I Hate About Game 1

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
10. Don Whittman and his terrible commentary. Bring back Cuthbert, for the love of all that is hockey. 9. The Flames didn't even look like they were that concerned they were being manhandled. 8. As per above, someone did mention to the Flames that they playoffs have started, right? 7. Too many penalties. Way too many. So undisciplined. 6. Simply speaking, th...
teddye03 writes...

And So We See The Lames...

Posted Friday | Comments 0
Well, we saw those dreaded lames. the F-ing lames at that. They played the game like it was a recreation league game and they just couldnt wait to go out and grab a beer after. The Flames now really have something to prove sunday as they put forth the worst effort by a team so far this season. I dont think ive ever turned a playoff game off within the first five minutes....
Deke2194 writes...

Game 1 musings.

Posted Friday | Comments 0
Well, the playoffs are still young, but there are still some interesting storylines that have started to develop. [b]Senators and Penguins game 1:[/b] This was not the game that anybody expected. Many people thought that the Sens would take this one, but not in the way that they did. The thrashing that was handed out on Wednesday should not be any indication of how...
Coming off an outstanding performance Pavel Datsyuk had a goal and added an assist as the Wings doused the Flames 4 - 1. People in the media have really written Datsyuk off, but he is out to prove these naysayers wrong. Some belived that Ken Holland made a huge mistake signing the playoff underachiever to a multi-year multi-million dollar deal. However, the game tonight sh...
ejburton writes...

Wings Dismantle the Flames.

Posted Friday | Comments 0
I was listening to XM-204 tonight on my way home from work and the ice cap boys got me thinking about first round upsets. I think its safe to say after watching tonight game it looks like Calgary isn't going to be the team to knock off a top seed in this year Stanley Cup playoffs. Detroit as of late has been known for their early exits. Last season the Edmonton Oilers...
...Outhustled, Outskated! Get the picture? This pretty much sums up game one in Detroit. The Wings pretty much won every battle. They worked harder, fought for pucks, made crisp passes and capitalized on scoring opportunities. Kipper played his butt off, but that simply wasn't enough on this night. For most of the game, the Flames couldn't muster up a decent shot and...
I can't believe no one has commented on this yet. After the huge game 7 disappointment, the Chris Pronger kick to the collective groins of Oilers fans, ticket price increase, injury ravaged, non-puck moving D man of a season, Joffre Lupul single handedly gets the Calgary Flames into the playoffs. I know I'm a little late in posting this, but last nights utter snoozfest aga...
ladynic writes...

Wearing other jerseys

Posted Saturday | Comments 0
Philadelphia Flyers are my team. They have been my team my entire life and will continue to be the team I love with the most passion. Any sports days at work where they allow you to wear sports apparel I come in sporting something Flyers. Even this year which was such a long year for Flyers fans I proudly wore my orange and black. I do have other teams I love as I...
I have heard it said that players need to give the fans proper respect, while this is true but what comes to mind is a double edge sword, meaning don't the players deserve the same respect. Now don't get me wrong the fans have a right to call how it is if a player makes a mistake call him on it. But what his nationality or I Q or his up bringing have anything to do w...
xmyth writes...

A Sad Day in Calgary

Posted Sunday | Comments 0
The heart of this city, the passionate Flames fan, is breaking right now. You can feel the rupture resonating down the red mile, through every basement and every bar, and you can see it in every face. Kipper is playing beyond human, as we're so accustomed to... yet it is not enough. The forwards are not creating chances, are not forechecking hard, and look as though t...
I predicted a Flames win in 7. Well, for that to happen, there needs to be drastic improvement from, oh, about 18 Flames right now... Kiprusoff is the only reason either of the games appeared close. This reminds me of that series between Winnipeg and Detroit in 1996 when Nik Khabibulin almost stole the series for the Jets. But as in that series, Detroit has simply be...
mojoworld writes...

Poor Playfair?

Posted Monday | Comments 0
Dude, wake up, you should ask D-S for some help, or volunteer to leave? Who knows... whatever you're doing, not doing, it's not working. I mean, it must suck, though for you at the same time, no one wanted you to fail, it's just... your team isn't playing to its potential. I'm not even a Flames fan, but it's kind of funny... Dudes on thehockeynews.com figure the...
On a number of fronts... 1. Will Regehr be able to play tomorrow night? it was obvisious that he is currently our best defensmen. With Phanuef a close 2nd. 2. Will McCarty be the answer? If that what the team needs, I hope so! sure he will play sub 10mins, but will the locker room presence be what they need? 3. Has anyone else seen enough of Hale/Warrener in the ...
Joey Moss writes...

Trash talking & Bad Jokes

Posted Monday | Comments 0
So, I’m a born and raised Edmontonian that moved to Calgary 10 years ago to work in the oil patch. Living in the heart of the enemy‘s city hasn’t been easy, but for the most part the Oiler & Eskimo’s have done as well or better than their Red Rivals…. That is up until this year. My defending grey cup champion Eskimos ended a consecutive playoff streak th...
xmyth writes...

Closed Door Meeting!

Posted Monday | Comments 0
My sources are telling me that early indications point to Sutter firing Playfair. Details to come.
GoFLAMESgO writes...

Big Night

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Game 3, in Calgary, down 2 - 0, does it get any bigger than this? No. It's that simple. The Flames must come out with enerygy tonight. Forcheck hard, win battles, be physical and most importantly get the first goal. Tonight, I'm afraid, is do or die. Win this game and we have a series. Lose, and start thinking about the summer and next year! 43 and 51 SOG in th...
MichMan33 writes...

Game 1 and 2 Thoughts

Posted Tuesday | Comments 2
I don't think Red Wings fans could have hoped for a better way to start this series. They have dominated the entire 120 mins of this series so far. They have been the more skilled, but maybe more importantly, the more PHYSICAL team. They are initiating the hits, taking it to the Flames, and making a statement that this years Red Wings team is a PHYSICAL hockey team. Th...
MichMan33 writes...

Game 3 Preview

Posted Tuesday | Comments 1
It is unknown if Burtuzzi will play in tonight's game...but if he does who sits. It would be hard to sit Filipula, who would have been the obvious choice had this been Game 1. But Fillipula had scored 2 goals and his line had played extremely well with Franzen and Hudler attacking and crashing the net. Hudler is another option, but he is playing on both that line and h...
xmyth writes...

And So We Play

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Keys to Game 3: Forecheck. Play physical. First to loose pucks. Win the battles. Discipline. Composure. Period 1: There's the effort. That's how we really play. Had a few solid chances. Unlucky to not put any in. Iggy looks better. Conny is flying. Kipper looks solid again. Even Stuart is impressing. Warrener is a machine. 4minute penalty killed with ...
xmyth writes...

We're Back In It

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
The passion. The toughness. The win. This was Flames hockey. This was the grit we saw in '04. This is what we expected. We were forechecking. We were winning the battles. We were making short passes and skating. We can beat the Wings. 1 down, 3 to go.
sstrang writes...

Post-Season Fan Experience

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
In 2004, a young man (well, if you count 26 as young) got to live a dream of a lifetime and go to a Stanley Cup Finals Game. That young man was me, and being from Newfoundland where the closest NHL team is Boston (it could be Toronto, but I can't stand the Leafs) I never even got close to a pre-season game in my first 25 years of life. That year, I experienced the grea...
sstrang writes...

Getting it back on even ground

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
Tonight Game 4 of the Flames-Red Wings series goes at 7:30MST (9:30EST for the majority of readers on here) and to say something that is obvious - Calgary needs the win. Not only do the need the win, they need to get it in convincing fashion. Sure they beat the Red Wings 3-2 on Tuesday night but many of the glaring errors the Flames made in Games 1 & 2 are still around...
xmyth writes...

And Then There Were 3

Posted Friday | Comments 0
It was the night of nights. Everyone in town knew that we had to play better, regardless of our victory on Tuesday. The swing game was live or die. No way we could crawl out of a hole going back to the Joe. It was tonight or bust. We've played consecutively better every game, and believe it or not, I think we still need to get better. Kipper is inhuman. I think he...
teddye03 writes...

Is There Anything Better?

Posted Friday | Comments 1
My heart constantly pounds like a drum. My fists are sore from being clenched, and sweat occasionally drips from my brow. My playoff beard is itching like hell and my facepaint is all over my Flames Jersey... I couldnt ask for a better time. For the rabid hockey fans, playoffs are considered a religious event and we put players/teams in the spotlight and on a pedestal. It ...
[i]O Calgary Flames who skate in the Dome, Hallowed be the ice upon which you play. Your power rankings will climb As your points do over time, at Sportsnet as well on TSN. Give us this day our special teams skill. And forgive us our tresspasses as we check those who try to do us ill. Lead us not to the penalty box and deliver us from unreviewed goals, For thine are...
xmyth writes...

Coming Home Again

Posted Saturday | Comments 1
And we should give thanks for that. The Flames came out today and played a SOLID first period. If we had played that way the whole game, we would have won. However, we stopped skating after the first period. Not only that, we kept giving the puck away, both in our own zone and at the offesive blueline. How can you expect to win when you do that? How can you even expec...
pollard writes...

Flames are Embarassing

Posted Saturday | Comments 0
I hate the wings, but the way the Flames are acting is an embarassment to the league.
[b]WHAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT IN LIFE PART 3[b] When I started watching the game I began to slip and began to get stressed so my wife told me to go for a walk and forget the game. So I put on my coat and went for a walk, while I was walking our beautiful streets of Calgary , I over heard some body swear when Detroit scored there second goal I was walking in a back all...
teddye03 writes...

Disaster in Detroit

Posted Saturday | Comments 0
The Flames have done themselves no favors as they now head into game 6 on Sunday down a game and on the brink of elimination. The Flames started off game 5 fairly well and even outshot the Red Wings for most of the first period. But, it was a second period special teams disaster that marked the beginning of the end for Calgary. Dan Cleary roofed a penalty shot during a Fla...
seriously, people need to take a very,very deep breath about the McLennan slash. come on, real hockey fans will tell this used to happen all the time. I remember Ron Hextall jabbing the forward infront for position to see where the puck. Hextall did slash players and faced the consequences. He would a) face the player (thats call players policing themselves or b) get a fin...
Leafer93 writes...

Close the Curtain

Posted Monday | Comments 0
And with that, the Detroit Red Wings have eliminated the Calgary Flames from contention. As much as I was pulling for the Flames, the Wings deserved to win this series. Kiprusoff was the only guy on Calgary's roster who was showing up to play every game. A major surprise was the play of Johan Franzen in this series. I barely knew who he was prior to this series, and...
Well, as hard as this is for me, a Flames fan to say, the better team won. Calgary played this game with grit and heart, but so did the Detroit Red Wings. Half of the problem coming into this series was the fact that many flames fans, among others, had it burned in their minds that #8 seeded Calgary could easily beat the #1 seeded Detroit, as the Red Wings have struggled t...
doaftheloaf writes...

I Was Wrong

Posted Monday | Comments 0
The Flames were eliminated, and the frustrating thing is, this was a very winnable series. The stats will tell you that Detroit nearly doubled the Flames' shot total. That is misleading. Sure, the Flames did play that badly, but they have the offensive talent and the toughness to compete with Detroit. Kiprusoff held up his end. Did anyone else? The lack of cohe...
Hey, I'm a Flames fan (you may have already guessed that tho). I'm a fan of the team that has been lambasted and generally scourged by almost every media outlet for the past 24hrs and frankly I'm tired of it. Perhaps this is the part where you gasp in surprise that I could even think to disagree that they deserved all this heaping on being done by the media but you k...
The Wings win in 6 games. Before everyone gets on my case about this blog, remember one thing - I'm a fan and I'm going to tell it how I saw it. You may disagree but this is what I saw. The reasons we lost this series: 1. Detroit was the better team. Forechecking, passing, defensive play - they played all 6 games the same and lost 2 by one goal which were winnable...
sstrang writes...

Looking forward

Posted Monday | Comments 0
Alright Flames fans, let's forget yesterday or even this whole series ever happened. Let's get down to business for next season. Here is the list of UFAs for the Flames: Tony Amonte Marcus Nilson Jeff Friesen Darren McCarty Byron Ritchie Wayne Primeau Roman Hamrlik Brad Stuart Brad Ference Jamie McLellan (G) Here is the list for the RFAs: Matthew Lo...
Tav writes...

Time Heals and Some Predictions

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Well, we're a few days out from the sad loss in 2OT to the Wings and the pain of that night has certainly dulled which is nice. It helps to still be able to go to games as our Jr team, the Calgary Hitmen, are playing in the Conference finals right now - beyond most expectations of the team this year (unlike the Flames). My wish list for the Flames now that we're in the ...
xmyth writes...

A Summer of Discontent

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
I delayed posting a blog after our overtime defeat because it would be ridden with grief and emotional outbursts. Tears are not rare when it comes to me and my beloved Flames. Needless to say I am struggling to find my way again, as I commit so much to the team and their journey. However, this blog is for looking forward. I would love to be in Sutter's position right...
CBJ09 writes...

Wanted: GM without the ego

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Well, the job's open. Who wants it? There are a slew of potentials, even a few that have been vocal (Craig Patrick, Bob Clarke). Ownership will begin the interview process within the week, and hopefully now that some teams have been eliminated, the search can be narrowed. Dave Taylor from LA and Craig Button, formerly of Calgary, are rumored to be the front-runners, and th...
After Mr. Sutter met with Media on his state of the Franchise Speech the Media walked away just as confused if not more. He refused to comment on the future of Coach Playfair or on the Contracts of Iggy and Kipper does that mean kipper and iggy are traded and Playfiar fired? Heck no it means that Sutter is not going half cocked and firing Playfair and jumping to any co...
last night blog was a blog of frustration and being pissed off at the sport i love. plus i had little too much too drink last night in celebatation of cinco de mayo, which explains about everything for last night. Sorry if i oftened anyone. For now on, im only blogging on the finals, Flyers and Ripping gary bettman to help make a change in this league and I’ll release...
I thought that I would let people know what the Flames Players are like and why it means so much to me when some get traded . The year after the lockout the flames had their preseason camp at the Don Hartman arena instead of the Dome. My son and I decided that we would go down to watch them play, and to get some autographs. There is a lot of stories that I could t...
Tav writes...

Thoughts from Cowtown

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
There's almost 36hrs now till the puck drops on the Conference Finals so it's time for some thoughts on life in the off-season for this Flames fan.... [u]Thought #1[/u] It was very disappointing to see the end of the Rangers - they were the last dark horse left in the playoffs and while I didn't really expect them to make it past the Sabres, I just really miss there be...
MasWE writes...

The Ottawa Pledge

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
I'm just listening to Chuck Swirsky on the Fan590, and I hear about this pledge that Toronto's Mayor David Miller, Vancouver's Mayor Sam Sullivan, and Calgary's Mayor Dave Bronconnier, is creating to make Leaf fans, Canucks fans, and Flames fans root for the Senators during this Stanley Cup Finals. This is absolutely ridiculous! If your a fan of the Leafs you are NOT ro...
sstrang writes...

Keenan to Calgary?

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
As reported on tsn.ca, it appears Mike Keenan could be back in the NHL - as the head coach of the Calgary Flames. I'm in shock and disbelief. If this is a rumour then TSN got burnt bad but if it's true, God help Kipper!
(A Near Flawless Prognostication Through Slightly Orange-and-Blue Colored Glasses) So, here we are, less than a week to go before this year’s free agent frenzy. We’ll start to find out who’s going where on Sunday, if not sooner. For the New York Islanders and their fans, it’s hard to start throwing any new names out there at this point, what with very little res...
Regardless of what you think about Sutter, one can't help but somewhat admire his vagueness in managing the Flames. Almost every trade or signing comes without warning or anticipation, and he never makes trades for the sake of doing so. I have no idea how he keeps the media out of his office. With that in mind, as excited I was for the UFA season this year after reading...
In the new NHL and its all so glorious salary cap (which rises each year so far, and we are now back to pre-lockout salaries) comes new challenges for teams. That challenge being a huge one: Keeping their players under contract and keeping under the cap. Now the cap this year is around 53 million dollars, and I will assume most teams want some cushion room for trades...
Calgary Flames - C Key Acquisitions: Owen Nolan, Adrian Aucoin, Cory Sarich Question Marks: Offensive Production, Mike Keenan One of the best defensive teams in the league got better and deeper on defense this off season. The additions of Cory Sarich and Adrian Aucoin make one of the best bluelines in the league better and solidifies the Flames as one of the ...
teddye03 writes...

More Class and Less Cash

Posted Monday | Comments 0
Since when does a 13 goal, 60 point season merit a player to get a 7 year contract, the first year of which will pay 10 million dollars? How about 18 million in salary going out to 2 centers who combined, barley have more points than 19 year old MVP, Sidney Crosby did? Scott Gomez and Chris Drury were both signed by the New York Rangers to a very large, and equivalently lo...
Jbug writes...

For Love....or Money

Posted Tuesday | Comments 3
In the ever changing economics of hockey, one thing has started to become very clear, some play for love and others play for money. Clearly its easy to see both types of players in the NHL today, but in my opinion, its the ones that play for the money that have caused the biggest problem with salaries in today's NHL. Let's look at a single statement that we hear ove...
Dougstr writes...

Flames Camp and my Preasent

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
I was a the flames Prospect Camp, here are my favorite Players 27 Andrei Taratukhin Good Scorer, fast Skater, and good passer. I met him him at the Prospect camp, I liked him a lot really nice guy. 55 Adam Pardy huge, big body in front, stops goals , great body Checker, 41 Dustin Boyd Real Good scorer, also a fast skater plays the physical game....
FLAMESTR writes...

Lowe has changed the Game

Posted Friday | Comments 0
What Mr. Lowe has done has ended the boys Club. Mr. Lowe has has served notice that all the RFA'S have more options than just to sit around and wait for their gm's to sign them which is not just a bad thing , It has made GM's more aware of the RFA'S which means General Managers have to do thier jobs. I am sorry but that is a nut shell. The main reason the Bur...
mslepp writes...

I Miss the Grinders of 2004.

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Top to bottom, the Calgary Flames look like one of the top teams in the league each of the last 2 seasons and including the one upcoming. However, these teams have failed to produce to the hefty standards of the entire city. Having sat in my seat in the 'dome to watch us lose back-to-back playoff series at home I can safely say I miss the grinders of 2004. I'm not s...
saneopinion writes...

Burning thoughts

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
As a fan, and with all fans, we tend to look at our respective teams with rose coloured glasses (yes "colour" is spelled that way up here) so I have tried to limit my expectations of the Calgary Flames and objectivley look at the mid summer squad as it is. The major aquistions of the off season are: Iron Mike behind the bench- my thoughts on this guy before he landed ...
Well, there's only one wounded ego here. Mine. Yes, I have dragged myself back to my blog after a long absence. Coincidentally, my departure from my egomaniacal ranting coincides with the night my beloved Flames went out in the 6th game. God I was pissed off. So what happened? Playfair happened, first of all. I know many of you are eager to shower me with praise f...
saneopinion writes...

looking north makes me smile

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
The best part about talking to oiler fans now is by far and away the polite smile and nod you get to give them when they talk about their "new oilers". I love how trading away the captain of a team that was floundering due to lack of heart for a young d who was extremely disappointing is hailed as a good move. I mean, why would they want Jason Smith's "heart and soul" af...
I thought I would write a blog on a suggestion from a fellow Poster Flame Head I hope I got his name right which was the relationship of Sutter and Keenan. First of all I have been told that Sutter Learned his coaching ability from Mr. Keenan. Which mean there was a history between the two gentlemen and they have mutual respect, also Sutter knows how Keenan coache...
saneopinion writes...

Dome vs. Rexall

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
Every year three of my good friends and I take a road trip north to Edmonton for the sole purpose of ruining oiler fan's evenings, and hopefully gloating about a win. So far we have had pretty good luck in terms of our win loss ratio but it does beg an interesting question. Which is a better venue? The Saddledome although old was renovated back before the olympics in orde...
saneopinion writes...

The Center puzzle

Posted Friday | Comments 0
A month from the start of training camp all of the articles on who fits with who on what line are starting to come up. As opposed to previous years Calgary is in a dilema with center...they have too many! Langkow seems to be the obvious fit with Iginla and Tanguay, that line at times last year gave flames fans something they hadn't seen in years, tick-tac-toe passing plays...
mslepp writes...

Why Warrener should go

Posted Friday | Comments 0
I love Rhett Warrener. He battles every night. He loves Calgary. But the bottom line is; if a team wants to compete in the West, he can't be a top 6 defenseman. Warrener will hit you hard and often, he'll rough you up against the boards every chance he gets. The problem is, he can't skate, can't pass and can't shoot. It used to work for us because if he got in trou...
saneopinion writes...

A right wing plan.

Posted Sunday | Comments 0
After watching Scott Niedermayer Choose the Ducks as the location he wanted to play, although he received phopne calls from several N.H.L. superstars trying to lure him in, the obvious reason was his brother. Growing up, taking turns shooting on net with each other acting as goalie, with each shot being the game 7 O.T. winner for the Stanley Cup, you had to think that the ...
When I look at the Flames' first month in the schedule I at first think it's a touch one until I start looking at the months following it and realize they're all tough. The season starts out on Oct. 4 against the Flyers and their newest additions, I'd be very surprised if the Brier/Gagne line isn't extremely pumped for that game. This was the worst team Philly fans have ...
Hope everyone had a good weekend. Today I want to tell you 5 teams I'm excited to see this upcomming season. 5. St. Louis Blues After two dismal seasons, the Blues are going to attempt to turn it around this season. After making key additions, I believe the Blues will be headed on the right path this season. GM John Davidson has done a spectacular job of building this ...
This is my first Blog so bear with me. I feel that it is important to talk about the one flame player who I believe is maybe a diamond in the rough. Matthew Lombardi, I believe is a player or two away from Iggy numbers. This off season I thought Sutter might address the Lombo situation, and bring in some young talent to play with Lombardi. But what I can see is that he did...
Prior to training camp it seems that the Flames are set in terms of what they have and need to the point where there is an abundance of players and depth that could be acquired from them with out any real damage to the line up. It's obvious the flames are stocking up at center, as I previously wrote how do you find spaces for Langkow, Conroy, Lombardi, Yelle with Taratuki...
[b]THE CALGARY FLAMES GET IT[/b] I thought I would write another blog on what is really important in life. Most of these players understand what is really important for the NHL. You see the players understand that no how many records they break, or how many goals they score, it doesn’t matter if there are no fans to watch them! I am going to share some stories that sh...
-Alex Tanguay -Kristian Huselius -Anders Eriksson -Matthew Lombardi All these players fall onto the same criteria as each other, Soft Players. Players that have splendid talents in other aspects of the game but wont be known for hitting, checking, and outworking the opponent. They also fall under another label; players one would never expect to remain on the hard w...
sstrang writes...

Let The Flames Fly!

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
It's August, the hottest part of the summer is over. The Stampede is here and gone and heck, even the most loyal CFL fan is getting tired of the Stampeders. What better way to spend an evening than talking about 2007-08 Flames Hockey. [b]The Good[/b] First off, and others may not agree, the best thing the Flames did off-season was hire Mike Keenan. Last year this ...
I'm just going to list the top players from each team and compare, at the end if any oiler fan can tell me on that they can be certain the Oilers are a better team let me know. top centers: Sykora 53 points..oops sorry guys couldn't pay him enough to play there either should I move on to Nylander?? EEERRRR my bad, let me start over. Top Centers: Horcoff- 16 g 35a 5...
OK I will bite on this a little bit. First to a couple of the other Oilers posters who replied on sanes blog: 1. Tanguay was a good acquisition, especially since the Flames gave up a D-man who played what 10 games last year. I think he played more with Iginla down the stretch and was effective. 2. Second Kipper won't be going somewhere to market himself, the spo...
Howdy my hockeybuzz fella's! I'm here to bring you another projection of another team, by the name of the Calgary Flames. A team which holds a tiny particle of my heart next to the other particle which is the Buffalo Sabres and the core, the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Flames have done some decent moves this off-season: They've added Adrian Aucoin, Anders Eriksson, Owen Nolan...
John Tonelli writes...

Giordano Off to Russia

Posted Saturday | Comments 11
For all you Flame fans, I'm here to break the news that the emerging offensive Flame defenseman is off to hone his skills in Russia. According to a very close source to the situation, the Flames are opting to go with a veteran line-up and a run for the cup. Giordano a RFA, was offered a two way deal to stay with the Flames for half of the $800,000 he will receive in Russia...
saneopinion writes...

i love this game

Posted Sunday | Comments 0
I love hockey for it's crazy and totally unpredictable nature, anyone who's played sports select here in Canada (there's legalized betting here) and tried to bet 12 games in the N.H.L. on any given night knows what I mean. Try and guess four and if you do you'll impress me! Heading into any game are hundreds of intagibles, from injuries to sickness, to back to back games t...
It is the management's responsibility to the owners and to the fans you pay the tickets to keep salary to a minimum, it is the player's agents responsibility to get as much for their clients as possible. If we are to look at the Giordano signing in Russia for a minute and get past the initial shock of it we know a few things, that the flames were offering around just over ...
sirwin31 writes...

Three More Weeks

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Once again the hockey season looms in front of us, creating an air of anticipation and excitement. Every year at this time, players are finishing their individual training and preparing for their team's pre-season camp, while fans are left sitting on their hands waiting for the season to start. We pointlessly discuss unimportant topics of where JS Aubin will sign and whe...
I have found a bunch of pictures of about 1/2 of teams new look Jerseys wil or might look like for the upcoming season. Here are the links to the jerseys. Some look official and some are concepts. Some are nice and some are garbage. Cast your votes for best & worst. [b]UPDATE(s)[/b] Leafs & Nucks [b]Leafs Jersey Video[/b] [url]http://www.cbc.ca/sports/player/index.ht...
[b]Up next, I looked at the Northwest Division (one of the toughest to pick) Minnesota Wild[/b] The Minnesota Wild had a good year last year, perhaps overachieving a little bit. Mainly they were able to take advantage of Edmonton when they were on their spiral down towards the basement of the Northwest Division. The Wild were 6 - 2 against Edmonton and 4 of the wins ...
mslepp writes...

Taratukhin to Russia???

Posted Sunday | Comments 0
It appears Calgary Flames highly touted prospect Andrei Taratukhin has signed a 3 year deal to play in Russia following Mark Giordano's lead. Former Flame Jamie Lundmark is also in Russia for next season. If this is true, it's a huge blow to the Flames as Taratukhin's likely next step was to make the roster for the upcoming season. Taratukhin is still under his entry-l...
[img:right]http://www.thelavinagency.com/images/bios/iginla.jpg[/img]Since the Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2004, the Calgary Flames have had high expectations since. The organization has struggled during the playoffs since their appearance in 2004, they lost to the Anaheim Ducks in 2006, then the Detroit Red Wings in 2007, both in the first round respectively. Calgary ...
saneopinion writes...

A disturbing trend

Posted Sunday | Comments 0
Taratukhin has now signed a three year deal in russia and another bright prospect for the flames is heading to Russia. Why would he bother coming to the states and play a year only to opt out and head back again?? This has happened to two flames prospects but rest assured it will be the beggining of more if a transfer deal with Russia isn't signed. The Flames' new head c...
They're the same. Anyone suprised? Look good.
The Hockey News had an interesting article on Mike Keenan and his new head coaching responsibility here in Calgary: [url]http://www.thehockeynews.com/en/news/news.asp?idNews=25617[/url] In addition, the Flames Prospect Camp is set to open tomorrow with some fitness testing. The players have been split into two squads and will practice over the weekend with scrimma...
saneopinion writes...

you pick my 2nd round!!

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
Well the fantasy pools are soon or already up and running and I am letting Hockeybuzz bloggers pick my 2nd round guy! This is a very close knit pool with very knowledgeable hockey guys... This is a straight forward pool, a point is a point, goalies get 2 for a win, 1 for an ot loss and 3 for a shutout (a shutout win is 5 added together). Franchise players already selec...
I'd like to start by stating that this blog is not an outlash towards the media, especially the members of this site who are part of the media, but rather a commentary on how everyone can focus on the wrong issues. In the lifeless lull of the hockey world during the month of September, everyone finds themselves bored, but excited for the upcoming season. Most of the exc...
It seems when I present an argument or a retort to the Flames vs. Oilers question I am met with one response over and over again, it goes like this. " yeah...well you ONLY have ONE Stanley Cup banner...". Yeah, I guess it is true the Flames have ONLY one banner to hang and I won't get into a pissing competition about president banners and conference banners because real...
Heart. When you hear the word, perhaps, the first thing you think of is that organ beating inside your chest. You also might think of that hard rocking, but IMO god-awful, girl band comprised of the sisters - Ann and Nancy Wilson. Sorry, not a big Barracude fan. When I think of the word "heart," I immediately think of it in relation to organized sports. Not ...
Much more well contected people than me are reporting possibilities of the Flames bringing in some defensive help in the form of Markov and Sopel. Bruce Dowbiggin ponders this rumor in the Calgary Herald, having said that it seems whenever he ponders something it comes true. If my opinion was worth anything (and it's not) I'd kind of prefer Sopel, Markov is a better play...
For the first time in a very long time Flames fans were treated to something wonderful, something that they hadn't seen since the early 90's, something every other team hopes to have every year... scoring. Sutter had made a trade for Tanguay (another steal of a trade from the Zen master) and in addition Huselius had blossomed into his potential giving them two very skill...
The Flames' first scrimmage showed lines that I think will possibly what ends up bering the norm. Keenan is known for his willingness to experiment in his line combos should the chemistry fail but these could very well be the standard lines throughout the year: Tanguay- Langkow- Iginla Huselius- Lombardi- Nolan Primeau- Conroy- Moss Nilson- Yelle- Godard (this spot c...
FLAMESTR writes...

Notes from camp day one

Posted Friday | Comments 0
[b]ROOKIES[/b] Steven Boyd played like a monster by far the best skater was great today Tim Ramholt best day in camp played the best defenisively he has was 10 times better today than the rookie camp Tim showed up today Leeland Irving Played very well today didn't look rusty at all did a better job controlling his rebounds Matt Keetly Matt was a super star m...
FLAMESTR writes...

camp day 2

Posted Saturday | Comments 0
I thought I would put a small blog up for camp day 2 Aucoin got his legs back also his shot wow some really good shots back Craig Conroy was very good, he is a lot faster than I thought Lombo was with tangs and Iggy, they looked very good lombo was actually faster this year if that an really happen Langkow with Nolan and juice and Juice left the camp ...
It is time for the second edition in my series of blogs about the new NHL jerseys. For those who still have not seen the new jerseys: http://www.fartfignewton.com/rbk_edge/ And for those who missed Part 1 of this series: http://my.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?user_id=2407&post_id=2473 This time I am turning my critical eye towards the Northwest division. [b]C...
Dugray writes...

The Sounds of Hockey

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Do you hear what I hear? Of course you do. The scratching skates against the ice, the thumping of bodies, the sharp thwack of the slapshot, the rippling of the mesh, the gasps and screams and howls of the fans, the booming voices of coaches screaming out instructions, and the goal horns, oh how could I forget you? Not since the Super Series have I heard you, and have I eve...
Wed Sept 19, 2007 Vancouver Canucks (0-1) vs. Calgary Flames (0-1-1) 7:00 pm - General Motors Place - Vancouver, BC. Feeling The Burn The Vancouver Canucks take to the ice this evening, facing off against Mike Keenan and the Calgary Flames. Not only are the Canucks facing the Flames but there are several Canuck regulars that are feeling the burn. Brenda...
FLAMESTR writes...

flames send down 13

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
As reported from CalgaryFlames.com This list not to surprising except that means Krys Kolanos must of been offered a contract also pretty much mean that Adam Pardy is being considered on this team of the Flames. Gord Baldwin (D) Kris Chucko (RW) Brad Cole (D) Cam Cunning (LW) Ryan Donally (LW) Matt Keetley (G) Krys Kolanos (C) Kevin Lalande (G) Tomi...
Mitchellis#1 writes...

Canucks Douse Flames

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
The preseason didn't hinder the heated rivalry between The Vancouver Canucks and The Calgary Flames. The tempo was turned up a notch at General Motors place. If you stepped onto the ice you knew you were going to be hit. The Canucks opened the game with a flurry of speed and hits. They managed to keep pace with Calgary's tenacity and even excede them. The...
[u][b]Typical Outing[/b][/u] Tonight's match-up had all the ingredients for a mid-season affair between the Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames. Take out the fact that Jarome Iginla was in the Flames line-up and several Canuck veterans were enjoying the game from above, tonights game had the typical Vancouver-Calgary atomosphere. Eric Godard layed out Matt Cooke as...
For the teams who's record is a winning one during the pre-season this time of year signals what is to come for the rest of the year and for those who have a losing record the pre-season is just try outs and doesn't mean anything. The truth is a bit of both. It's hard to look at a flames squad that hasn't put in two solid vetrem lines in the pre season and say, "hey, this...
FLAMESTR writes...

Nystrom gets sent down

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
Acccording to latest Flame press release at calgaryflames .com QUAD CITY (AHL): Eric Nystrom (LW) I am not sure this is to surpising but Eric Nystom was one of 6 players that got sent down today. I am really surprised that he has not made the team as of yet but I wonder how much longer he has . Brett Palin (D) Sold dman still needs time to progreess but he ...
sirwin31 writes...

Preseason Translation

Posted Friday | Comments 0
With the struggles of the Calgary Flames during their first three preseason games, I wondered if this was a sign of things to come as opponents would say, or simply false results caused by a lack of a full veteran roster, as many Flames fans would like to believe. Do preseason results translate to regular season success? In th 2006-'07 season, the Eastern Conference pr...
FLAMESTR writes...

life of a a coach

Posted Saturday | Comments 0
[b]MIKE KEENAN THE GOOD, THE OKAY, THE UGLY THE LIFE OF A COACH[/b] The life of a coach can be good, okay, and even ugly. It's no different for the new coach of the Calgary Flames, Mike Keenan. The Stats were found at two sites http://en.w...
mslepp writes...

In Sutter we (don't?) trust.

Posted Sunday | Comments 0
Just a little warning... if you're on board with Keenan and Sarich and Nolan and the new faces of the Flames you may want to stop reading right now. Pre-season hockey is a chance for us to look at the questions our teams face heading into the season. We get a chance to share our usually high and lofty expectations for our own teams. When I look at the Flames this ye...
The Sharks travel to Calgary tonight to take on the Flames. San Jose will be looking to keep the Flames offense watered down and their defense on their toes. Coach Mike Keenan and the flames are still searching for their first preseason victory and will be matched up against a tough San Jose roster. Nabokov will get the start in goal as will Kiprusoff. This game will be a ...
sirwin31 writes...

Kiprusoff and Next Year

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
So an article in the Calgary Herald this morning states Kipper wants Iginla type money (let the opposing fans in the NW speak now). I've talked about this before, but with the pay structure of the rest of the team, this is currently not an option. Based on the site, [url]http://www.nhlnumbers.com/cgy.html[/url], the Flames have 11 current roster players signed to cont...
[b]YOU BE THE GM 2 THE FUTURE FREE AGENTS: TO SIGN OR NOT TO SIGN [/b] Today's blog is on Calgary's Unrestricted Free Agents - well actually, the top three possible unrestricted free agents after this season. The question is: To sign or not to sign? You make the call. Stats thanks to NHLPA.com [b] Mikka Kiprusoff[/b] Mikka's stats from last year were: 74 game...
Two youngsters trying to make the Sharks NHL roster suffered setbacks in a shootout loss to the Calgary Flames Tuesday. In the first period, forward Tomas Plihal was hit along the boards by Flame David Hale. While the severity of the injury of the injury to Plihal's shoulder was not immediately known, he did not return to the game. More to come as it's known, but it's...
FLAMESTR writes...

memories important to keep

Posted Friday | Comments 0
Today blog is on another blog questions. So I force some of my friends to pick What is your favorite hockey memory while growing up? ZenSisyphus Well, this is going to go down as the most common "best" memory, but I have to say the Miracle has to be it. I grew up in Colorado, and at the time our NHL team wasn't televised very frequently (maybe not at all), and ou...
JCast408 writes...

You be missed Smitty

Posted Saturday | Comments 0
Mark Smith is a Flame. A signing by Darryl Sutter. Keenan had no decision on the matter. Mark smith a versatile role player who can fill on the top lines. His departure from the Sharks was due to the fact that he would not get much playing time in a team as deep in forwards as San Jose. Mark Smith tried out also with the Ranger who offered him a two way contract. ...
mage23 writes...

[2007-09-29] Tonight's Lines

Posted Saturday | Comments 0
Following the lines from the last two practices, for the most part... Marleau Thornton Chechoo Clowe Pavelski Bernier Michalek Roenick Setoguchi Rissmiller Goc Grier McLaren Ehrhoff Vlasic Murray Davison Carle Nabokov Patzold For Calgary: Tanguay Conroy Iginla Nilsson Smith Huselius Moss Primeau Yelle Godard Boyd Peters Aucion Regehr Phaneuf Sari...
As promised I am following up my dark horse blog with my predictions blog. Very unique I know. No playoff predictions though, way too early for those. With that said, let’s start in the West. [b] [u]Western Conference[/u][/b] [u]Pacific Division[/u] 1. [b]San Jose Sharks[/b]: Probably the deepest team in the league. Tons of offensive skill led by Joe Thornton, Pat...
Rob Kerr was saying the same things last night; the preseason dousn't mean much, but you gotta be worried. Keenan openly admited the boys havent had much practice time, on some occasions they were NHL veterans getting beaten by minor leaguers. One can use the excuse that it's just preseason, unfortunately now the bets are off. A record under .500... hell .700 is just u...
xmyth writes...

Unsubstantiated Season Preview

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
I have no facts. I have no stats. I have no research, quotes, contacts. All I have is my opinion, but, as most of you know (begrudgingly), that is worth a fair bit. Did you come here for an in-depth analysis of teams, perhaps hoping for some outside speculation about your home team? If so, leave now. It will spare you disappointment beyond the shame you must feel ...
FLAMESTR writes...

CIVIL WAR OF ALBERTA

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
[b]THE GREATEST RIVALRY IN THE NHL: THE ALBERTA CIVIL WAR[/b] This Blog is one of a series of blog suggestions from my friends at HockeyBuzz site his name was drjsay. I would also love to thank Patrick Hoffman he did a real nice job on editiing my blog thanks again Pat. [b]EDMONTON OILERS MOST MEMEORABLE FORWARDS[/b] I remember the four years that Wayne Gretz...
Actually it wasn't that bad. However, had I wrote this blog last night when I was running around downtown Vancouver, inebriated and cursing Anders Eriksson aloud for the whole world to hear, I would have written a totally different story. What cost us the game last night? Our defense. Plain and simple. Now, its early, I'll give us that. And aside from the first 15 min...
sirwin31 writes...

Coaching Decision

Posted Friday | Comments 0
When you have Dion Phaneuf, Robin Regehr, Cory Sarich, Rhett Warrener or even Adrian Aucoin, why is Anders Eriksson on the ice with less than two minutes to go? The fact that Eriksson decided to pick up the pick and skate towards the mass group of players at the bench didn't worry me. I expected him to have his head up, see the large obstacle and quickly circle back into...
gomer300 writes...

My First (Only?) Post

Posted Sunday | Comments 0
Did anyone see the Canucks and Calgary? Decent game - teams swapping dominance and then fighting it out. My player of the game is Aaron Miller apart from the whole almost-breaking-Luongo thing. He's the Willie Mitchell of '07-08 (but for cheap!). Hughson said "This game [b]deserves[/b] another five minutes!" and luckily it worked out in Vancouver's favour. Teams in ...
xmyth writes...

..it was the worst of times.

Posted Sunday | Comments 0
yes you can salvage something from the first two flames' games of the season. two good comebacks, 4 goals for langkow, brief periods of astonishment from kipper, but all in all.. we sucked. at least the energy was there the second time around. moderately. as an aside, i actually would have found the games more exciting watching them on CBC than being 20 feet from the...
[b]CALGARY FLAMES MOST MEMEORABLE FORWARDS[/b] My favorite Flame player is Hakan Loob. He was the first Swedish born player to score fifty goals in the NHL. He had speed to burn and quick a release on his wrist shot. The second forward I would like to mention is Joe Nieuwendyk. He was the best rookie the Flames had, scoring fifty goals in his first year. Joe could...
sirwin31 writes...

Tonight at the Joe

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
The Flames play their third game and first of the season on the road tonight, against the powerful Detroit Red Wings. The Wings have gotten off to a 2-0-1 start and are better than the Flames in almost every statistical category thus far into the season. The Flames have won twice at the Joe Louis Arena in the past 6 attempts, last winning in December of 2005. The F...
WingsfaninNM writes...

Lines? What lines?

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
Due to the injury to Johann Franzen (out 3-4 weeks), Mike Babcock has changed up his lines, shortened his bench, and Matt Ellis is in the lineup in a 4th line role. The thing is, the line combinations other than Zetterberg/Holmstrom/Datsyuk seem to be set in quicksand, and even that line gets the "mixmaster" approach every now and again. In tonight's 4-2 victory ov...
FLAMESTR writes...

CONCLUSION CIVIL WAR

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
[b]HISTORY[/b] Have you ever lost your girlfriend to your best friend? Have you ever had your legs waxed? Has you mom asked you “Why can’t you be more like your brother?” Has your boss or your wife told you to get up and go do something? Think back so you can have an idea on how these two cities feel about each other. I remember in my teens and early twenties...
sirwin31 writes...

Slow Start and Kiprusoff

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
The Flames don't show up in the month of October. Kiprusoff is always rusty. Iginla usually starts slow. The Flames just don't come out of the gate hard. I am sick and tired of hearing about that. It is time to stop being okay with that and actually do something about it. All the players are saying the right things: We need to be better ... we can be better ... w...
I'm gonna go on a long flames blog, so first off, I'd like to say that the Stars played wonderfully. Their transition from skilled offense to stifling defense yesterday is only more of a omen of how far they should go in the playoffs and how deep their team really is. IMO they're only a power left winger away from getting to at least the conference final. Its nice to see R...
sirwin31 writes...

Something to grab on to

Posted Friday | Comments 0
No Eriksson can't be bad. But at the beginning it looked similar to the Philly game. Down 2-0 primarily due to power plays for the Kings. The Flames had some pressure but couldn't build momentum in that first. They were getting out shot, it was not pretty. The Conroy trip was an awful call. Fortunately they killed that one off. Aubin gave up a soft one to let the ...
mslepp writes...

Battle of Alberta pt.1

Posted Sunday | Comments 0
I haven't had the opportunity to watch many Flames games this year while living in Vancouver, but of the games I have watched, this was Calgary's best game. I slam Dwayne Roloson every chance I get. I feel he's the most overrated goaltender in the league. But he's played well in both of the last 2 games. If he continues to play well, it should allow the Oil to gain...
sstrang writes...

The Origin of Team Names

Posted Monday | Comments 0
What made the person or persons who own the Philadelphia and New York franchises to name their teams the Flyers and Rangers respectively? What possesses you to call your team the Lightning or the Canadiens? Let's start with the some original six teams, some that still might have some meaning. [b]The Montreal Canadiens:[/b] Canadiens represented the nationality of th...
sstrang writes...

2 Blogs for the price of 1

Posted Monday | Comments 0
Today I decided I was feeling energetic enough to write 2 blogs. With the Flames on a 7-game home stand and playing 6 games in 11 nights and playing pretty decent these days - I thought it was high time I found something that could keep my wife entertained each of those nights. The first thought was to leave it in the capable hands of my 15-month old son. If anyone ...
saneopinion writes...

As the flames go so do I

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
After a long day at work I climbed into my car and was welcomed by hall of fame play by play anouncer Peter Mahr, the Flames Vs. Wild game was just starting. I've been in a bad mood for two days at this point with the lack luster and lopsided defeat to the sharks still very fresh in my mind, I'm hoping against hope that the Flames can overcome the odds and beat the only un...
Miikka Kiprusoff was born in Turko Finland in October of 1976. He was just rewarded, for his 31st birthday, with a $35 million dollar contract over the next 6 years. [img:right]http://nhlpa.com/Player_Pics/2873.jpg[/img] That's quite a lot of money for a player who: hasn't played in 250 games yet, hasn't won more than 125 wins in the regular season, and hasn't won a S...
predjoe writes...

Mason In Net Tonight...

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Chris Mason will be back in goal tonight for the Predators as they face the Calgary Flames at the Saddledome. Tonight begins the first of a stretch of five road games for the Predators and all are against worthy opponents. No off nights here. The Western Canada swing is always a tough one for any team then they follow it up with stops in Chicago and Detroit before he...
teddye03 writes...

Runaway Jury

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
The announcement had hardly finished leaving Darryl Sutter's lips, and the jury was already out on newly appointed Calgary Flames head coach "Iron" Mike Keenan, and to no real surprise. Keenan is the poster boy for a roller coaster career, with few other bench bosses experiencing the ups and downs quite like he did. This Flames fan, however, held his tongue. Any reasonable...
Great insight on it, it's going to be a great game to say the least. Expect guys like Nolan, Sarich, and Conroy to stand out tonight. They're the guys who can stick to a Red Wing like glue and keep the forecheck energized. I attended the Nashville game a couple days ago and I wasn't satisfied with the play of both Nashville and the Flames. Both teams didnt bring any so...
Right now as it stands the Flames are looking grim, bumping up against the cap with a little wiggle room and sitting at .500, this seems like a great time to make up some trade posibilities and use some facts as well. Recently there was a rumor circulating that Kovalev was a target of the Calgary Flames for Tanguay, obviously based on the points Tangauy gets and the fac...
mslepp writes...

Bring Darcy Tucker West.

Posted Sunday | Comments 0
This blog has been a long time coming. But after reading the ek columns last night regarding the leafs and whether they should clean house or not... then hearing the Flames may be involved if only an e1, doesn't matter, I have to get this off my chest. I love Darcy Tucker. He's from Alberta, Castor or Byemoor I believe. Anyway, he is a fighter. He's gritty, he can sc...
That's what the boxscore should read in the paper tomorrow after that nightmare witnessed nationwide in Canada on HNIC. Jarome Iginla looked like the best hockey player in the league tonight. Every time he stepped on the ice, the Flames nearly scored. So much that Flame hater Craig Simpson even brought it up. Then you know it must be obvious. However, with all that ...
sirwin31 writes...

Pens game

Posted Friday | Comments 0
I'm not going to write a summary of what happened; Shaune did a really nice job of that on the main page, and there is no need to recap it. That being said I would like to share some pictures and thoughts. [img]http://photos-d.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v152/52/107/602212162/n602212162_501919_2213.jpg[/img] I was disappointed to see Fleury leave the game as I ...
JARRET STOLL IS HAVING ANOTHER TOUGH YEAR IN OIL COUNTRY AND I HAVE COMPILED A FEW REASONS THAT EDMONTON COULD DEAL HIM SOONER THAN LATER. REASON #1 CONTRACT STOLL IS A RESTRICTED FREE AGENT AT THE END OF THE SEASON. THE OILERS NEED TO SPEND THEIR MONEY ON PLAYERS SUCH AS PITKANEN AND GILBERT WHICH ARE TWO YOUNG UP AND COMING D-MEN WHO ALONG...
sirwin31 writes...

Scheduling

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Now, I know that everybody is aware of problems with the current schedule and that the NHL has taken steps to try and rectify it. However with the Flames current road trip, I was curious about why the league would schedule them to have two separate road trips out to the East coast. The Flames have to travel for a 6 games in 11 nights swing, including three of the five...
FLAMESTR writes...

Panthers and Flames recap

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
As I watched the game tonight, I finally got to see the real Kipper, and Vokoun was just as good. The two shared the spotlight with save after save. Kipper made 34 saves out of 35 shots. Meanwhile, Vokoun made 32 saves out of 33 for the Panthers in net. The best period for the Panthers was the second period they pretty much took it to the Flames. They fired 13 shot...
mslepp writes...

Aucoin Settling In

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
The Calgary Flames have just finished their most productive road trip in team history. Much has been said about the play of Jarome Iginla who is cementing himself as a top 5 player in the world, (in my opinion, the best and most valuable/marketable player in the NHL due to his play ON the ice and his commitment to the team and community OFF the ice)... and also Huselius a...
Does Mcgeough try to screw it?? Someone at sometime has to stand up, against the ridicule suffered by opponents and say, "Mick "blind Mcgoo" Mcgeough has to be let go. Too many times has this very patial referee made a games outcome in favour of a team not from from Alberta. You know when the game starts and some one who you never met before says, "Uh-oh "Mcgoo" is...
Twas the night before my short vacation to Los Angles and the second day of this new year. So I've decided to come up with a list of New Years Resolutions I believe our New York Islanders should have for the year 2008. If you have more ideas than what I came up with.. please leave a comment on this blog or drop me an email at [email protected] 1. [b]STAY HEALTHY[/b...
[img]http://boredplanet.com/img/glasshalfislanders.jpg[/img] So, if you've sat and thought about this team this season, have you come to the same conclusion I have drawn? When asked: Is the glass half empty? Is the glass half full? My answer is: "The glass is half Islanders" Which is my witticism for neither. Both. Or that giant question mark that slams into our h...
BlueBloodPat writes...

Around the NHL

Posted Monday | Comments 0
Just thought I'd round up today's top stories; Scotty Bowman came out today and said that he has no plans on leaving Detroit to join the dysfunctional Maple Leafs should they shake up the front office. As we all know, Bowman appeared in an interview on Hockey Night in Canada this past Saturday where he spilled the beans about MLSE. He said that the MLSE board of direc...
BlueBloodPat writes...

Don't be Surprised

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
As I write this, John Ferguson Jr. is still the general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, as far as I know anyways. Of course it is completely possible that Ferguson was fired long ago and MLSE has asked him to hold the position while they search for an interim GM. This would explain why there has practically been no roster changes during this catastrophic slump, w...
The Flames dropped their fourth in a row tonight, losing to Nashville 3-0. For the second straight game in a row, the team was outright hard to watch, as the best scoring chance the Flames got all night was a clanger in the first period by Dion. The only good part of the game was seeing Calgary product Curtis McElhinney play a fine third period in what will likely be his l...
It'll be an interesting off-season for the Flames this year. To look ahead, this will be a make or break off-season in regards to whether or not the team will be able to compete in the two or three years thereafter. Currently there is 40 million locked up towards next year's salaries, with about 10 million to spare. The question remains, what will we be able to do wi...
FLAMESTR writes...

somthing off my chest

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
[b]APOLOGY TO THE CALGARY FLAMES FANS[/b] I noticed as a fan blogger now I have never really laid up on my bashing of the flames. Well that is plain wrong how can I really seriously consider myself a fan of the league if all I do is bash the home team I live in. Well that is ending today I want to make sure that I am a fan of the NHL which includes well the ...
The Flames snapped their four-game losing streak with an important 3-2 shootout win over the division-leading Wild. With the win, Calgary is now one point back of the Wild in the Northwest. Truth be told, they should and would be ahead of Minnesota if it weren't for a quick whistle late in the second that wiped out a Kristian Huselius goal. I don't usually criticize refs f...
sirwin31 writes...

Kiprusoff and scrap

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
Haven't been on here much in the past month what with Christmas and work but I just wanted to comment on a couple of things. I'm not going to discuss the Flames up and downs, simply some of the players performances and thoughts. Pictures however are from ESPN.com. - Warrener has been a healthy scratch the last two games. Is he worse than Eriksson or Hale? I know Keenan...
The Flames stomped LA 6-1 tonight. The Flames were able to get away with Jarome Iginla not getting any points tonight, as Daymond Langkow got a hat trick and Matt Lombardi got a goal and assist. With the win and Minnesota's loss to Anaheim, the Flames now lead the Northwest by one point. However, Flames fans shouldn't get used to it, as Calgary doesn't play again until Tue...
So much has been made about Calgary's cap "troubles" coming up next year, so let's actually break it down and see what contracts, and what roster spots are up for grabs next season. Contracts in place, assuming no trades happen before the 08/09 season, not including potential extensions: ???? - ???? - Iginla (7.0) Tanguay (5.250) - Lombardi (1.817) - ???? Moss (.5...
I'm sure I wasn't the only Flames fan who almost had a heart attack when they logged on to Hockeybuzz to find a Phaneuf trade rumor on the front page. I probably take Eklund's rumors more seriously than most should. I'm still pale skinned and shivering with the possibility. However, the idea of Phaneuf being traded is both more and less possible than some might think. T...
Conroy 24 writes...

The Dion Sweepstakes Or Not?

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
Hey guys. I just thought that I would bring up a real interesting topic, that may or may not be a major factor in the up coming weeks. It's as simple as this and it's called the Dion Sweepstakes. Quite frankly I feel that maybe this could be above and beyond what Calgary fans want, trading away the Top young D-man in the Leaque. I wonder what we could get in return, surly ...
[img:left]http://images.tsn.ca/images/stories/20061107/DionPhaneuf_43250.jpg[/img] The idea that Darryl Sutter, the GM of the Calgary Flames and one of the most intelligent, well-rounded and respected GM's in the entire National Hockey League trading away All-Star and possible future Norris Trophy winning defense man Dion Phaneuf is one of the most preposterous rumor...
The Flames won an important character game against San Jose tonight, 5-4. Not only did they beat the league's best road team at home, they also beat the second-ranked Sharks for the second straight game. Jarome Iginla remained goalless for the eighth straight game, so the Flames remedied this with a hat trick from...Owen Nolan! It was what you might call Trade Bait Night f...
First, let me start by saying that Alex Tanguay is one of my favourite players - he always has been. Alex Tanguay is a great NHL hockey player. Before this year, he was a Power Play specialist, had a great shot, great passer and never complained (and still never complains). When the deal was heard that Tanguay was traded to Calgary for Leopold, Calgary was ecstatic. ...
The Flames' need, or at least want, for a top line center to play with Jarome Iginla seems to have expanded beyond the realms of fans playing armchair GM. During the second intermission of the Flames-Sharks game on Wednesday, TSN's Darren Dreger reported that, with the issue of re-signing Dion Phaneuf now all but officially out of the way, Darryl Sutter is shopping for suc...
Cold on the heels of their close 2-1 home loss to the Stars on Saturday, the Flames got crushed 5-0 in Edmonton tonight, souring CuJo's first start with the Flames. Let me tell you, I didn't watch much of the third period (because Prison Break was on, and also the Flames were down 3-0 after two) but I can tell you that this was the absolute worst I have seen the Flames pla...
Conroy 24 writes...

Well lets wait and see.

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Wow after the pounding the Flames took at the hands of the Oilers, this makes me wonder if the cup dream is dissapearing in Calgary. I know it is only one game, but there is a trend when the flames face teams that out match them with speed. It seems to me that the Flames d man really struggle, stopping guys with speed. I think that Sutter should address this problem. I loo...
FAHQALL writes...

Cut The Juice Loose

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
First things first, I love Huselius, and I think that he is infinitely talented, but I feel that the Flames are going to have to cut him loose for the benefit of the club. Surely the return would be great for Huselius, someone who many claim was robbed of an All-Star game spot, and he could be an impact player for a team that would barely sneak their way into a playoff spo...
In one of the best and most entertaining games of the year, the Flames came back from a 3-0 deficit at the start of the third period to beat the Coyotes 4-3 in the shootout. Jarome Iginla finally snapped his 10-game goalless streak in dramatic fashion, first wiring home an amazing shot from the left circle over Ilya Bryzgalov's shoulder with just 9 seconds left to tie the ...
The Calgary Flames lost 3-1 to the Chicago Blackhawks tonight, as Nikolai Khabibulin continued his dominance of Calgary with his 19th career win over the Flames. The Flames outshot Chicago 12-6 in the third period, but were unable to tie the game despite several close chances. With the loss, the Flames miss out on an opportunity to take the Northwest divisional lead, as Mi...
John Jaeckel writes...

As The Indianhead Turns

Posted Friday | Comments 0
With last night's 3-1 victory over Calgary, one streak ends, and another is probably beginning. Other than a rash of injuries to key players and the emergence of Pat Kane and Jonathan Toews, that's been the story of the Hawks' season thus far: back-to-back-to-back winning and losing streaks of 4-6 games. Those are the hallmarks of a very young team, and a .500 team, bot...
The Calgary Flames rebounded from a relatively lackluster performance against Chicago on Thursday to defeat Edmonton 4-1 at the 'Dome tonight. Owen Nolan continued his strong play, leading the way with two goals. Dion Phaneuf also scored for the Flames, with Jarome Iginla adding an empty netter. The Flames are currently in seventh place, remaining two points back of Minnes...
It is very clear to me that change is needed in Calgary, in order to win a Stanley Cup. Change in Goal, no. but the rest of the team has struggled with consistency. i think we need to address the fact that we only have one true goal scorer in Iginla, the rest are hit and miss. This defence core has struggled in consistency with Sarich looking more like he is playing shinny...
The Calgary Flames opened their big five game Pacific roadtrip with a dramatic 4-3 overtime win over the San Jose Sharks. Jarome Iginla scored the winner with 25 seconds left on the clock, one-timing a nice pass from Phaneuf from the left circle. This came after Phaneuf had sent the game to overtime with 49 seconds to go with a wrister from the blueline that found the back...
TheEdge writes...

VD - Should be interesting

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
Alright. Well. In the last two games against the Wild, the Canucks have looked ugly, disgusting, and in all senses of the word, unattractive. It seems fitting that this game falls on VD, which, in addition to being an anagram for Valentine's Day, is also an anagram for something ELSE that may or may not share characteristics with my descriptions of the Canucks' play agains...
With the NHL trade deadline fast approaching, and Canadian hockey fans everywhere stockpiling the beer and getting the work-escape plans ready, I thought that I would analyze each Canadian teams game plan for trade deadline day, highlighting each teams needs, possible trade bait, and what players they could be targeting. Today, I will begin with the Calgary Flames. Friday:...
With the NHL trade deadline fast approaching, and Canadian hockey fans everywhere stockpiling the beer and getting the work-escape plans ready, I thought that I would analyze each Canadian teams game plan for trade deadline day, highlighting each teams needs, possible trade bait, and what players they could be targeting. Yesterday, I will did the Calgary Flames (See Archiv...
Atrocious, inexcusable and disgusting are three vowel-plentiful words that can be used to describe the Flames' 6-3 loss to the Kings tonight at the Staples Center. For the second time in two weeks, the Flames were humiliated by a team in the bottom 10 of the NHL standings (after the 5-0 loss to the Oilers on February 4). I honestly think this game was more frustrating and ...
Trade deadline is a week from today. There has been so much discussion on who we (as Flames fans) want to see in a Flames jersey, who we want to see traded or let go, and what players we'd like to swap. But what's realistic? What's practical? And, knowing Sutter's past moves, what will he likely do before the deadline? We've heard so many rumored names coming... Sundin...
I’m not Darryl Sutter, though, so I’m just having fun and you can read and comment all you like. Sure, most are wishful thinking and maybe even a bit far-fetched, but have fun anyway. 1) [b][i]Trade Matthew Lombardi, Anders Eriksson, Andrej Taratukhin, and 2009 #2 Draft Pick to Florida for Olli Jokinen:[/i][/b] Flames get the #1 Center they’ve been wanting for yea...
saneopinion writes...

Should Sutter Sell??

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
As the trade deadline approaches there is a consensus that there are more buyers than sellers. Thus the price of return goes up, the 5th round pick you'd get for say a Yelle goes up to a 3rd round pick, who wouldn't take that deal? Some might say that a team going for the cup needs that depth to make it, they need to survive for two months of punishment and I agree. The on...
The Calgary Flames pulled the trigger on a minor deal today, acquiring defenceman Jim Vandermeer from the Flyers for a 3rd round pick in 2009. I've said for a while now that the Flames need some better secondary D, as I have a distaste for Anders Eriksson and David Hale. To be honest though, this trade is puzzling to me. This is the second straight year that Darryl S...
Texhorns02 writes...

'Sorry' Stars Fans

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
3-2 Calgary When I decided to start trying to give the Stars a little more coverage a week ago I wondered why they don't get more coverage. I don't know if anyone reads this, and I don't really assume that this is some landmark effort to cover the Stars on a wide scale, or that it is even worthy of a large readership. The idea for this relatively small coverage ca...
Alternate title: Flames Beat Wings; The Stupid Trade Rumor That Just Won't Die. Miikka Kiprusoff finally got his first shutout of the year, making 38 saves as the Flames beat the Wings 1-0 on Friday night. Alex Tanguay scored the winning goal 12 minutes into the first, stealing the puck behind the net and doing a Steve Smith special, as he sent the puck in front where i...
To my disappointment, Darryl Sutter did not make any trades today. I had woken up today expecting Sutter to take the only remaining opportunity to improve the Flames, but alas, no dice for the third straight year. I am not going to criticize Darryl, as from everything I've heard it certainly was not for a lack of trying. In any case, the only player I saw as a can't miss f...
I was having a look at the recent list of Norris trophy winners and I realized something (other than the fact new Lidstrom plaques are going to replace old ones soon). Why are there no defensive d-men? How come the men that step in front of 100 mph shots, move people out of the net, and in general go above and beyond their job, while managing to keep themselves out of the ...
The Flames' woes against the Ducks in Anaheim continued tonight, as they fell 3-1 in what you might call a valiant effort, although it was in my view a two period effort by the Flames. Mathieu Schneider scored the opening goal only 35 seconds in, getting wide open at the point and wiring a great shot past Kipper's blocker. The Flames never quite recovered from this. Scott ...
The Calgary Flames were defeated in overtime tonight by the Nashville Predators 2-1. Adrian Aucoin gave the puck away deep in Calgary's zone about 2 minutes into overtime to Alexander Radulov, whose shot hit the post and was rebounded in by JP Dumont. Although one might call this a game with a playoff type atmosphere, personally I thought the Flames' effort was uninspiring...
mapleleaf92 writes...

On Pace For....

Posted Monday | Comments 0
Assuming that everyone's win-loss-otL-soL ratio stays the same, I took the time to calculate how many points everyone will have by the end of the season. [b]Eastern Conference[/b] NEW JERSEY DEVILS- 102 Points Montreal Canadiens 100 Points CAROLINA HURRICANES- 91 Points Pittsburgh Penguins- 100 Points Ottawa Senators- 97 Points New York Rangers- 96 Points Boston ...
The Calgary Flames 7-3 victory tonight over the St. Louis Blues featured a lot of the same ol', same ol', including shotty officiating which seems to be the norm of late in the league. But this game had something else too, and I'm glad it did as I gave away tickets to other games down the stretch to ensure my butt was in the seats tonight. Jarome Iginla passed Theoren Fleu...
In a historic and uncharacteristically decisive win, the Calgary Flames beat the St. Louis Blues 7-3 at the Saddledome tonight. The spotlight in this game was on Jarome Iginla, who, at 18:27 of the 1st period, passed Theoren Fleury to become the franchise's all-time goals leader at 365, one-timing a pass from Kristian Huselius at the left circle. However, Iginla was not th...
The Calgary Flames were served a reminder of why it was a good thing they only faced the Washington Capitals every two years this evening, falling 3-2 thanks to two late goals, one at the tail end of the second period, the other with less than two minutes left in regulation, by the incomparable Alexander Ovechkin. After the Capitals' Viktor Kozlov had opened the scoring j...
Alliteration is the key to any good blog title and I hope it caught your eye. I often wonder what it would be like to be a Detroit Red Wing fan. They coast along in the regular season, amassing winning streaks and distancing themselves from the rest of the conference. Really, a Red Wings fan never has to worry. Those of them that show up to the games are really going...
Last night, after the Flames' one-period effort of a 3-2 loss to the Washington Capitals, I wrote that the next day's game against the Atlanta Thrashers was a must win for the Calgary Flames. And what did they do? Why, blow a 3-0 lead and lose 6-4 to the 14th ranked team in the East, of course. It seemed, early on, that the Flames were listening to this 17-year-old'...
The past couple days in the NHL have been marred by questionable coaching decisions that have cost teams games or at least made things interesting when they shouldn't have been. Yesterday the Dallas Stars and Vancouver Canucks met in Dallas where the Stars have consistently been able to handle the Canucks behind the netminding of Marty Turco. The Stars were playing on ...
[b]*NOTE*:[/b] I will be writing a series of blogs discussing a handful of teams whose expectations were minimal to start the season or even now. Within these teams, I believe one will take home the Stanley Cup to their franchise. So far, I've I wrote about two of these clubs, the Montreal Canadiens and the New York Rangers. The Calgary Flames didn't start off with load...
Ask anyone, whether it be bloggers, journalists, coaches or players, and the universal response to the question "How many points will it take to make the playoffs in the Western Conference?" would probably be 94 or 95 points. The Calgary Flames are embroiled in the tightest points race in hockey, the Northwest Division race, a remarkable logjam of a division that, if it co...
I have been criticized recently because of my extreme pessimism regarding the Calgary Flames' chances for the rest of this NHL season. Well, I point the optimists in the direction of the Flames' latest disaster, a 3-0 drubbing by the 12th place Columbus Blue Jackets, in which they were outshot by a ridiculous margin of 38-18. There is little that can be said about such a l...
[b]Coming off their lucklaster performance against the Wild on Monday, Colorado will look to rebound as they get set to faceoff in the Saddledome tonight at 9pm EST/6pm PST. Calgary, as we all know, is a very skilled team. They have gotten great goaltending from Kipper as of late, even though by all accounts he has struggled this season. Of course, the Flames' D is tou...
[b]It seemed like an easy thing. After an embarrassing 3-1 loss to Minny on Monday I figured the Avs would come out of the gate flying - good rushes, hits, etc. At least there was a fight. In a CRUCIAL game, the Avs simply did not come to play...AGAIN! They looked a lot better in the third but even then, come on. With a whopping 3 shots in the first, 7 shots in the sec...
In a game that looked and felt like a genuine playoff tilt, the Calgary Flames edged out the Minnesota Wild 5-4 on the strength of a natural hat trick by Jarome Iginla and goals by Dion Phaneuf and Matthew Lombardi. Flames fans in the 'Dome were treated to not only this outstanding effort by their captain, but a critically important flash of opportunism by the boys in red....
It's been a long time since Calgary has had THAT defenseman. The guy who was going to score goals and shut down the other team. Robyn Regehr has been a stalwart for years, but his offensive output is limited, relegating him to be simply a shut-down d-man... extremely important, but in a different regard. Dion has shown Calgary Flames fans and the league that he's going ...
[b]Avs 2, Flames 0. Although the score may seem somewhat misleading, the game was much closer. Again, at the start of the game the Avs came out somewhat tentative, though I have to say our passing was much crisper tonight. I thought Calgary really set the physical tone early, especially thanks to Phaneuf. I love this guy, I really do, and I thought he was great tonight (at...
The Calgary Flames rebounded from an abysmal first period, a terribly soft goal, and a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 tonight at the Saddledome. With the win, Calgary takes the lead in the Northwest Division with 90 points, one more than Minnesota and four more than the Canucks and Colorado Avalanche. This was a huge win for the Flames, who go into a three...
I just did not have the energy to muster a blog post late last night, after the Calgary Flames' 2-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers at home. So I'll briefly summarize this huge game before detailing how it affects the Flames' division hopes. This game was, in my view, simply a heartbreaker for the Flames, who outshot, outchanced, and had more puck control for the entire game t...
The aftermath of the Calgary Flames' 6-2 embarrassment at the hands of the Vancouver Canucks last night (the game itself really requires no explanation or analysis), should be as clear as day, even to the most tragically optimistic Flames fans: far from winning the division, the Flames must now, just as they did last season, focus their efforts and worries primarily on sim...
jesus the northwest is crazy - if calgary beats minny tomorrow, then THREE teams can win the division title with their last game remaining Option 1 - CGY beats MIN, CGY beats VAN, COL Beats MIN (Calgary wins Title) Option 2 - CGY beats MIN, CGY loses to VAN, COL Beats MIN (Colorado wins Title) Option 3 - CGY beats MIN, CGY beats VAN, MIN beats COL (Minnesota wins Titl...
bongo_guy writes...

Avs Clinch...a spot

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
[b] My wife and I were in our basement suite busily trying to decorate the place in pro-Avs colors when in walked one of my best friends (and another buddy)... Canuck fans. With Avs jerseys, scarfs, trinkets, mugs, a blanket and two Canuck fans, the stage was set for the pivotal push for the postseason. I sometimes have a big mouth when it comes to the Avs. Usually, at ...
The consistent-inconsistency continues, on par with the whole of this season, and all of the last. It's been since the first post-strike season that the Calgary Flames have played with any sort of consistent effort and production. This is a trend that, if not fixed before, or early in the playoffs, will result in another early exit from the post-season. And that's assum...
The Calgary Flames' divisional hopes officially died Thursday night with a 3-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild, who clinch the Northwest with the win. More importantly to Calgary, though, was their failure to get the one point needed to clinch a berth in the playoffs. The Flames remain in 7th place in the West with 92 points, just one above the Nashville Predators and four abov...
Kaspar already touched on the game last night with the update that the Oil beat the lowly Canucks, ensuring some post-season play for the Flames again this season. Once again, the Flames proved they can't play a complete 60 minutes against a team who wants something just as bad as them. Like I mentioned in my previous blog, you never know which Flames team is going to sh...
With the Calgary Flames finally having an 'x' next to their name in the standings, along with the rest of the West, I can now finally focus a blog post solely on the Flames' playoff prospects. The Flames were aided by another spoiler team tonight, as the Blackhawks defeated Nashville 3-1 to ensure that the Predators will finish in 8th and the Flames cannot finish lower ...
xmyth writes...

Hockeybuzz - a lack of class.

Posted Monday | Comments 0
A lack of class? maybe.. a lack of 'real' hockey understanding? probably. saturday's game between the canucks and flames was not really worth mentioning. both teams were lackluster and without energy. a typical end of season game containing a dejected outsider and a relieved insider. not worth mentioning? one of the all-time greats in Trevor Linden played what most...
Since this is the time of the year when every sports blogger in sight wants to give you their predictions on the playoffs, I'll spare everyone from simply writing a predictions post. Instead, I'll write an analysis and prediction of the series I'm most interested in (duh): (2) San Jose Sharks vs. (7) Calgary Flames, to start on Wednesday night at 8. The Flames drew the ...
I'm going to get my entire bracket set down instead of going round-by-round. Last year, I was 15 for 15 in predicting the Ducks over Sens; but I actually felt last year was easy to pick... this year, I'll be lucky if I get half right. Nonetheless, I surge forward... unlike last year, I feel EVERY team, 1-8, in both conferences could beat/upset and move to the second ro...
Greatlakeswimmer writes...

My first round picks

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
The playoffs are among us so i thought I would join the train and come out with my predictions for the first round this year. [b]Montreal (1) vs. Boston (8)[/b] This series is extremely tough to call as I think the habs do have the upper hand talent wise but if Boston steps it up just a little bit I think they have the potential to take out the habs. What I don't th...
The Calgary Flames pulled off a shocker on the opening night of the playoffs, beating the heavily favored San Jose Sharks 3-2 on the strength of an early 2-0 lead and a 37-save performance by Miikka Kiprusoff. As cynical as I continue to be, and it's certainly true that relying on your goaltender to steal you games is not a winning strategy, I feel that the Flames should b...
mslepp writes...

Night One Recap...

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
Hockey every night for 2 months? My favorite time of the year, and last night didn't disappoint. Sens vs. Pens: Nothing that I didn't completely expect from the Sens OR the Pens in game one, except I guess I expected Crosby would get on the scoresheet. At the end of the CBC broadcast, Garry Galley, who was doing color for the game alongside Jim Hughson said he couldn't...
I will not get into specifics of last night, everyone knows what happened between the Sharks and Flames. Calgary came out and played their game I was expecting from Mike Keenan and the Flames. And the result I was afraid of happening did. The Flames looked calm, looked confident, looked loose, and honestly looked tough to beat. I was quite upset with the game, and wh...
As I fully expected, as uncharacteristically optimistic I am right now, the San Jose Sharks came back and tied their series with the Flames tonight with a 2-0 shutout. It's not a game that requires much analysis, interpretation, or explanation. Simply put, the Flames lost because of one thing: penalties. As I noted in last night's post, I would have been shocked if the...
gosharks19 writes...

Saturday afternoon thoughts.

Posted Saturday | Comments 0
I am already feeling a bit anxious today due to the 2 day break between games 2 and 3 between the Sharks and Flames. Thankfully, there is some afternoon hockey to watch between Detroit and Nashville. Does anyone else notice that Detroit is constantly almost interfering with opposing teams goaltenders? Holmstrom is always parked right in front of the net, and as much as ...
Just a few hours away from hitting the 'dome in anticipation of Game 3 between the Sharks and the Flames. I expect a wild and crazy crowd and I just hope that the Flames don't get over-hyped for the game and take some bad penalties early. I expect another tight game and hope the Flames continue to hit the Sharks and don't try to beat them at a finesse game, regardless of...
gosharks19 writes...

Pathetic Effort.

Posted Monday | Comments 0
I am going to keep this blog short, but after the Sharks went up 3 to 0, they dissapeared. The effort was pathetic, disgusting, and troubling to watch. Tonight the Sharks looked liked the team all season long, letting Calgary get back into the game, not fighting back, and losing the game at the end. Everyone on the Sharks after the early lead looked uninterested, bored,...
sirwin31 writes...

Memo to Marleau

Posted Monday | Comments 0
The Flames won tonight, to take a 2 to 1 series lead over the Sharks. They overcame a 3-0 deficit after just 4 minutes of play. I will leave the play by play to Kaspar, since he has a much better writing style than I do, but as I listen to the honking horns on 17th avenue/The Red Mile, I have but two things to say, and they are quite simple: Marleau: Do your chin stra...
It seemed, at first, to be the road sign pointing towards another cliff in the near distance for the Calgary Flames to drive off of to meet their playoff doom. Less than five minutes after Heather Liscano wrapped up the national anthems, the home team, which had played so well against the number two seeded San Jose Sharks for two games in the Shark Tank, matching them save...
The title of this blog is a quote that came about 30 seconds after the Cory Sarich hit on Patrick Marleau. No, it wasn't Don Cherry or Pierre McGuire or any hockey expert. It was my drunken buddy sitting next to me in the 'dome. A die-hard Oilers fan who loves hockey enough to split season tickets to the Flames with me. I laughed, mostly because he knows that I...
uglyhooker writes...

Keepin the faith 08!!

Posted Monday | Comments 0
Hooker thoughts and what needs to be done to WIN game 4. 1. Change the top line- I think we need to change the top line period. The Flames know what to expect from that top line. I say send Cheech and Joe to the 2nd and promote Little Joe, Patty and Seto/Clowe to the top line. This then allows the top line (Joe and Cheech) to have a little more space and MAYBE just get...
Tonight is Game 4 between the Sharks and Flames with Calgary carrying huge momentum from their game 3 comeback win/Sharks meltdown, depending on how you view the situation. It doesn't matter whether the hit by Sarich on Marleau was clean or not. (I think it honestly was a clean hit) The Sharks never responded, and let Calgary fight their way for a victory. Complaining a...
It looked like a game I'd played in EA Sports' NHL hockey videogames many, many times. Not only did one team have a ridiculous shot count advantage, the team trailing in that category had a comically low amount of shots. And yet, somehow, the team with less than 15 shots on goal was somehow leading the game because of two good plays. But in the final minutes, the natural o...
Hooker here. As are all of you in today after last nights big win. How can you be having a bad day?? So some of my thoughts on last nights game (some good, some bad)!! First I will start off with the good. Ryan Clowe WOW!!! This guy has really made an impact in this line up. He looks like a shark in the water stalking its next victim (no pun intended). I love...
So, heading into game 4 of the Flames/Sharks series if there was ever a particular scenario that I would absolutely want to avoid happening... It would be exactly what happened last night. Everything that I was afraid of happening, happened. First of all, the Flames jumped out to an early lead then attempted to try and win the game 1-0. If there's one thing we'v...
Stlbluescujo31 writes...

Who will start?

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
So is anyone else thinking Curtis Joseph has a chance to start tonights game for Calgary or does Kipper get the start again? Honestly I think Iron Mike will go with Kipper but how can you not give a chance to Cujo when he deffinatly made the impact of game 4 to let Calgary come back and even the series? What does everyone think? Give Cujo a chance or start Kipper?
The Sharks are coming off one of their biggest win's in franchise history, coming from behind Calgary to beat them 3-2. Game 4 will be remembered by all Sharks fans as the game that truly proved the Sharks have heart, character, determination, and any other adjectives to describe a team that can win the Stanley Cup. However, nothing is over. There are still 2 more ga...
The endgame has arrived for the 2007-2008 Calgary Flames. Despite arguably their best team effort all series, the Flames fell in San Jose, 4-3, a frustrating loss that has put them facing first-round elimination for the third straight year on Sunday night at the 'Dome. This loss wasn't as disheartening as the Game 4 disaster on Tuesday. But perhaps, tonight's game showed o...
Having already outdone the critics by keeping pace with the heavily favored Sharks for four out of five games, the Calgary Flames have gone the extra mile and forced them to a winner-take-all Game 7 by defeating the Sharks 2-0 at home in a must-win Game 6. And judging from their efforts the past two games, it's genuinely a toss up. I am trying to avoid sounding like Rob Ke...
Ah, well we are back at square one again. This merry-go-round of good games, and then bad games is incredibly frustrating. There is a 50/50 chance of which team the Sharks decide to be on Tuesday night. Will it be boys or men? Will it be the Sharks of February or March? Only the Sharks can decide that, and their fate..... and their future. Last night, the Shark...
There is nothing better than a game 7 in the National Hockey League playoffs. It doesn't matter who's playing. I could barely wait until 5pm MTN yesterday for the Habs/Bruins to start and then listening to that crowd and U2 belting out in the background... how could you not be pumped. I'll start with some tidbits from the other series before I touch on the game 7's. ...
icedog97 writes...

Take Me Out to the Ballgame?

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
The Penguins clinched their series with the Ottawa Senators early with a sweep. There hasn't been a Penguins game in an entire week. All this "down" time has me watching the other series wrap up (GO CAPS and FLAMES in your game 7's) and waiting anxiously for our Round 2 opponent! It also gave me a chance to catch up on what the Pittsburgh Pirates doing these day...
I have to say, with all due respect to Caps fans, I would rather lose like we did, than lose an absolutely heartbreaking game in OT... at home. Yeah, we all hope for a good game, but a good game means a close game and those are so much harder to get over. But what makes this pill easier to handle is to watch the way the Sharks handled themselves after the game, in the ...
Although six games had me in a brief fantasy, in reality, I have been waiting to write this post since mid-March, just as the Calgary Herald's Bruce Dowbiggin is undoubtedly rubbing his hands in glee as he writes his long awaited blasting of Darryl Sutter that I think is a good bet to appear in tomorrow's paper. The Calgary Flames have been eliminated in the first round of...
In retrospect, maybe I was a bit too critical, too soon, on Tuesday night. As I read the other Flames blogs, which merely focused on the game in posts of reasonable length and simple bitterness at the Flames blow a Game 7 they had a good chance of winning if they came out with a good effort. And then I went back to my long, rambling post which practically put the game comp...
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I looked it up and believe that the 2003-04 Calgary Flames are the only team to have ever gone to the Stanley Cup Finals by eliminating the 1, 2 and 3 seeds in their conference during the playoffs.... So if the Flyers pull it off against Pittsburgh, which I think they have a real solid shot of doing, they would be the first team in the Easte...
For me, the past 45 days have been spent wanting the playoffs to go on as long as possible, to prolong the inevitably long offseason for the Calgary Flames. Oh, and because it makes for better hockey, but I digress. The offseason is finally here. And my first blog post since the Flames' elimination from the playoffs will focus on two important Flames rumors: Daymond Langko...
Marty Brodeur may have had to have his best season to keep this Devils club stay in mix this year. His defense is a shell of it's championship days ,with two former devils d man winning cups in back to back years. Congrats to Scott Niedermayer and this years champ Brian Rafalski, good job Lou. With the likes of Rangers give away Karel Rachunek and Jonnie O' umm you bet...
For the first time since 2003, the Calgary Flames look like they have a viable 1st round draft pick with #17 in the first round. It looks as if the Flames will be looking for a forward in this slot and if the hype for D comes through, they could be staring at a pretty solid prospect being available when their time comes. But let's look around the draft for a moment and ...
Whether you think he'll be bought out, then signed as a Free agent or traded willingly, the general feeling is that Darcy Tucker will likely end next season on a different NHL team. Moving him really doesn't free up that much cap cash, but players like Tucker can be game-breakers, and as such, retains a good reputation among NHL coaches and GMs. So, assuming there are t...
I apologize for not posting this earlier than a few hours before the draft. Better late than never, right? I used to scoff at those diehards who sat through the entire NHL draft (especially considering that typically, the first 5-10 picks aren't that hard to predict). But this year, the relative desperateness of the Flames' prospect pool - and future as a whole - has ca...
Perhaps I underestimated Darryl Sutter. Minutes after he managed to get a 1st round (AND 2nd round, as I found out later) pick for disgruntled cap eater Alex Tanguay, Gord Miller reported as the Lightning prepared to take Steven Stamkos that there had already been a trade. I assumed he was confirming the Tanguay deal, but no, it was another trade with Calgary at the center...
FLAMESTR writes...

Flames on the weekend

Posted Sunday | Comments 0
The Flames made a couple of transactions on the draft weekend that tell me that Sutter is beginning to retool the squad. First of all they traded Alex Tanguay along with their 5th rounder to the Montreal Canadians for first round pick this year and the 2nd next year. Minutes later, they acquired LA Kings forward Michael Cammalleri and a 2nd rounder in the Conroy acqu...
Raycroft#1Fan writes...

Ya Rly.

Posted Monday | Comments 0
Just a follow up to the last blog, you actually CAN get banned for mentioning Eklund's disgusting foreskin. To be honest, i'm just reporting the truth, something Eklund fails to ever do. What is wrong with this world, people speak the truth and get banned, while a fat greasy bastard bullshits every single day and get peoples hopes up thinking their favourite hockey tea...
Part 2 of my outlook on the Calgary Flames off-season looking ahead to 08-09... Sure enough, Daryl Sutter's quiet demeanor leading up to the draft was exactly what I thought it was... he was gearing up for a major deal. As I pointed out in my pre-draft blog, the Flames are going to be up against the cap in a major way this year and desperately need to shed some sala...
I know this may not be a blog in the normal sense, but I am trying to figure out what hockey fans like when they watch NHL games on TV. Obviously everyone wants every game in HD, but in terms of the broadcast in general, what draws your attention? The TV crew cannot create a game, only the players can; however, during the first 5 minutes of the broadcast (called the Open...
***Updated at the bottom of the blog*** The announcement of these 3 players being put on waiver's to start the buy-out process comes as somewhat of a surprise to me, albeit, a very welcome and exciting surprise. I've written recently that I didn't expect Daryl Sutter to exercise his right to buy out any of the gaudy contracts that were on the Flames books and really ...
FLAMESTR writes...

FLAMES WAIVE THREE

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
The Calgary Flames put Rhett Warner, Anders Erickson, and Marcus Nilson on waivers. This leads me to wonder if there is a major move coming or a ufa signing. Either way, Sutter really had no choice but to do the move to improve their chances for the upcoming season. The Flames would have had to put up with predictions of doom and gloom if they did not made changes for...
I'll be plopped in front of TSN on Tuesday for the excitement, but if the Calgary Flames manage to make a big splash, it'll just be a bonus. Although the departure of Rhett Warrener, Marcus Nilson and Anders Eriksson cleared up a bit of cap space, the re-signings of Daymond Langkow, Craig Conroy, Curtis McElhinney and Eric Nystrom make huge grabs on the UFA market very unl...
According to sources close to Curtis Glencross, he has signed with the Calgary Flames. The deal took place around supper time, July 1st. The terms of the deal are reportedly 3 years, 3.2 million and won't be announced until tomorrow. Glencross was tops on my free agent list in terms of players I felt would come to Calgary.
As much as I scoffed at the money thrown at players like Cristobal Huet, Jeff Finger, Brian Campbell, Wade Redden and Mike Commodore, I was also very disheartened in the relative quiet on the Flames' front on July 1. Though today's signings of Jim Vandermeer and Curtis Glencross make the situation a little better, their inability to find a viable 2nd line still makes the p...
The Calgary Flames have signed defensemen Jim Vandermeer and his brother, right winger Peter Vandermeer. The Flames did not stop there; they also inked winger Curtis Glencross. So basically, Vandy will be in the slot of a fourth or fifth defenseman. Peter will be a Quad City roster spot depth move; do not expect him to fill a spot with the big club. Curtis will be...
First of all, I want to thank everyone for all of the comments recently and especially the kind words when I broke the news of the Curtis Glencross signing and terms on July 1st. I appreciate all of the support and love to see as many comments as possible. I will continue to give as much Flames analysis and insight this off-season. I have addressed what I felt Sutter ...
According to TSN.ca, the Calgary Flames have signed recently bought-out RW Todd Bertuzzi to a one-year deal worth 1.95 million. The move comes just a day after the announcement that Owen Nolan has signed a 2-year pact with the Minnesota Wild for 5.5 million. If anyone has read my previous blogs, they will know what a huge fan I was of Owen Nolan. A lot of people look ...
First off, let's see how I did with my off-season move guesses (http://my.hockeybuzz.com/user.php?user_id=19560) and what Sutter did in comparison to my guesses: 1) [i]Trade Matthew Lombardi, Anders Eriksson, Andrej Taratukhin, and 2009 #2 Draft Pick to Florida for Olli Jokinen[/i]: [b]FAIL[/b]. Ok, so this big trade didn't happen, but that's not to say Sutter didn't try ...
FLAMESTR writes...

BERTUZZI BACK LASH

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
The world has come to an end. Well, not literally, but figuratively, with the signing of Big Burt. The Calgary Flames have signed Todd Bertuzzi to a one-year contract worth 1.95 million buckaroo's (I do know buckaroo's is not a word.) The factor that makes this interesting is the call for mercy from the Flames. They are asking the fans to give Bert a second chance. T...
Conroy 24 writes...

Yelle With pride. What Next.

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
I decided to write this blogg hoping maybe that Yelle would read it and return to the Flames. Just kidding, but I know that I would to see him return to the Flames to Center our Fourth line with the kids. Now Sutter I know has mentioned that he wishes Yelle the best, and said he will find a job in the nhl for sure. But I think maybe Sutter should think about resigning him ...
In what can only be described as an incredibly surprising move, Daryl Sutter has signed free agent forward Jamie Lundmark. Lundmark had spent parts of two seasons with the Flames, his first of which after being acquired in the deal with the Coyotes for a fourth round pick. He was expected to add depth to our forwards for a playoff run and add some scoring. He did ju...
The Flames have apparently signed the tough enforcer. This came out of left field. I really thought the Flames were beginning to look like the 04 flames. They said they were going to be younger this season. This is a contradicting to that phillosphy. This move also adds another 4th liner for the Flames. But there could be another sinister plot in Sutter's mind. Co...
A short blog on today on the first day Lalande, Kevin Had a great day, his play has really improved. Kevin's lateral movement from side to side was very good. Still needs to work on his angles giving to much room for the shooter. But he is quicker than last year he looks like he has had a good summer working out. Keetley, Matt Looks like the old Matt as us...
[b]DAY 2 THE FORWARD AND DEFENCMEN COME TO CAMP [/b] Let me start out like this; I am telling you about this camp through my eyes. It is really hard to judge a rookie by a first day in camp. I can only tell you what I see. This is not a make-or-break statement about said rookies. Now, that being said, let's discuss the observations of camp day 2. [b] Group A[/b] ...
[b]DAY 4 PROSPECTS CAMP[/b] First of all, I am going to try to have a small write up on every prospect except Boyd; he is not really a prospect. I want to apologize for some criticisms, I am just commenting on how they played, not on the person. [b]GROUP A[/b] [b]FORWARDS[/b] [b]75 John Armstrong[/b] John continues to shine he is beginning to show why we d...
drake17 writes...

North West Outlook

Posted Sunday | Comments 0
This year the North West division might be the closest and one of the most interesting divisions in hockey. Why you ask? Well because all 5 teams have a legitimate chance of winning the Division but all face certain questions that could make or break there season. But who really knows anyone could be a top three seed come April. [u][b]Colorado Avalanche[/b][/u] ...
I would like to thank Mr. Spratt Personally he was a great to allow me some time with him. I can tell, what the Flames see in James Spratt you can tell a lot about man by his dad thanks so much again. I will posting another interview with Mr Severen in a couple of days both men deserve equal time. ...
With training camp about 6 weeks away the Calgary Flames sit at about 2.3 million over the salary cap (according to Cap Central). If you count the signing of Andre Roy, which was actually a one-way deal at 550,000, it puts the Flames nearly 3 million dollars over the cap. GM Darryl Sutter has been seen on Canadian Media and read throughout local papers saying he's done...
[b]Interview with Mr. Severen CJ's father[/b] [b]FLAMESTR[/b]: You mentioned one thing yesterday that I want to start out with. He started out at what, four and a half? [b]Severyn[/b]: He was rollerblading at three and a half, and at four and a half he stepped on the ice. The first time he stepped...
[b]OVERALL IMPRESSIONS OF THE FLAMES PROSPECTS CAMP[/b] I was quite pleased when I went to this camp. It was really interesting to see the progress of the players. I love the talent; I had no idea of the ability of the prospects. The Flames will have a solid future for many years to come. Especially in the net, where they have plenty of depth. What made it more fun...
It's fun when the team you cheer for has great propects and great prospect camps because you get to hope that they will crack the line up, this was the case recently in Calgary where some of the young talent made the fans think, "what if?". "Flamstr" wrote a few great blogs on prospect camp and even interviewed the families of a couple (if you haven't read these it's wort...
I love looking back to see what kind of ramifications past trades hold on the present-time NHL. For example, in 1990 the Flames and Devils swapped a number of picks that gave the Flames the 11th pick (Trevor Kidd) and the Devils the 20th pick... which just happened to be Martin Brodeur. Bruins blogger Jesse Connolly wrote about the Cam Neely/Barry Pederson trade that, af...
After a great blog by Mslepp on the Gilmore/ Leeman trade I was inspired to point out a few really poor trades in the club's history. You tell me what you think was the worst of the following or if you have one to add, by all means please do so! First up has to be the aforementioned Trade: Jamie Macoun, Ric Nattress, Kent Manderville, and Rick Wamsley FOR Gary Leeman,...
What a great day for Hockey in Alberta as the joint bid between the cities of Calgary and Edmonton announced as the hosts of the 2012 WJHC, beating out a solid bid from the centre of the universe. First, the Calgary Flames unveil their 5 biggest acquisitions this off-season at a presser earlier in the week, an email from a friend setting up our fantasy hockey draft da...
This has been quite the off-season for the Ottawa Senators and Andrej Meszaros. After the Sens completely tanked the regular season and barely put up a fight in round 1 of the playoffs, possibly their top RFA refuses to sign a long-term contract with the club, pushing for as much money as possible. Now the Ottawa Senators have shipped Andrej Meszaros to the Tampa B...
The Edmonton Oilers organization is hosting a prospect tournament in Camrose Alberta for the prospects of the Flames, Oilers and Vancouver Canucks. Last night, in the first meeting the Flames' prospects squeaked out a 1-0 victory over the Oilers Prospects, here is break down of a few of the standouts in my not so humble opinion. OILERS: Devan Dubnyk- Goalie: You can ...
My pet self-created rumor for the past three months has caught on the mainstream media. On Sunday, the Edmonton Journal's Jim Matheson speculated that instead of Mathieu Schneider, the Los Angeles Kings may trade for Adrian Aucoin. Such a trade would give Calgary as much as $4 million in cap space, and give the Kings an experienced, offensive defenceman to aid their young,...
After initially deciding not to in the early summer, Flames assistant coach Wayne Fleming has left the team to take the head coaching job in Omsk of the Continental Hockey League. Surprising news, especially this close to training camp. This is a move that adversely affects the Flames, and puts even more pressure on Mike Keenan and his staff. With Fleming gone, the...
FLAMESTR writes...

FLAMES CAMP REPORT

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Let me apoloize for horrible writing but my heart was in the right place TRAINING CAMP REPORT We went to all of the Group A Session. I did miss half of group B, we left around 2 pm. So in all fairness, my Group B impression might not be as good. I am just writing on the players who made the best showing in the practice to me. Rhett Warrener Rhett looks in...
I was out at the Dome today it appears that Backlund will start between Bert and Iggy the other combos Presut Nystom Primeau boyd Lombardi Bourque Glencross Lundmark Moss I think was the last one Talked to Curtis McElhinney today told he was starting Matt Keetly to be the backup other news Mike Cammalleri got injured at practice was not there today also Lala...
sirwin31 writes...

Flames First Pre-Season Game

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
(After a 5 month absence from posting) I went to the game tonight against the Panthers, and these were my thoughts on some individual performances... [u]The Good:[/u] [b]Iginla: [/b] -Looked in mid season form -Scored a beauty off a Boyd feed -Just hope he stays healthy and plays a full season *knock on wood* [b]Boyd: [/b] -Made a nice play on ...
What I have to say might sound crazy to some. But I'm going to pick my top nine teams in each conference to make the play offs. Top nine you say? Well considering that each season one of the divisions always appears a bit weaker than the others and nearly or completely blocks out a team with a better record. Western Confernce: Detriot- Though I think the road for ...
[b]Camp Notes for the Week For the Flames[/b] The Calgary Flames are 2-1 on the season losing to the Panthers 2-1 and beat the Coyotes twice. But overall, I think you have to be really impressed with the team as a whole. The Flames have surprised me this week by mostly using a veteran line-up. The real battle is on defense, as Warrener, Erikisson, Pardy, and Vande...
I know, I know, everyone and their dog is doing predictions (although Bert is quite good at it I hear)...here goes more Western Conference 1. Detroit 2. San Jose 3. Calgary 4. Anaheim 5. Dallas 6. Chicago 7. Minnesota 8. Edmonton 9. Colorado 10. Columbus 11. Vancouver 12. Phoenix 13. St. Louis 14. Nashville 15. Los Angeles Eastern Conference 1. Mo...
I don't care that my season preview is technically late. (I mean, the Europe games don't even count in my fantasy league or the HBSL so...) The pre-season is over and I have no questions about the Flames that I did not have on July 1. I'll recap these critical questions – the factors that will determine whether the Flames can finally get over the hump this year, and expl...
[b]FLAMES SEASON PREVIEW[/b] Someone asked me how I thought the Flames would do this year. That is hard to predict, because there are so many factors involved this season. The main problem I have with the Flames is the same old problem - not enough scoring. We have several forwards, but in all honesty, we have just too many third and fourth liners. I feel the Flames hav...
Heading into the 4th post-lockout season, I want to take a look at the Calgary Flames from top to bottom. Where do they stand in the NHL? What does the future hold for our team? And, what can we expect from this season? Back in 2001 the Calgary Flames were mired in a slump that saw the team miss seven consecutive post-seasons. It was horrible. Although there's been...
True, I've been waiting for this day to come ever since he coughed up the puck to Danny Briere opening night last season in the 'dome. Anders Eriksson is officially an ex-Calgary Flame. But I'll get back to that in a second. First, I'd like to re-post what I wrote about Rhett Warrener when he was initially waived back in June. Sparking the notion that his time wi...
saneopinion writes...

The sky is falling

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
One player during the pre-saeson stood out as a guy who came into camp that was game to play. He wanted a spot on the roster and he got one... just maybe in a little while. Dustin Boyd, leading pre-season scorer, was assigned to Quad city today...why?? Well the Answer is because Rhett Warrener is on injured reserve and until he can be declared a long term injury where h...
All speculation is over on who is going to make it (the only one of significance in debate was Filatov), who we would lose on waivers (none), and would we pick up anyone (no). We now have our team built by the architecture firm of H&H Architects. This team screams Hitchcock. With few exceptions, this team is big, strong and fast. All will compete, there will be no excep...
CanuckBloggin writes...

Canuck Gold

Posted Friday | Comments 0
First I would like to commend the Canuck organization for the impressive and sincere tribute to the late [url=http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3108/2537906452_2730d20d83.jpg]Luc Bourdon[/url]. For those who didn't have the opportunity to see the heart-warming display it began with two massive portraits of Luc on the ice surface. Tom Cochraine and Red Rider performed "Big L...
S Kaspar Rollins writes...

Knee Jerk Reactions

Posted Friday | Comments 0
Yes, it was the first game of the season. And yes, the Flames were playing in a place they'd only won three out of eight contests the previous year despite clearly being the better team. And yes, it was made even harder by the fact the Canucks were dedicating their home opener to the late Luc Bourdon. But no matter when it happens, or under what circumstances, there aren't...
I wasn't intending to write a post after tonight's game. But considering this was a 5-4 overtime loss that was much more lopsided than the score, and considering this followed a 6-0 season-opening loss to the same team, I figured it was noteworthy enough. Only two games out of 82 may be in the books, but in short, the Flames look even worse than my most pessimistic state c...
Yeah my title was a tribute to Talladega nights Jean Girard and his "formula UN" and my clever segue (or not so clever as obvious) is that tonight's game is going to be a speed race with a lot of collisions...just like the real Talladega. Everyone was aware coming into this game that the Oilers has youth, speed and skill on at their side, if you haven't seen Lubomir Visnov...
FLAMESTR writes...

No need to panic

Posted Saturday | Comments 0
The Calgary Flames took way too many penalties and the Oilers made them pay tonight, as the Oil defeated the Flames 4-3. The Flames continue to make bad plays up the middle and play too loose in their zone. The key point was the Oilers' awesome power play as they ripped three power play goals. The Flames continue their woes with silly penalties, which ultimately cost...
Apologizing to Flamestr for kind of ripping off his blog title. Think of this as a sort of point/counterpoint thing. On the strength of three consecutive second period powerplay goals, the Oilers beat the Flames 4-3 tonight in the first Battle of Alberta of the season. Aside from the powerplays alone, the Flames were generally dominated, being outshot 35-29 and being ou...
FLAMESTR writes...

MAYBE IT IS TIME TO PANIC

Posted Sunday | Comments 0
Todd Bertuzzi keeps his 82 goal pace, Langkow cashes in on another power play as the Calgary Flames made the Oilers pay for penalties in the first period. It was nice for a change to see the powerplay connect tonight. I have to say, I am so pleased with how well Todd Bertuzzi is playing tonight; he looks very good for the Flames. Bert leads the team in goals connecting e...
A lead blown. Three straight goals in the second period. Complete domination in the speed department. It was the same story in a different building tonight, as the Flames fell 3-2 tonight at Rexall Place, losing to the Oilers for the second straight night. I saw this game as simply a one period effort, with little promise shown. After a 17-3 shot advantage and 2-0 lead ...
FLAMESTR writes...

GAME REPORT CAPS VS FLAMES

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
[b] Game Report[/b] Jarome Iginla and Matthew Lombardi score two goals 1.42 minutes apart in the second period as the the Flames defeated the Caps 2-1. The Flames snapped a 2 game losing streak. [b]The Good[/b] The Calgary Flames were perfect on the penalty kill, including a 9 minute power play. Their defensive zone was much better, limiting the Capitals' scoring ...
FLAMESTR writes...

NHL MARKETING 101

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
Have you ever seen a kid at Christmas or do you remember when you were a kid at Christmas? Well, I got a neat reminder when I was at the Flames practice this morning. I guess you could say the Capitals' practice this morning when my boy and his two best friends were patiently waiting for the Capitals to come onto the ice. Well, they were just waiting for one player in pa...
FLAMESTR writes...

Flames Stop Coyotes

Posted Sunday | Comments 0
If someone was to ask me about the performance from the Calgary Flames, I would have to say it was the most impressive victory of the season. Why? because every aspect of the Flames games was at its best. What do I mean? Well, let me explain. [b]Power Play[/b] The Flames scored two powerplay goals, it was nice to see Bert score in the first period and Dion score a...
I am a little upset at the selfishness of the Calgary Flames organization, I just want to write some blogs and voice my opinion on how I would change things. I think it is ludicrous they won't give me one thing to write about. Is it so much to ask to just have the power play fail at least so I can continue my call for new special teams coaching? But nooooo, they have t...
Big Bert has been nothing short of spectacular, this season. He has the strength of an ox. He has great hands, including one of the best behind-the-back passes to Iggy tonight. It was a spectacular, no-look pass. The goal he scored was a great deke on Gigy as he breezed into the Ducks zone. He has great strength and will not be taken off the puck. The problem tonight is...
saneopinion writes...

Take a seat.

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
Craig Conroy, you are the latest winner on "take a seat!", a game show for players that do there very best to make an individual effort to lose a game for their team! After letting Shane Doan walk past you while you checked for dirt under your nails and after you stopped skating to let Stephan Reinprect walk in on your goalie un-checked you also win... saneopinion making f...
Dustin Boyd practiced with the number one line, and while Keenan isn't known for sticking to one line all game, it does show that the Flames' drafting has improved since Sutter took over. A quick look at the roster for this current year will show that the drafting done since Sutter took over is helping the team. Nystrom first round 10th overall, Prust third round 70th o...
saneopinion writes...

The game with everything

Posted Friday | Comments 0
It seems obvious to me that Craig Conroy is an avid hockeybuzz reader because after I ripped into him after last game he came out and had his best game of the season. The game tonight had everything you would want as a hockey fan, the second period alone had 5 goals, 2 fights and a massive hit by Sarich. The game had fights, goals, big saves, bad refing...really bad, b...
FLAMESTR writes...

THE SKY IS FALLING

Posted Monday | Comments 0
I am hearing all sorts of panic from the Flames fans. Yes, the sky is falling. Our defense is standing around. Our forwards are back to not helping the defense Kipper is back to being human. Generally, this team reminds me of Dr Jeckell and Mr Hyde. I just do not understand how this team can be so awesome one night and terrible the next. This phenomenon does not go j...
saneopinion writes...

It Ryhmes with Bombardi.

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
Say what you will regarding the Calary Flames team defense, the seconday scoring, which is critical this season is heating up. Yes that pun is completley intentional and I do will not apologize for it! Here's a quick look at the pace of the secondary guys: Boyd: 30 goals 10 assists Moss: 10 goals 19 assists Bourque: 14 goals 29 assists Conroy: 14 goals 24 assists G...
The Calgary Flames were frankly an embarrassment tonight. They did nothing right. They were not skating and not hitting and Kipper was, well, not good. The forwards continue to stand still. The defense continues to back up in their zone, they are just panicking every time they touched the puck. Our defense is slow, plain and simple; we cannot continue to be caught fla...
After their 6-1 embarrassment at the hands of the Sharks on Thursday, the Flames really couldn't have delivered a better birthday present to this blogger. In their most impressive effort yet, they fired 51 (!) shots at Peter Budaj, who preserved the game until Adrian Aucoin's game winning goal 12:28 into the 3rd. The final score was 4-1, a score far too generous to the Avs...
Have you ever been beat so badly at something that you couldn't wait for revenge? To put your heart and soul into doing anything to redeem yourself? ... I haven't... But I imagine that is the way the avalanche feel, their own news outlets in Denver were highly critical of the team for it's performance in Calgary two nights ago as well as some outspoken members of...
There are two teams in the league that most people would agree are the super elite. The Sharks and the Wings. After Calgary was creamed by San Jose in a one sided embarrasing loss they came back and looked to have the right idea but against a practice squad called the Avalanch. So the talk was about taking what they learned after being spanked by San Jose and the two w...
Connie has his best game of the year. Bourque scores twice, Glencross gets three points - one goal and 2 assists, and Connie bags three assists. The three of them worked like a fine tuned machine, seemingly knowing where each other was constantly. The Flames were basically all over them the whole game. I loved their legs. When this team skates, they are extreamly danger...
The Flames are facing a huge home and home against their rivals the Vancouver Canucks and lets be clear...it's huge...did I say huge? I meant Godzilla size. Why? That's a great question, it's only a quarter of the way through the season, how big could it be? Well the Flames have are 4-3-1 against divisional teams this year, barely over .500, the Canucks are 5-0-1 which...
The most boring snooze-fest happened this evening in the Pengrowth Saddledome. The game showed very little offense in the first two periods; I think I saw Kipper fall asleep in net a couple of times. The Canucks had two anemic power plays in the first period. The Calgary Flames had a horrible attempt themselves on the powerplay. The only saving grace this game had was that...
Newman writes...

A Day to Forget for Number 3

Posted Wednesday | Comments 3
Tonight marked the first night the Dallas Stars looked like the Dallas Stars everyone is used to seeing; minus giving up 37 shots on net. And to solve that problem they had Marty Turco at his finest. He stole the game away for the Stars and did not give the home town Flames much all night. The Flames stuck to their game plan all night, getting pressure on the forecheck ...
The Calgary Flames did not show up to play the Blues, as the Defense stood around and Kipper bailed out the team. The main concern I have is that this team has been like this all year. I thought they were snapping out of it, then they put on a game like this tonight. They were terrible in the first period, a period that was dominated by the Blues, who came out with a 2-0 ...
Michael Cammalleri. Ten goals, eleven assists in 25 games and two game winning markers. The Flames are getting exactly what they asked for in this diminutive forward who has an eye for the net and a rougher side than most people think. He has a rifle of a shot and actually uses it, unlike the number 13 who plays for Les Habitants and used to dawn the Flaming C. He, along ...
The Calgary Flames played their best defensive game of the of the season. Kipper was outstanding, kicking out all 31 shots. Now you may say it sounds like Kipper stole the game, but the defense really did limit the scoring chances. The forwards really came back to help the defense. When the forwards do their part in the defensive zone, this team can be successful. The best...
What had looked like their best effort of the season turned into the most heartbreaking loss of the year for the Calgary Flames tonight. Despite two two-goal leads, an unexpectedly valiant effort from Curtis McElhinney in net, and the best overall effort of the season, the Flames still lost 4-3 in overtime to the Red Wings. There are two main reasons I see for this los...
Newman writes...

MaC Attack not Enough!

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
Curtis McElhinney started in his second game of the year and third of his career. He played great stopping 35 shots but it still was not enough to earn him a win in the National Hockey League. Up 3-1 midway through the third period the Flames allowed the high powered Wings to score 2 goals in four minutes of play forcing the game into overtime. The Red Wings come at you no...
The Flames roll into St. Louis on Tuesday to face the injury riddled Blues. With likes of key players such Paul Kariya , Manny Legace, Andy Mcdonald, Eric Brewer, D.J. King , and Erik Johnson all out of the line up. One would assume Calgary should easily be able to manhandle the basement dwellers of the western conference. St.Louis 's pains are Calgary's gains. The rec...
Jarome Iginla beat the St Louis Blues tonight. Immediately after he scored the first goal of the game off his elbow (maybe the weirdest goal he has ever scored), Iginla dominated the Blues shift after shift. Winning battles, sharp accurate passes and one laser “Patented Leg Kick” Iggy snap shot over the shoulder of Blues goalie Chris Mason proved to the world again tha...
I know how much all of you guys missed my posts as I was in Hawaii (insert guffaw from my dripping sarcasm here) but I have to tell you what I have been telling everyone else in my life... I'm always right and no one ever listens to me! After the Wild (are you sure that name handle isn't lame enough?? what about the Minnesota craaaaaaazies!!! or the Minnesota angry bea...
Calgary enters Minnesota after a very strong showing in St.Louis on Tuesday night. A very nice confidence booster for Mathew Lombardi with 3 points on the night and Mike Cammalleri knocking in a goal and an assist. Jarome Iginla with his career stats vs the Blues only got better knocking in 2 goals and assisting on 2 , for a 4 point night. Strong showing from Corey Sarich ...
Look, I keep hearing about how Mats Sundin is going to take Vancouver to new heights and how he will affect the Flames in terms of head to head match ups. Mats is just a little bit better than Daymond Langkow, he's not the best thing since sliced bread, he just consistently good. Over the last two seasons Langkow and Sundin are only about 10 points apart roughly... and Gil...
Lets pose this question not just to Flames fans but also to hockey fans. Dion's defensive play is being over shadowed by [i]Todd Bertuzzi's[/i] horrible +/- rating. Dion has the second worst +/- on the team, now some may say that's because he averages 28:03 in ice time so there is more of chance for goals against. If that was true then [i]Robyn Regher[/i] with his 22...
In the spirit of the Season I am posting some of the trades I'd like to see happen prior to the playoffs this year. In my opinion the Flames need to address a second line right winger and I think the Canadiens might move Kovalev as he is super under preforming and a UFA next year. You know Keenan would love to have him and he would fit nicely with langkow and Bertuzzi. Goi...
S Kaspar Rollins writes...

No Nepotism Here!

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
The Calgary Flames gave their fans an early Christmas present with a hard-fought 4-3 win over the Anaheim Ducks Tuesday night. Of all the efforts from this game, the one that truly has to stand out is that of Brett Sutter, called up by his father Darryl to play on the fourth line, who scored the game-changing goal early in the third period and could not have played a bett...
Newman writes...

Christmas Wishes...

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
Was that a smile from Darryl Sutter? It might have been as his son, Brett Sutter, scored his first NHL goal in his first NHL game to tie the Flames with the Ducks 14 seconds after the Quackers took their first lead. Sutter, after shockingly being called up from the minors just days before Christmas, made an impact that few thought possible as he was flying all night and...
FLAMESTR writes...

Bork Bork 6 Sens 3

Posted Sunday | Comments 0
The Calgary Flames played one of the most dominating third periods of the season as they out shot the Sens 20-9 in the third period The Sens started the game with a 2-0 with goals by Philliips and Spezza. Then Mr. Bourque took over this game by scoring 2 goals in a little over 60 seconds. Then Roy scores another a minute later as the Sens play as bad as they can to allo...
Pre-Game: Senators vs. Canucks The Ottawa Senators are looking to avoid one streak and continue another as they face-off against the Vancouver Canucks tonight. The Luongo-less Canucks are 5-4-1 in their last ten games but have fallen short in their last two, including one to the Edmonton Oilers despite sporting a 10-5-1 record at home this season. The Senators are curre...
craignukem writes...

Spezza Rumor All Hot Air?

Posted Sunday | Comments 0
Spezza to Calgary? Every year there seems to be someone putting out a rumor that leaves me laughing out loud. Since the lockout every expert panel from TSN to The Hockey News says Iginla needs a number one centre. Now I'm not here to debate if he needs the centre I'm here to debate the rumors. I was at last nights Ottawa vs. Calgary game and could say that...
Dan Ryder, who just came back from taking a year off of hockey and was once considered one of the Flames best prospects at center has been suspended again for "violation of team rules and conduct detrimental to the best interests of the team.". If you are unaware who Dan Ryder is, he is the younger brother of the more famous Michael Ryder of the bruins. But to the organ...
I was hoping the Oilers would have beat the Sens last night, at least they wouldn't have the motivation of being beaten at home by one of the worst teams in the league to go on as they visit Calgary. They have beaten Calgary twice and you'd assume the Flames are looking for payback for the two losses suffered at the hands of their provincial rivals. The Oilers are looking ...
saneopinion writes...

One has to wonder...

Posted Friday | Comments 0
After a disappointing loss to the Ottawa Senators, who are brutal on the road, and a very bitter loss to their arch rivals on new years after blowing three leads the Edmonton Oilers Fans are officially angry. As I alluded to in my last blog several friends of mine are Oiler fans and I did hear about it on new years with out even having a chance to gloat! I was receivin...
I have had experience playing goal and one thing I can tell you in that your body recovers much more quickly than your mind. If you play night after night you simply will get lapses in concentration and even if you respond quickly you might forget to do the little things that help you make a save like keeping you paddle on the ice in the butterfly. If you think I'm blam...
There were some pretty high scoring players in this latest world junior, when I looked at Canada and Sweden I noticed something not very talked about. Behind Tavares (8), Eberle (6) and Hodgson (5) the guy with the most goals on the otherside was Flames prospect Backlund (5). Eberle and hodgson each had an empty netter tonight as well. I think it would be fair to say th...
There were some pretty high scoring players in this latest world junior, when I looked at Canada and Sweden I noticed something not very talked about. Behind Tavares (8), Eberle (6) and Hodgson (5) the guy with the most goals on the otherside was Flames prospect Backlund (5). Eberle and hodgson each had an empty netter tonight as well. I think it would be fair to say th...
Listen, There is not even an argument that the first team all Stars should not be first team all stars. It used to mean something to be selected to the starting team, now it means that Montreal fans spend more on texting than Detroit fans. If you, as a fan that stuffed the box, can really tell me that Toews deserves the starting center over Thornton then I would also a...
I recently posted a blog about the all star game and I wrote the following paragraph: "The All Star game is meant to show case the NHL's best, even if they weren't named to the first team most will still be there but when they play a meaningless game in an uninspired way it doesn't showcase anything to an American Audience that is, in all honesty, already uncaring." ...
This is the time of year for New Year's resolutions. You know - the one where most people will try to not to eat people for the year. Well, that might be a bad example. I have decided to make resolutions for other people, since I am too perfect and do not need to improve at all. I think it is time someone pointed out some good new year resolutions for the poor misguided h...
Well the eastern roster is out and the habs, thanks to their loyal fans have 4 players in the starting lineup (they would have had 6 if it was not for pens fans). Lets look at the 4 players the habs have in the all star game (cant argue with Malkin and sid for starters) # Pos Player GP G A P +/- PIM 79 D Andrei Markov 39 6 23 29 8 18 ...
predram writes...

Sundin returns

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
He's back in the NHL and playing for the Canucks. He certainly gave Ek a lot of material to work with in terms of being the focus (somewhat) of the hockey universe for the last long while. I really had been hoping for a larger build up to his return and really didn't get much. Living in the Vancouver area, I was kinda hoping for a little buzz about the guy but didn't g...
Last night was a perfect example of why Real Flames Fans like Iginla. Everyone has been on his case for not scoring in 6 games. For not scoring against San Jose. Asking questions like "What kind of a leader is he if he isn't scoring?" Calgary's 5th goal against the Islanders was a perfect example. Iggy brings the puck around the back of the net while all the Islander...
saneopinion writes...

Lets talk trade.

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
All General managers have the dilemma of looking at their team when they are doing well and ask themselves honestly what they could use to move forward and hopefully take the big prize. When the team is doing poorly it is too hard to trade so when you are doing well is the time to make it happen. The Flames are doing well. So the question is what does this team need ...
[b]BEST GAME OF THE YEAR FLAMES BEAT SHARKS[/b] There are games, and then there is the Flames and Sharks battle on January 15th as the two big guns battled it out. The Sharks score early as Ryan Clowe opens the scoring in the first minute. The Flames actually rebounded after the first goal quite nicely, keeping the Sharks to 1-0 at the end of the period. The Flames a...
I have to admit I have been really guilty of walking around today and asking everyone if the saw the Flames/ Sharks game last night. So now that Flamestr and Vetter have both written on the subject I'll leave it alone and take a closer look at the North West. This is where I ask you to go read my previous blogs and I get to say I told you so...I love doing that. I wrot...
This will serve as my technical midseason review, even though the Flames passed that mark two games ago. I'm splitting this post into two parts: first, a general review of the season so far, examining defense and offense, and then I will discuss if anything can - or needs - to be done to improve the team via trades. Now that we're approaching the heat of trade rumour seaso...
Buts16 writes...

Saturday Morning Coffee

Posted Saturday | Comments 2
Hooligans welcome back, lets’ rock. I blog about sports mostly and sprinkle in some music and entertainment whenever possible. So I was thinking if hockey players were rock bands or rock stars who would they be. Ovechkin-Red Hot Chili Peppers He’s everything that hockey players typically aren’t, he’s brash and he’s the King of the NHL, when it comes to tha...
old time hockey writes...

Ahh, we were due

Posted Sunday | Comments 0
One positive to take from tonight. Lombardi scored. I know, it seems like something from a fantasy novel, but yes, Lombardi defied all critics and scored a goal. It was a goal that we have all expected the last three years. Will it happen again? probably not, but, he will score again, just like Holmstrom will score again. I am happy for him. But focusing on the gam...
old time hockey writes...

Ahh, we were due

Posted Sunday | Comments 0
One positive to take from tonight. Lombardi scored. I know, it seems like something from a fantasy novel, but yes, Lombardi defied all critics and scored a goal. It was a goal that we have all expected the last three years. Will it happen again? probably not, but, he will score again, just like Holmstrom will score again. I am happy for him. But focusing on the gam...
After their best effort of the season Thursday in San Jose, disappointing can only describe tonight's 4-3 home loss to the Phoenix Coyotes. In a nutshell, the Flames looked completely flat for most of the first 40 minutes, did not get the goaltending they need, and got little luck all night. The Flames looked flat from after David Hale's opening goal for Phoenix to Mik...
In a game that could be described as the answer to the question I posed in last night's postgame blog ("Is Kipper playing too much?") the Flames were whupped 6-2 in Colorado by the Avs tonight with Curtis McElhinney in net. Though this game looked virtually the same as yesterday's home loss to Phoenix, I still pin most of the blame on Curtis Mac, as I blamed Kiprusoff for ...
FLAMESTR writes...

Flames sweep Preds

Posted Saturday | Comments 0
If there is one thing that I have learned about the Calgary Flames, it is that they can win ugly, boring, exciting; basically they can win any way they can win. Tonight they won with defense, which usually means totally boring. But tonight, there was a touch of exciting, meaning I liked a couple of goals the Flames scored tonight. Before I mention the goals, let's ta...
old time hockey writes...

No Heart

Posted Monday | Comments 0
I'm from Calgary. I have lived my whole life living and dying with the Calgary Flames. I have seen more hockey games than many people see in a lifetime. I truly am blessed with the exposure I get to the greatest game on the planet. I came out east for University, in London, Ontario, and now am blessed with getting to see Tavares play whenever I want. Over the weekend h...
Curtis comes off the ice and says take that made my son's day wow what a day for the boy. Now for the report Hey guys got back from the practice it was an interesting one in that the players were in pretty good spirits. The practice tho short was rather loud they were hitting and hard drills. The lines up were Bertuzzi Langkow Bourque Cammy conroy Iggy pr...
Having completed part one of my team by team speculation in the South East division, for part two I figured I would jump across the continent and hit the North West division. The North West is arguably the tightest division in terms of competition in the league. There are only 13 points as of tonight separating first through firth in the division, a lead any of the four...
The Calgary Flames dropped their fourth regulation loss in a row at home this afternoon in a frustrating 2-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks. Despite the Flames generally having control of the game possession-wise following Bobby Ryan's opening goal, Curtis McElhinney was yet again denied his first NHL win. Even though I am always at least a little pessimistic, I am still not th...
Miikka Kiprusoff came very close, but couldn't quite save the Flames in Anaheim tonight, as they dropped their fifth loss in the last six games, 3-2 in overtime. After Saturday's home loss to Anaheim, I said that despite it being the Flames' fourth loss in a row, I still wasn't worried about the Flames. Now? I see somewhat disturbing trends in the Flames' 5 losses in the p...
Despite a resurgent performance from Jarome Iginla, and an unbelievable performance from Miikka Kiprusoff, the Flames lost another heartbreaking game to the Vancouver Canucks, 4-3 in the shootout. When I use the word heartbreaking though, it doesn't necessarily mean the Flames deserved the game. Rather, the Flames lost this game because they threw it away in the third peri...
With two AHL players playing significant minutes, and Jim Vandermeer playing second-pairing defense, the Calgary Flames managed to win the fifth Battle of Alberta in Edmonton, 3-2 in the shootout. Matthew Lombardi roofed a great shot with a screen in front with 1:10 remaining to tie the game, and then Todd Bertuzzi scored the shootout winner with a neat move on the first ...
It could have been predicted that Jarome Iginla would get his 400th goal and pass Theoren Fleury to become the Flames' all-time points leader at 831 points tonight. What could not have been predicted, however, was that Iginla's four point night would not be enough to beat the lowly Lightning; that he would be outscored by Mark Recchi, of all people, that Jim Vandermeer wou...
Darryl Sutter has never been much into the hype of Trade Day. He's known for making all his moves in the post-season and doing a fairly good job of it. On trade deadline days, his past has seen him maybe pick up a depth defenseman, a depth forward, and possibly a back-up goal-tender. He’s said before that the available players are not worth the price teams have to pay. T...
After about five years at least of rumours, many dismissals, much skepticism, and about 800 different e-scale ratings, Olli Jokinen is a member of the Calgary Flames. Wow. I still haven't gotten used to the idea; after I expressed varying levels of skepticism for months, I expressed an audible “HOLY ****” when I saw the trade on the front page of TSN around noon. Darry...
After about five years at least of rumours, many dismissals, much skepticism, and about 800 different e-scale ratings, Olli Jokinen is a member of the Calgary Flames. Wow. I still haven't gotten used to the idea; after I expressed varying levels of skepticism for months, I expressed an audible “HOLY ****” when I saw the trade on the front page of TSN around noon. Darry...
The first game with Jokinen is in the books and was a success, that line will not be that great every night but it did look very solid! Having said that, and assuming the Flames will win the Stanley cup (7-1 odds in Vegas right now) then a quick look into the summer might be worth while. The players that could leave are Cammalleri, Bertuzzi, Roy, Moss, Aucoin and Leop...
There is time when life is far more important, I mean seriously hockey is just a game. David Moss lost his Grand Father and missed the game on Sunday. Even though I know he is not reading this blog, I for one would like to him to know that his hockey fan thinks enough of him that he is my thought during his time bereavement sometimes hockey is just a game we love ya David...
There is time when life is far more important, I mean seriously hockey is just a game. David Moss lost his Grand Father and missed the game on Sunday. Even though I know he is not reading this blog, I for one would like to him to know that his hockey fan thinks enough of him that he is my thought during his time bereavement sometimes hockey is just a game we love ya David...
FLAMESTR writes...

Flames Be Dazzled In NJ

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
The Calgary Flames never showed up and were terrible. Again, the defense and netminding were again suspect. But the forward continued not to come back and there was no hitting, no anything. The defensive zone coverage was adequate, but again they just did not finish their checks. I may sound like a broken record, but when they continue to play the same song, it gets a lit...
Hey guys sorry for the report never got home until now after the practice. The players were not in a good mood this morning as Keenan did a bunch of drills. The most interesting one was helping the defense pass the puck out, of the zone and the forwards coming back to help. Doing one on one skating drills, having the players skate after the puck and shoot (with the empa...
The Calgary Flames caught a fairly big break last night, as the Vancouver Canucks were whipped in Phoenix by the floundering Coyotes, ensuring the Flames keep for the time being their slim three point lead on the Northwest Division. How much does the Canucks blowing an easy opportunity and lowering the magic number by two points mean for the Flames? It helps a small bit, b...
predram writes...

My Western Conference picks

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
Well its that time of year again and the quest for the postseason is heating up. I have yet to see the infamous Brad Ratgen playoff quest blogs so I decided to chip in with my own picks. Here are the current standings: Western Conference 1. Y - San Jose 107 2. X - Detroit 107 3. Calgary 90 4. Chicago 89 5. Vancouver 87 6. Columbus 83 7. Anaheim 80 8. E...
saneopinion writes...

Flaming out

Posted Friday | Comments 0
I stopped counting at zero for seven on the power play. Then I noticed the penalty kill has let two in as well. I started thinking of catchy slogans like, "zero for seven fire Preston!!" or , "Penalty killers are slow let Preston Go". The fact is in the playoffs there a few things you need to win. You need an incredible goalie to steal games for you, Kipper WILL do that...
Practice a lot more attention on detail on how to get the puck out of the zone. - A lot of passing drills on passes from tape to tape, especially the receiving the pass. - Concentrating on keeping the puck in the offensive zone, defense get the shot on the net. - Forwards skating back to help the defense skating drills. - Went to the point of having groups of ...
FLAMESTR writes...

Morning Practice notes

Posted Monday | Comments 0
FIRST PRACTICE NOTES - The first note this is the first practice that was a fun one players joking and laughing. - Keenan and Iggy and Bertuzzi and Kipper were not there. - They mostly practiced on exiting the defensive zone to the offensive zone. - Working with Mac on his skills of covering rebounds and on being screened. - Defense really working on keeping...
[b]A MOMENT OF SILENCE FOR THE PAYATT FAMILY[/b] [b] When you think of hockey, it’s just a game. Just a game. I, for one, was deeply saddened by the news of Taylor Pyatt losing his fiancé. My heart and condolences go out to Taylor’s family and to all the Canucks fans. We may cheer against them, but that’s just part of the game. God be with you, Taylor, the fans ar...
-Bourque skated very well played with iggy and olli - Roy Skated this morning also skated with Nystrom and Lundmark - Boyd back up with Peters and Sutter - Warrener taking regular shift looks very fresh I think he is ready to go - Worked on the power play for 30 minuets with top players Moss was on the pp with Bertuzzi and Lanks. -Spifically power play time...
It seems we have discussed dirty hits and suspension at nauseum, I can't remember a playoffs that didn't involve Marchment with this much publicity about nothing. Mike Cammalleri did not get suspended, partly because he was already punished with a roughing penalty!! Listen, there is a penalty you receive in the N.H.L. for punching a guy in the face and Cammalleri served hi...
Last night the Brandon Wheat Kings gave a valiant effort but eventually lost a hard fought effort to the Calgary Hitmen (who are sailing through the W.H.L. playoffs) and are now one game away from being eliminated by the Hitmen. Keith Aulie is their captain, has a goal in this series and is one of Calgary's top defense prospects. At 6'6" and 220 lbs this isn't your normal ...
Lets see, where do I begin. Lets start with Devils/Canes series. Can game 6 possibly be better than the first 5? The answer is yes, but we'll see tonight. We have had everything in this one so far, great goalies, scoring chances, organized hockey, and everything you wanted out of 2 loud arenas. Looks like the captain is in tonight, Holik "The Caveman" out. Chicago/Calgar...
The Blackhawks deserved the series win. That is the first thing all Flames fans should admit to themselves and we can not say "only if" or "but the refs called this or that". We can not say if we had Regehr we would have won, as Jim Rome likes to say, "If. if.if. If my aunt had junk she'd be my uncle but she doesn't." The fact is the depth we all thought we had wasn't deep...
The Blackhawks deserved the series win. That is the first thing all Flames fans should admit to themselves and we can not say "only if" or "but the refs called this or that". We can not say if we had Regehr we would have won, as Jim Rome likes to say, "If. if.if. If my aunt had junk she'd be my uncle but she doesn't." The fact is the depth we all thought we had wasn't deep...
Before we discuss the second round, I wanted to talk to you about a discussion between a dad and a son. My son always reminds me that the players are very human and they make mistakes and really they don’t set out to lose. He had to remind me of this over and over again as the Hawks were eliminating my Flames. I have had conversations with my son reminding me the F...
Newman writes...

Season Thoughts

Posted Wednesday | Comments 2
The 2008-2009 version of the Calgary Flames was very unique. Probably the most talented group of players ever collected in cow town since 1989. So why did they once again get bounced out in the first round? How did they blow a huge lead in the division? Should Rich Preston still behind the bench after the power play went 0 for 40 to finish the regular season? Why was Ander...
Newman writes...

Sutter and Co.

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
One week after being ousted out of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Calgary Flames have packed up their bags and headed off to their respected off season homes. Let’s talk about the front office and bench bosses for the Flaming C. Darryl Sutter was brought into the organization in 2002 to be the Flames head coach and General Manager. In his first full season in 03-...
Another disappointing end to what was looking like a promising season. But I have to admit, the effect and anticipation for the playoffs has worn off. I've had to brace myself for early departures in each of the last 3 seasons as it truly seemed inevitable. My season-long problem was Mike Keenan. He proved early and often that he's about 10 years removed from b...
Can we really hang this years early playoff exit on Sutter? The guy who has brought our beloved Flames to the post season for five straight seasons, and one of them to the Stanley Cup Finals? The guy who created what I think is one of the most talented teams we Calgarians has seen since the 80's? I say no. Here's why. Our team was performing well up until February. We t...
1) [u]Coaching[/u] – My first engagement in the Flames’ off-season moves would be to make a coaching change. But, unlike most of the outcry from Flames fans and media, I would not fire Mike Keenan as head coach. I know most fans are calling for Keenan’s head I believe that (other than the constant line-juggling and “strong encouragement” to have Kipper play all ...
You have to admit, you're waiting for it. Yes, Darryl Sutter met for one-on-one's last week with the Calgary media but did little to dispel the one thing we were all waiting for. The fate of Mike Keenan. Sutter never came out and openly backed Keenan, but he sure as heck never gave us an inkling of how he really feels on the situation. He's mastered the art of,...
As soon as the last crushing horn sounded on the Calgary Flames' season I immediately started looking, like many others, to next season and what we have coming down the pipe that could hopefully heal some wounds. The Memorial Cup is usually a great place to check on prospects and to also check in on some of the guys you can look forward to seeing drafted in the followin...
mslepp writes...

The Sun Shines in Alberta

Posted Friday | Comments 1
Yes, it's true. Over the past week, cloud cover has been increasing in Calgary and area as the whole city waited for some light to finally be shed on a couple different things. Firstly, the weather's been absolutely horrible. And, working outdoors nearly every day for long hours was beginning to make me crazy. With the exception of some spurts here and there on (Ca...
[b]The Calgary Flame Coaching Carousel[/b] It wasn't quite as big of a jolt as the hiring of Mike Keenan, but the firing did come as a bit of a surprise. Not because of Iron Mike's firing, but because it was leaked to the media, late Friday afternoon. The timing alone tells you this is not what Darryl Sutter wanted, but the whole Keenan "era" (mess might be a better w...
Newman writes...

Pave the way for Darryl

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
With the firing of Mike Keenan and the letting go of the rest of the coaching staff, the Flames now sit with a vacant coaching staff. In Sutter’s press conference yesterday he mentioned that there are three qualified people in line for the Head Coach position and a fourth, Darryl himself. He stated that he was the best candidate for the position and if he can not find a...
The Edmonton Oilers decided to go to with a veteran coach in Pat Quinn, who I think is a great coach. He loves a fluent, offensive game, which fits the Oilers to a tea. Quinn proved himself with the Team Canada. Not only did the Oilers pick a perfect head coach, they found the perfect coach in Tom Renney, who should have never been fired from the Rangers in the first place...
I've been waiting for Ken King or the ownership group of the Calgary Flames to come out and publicly back Darryl Sutter ever since the season ended. If you are one of the folks who, for some reason or another, think that Darryl Sutter should have been on the chopping block for what happened this season, I urge you to give your head a shake. I am a staunch Sutter su...
Today Darryl Sutter confirmed he is keeping the 2009 first round pick, he had the option of giving phoenix this pick or the 2010 pick in the Jokinen deal. This draft is generally considered deeper than next years draft which some are saying could be as bad as the '99 draft but having said that is the 20th over all pick going to be that great? At number 20 the Flames cou...
2014. It will be critical year for the flames franchise, Iginla's contract will be expired at the end of 2013, same for Regehr, following the 2014 season Dion and Kipper will be UFA as well. One other major piece will be the home they all live in, the Saddledome, will also be expired. The "'dome", as it is more commonly known, has been a fixture of Calgary landscapes s...
I thought we would play fantasy hockey; pretend that we are all fantasy general managers (in my case it is really fantasy). What would you give up to get the Heater? Is Danny the franchise player, or better yet, does he make the players around him better? Well, first of all, you can bet the Sens would like to get a top dman and number one prospect. Also, maybe another ...
[b]Who Will be at the Helm?[/b] This is the major cloud that's been looming over Calgary for the last couple weeks. Darryl or Brent? Sutter or Sutter? Even with the firing of Dave Tippett in Dallas (which doesn't make a whole lotta sense, but is an issue for another day), the Calgary Flames have been super quiet about what's going on in the search for a head ...
Dear Mike Gillis, First of all Mr. Gillis I would like to take deep exception to the fact you signed Burrows to an extension that clearly makes sense. As a Calgary Flames Fan I am used to other division General Managers (cough lowe cough cough) making horribly large and exorbitant signings that greatly increase our chances and this clearly goes against everything I was ...
ell another week has already passed. I thought I would like to open this blog up by offering my congratulations to the Pens on becoming the Stanley Cup Champions. Simply put, Malkin was awesome in the victory for Pit, he deserved for MVP for the playoffs. This series was a classic, but I must admit that when the Wings took the game 5 zip, I for one, did not give the Pen...
saneopinion writes...

Flames Draft Thoughts

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
We all know Sutter likes to make a splash at the draft, we also know in deep drafts he has traditionally traded down for more picks. What makes this draft a little different is that there is no first round pick next year to bank on. The schools of thought being trade down and get two okay guys or trade up and get a sure fire blue chip prospect. In addition the Flames h...
old time hockey writes...

New Coaching Staff

Posted Tuesday | Comments 2
Moving into the Calgary Flames thirtieth season, we as fans have been given hope for a chance to move forward from a disappointing end to a very promising season. Today at 3PM local Darryl Sutter has announced a new coaching staff for the Calgary Flames, bringing in his brother Brent Sutter, Former flames Dave Lowry and Jamie McLennan, and Former head coach of the Quad Cit...
mslepp writes...

Calgary Flames: Movin' on Up

Posted Tuesday | Comments 1
Does the hiring of Brent Sutter really require another blog? Probably not. I mean, this is one of those "worst-kept secrets" that gets attached with any story being leaked these days. But the hiring of Brent Sutter is gonna get a blog. Why? Because this may go down as one of the most important moves Darryl Sutter has made during his tenure with the Calgary...
Newman writes...

Sutter's Re-Unite

Posted Tuesday | Comments 1
Brent Sutter was introduced as the new Head Coach of the Calgary Flames today; the 4th Head Coach in the past 5 seasons. As well Ryan McGill, Dave Lowry, and Jamie McClennan were named as Assistant coaches. A decision met with a lot of scepticism by the local media and fanbase, the Flames now have 5 Sutter’s working within the organization. General Manager Darryl, Dire...
saneopinion writes...

In response to Jim Kelly.

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
Please read this drivel before reading on: http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/2009/06/25/kelley_sutter_devil/ Let me respond if I may do so. I'd be a whole lot more comfortable with your reaction if everything you wrote was not an anti Calgary blog or you worked for a network that has a slew of Oiler fans working for it. First of all, and I know this might be hard to ...
It came as no surprise, Daryl Sutter trading down to the 23rd pick from 20 to pick up an additional 3rd round pick. This is interesting for a few reasons, Calgary already had two 3rd round picks and no 2nd round picks, they must have been comfortable that the guy they wanted would still be there three picks away so they traded. As soon as that trade went down, with guys li...
Somebody asked me Why I post the Blogs on the weekend when I get no traffic to look at the blogs. I simply responded because I get no traffic to read my blogs anyways :) Now on with the observations of the weekend. [b] The Two biggest trades on the weekend[/b] Mr. Sutter is at it again, as he trades for the rights of JBO, out of Florida, which cost us Leopold an...
BryanM writes...

What's so great about JayBo?

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
Since before the March 4 trade deadline the big question has been where will Jay Bouwmeester end up? The 25-year-old defenceman was involved in trade rumors that had him going to Philadelphia, but the deal never materialized. Then the question was with whom would he sign? Then we paused and remembered his rights could be traded at the draft for picks, which is exactly what...
Maybe saying the flames are the next redwings might be a bit of stretch but there roster is looking good for many years. This years line up should contend for the cup and like the wings there team starts with a solid defense. Is boumeester, phanuef and regher, compariable to lidstrom, rafalski and krownwall ? or maybe the question should can they develop into that trio? go...
[b]DANNY HEATLEY SAGA[/b] NHLPA is standing behind Heatley. Well, technically he is not doing anything wrong. Morally is another story. When it comes to pure talent, I am one of his biggest fans. I love watching Heater play. I am a huge fan of his play, but right now I am not a fan of his attitude. When it comes to a player, I would like to be a fan of the hockey pla...
thinkthenthrow writes...

Just a couple thoughts.

Posted Saturday | Comments 0
1. Dustin Boyd: He's shown he can score, 11G and 11A in a limited 4th line grinder role, Can he play top 6? 2. The Flames D: Seeing as it is very much stacked... Nuef-J.Bo Regher-Sarich Pardy-Gio Pelech Can we afford to trade away Cory Sarich and his big contract? I mean I love the guy, but shedding salary, and maybe picking up a top 6 forward. 3 Lack of of...
The biggest change this year for the Flames isn't going to be the loss of Cammy and Bertuzzi. Or Aucoin. (And certainly not Vandermeer.) Or the dependence on youngsters due to cap issues. It isn't even going to be the signing of J. Bo. It's going to be Brent Sutter. He's going to (hopefully) bring the structured system and accountability this team has been so...
Newman writes...

Sneaky Sutter

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
With the recent pick ups of Fredrik Sjostrom, Brian McGrattan and now it looks like Nigel Dawes, Darryl Sutter is following his usual routine of sneaky pick ups during the summer season. Looking at the three less than flashy pickups, as opposed to J-Bo, each one can offer a great upgrade at their position. Knowing Sutter’s history over the past five plus seasons h...
[b]Edmonton Oilers [/b] To much of my disapproval, the Oilers did not get Hossa , nor has Heatley consented to becoming an Oiler. Which really surprises me, because I really thought that one of those two players would have become an Oiler. The Oilers did pick a solid goalie, though, in Khabby. It was really refreshing to hear a player wanting to go there. The Oilers real...
jasonkavanagh writes...

Dion out the door?

Posted Sunday | Comments 0
A lot of rumors have been swirling lately about the state of the Calgary Flames. With Darryl Sutter making moves left and right this off-season, most notably the acquisition of Jay Bouwmeester, fans and analysts alike have raised the question 'is Dion Phaneuf on his way out of Calgary?' Now before we jump to conclusions let's review the situation the Calgary Flames are ...
Flames fans are excited again. The excitement flows from the off season moves by the Flames management team and it's acquisition of recognizable names, even if most of the names are just bound for Abbotsford. Some of the questions that we will likely get the answer to soon are: Q: Is Cammalleri's scoring replaceable on the power play? A: The hope would be the power pl...
saneopinion writes...

Flames glut at D

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
One has to wonder, with a defensive corps half signed to long term contracts and a glut of great young defensive prospects, where and when will the Flames fit them in? Sarich signed until June of 2012 Phaneuf and Bouwmeester signed June of 2014 Regehr signed until June of 2013 That leaves two spots. Giordano and Pardy, who most would say are two young and good (...
I can hardly wait for the season to start so Ive been looking at it on and off and this is how i see our Calgary Flames roster shaping up; Scoring line:[b]Nigel Dawes ~ Olli Jokinen ~ Jarome Iginla [/b] Scoring line:[b]Rene Bourque ~ Daymond Langkow ~ Jamie Lundmark[/b] Energy line:[b]Curtis Glencross ~ Dustin Boyd ~ David Moss[/b] Momentum line:[b]Eric Nystrom ~ Cra...
Newman writes...

Early Start

Posted Thursday | Comments 1
I know its August 6th, but lets look at October, because really its only 53 days away… How much does October mean to the Flames? Is the first game of the season really indicative of whether or not they will be raising Lord Stanley’s Mug nine months later? The answer simply is no. But, the first meaningful hockey game of the season is usually the most highly anticipa...
Iceman57 writes...

Ten burning questions

Posted Saturday | Comments 0
Eric Engels posted ten perfect questions for his Hab followers on Thursday, i thought i would come up with my own ten for my beloved Flames......is nothing original anymore? 1. Who will score more goals this season, Rene Bourque or Daymond Langkow? 2. Which of these categories would you be most [b]pleased[/b] to see Jay Bouwmeester lead the rest of the Calgary Flam...
Iceman57 writes...

Ten burning answers

Posted Monday | Comments 0
1. Who will score more goals this season, Rene Bourque or Daymond Langkow? Bourque. The only issue i am, have or will ever be concerned about is his health. Not sure when the last time was where he did play all 82 games but if he does, he is a force going to the net and would easily score 30 goals each healthy season. 2. What category would you be most pleased to see...
When one is obsessed, when does one cross the line? I wondered if I am a little crazy with my hockey. Can one become to obsessive about hockey? I think not. But pretty please, do not ask my wife; she seems to take things to personally when it comes to hockey. She seems to think that throwing things at the TV and yelling at the players for days on end seems to be a li...
saneopinion writes...

Red and White ramblings

Posted Friday | Comments 0
Flamstr wrote a blog as well regarding this that I commented on but for some reason hockeybuzz gods don't like when I comment and often leave them blank... hint hint Ek. Anyway... a few thoughts I had being there... Crosby and Nash look good together, I'm not convinced Iggy meshes but it seems like Iginla is hard to get chemistry with period. Nash was incredible,...
CANUCKS The Vancouver Canucks have signed Roberto Luongo to a 12-year $64 million contract, making him a lifetime Canuck. Unless he gets signed as a 64 year free agent - okay that is little sarcastic, but you get the point. Luongo is a lifetime Canuck, and is one of the best goalies in the League. The Canucks have been a very busy team this week, acquiring two vets on t...
Newman writes...

Bettman Must Go!

Posted Saturday | Comments 0
A few thoughts… It was actually Brian Burke, the proverbial King of controversy, that said the sooner this Coyotes Bankruptcy saga is all squared away the better it will be for everybody. Burke hit the nail on the head. If this mess is not resolved within the next three weeks than it will drag out over the entire season and not only distract the Coyotes players from c...
Open training camp began on Sunday September 13th at 8:30AM, for the Calgary Flames, one day after completing their fitness testing. There has been a lot of buzz around camp this year for multiple reasons; first there are 57 players attending which is a huge group of players, second there are many new additions (many of whom have 1-way deals) who are fighting for the last ...
Greetings all! Hope eveyone is enjoying my take on what I believe the Habs will need in order for them to have a successful year. For part 3, in this series, I turn my attention to our shiny new sniper, Mike Cammalleri. [b]Mike Cammalleri[/b] For a few years in a row now, there has been talk of Gainey fishing for three players around the league; Vinny Lecavalier, Pat...
The playoffs are in full swing and the Flames are rocking the Islanders after game one!! What's that? It's the pre-season? You would never know it if you were at the game last night, the crowd was on another level of excitement after hearing that Theo Fluery was playing in addition to J-Bo, Backlund, Jokinen, Dawes and several other players we want to see. The only let dow...
A few days ago, Kyle Okposo was the recipient of a devastating open ice hit in a pre-season game against the Calgary Flames, delivered by none other than Dion Phaneuf. Since then he has returned to New York for further testing for what has been diagnosed as a mild concussion. After watching the hit several times, I will state my opinion: it was clean. Perfectly clean. He n...
saneopinion writes...

This Years Flames Team.

Posted Monday | Comments 0
It appears as though certain players have been placed on waivers that we are hearing about and it's tough to see as it means some kids who had really good camps will not catch a break this year due to the one way contracts already doled out. Jamie Lundmark, Colin Stuart and Jason Jaffray Jaffray in particular I am sad to see go, as far as this pre-season I liked his ...
I will only make one “bold” prediction before the Flames open their season – they will lose their opening game Thursday night at home against the Canucks. Why? Simply because I can’t remember the last time the Flames won their opening game, and they have had a great deal of frustration the past few years with the Canucks, who have taken the mantle of true #1 rival ...
Apologies for the late post… The Flames won their first season opener in six seasons Thursday with a 5-3 win over the Canucks at home. After a sizzling start led to an early 3-0 lead, the Flames slowed down the next two periods, and eventually Miikka Kiprusoff had to bail out the team in the third period to preserve the win. Nevertheless, there were some good things t...
Just found this great site that list all the free agents for the summer of 2010 with top ten Rankings you should check it out. Pretty cool site. [url]http://www.nhlfreeagents.com[/url]
Newman writes...

Fourth Line Dominance

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
Saying that our fourth line was good for the first game was one thing. The second game, impressive. The third straight game in which the fourth line outperforms the other three is astounding and re-iterates the immense amount of depth on this Flames squad. Let’s look at the stats for the first 3 games: Sjostrom- 2 A, and a Plus 3 Nystrom- 2 G, 1A, a plus 5, and 1 f...
mslepp writes...

Week 1 Power Rankings: Top Ten

Posted Thursday | Comments 1
Please read and post your thoughts and what you like/dislike or what you'd change. Well, it's early... and it's very safe to say that Power Rankings at this point in time in the season don't mean very much. They're mostly a combination of last year's finish and this year's promise. I like James Duthie's column on TSN.ca about Premature Evaluation, in reference to ju...
Newman writes...

Stealing 2 in Edmonton

Posted Friday | Comments 1
So…the Flames go in to Edmonton last Saturday and “steal” 2 points when Khabibulin flubs a clearing attempt and Moss pots the game winner. Fast forward 5 days later. Rene Bourque tips a Jay Bouwmeester point shot with less than 2 seconds left in regulation to send it to extra time, leading to a shootout win. Not to mention the Oilers get a man advantage in the OT an...
Pat Quinn was fined today for his comments after last night's Flames-Oilers game. Quinn called Jarome Iginla's trip on Sheldon Souray a "dirty play." Having watched the video on NHL.com and read the words myself, I can't say I blame the NHL for the decision to fine Quinn for his comments, but I also can't say that what Quinn said was wrong. Players today are taking more...
Newman writes...

Back Up Goaltending

Posted Sunday | Comments 0
A quick hit on this Sunday morning about the state of Calgary’s backup goalie situation. Curtis McElhinney might just not be good enough to play for the Flames. He has a whopping total of one win in the year and a half he has been with the team and constantly disappoints every time he gets between the pipes. He does not make the saves that Kipper does and unfortunately f...
Newman writes...

That Was Something...

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Watching the Flames blow a lead like that should not be surprising for any true Flames fan. We watch year after year, game after game as the Flames jump out to early leads and either wind up blowing them, giving up last minute goals or barely hanging on. And there are some prime examples only six games into this very young season. The opener against Vancouver where the...
Nidder14 writes...

Disturbing Trend....

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Well, it happened. Why is it the Flames always find a way to do this? They came out like gangbusters and managed to lose the game, in what became the biggest comeback in league history. I'm not going to say I knew they'd blow the 5-0 lead, but one thought did cross my mind after the fifth goal - "Is five goals enough for the flames?" Just as I thought 3 goals wasn't enough...
Nidder14 writes...

Same Old Story?

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
While maybe not as dramatic as last night, this hockey game was basically the same story. Came out hard and physical and got the all to familiar lead in the first period, only to slowly back off and allow the Jackets back into the hockey game. Missed passes, giveaways, lazy defensive zone play, and penalties spelled the end. Kipper stood on his head again, but the guy need...
Newman writes...

Limping Home

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Well, a game removed from the biggest collapse in NHL history and the Flames should come out angry as all hell, right? Wrong The Flames were out shot 33-23 and if it were not for Kiprusoff, this game would have been 6-1. Kipper made several tremendous saves to keep the Flames up 1-0, but finally succumbed to the pressure of a 5 on 3 powerplay and let in two goals in jus...
Nidder14 writes...

Flames Gameday: Vancouver

Posted Friday | Comments 0
On tap tonight: The Vancouver Canucks. The Flames have a lot to prove tonight. A big rivalry game should be all the fuel needed to re-stoke the fire under this hockey team, but with this group you just never know. Brent Sutter has been surprisingly calm and collected over the past week and is preaching patience with the new system. If this pace continues, however, you ...
saneopinion writes...

Jokinen should go.

Posted Friday | Comments 0
5.25 MILLION That should buy you a lot in the NHL, a top tier player, a player that is a huge threat and compliments your team. Jokinen is in a contract year, has never really proven himself to be a game breaker and has zero chemistry with Iginla. That doesn't mean that a huge number 1 center doesn't have trade value though, in fact Jokinen could garner a lot of intere...
glovesave43 writes...

Flames Jeckyl and Hyde

Posted Saturday | Comments 0
Another win, and another siting of Jeckyl and Hyde. Giving up 2 late goals to make it close is not really my concern, I am sure the officials had bet the game over allowing 3 straight minors to the Flames. The concern is how come they let off the gas, this is a division rival and a team we fought to the last weekend for that title last season, step on the gas, choke the l...
Well, I believe Mr. Dion Phaneuf must have been reading this blog because he took my advice and gave his body up for the team to save a goal. Good for you “Neon Dion”, you did yourself proud! Not to mention a +2 on the night; a vast improvement from prior games for #3. In other news the Flames managed to play their most complete game of the season last night, beati...
Newman writes...

Feeling Good

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
The Flames came out firing (no pun intended) on the Blue Jackets tonight. A well rested team hungry to re pay Columbus for a loss one week ago, the Flames took control of the game from the drop of the puck. Except for getting into some penalty trouble at the beginning and end of the second stanza, the Flames controlled much of the 5 on 5 play and came out with a the win. ...
Nidder14 writes...

Big Win: Iggy's Back!

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
Iggy's Back...A solid effort by the Flames last night, and they were led by their Captain Jarome Iginla. After last game where Iginla played hard and had chances, you knew this was coming. Skating down the right wing and letting go an absolute bomb of a wrist shot top corner right off the bar. Vintage. Classic. Standard. Call it what you want, it was a beauty. Add that to ...
What else can you say about another win in the "Battle of Alberta", 3 games vs the Oilers in the first 10 games of the season and another victory. This time there will be no witty retorts from Oiler fans about, Khabibulin handling the puck, last second tying goal. No this time it was a great 60 minute effort by the Flames, who, except for giving up too many penalties and 2...
Newman writes...

Battle of Alberta Fight Night

Posted Sunday | Comments 0
For the last couple years the Edmonton Oilers had their way physically with the Calgary Flames. Steve MacIntyre would run amok on the ice and bowl over anyone that stood in his way. Enter Brian McGrattan. Cue one the best fights of the year and McGrattan landing some of biggest bombs you will ever see NOT drop a human being to his knees. A heavyweight tilt that lived u...
I am guessing that when the season began not many expected the Colorado Avalanche to have only 1 regulation loss through 11 games and be leading the Western Conference. A team that was scheduled to be occupying the cellar of the west for most of the year has come out of the gate on fire due to some stellar goaltending from journeyman tender Craig Anderson. Toiling in the C...
Well, after yet another long break, the Flames are finally back in action tonight against probably the biggest suprise team of the season to date. The Colorado Avalanch are in town, bringing with them a plethora of young talent and the hottest goalie in the league. With a 9-1-2 record the Avs sit atop the NW division, five points up on the Flames, however the Flames ha...
Newman writes...

Lost...but we have Nice Banners

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
Just a few quick thoughts before I hit my pillow… The Flames have no problem starting games anymore; it is simply playing the rest of the 60 minute game that they seem to have issues with. Leading 2-0 a minute into the game and the Flames stepped off the gas pedal and idled in neutral for most of the game. They were so close to running Anderson from the net, yet they ...
glovesave43 writes...

October Flames

Posted Sunday | Comments 0
Well the wigs have been put away, the pumpkin in ready to go to the landfill. Yes Halloween and October are over, the NHL season is 12 games old and the Flames are 7-4-1. I was optimistic that a 5-5-2 start would have been ok considering a new coach and a new system, the 4 regulation losses except for the Dallas game (5-2) were close games that the Flames deserved a bette...
Newman writes...

Quick Start; Poor Finish

Posted Monday | Comments 0
The month of October played out like a typical Flames game. Out of the gate with a bang; 4 straight wins, 3 in the division, and a power play running just under a 50% clip. But, just like they did so many times this month, the Flames wandered off the winning path, and gave some points back to the field. Slowly becoming the team that gives up leads, the Flames gave up numer...
Newman writes...

Return of the Mac

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
Well maybe not the return, but possibly the “Coming out Party” of the Mac. Calgary’s back-up goaltender Curtis McElhinney started tonight’s game after Kiprusoff was sent back to the hotel with the evil flu bug. In a huge statement game for the Flames, after two disappointing home losses, the Flames squeaked out an overtime win over the Dallas Stars on the shoulders...
Newman writes...

Overtime Heroes!

Posted Friday | Comments 0
Two nights, two cities, two goaltenders, two overtime wins. For the second straight night the Flames managed to win an overtime game on the road, due in part to the goaltending they received on both occasions. Miikka Kiprusoff, who had been battling the flu for the past while, came into the net tonight and shut the door on the St. Louis Blues. Stopping 30 of all 31 shot...
This is my submission into the Journalism Dream Contest for the Globe and Mail. Go Here and vote for me: http://journalismdream.theglobeandmail.com/entry_article.asp?id=826 The number 12 jersey slung on over his shoulder pads, the captains "C" prominently displayed over his heart. All that embodies leadership, courage and the eternal drive to win is present in everyt...
Martin Havlat- This guy is the crown jewel of the Wild offseason signings, meant to bring offense in as the team goes through a new mentality. He has been horrible with 7 points in 14 games, isn't he supposed to be a star? Olli Jokinen- For a guy who is supposed to be a #1 center his 8 points in 15 games is extremely poor, what makes this more confusing is that it's a c...
Welcome back! It' a beautiful Tuesday night here in Ottawa and the Habs are once on good ole' faithful RDS! Their opponent tonight, the Calgary Flames, are currently riding a 3 game winning steak thanks to the improved play of their captian Jarome Iginla. Iginla has 5 points in the last 3, most of hose goals, and has also stepped up his defensive play. The Habs l...
This was not a typical 1-0 win, it was exciting with end to end action, great goaltending, hard hits and great action all night long. This was not a Jacques Lemaire 1-0 Minnesota Wild game, even though the Habs retro sweater looked like a Wild sweater, this was a very entertaining game to watch. Jerome Iginla scored yet another game winning goal, his 9th of the season. ...
Newman writes...

Three Stars

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
Three Star Flames players authored very influential performances Tuesday night in the Bell Centre: Mikka Kiprusoff, Jarome Iginla and Dion Phaneuf. For the fourth straight game the Flames received great, if not amazing, goaltending and subsequently extended their winning streak to four games. Kiprusoff was simply brilliant between the pipes on Tuesday night stopping ev...
Newman writes...

Finland's Finest

Posted Sunday | Comments 0
Miikka Kiprusoff, Miikka Kiprusoff, Miikka Kiprusoff, Miikka Kiprusoff, Miikka Kiprusoff. 5 times, because he has been that damn good. The solitary reason the Flames snatched three of four points over the weekend. The only reason the Flames did not get beat by the 29th ranked Toronto Maple Flakes. Kipper has been an impenetrable force over these first 18 games this ...
Well the 3 game road trip through eastern Canada (Sorry Buffalo, but alot of your fans live in Hamilton) and with a 2-0-1 record you would think things in Sutterville would be all rosy. BUT they aren't. The numbers in the 3 games look like this; Montreal 1-0 win, pp 1-3, pk 3-3, Shots for 31 against 25 Buffalo 2-1 SO loss, pp 0-4, pk 3-4, Shots for 26 against 33 Toront...
Newman writes...

A Battle for Supremacy

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
A battle for first place in the Northwest division turned out to be a bit of a snoozer. Coming off a 3 game road trip in which they secured 5 of 6 possible points, the Flames came out looking tired. Getting beat to numerous pucks, the Flames could never find their groove in a loss to the Avalanche. For the second time this season on home ice, the Flames fell 3-2 to the Avs...
saneopinion writes...

What is Dion Worth?

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
I know I know... one fight with the coach does not not a trade rumor justify. In case you weren't aware several media outlets have blogged (but not reported) on a shouting match Between Dion Phaneuf And Brent Sutter. Some blogs say it may or may not have been Sutter or may or may not have been Phanuef but with a -2 on the night and the shouting about being selfish apparent...
Newman writes...

Thursday Night Massacre

Posted Friday | Comments 0
Well the Flames came out looking good against the Hawks tonight…no, let me start again. The Flames special teams were outstanding tonight…wait, lets try it one more time. The Flames stunk up the Saddledome in one of the most humiliating losses on home ice in recent memory. There, that sums it up better. In a game that was reasonably close through half the game, tu...
Any misconceptions “pundits” had about the Flames being a legitimate contender the last few weeks were proven to be so tonight. The bane of their existence, the Chicago Blackhawks, issued a beating that exposed every one of the Flames’ glaring weaknesses, swept under the rug by miracle wins the last few weeks. At a point in the season where the Flames have turned aro...
Newman writes...

Iginla Wears a Nice Hat

Posted Sunday | Comments 0
On a Saturday afternoon in mid November, Jarome Iginla showed why he is considered one of the most dangerous players in the NHL. Netting his 9th career hat trick in the Flames 5-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings, Iginla dominated from start to finish. A mere 13 seconds into the contest, as Kings and Flames fans alike were still getting comfortable in their seats, Ig...
Newman writes...

Flames Can't Solve Ducks

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
For the tenth straight time in the regular season the Flames failed to beat the Anaheim Ducks in the Honda Center. Not sure if it is the mystical aroma or the echo you get when you drop a pin in the stadium, but the Flames have constantly had trouble winning in Disneyland. Tonight the Flames outplayed the Ducks in the 1st and 3rd periods outshooting them 33-13 during t...
Newman writes...

A Tale of Two Goalies

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
The Flames needed a win at home, and they did exactly that; gaining a decisive 2-1 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes. Not the prettiest game in the world to watch but a win is a win anyway you slice it. With two of the better goaltenders going head to head, one could have guessed that this would have been a low scoring affair. Let’s compare their stats after tonight�...
Newman writes...

Flames Take Two

Posted Sunday | Comments 0
The Flames went into two arenas that have been quite unfriendly in the past and walked away with 4 points. First, the Flames shut out the two time defending Western Conference Champion Red Wings in Joe Louis Arena, which is no easy task. For the first time since 1977, the Red Wings were shutout twice in a row at home; the Flames being the back half of that equation. The fo...
Newman writes...

A Month to Remember

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
November; a month that the Flames wished had more days in it. After a respectable opening month of October going 7-4-1, the Flames dominated the month of November going 10-2-2 asserting themselves as one of the teams to beat in the Western Conference. The Flames also hold the best road record in the league going 10-1-3 over 14 games away from the dome. With tonight’s 5-...
saneopinion writes...

Savard has a bad agent.

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
I'm sorry... I must have misheard. You must be mistaken. 4.3 million cap hit for Savard? The guy is capable of 90 points and he cost less against the cap than Horcoff? I would like to take this opportunity to let all elite center men know that Calgary would like to sign you for the amazing high salary of 5 million a year. Hell... we'll give you 5.5 million, as long...
Newman writes...

Streaks Snapped

Posted Friday | Comments 0
Unfortunately, the amazing run away from home ice had to end sometime. With tonight’s 2-1 loss to the Phoenix Coyotes, the Flames failed to pick up a point on the road for the first time since October 13th, when they fell 2-1 to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Another streak ended tonight as Miikka Kiprusoff allowed a goal for the first time in 159 minutes and 10 seconds aft...
Newman writes...

Road Trip Complete

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
The Flames finished off their six game road trip with two stops in California. On Saturday night, they played a gritty game and came away with an impressive 2-1 victory over the league leading San Jose Sharks. The Flames played a tough road game and pounced on their opportunities, as was evident with Langkow’s game winning goal. Tonight, however, they were not as fortuna...
Newman writes...

Flames Burn Thrashers

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
The Flames returned home, after their longest road trip of the season, to face the much improved Atlanta Thrashers on Wednesday night. The Flames did not disappoint their fans as they played a solid game and won 3-1 for their second consecutive win at home, after losing 4 of their previous 5 on home ice. The old cliché of ‘having their best players play like their best...
sreekers writes...

A Simple Set of Questions

Posted Friday | Comments 0
I am going to break from the usual analysis of games and try to have a good hockey conversation. I am going to ask a series of questions, all of them related to hockey. If any of you who read this can come up with a question that relates to this blog, ask it. What I would like to see is the hockey lore that we can come up with as a hockeybuzz fan base. Should be a lot...
So over the last couple days a rumor has broken out about the Flames, this in itself makes me question it because Sutter (Darryl) is a guy who does not react kindly to leaks, about Dion Phanuef. The meat of the rumor is that Dion would go to the Islanders for something along the lines of Tavares or Okposo (who he almost killed in an open ice hit in pre-season) or a firs...
Newman writes...

Wild Shooting Spree

Posted Saturday | Comments 0
The Flames lost to the Minnesota Wild Friday night by a score of 2-1. They lost in overtime. The Flames scored the first goal of the game. All this being said, the Flames were severely outplayed by Minnesota and were out shot 46-23. They failed to register a shot until the 14th minute of play and only mustered 3 shots on net in the first period; the Wild fired 19 Kiprusoff...
In front of a packed house at the Scottrade Center on Brett Hull night, the Blues pulled out a rare home victory on a beautiful late goal by T.J. Oshie. It was a great play set up by the forecheck of David Backes, allowing Paul Kariya to take the puck and feed Oshie with a beautiful pass that Oshie roofed. Another rarity, the Blues scored a power-play goal. That unit st...
Newman writes...

Back on Track?

Posted Friday | Comments 0
After three straight losses, the Flames came back and beat, what was statistically, the best team in the Western Conference. Coming off of a mini two game road trip where the Flames failed to earn a point, they were determined to gain some sort of momentum heading into an elongated amount of games on home ice. However, they did not manage to exactly blow the Los Angeles K...
In a rare afternoon affair at the Saddledome, the Flames failed to gain any momentum on their current home stand by falling to the Nashville Predators 5 to 3. Losers of 4 of their last 5, the Flames, seemingly, were still asleep for the first 15 minutes of this game. Looking sluggish and disjointed from the drop of the puck, save Rene Bourque, the Flames were in a hole dow...
saneopinion writes...

Flames Prospect Update

Posted Sunday | Comments 0
Since the big team is not really giving us much to talk about lately I thought I'd check on the up and comers. Quietly Mikael Backlund has risen to third in team scoring with the Heat with 8 goals and 8 assists after starting the season very slow. It is nice to see his balanced attack is starting to pay dividends, Backlund has a tremendous shot and great passing with v...
Twas the night before Christmas when all through the Dome, Not a creature was stirring, not even Jarome. The Jerseys were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that St. Stanley soon would be there. The Flames were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of hockey pucks danced in their heads. And Sutter in his ‘kerchief, and King in his cap, Had just sett...
Twas the night before Christmas when all through the Dome, Not a creature was stirring, not even Jarome. The Jerseys were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that St. Stanley soon would be there. The Flames were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of hockey pucks danced in their heads. And Sutter in his ‘kerchief, and King in his cap, Had just sett...
If Ilya doesn't sign in Atlanta and the Thrashers put him on the market there would be interest from a host of teams around the league. The "roomered" asking price (according to Ek) is "a pick, a player that can help Atlanta now, and a top, top NHL prospect". Now if I'm Darryl, there are only a couple of pure prospects in the cupboard that I could even consider "top, to...
Newman writes...

Feeling the Blues

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
The Calgary Flames are officially in a slump. They are not playing desperate hockey and are not playing well. After a nice three day break where they could take some time to work out some of the kinks that have been bothering them over this stretch, it seemed as if this would be a perfect game to bounce back in. The Blues, after coming off of big wins in both Edmonton and ...
WAACHCast writes...

GAME DAY: Canucks @ Flames

Posted Sunday | Comments 0
Fresh off a decisive 4-1 win over the slumping Edmonton Oilers to wrap up an 8 game home stand which saw them go 6-2, the Canucks are right back at it in a huge game tonight against the Flames at the Pengrowth Saddledome. With a win, the Canucks can vault past the Flames into 2nd in the Northwest and 7th place in the Western Conference. It certainly isn't going to be an ea...
Newman writes...

Flames Are Not Good

Posted Monday | Comments 0
The Calgary Flames are moving in the wrong direction in the Western Conference standings. After tonight’s dreadful loss at the hands of the Vancouver Canucks, the Flames now sit in 8th spot in the West, only 2 points up on Detroit. The Flames are falling faster than Tiger Woods bank balance. With only 1 win in the last 7 contests, the Flames continue to play horrifying a...
So finally the Flames get a win in what seems like an eternity and it comes against the Oilers. Getting a win against the Oilers is like getting three wins normally for us fans but even in winning the Flames looked really poor. The Oilers are a team, who like the Flames, have been struggeling lately and on paper the score should have been what it was. The only problem is t...
TheRev writes...

Team Canada, eh?

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
So the team has been named, the moment Canadians had been waiting for since the last Olympics ended in 2006. Now the debate can begin on who should be there and who shouldn’t be there, why this team will win, why this team won’t win, and all the other fun topics. As it concerns the Flames, the debate will be about whether or not Phaneuf, Bouwmeester or Regehr should ...
jtommyt writes...

Flames are getting tired

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
The schedule finally seems to be wearing on the flames. Last night they looked tired. To be honest, I don't blame them. Back to back contests are physically draining, and the flames are in the middle of an 11 game stretch that only contains 1 game that is not part of a back to back situation (Jan 2, against the Leafs). The game on Friday at home against Columbus is...
saneopinion writes...

The decisions we make...

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
There is a country full of Canadian men who wish they had been good enough at hockey to have a shot at the NHL...even a shot. Most of us grunts would even say a life of riding buses in the AHL playing hockey and still making okay money would be something else, in fact my best hockey memory is a sweeping glove save I made on an ex-NHL player, a save that made me have dreams...
So Theo has come out and said that Conroy should be held accountable for not scoring in 37 games, and that the Flames should trade Regehr. His most outlandish statement was that "stupid people" run hockey and one could say that he meant the Sutters in Calgary. Personally I'm not offended by what he said, if Conroy was not such a likeable guy and someone you just want to ro...
Newman writes...

Fleury Stonewalls Flames

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
The Calgary Flames lost tonight to the defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Stricken by a slew of bad penalties and untimely giveaways, the Flames could not handle the strength and of a better Penguins club. The Penguins are faster, bigger, stronger and compete harder in every battle, and it showed on the scoreboard. Despite being able to outshoot the Pengui...
At 28-16-3, the Nashville Predators have held in the playoff hunt much longer than a lot of analysts or "analysts" predicted at the start of the season. There were even some who predicted the Preds to finish as low as 14th in the Western Conference. I predicted the team to finish 10th. My reasoning was that other teams made additions and got better while the Preds sat back...
"Hot" goalies-Just so we are all clear, this is the N.H.L., all of the goalies are good...even the bad ones are really good. If you can't score it's not because you ran into a hot goalie it's because you have been figured out and have not adapted your play. After a few games it gets really hard to hear the Flames didn't score because Fleury was hot or because Ellis was hot...
The Flames lost again last night. The Flames have now lost 5 of their last 6 games. The Flames were shutout last night for the first time all season. They are averaging only 1.33 goals per game over this slide. Iginla is pointless in the last 6 games and a -3 over that span. All in all, there are very few positive things coming out of Flames land these days. About the only...
saneopinion writes...

Fish Slapped!!

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Embarrassing. Humiliating. Disgusting. Oilers-esque. just a few adjectives to describe what Flames fans are feeling today. Looking at the score you can't help but think of the fish slap dance from Monty Python, it is very fitting and if I was more computer savvy I would have inserted a picture to accompany this blog. 9-1 is a score the best team in the league should h...
Newman writes...

Steamrolled!

Posted Tuesday | Comments 1
Everybody raise your hand if you thought that the 7-1 beat down on November 19th against the Chicago Blackhawks would be low point in the season? I would venture to guess that most everyone’s hands would be in the air. Well, the Flames have shocked us once again with their ability to look like a minor affiliate. 9-1…was that a rouge we scored? Was that a football game?...
Just a quick note, I noticed Conroy is centering Iginla at practice again... are Langkow or Jokinen hurt?? That is embarrassing. Wish they would stop going back to this junk. Conroy is a third or fourth line guy now... that you drag off the bench to take a face off ...period. His first line days are long gone. -------------------- RFA and UFA issues face the flames this ...
Newman writes...

Welcome to 9th Place!

Posted Friday | Comments 0
Well, despite a stronger effort the Flames lost for the 6th straight time and the 8th time in 9 outings. This was also the 3rd straight loss to the Blackhawks this season and 7th straight, not including the post season. That was the Flames 5th straight loss at home to boot; the last win coming on January 2nd against the Toronto Marlies. To think, this team should have come...
saneopinion writes...

Flames Lineup Thoughts.

Posted Monday | Comments 0
Conroy is back at centering Iginla again in practice. Hasn't worked in 9 games, might as well stick with it. Lundmark actually looked alright on that line, give the guy some time, Conroy is not an option anymore. **** When Sutter says he doesn't see how the flames could get Kovulchuk is he kidding? Most armchair g.m.'s know that you have 5 mil off the books if you simp...
saneopinion writes...

Flames news!

Posted Tuesday | Comments 1
Flames have offered the Los Angeles Kings Olli Jokinen for a bag of pucks and their water boy, apparently the Kings are unwilling to make this deal as they think their bag of pucks will find the back of the net eventually more than Jokinen and the water boy at least shows up to work and doesn't have a gay biker handlebar mustache. >>>>> In other news the Flames have ...
Newman writes...

Lucky Number Seven

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Question: What is the difference between a falling tree and the Calgary Flames? Answer: A tree never gets booed out of its own forest. Lucky consecutive loss number 7 for the Flames tonight, as they were shut out for the 2nd time in 3 games on home ice. They have scored a staggering 2 goals in their last 4 games at the Saddledome. They must be reading the Tiger Woods...
saneopinion writes...

Backlund thoughts.

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
Backlund is the right guy to call up IF: A) He plays on the power play. B) He plays on the top two lines. This morning he practiced with Glencross and Nystrom, if they wanted an energy grinder they should have called up Jaffray. >>>>> Lots of comments on how barren the Flames system is and the blame lies with Daryl Sutter, allow me to play devils advocate... W...
Newman writes...

Make it Eight

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
Heartbroken. Disappointed. Frustrated. All words that describe how the Flames must feel right now. The Flames lost their 8th consecutive game tonight despite holding a lead going into the final period. They fought hard in the 2nd, arguably their best period, but let one squeak by them with only 24 seconds left in the period to cut their lead in half. This event, one of...
I heard on the radio this morning Darren Dreger say that the Flames, "..just ran into a hot goalie.." last night in Dallas. Apparently he hasn't read the papers here, the Flames are MAKING goalies hot. Conklin, Auld...it doesn't matter, if you want their confidence up stick 'em in net against the Flames. >>>>> After the Burrows incident it becomes really easy to look a...
Slump Busters.....not quite. The big guns for Calgary: Phaneuf, Iginla and Jokinen all scored while others like Lundmark chipped in with a nice assist. It was not enough. Once again, some unlucky bounces did the Flames in. Not making excuses here at all, but when two unlucky goals go in after being up 3-1, for a fragile team like they are now, it's hard to recover. That do...
Outside the box: Backlund on the top line from here on out, this is why they drafted him, let him do it, just with Jokinen on one wing and Iginla on the other. Phanuef on the wing, if he wants to go mainly offensive maybe it's time to stop holding him back, a guy named Buyfuglien did this prior so it's not unprecedented. Giordano has proven he is not a fluke, this i...
Newman writes...

Someone Has To Win, Right?

Posted Saturday | Comments 0
Well if this is not the perfect time to face the lowly Oilers, I do not know what is. Coming off of 9, yes 9, consecutive losses, the Flames look to ‘bump the slump’ against the worst team in the NHL on Saturday night. The only solace Flames fans have these days is the fact that the Oilers have lost more in a row (12) and occupy the very bottom of the NHL standings (Ou...
Domaju writes...

The Game of Risk

Posted Sunday | Comments 0
Earlier this morning the Leafs made one heck of a move. One that could end up being looked at as an incredibly stupid one. Brian Burke was able to take Dion Phaneuf away from the Calgary Flames, and move that I was excited about...until I saw what they traded. I was ok with giving up Mayers and Stajan, but Hagman and White are not sitting well with me. Niklas Hagman ...
To Toronto: Dion Phaneuf- 7mill Fredrik Sjostrom- .750 Million Keith Aulie- Prospect Total $: 7.750 Million To Calgary Niklas Hagman- 3 Mill +2 yrs Matt Stajan- 1.75 mill-UFA Ian White-.950 mill-RFA Jamal Mayers-1.4 mill-UFA Total: $7.1 Million When I first heard about the deal I went through a series of emotions from shock, to anger, to curiosity,...
(I'd put Kotalik in the title but that would screw up my alliteration, plus I'm trying to pretend the trade hasn't happened until the trade call is actually made...) For the past three weeks, I have been refreshing TSN constantly after every loss, waiting for Darryl Sutter to make a big trade. I felt it was inevitable, to the point where I’ve had a blog in the queue a...
saneopinion writes...

Flames Trade Thoughts

Posted Monday | Comments 0
"If Gretzky can be traded, anyone can be traded."- Dion Phaneuf ... Is it just me or did Dion just compare himself with the great one? Hey Dion, you have 10 goals, relax. >>>>> Does anyone else find it ironic that Souray got his hand broken fighting Iginla who he was trying to get back at for injuring him earlier? >>>>> By my count the Flames are carrying 15 for...
In evauluating the trades, any hockey pundit will tell you that you need to wait for an extended period of time down the road to see who 'wins' a trade. I on the other hand see a way to evaluate this trade right now, I think there is a simple way to look at this from a Leafs fan perspective and be more than happy with it. For starters, let me say that I think Phaneuf...
saneopinion writes...

Flames News

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Last Night Daryl Sutter traded Ollie Jokinen and Brandon Prust for Ales Kotalik and Chris Higgins, upsetting Flames fans because now we can't bug Olier fans about having a player names alice...er...ales. >>>>> The broad side of the barn is upset with Adam Pardy after missing the net last night on a short handed chance five feet in front of the netting claiming, "....
Newman writes...

Panic! at the Dome

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
The Flames have officially pressed the panic button. Losing 10 of your last 11 games is not fun and usually signals change on a professional sports team. To add into the fact that you play in a Canadian fish bowl where every move is over-scrutinized to the extreme, you cannot help but think that the Calgary Flames GM Darryl Sutter made a move that he did not necessaril...
Newman writes...

More Newbie's and a Trick

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
In a game the Calgary Flames desperately needed to win, they actually came through and delivered beating the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1. Curtis Glencross had a hat-trick and former Maple Flake Matt Stajan scored the other goal as the Flames dominated from start to finish despite loads of penalty trouble. Goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff was again on top of his game, helping lead t...
saneopinion writes...

New guys...on the block.

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
Forget that Stajan got the game winning goal, forget that Mayers provided some spark and that Kotalik didn't fall on his face, forget that White didn't make any massive blunders or "dions" as they call them, forget that Higgins was solid and that Hagman looks dangerous... sorry I forgot where I was going with that. >>>>> Backlund is points magic, he doesn't even have...
Newman writes...

Lightning Strikes Twice

Posted Sunday | Comments 0
The Flames fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning in overtime tonight by a score of 2-1. A hurtful reminder of the last time Calgary lost 2-1 in the St. Pete Times Forum. For those who do not know, it was game 7 of the 2004 Stanley Cup Final, a loss that Flames fans will not soon forget. Two goals by Ruslan Fedotenko was all the Lightning needed that night, as the Flames ran ...
Newman writes...

Flames Can't Contain Sens

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
The Flames ran into a very hot team and two very hot players tonight in a 3-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators. Jason Spezza and Brian Elliott led the way for the Sens who have now won 11 of their past 12 games. Spezza, for his part, has 12 points in those last 12 games; 10 of them being goals. Brian Elliott, who has won 9 in a row himself before losing to the Leafs on Satu...
If you creep around Flames forums and sites as much as I do, it's not rocket science to notice the majority of Flames fans think there's another major trade coming from the the bizzare mind of Darryl Sutter; if not "major", then at least a few minor tweaks. Let's look at where the Flames are at right now, and where they need to be... Right now, the Flames are sitting at...
Newman writes...

Same Old Same Old

Posted Friday | Comments 0
I feel like I am in the F$%&ing twilight zone every time I watch this Flames team play hockey. Every game is the same, regardless of who the opponent is. Every goalie is a Vezina trophy winner and every defence is the second coming of the 1995 New Jersey Devils. This Flames team has such ineptitude to scoring goals; you have to wonder if they could find the net agains...
I don't like to look back and say, "what if" because it becomes a ridiculous exercise and as Jim Rome likes to say, "if if if...if my aunt had a package she's be my uncle...but she doesn't... so there's not point in going down that road." Having said that, I have a few what if's... What if Calgary beat Colorado six times instead of the other way around. What if Calg...
The Flames not only won, but they dominated for most of the game tonight beating the Anaheim Ducks 3-1. Jarome Iginla led the way scoring back to back goals in the 2nd period; his 26th and 27th goals of the season. Iginla is now rolling with 5 points in his past 3 contests. He rose to the occasion the way a Captain should. He was skating hard, he was shooting the puck with...
saneopinion writes...

Flames moving forward

Posted Tuesday | Comments 8
Drafting. A first line center. The power play. Scoring depth. Too many things ail the current version of the Flames to make me really believe that they have a legitimate shot at anything this year. That includes making the playoffs. If the drafting is atrocious, which it has been only producing grinders and fourth liners, then perhaps it's time to circumvent the conv...
Sutter came out and said he doesn't expect too much activity at the deadline from the Flames. This can also be translated as: Like I would tell you Mr. Journalist if we are going to be busy, i lie to the media about player movement on purpose because I don't give a flying crap about you. Simply the Flames have too many forwards and logic dictates some have to go. In add...
NYRSourceCentrl writes...

Updated

Posted Saturday | Comments 0
"SILLY SEASON". Transactions already made: Thrashers Acquire Evgeny Artyukhin from Anaheim for Nathan Oystrick and a Conditional Draft Choice in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft Oilers have dealt Grebeshkov to Nashville for a second round pick. Florida trades Jordan Leopold to Pittsburgh for a 2nd round pick in 2010 Matt Stajan has agreed to terms with Calgary Flame...
Newman writes...

Let the Games Begin?

Posted Monday | Comments 0
So if that wasn’t the most exciting, intense, stressful, awesome, amazing, breathtaking, edge of your seat hockey entertainment, I am not sure what is! This tournament provided some amazing hockey and one of the best finishes ever! You could not write a story better than that! Sidney Crosby scoring the overtime winning goal will go down with Paul Henderson’s goal in 7...
I originally planned to post a general post-gold-medal game, pre-deadline blog this afternoon. However, though I expected an epic game, I had no idea just how epic. I genuinely was not expecting Sidney Crosby and Jarome Iginla to give Canada a truly generational hockey moment. The goal will be discussed for years; it instantly joined the pantheon of legendary moments i...
Newman writes...

Two for the Money

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
The Calgary Flames signed Matt Stajan and Rene Bourque to long contract extensions. In my opinion, both do not make a lot of sense. As much as I like him as a player, Rene Bourque has been injury riddled since he started his NHL career. Only once has he played over 70 games in a season; his rookie campaign in Chicago when he played 77 games and recorded 34 points. The f...
saneopinion writes...

Sutter on Deadline day: F-

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
I'll trade you... Staios- 2.7. millioncap hit sloted as #6 d . 36 yearls old -22 Toskala- 4 Million cap hit, is 7 and 12, 30 years old -36% win rate For Boyd- 650 thousand cap hit, on pace for 10 goals and 14 assists, 23 years old +5 Johnson- 525 thousand cap hit #7 defensman, 26 years old and is even. Mchelhinney- 500 thousand cap hit, is 3 and 4, 26 years...
The Flames couldn’t have been expected to make blockbusters necessarily, having already made the two biggest trades of the year a month earlier. However, it was fair to at least expect some additional tinkering by Darryl Sutter. He had a large surplus of forwards (albeit, mostly mediocre ones). The team itself was facing a very tight playoff race, with a sense of urgency...
Newman writes...

Laughing Stock

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
I can see the line-up at the hospital for broken ankles is getting pretty long, as people have been jumping off of the bandwagon at a tremendous pace. Fresh off one of the worst sets of trades I have ever witnessed, the Calgary Flames lay a massive egg on the ice tonight against the Minnesota Wild. Fortunately I did not have to bear witness to this game tonight so I re...
So now that the trade deadline is over and there's no more hope for getting any better, the focus now comes on making the playoffs. Most everyone who will read this will know how important making the playoffs is for the Flames, they lack draft picks in the upcoming draft and have essentially put their eggs into the basket of "win today". Currently the Flames are 13 poin...
saneopinion writes...

Flames feed me crow.

Posted Saturday | Comments 0
They have timing don't they? I write a blog that outlines how little the Flames have scored lately and they come and show me that they have four lines that can score in a 5-3 win over the Devils. I always hope they do well, I am a fan after all, and if I'm going to point out their shortcomings I guess it's fair to give them props for last night. They were physical, went to...
Newman writes...

Goals lead to Wins

Posted Monday | Comments 0
Maybe they were listening when everyone in the hockey world was laying into them for the horrible moves they made at the trade deadline and the atrocious game they followed with that night. The Calgary Flames (32-24-9) were a team that could not score. They have suddenly turned on the afterburners with ten goals in 2 games. Leading the way is Jarome Iginla who recorded...
saneopinion writes...

8-5-3 for a chance.

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
8-5-3. That is what it takes as of today for the Flames to make the playoffs as far as I can tell. I've stated that 94 points historically will get you in so in keeping with that the flames need 19 points however anything less than that could be disastrous. For instance a .500 record here on out would give them a straight 16 points and even though it's just a three poi...
The Calgary Flames won their 4th game in a row tonight for the first time since early January when they strung together 5 straight victories. Mikka Kiprusoff blanked the Ottawa Senators 2-0, for his 4th shutout of the season and his first since November 30th; when he shutout the Nashville Predators 5-0. Kiprusoff was sharp all night long as he blocked all 33 shots the ...
Newman writes...

A Turning Point

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
One play can often be the turning point in a game, but rarely do you see one play possibly be the turning point in a season. That might have been the case this evening. Tonight, in front of a sold out crowd at the Pengrowth Saddledome, Curtis Glencross was awarded a penalty shot with 1:30 remaining in the 2nd period. He skated back towards Kiprusoff who was smiling...
saneopinion writes...

Frustrated Flames Fan

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
I guess "frustrated" would be the best way to sum it up right now. I'm frustrated because the hill to climb seems too steep to make the playoffs, and I'm frustrated because I know this version of the Flames will tease me right until the end of the season, winning a few where they can and getting close. I'm frustrated because I know they will miss the playoffs by pro...
Newman writes...

Same Same, But Different

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
The score in tonight’s Avs-Flames game was 3-2 for 5th time this season. It’s as if no other outcome is possible. However, this time, the Calgary Flames finally beat the Colorado Avalanche on the back of a stand out performance by Miikka...err Vesa Toskala? Is Calgary the place to go when you are Finnish, a goalie, and not performing how you should? Is Darry...
Under Achievers: Daymond Langkow: 4.5 million cap hit- In the last 4 years Langkow has gotten 33, 30, 21 and now on pace for 15. At 4.5 million his "all around" game isn't worth it anymore. He's not Calgary's best face off center, he's not the best goal scorer or assist guy. He's not the best +/- center. What is he but expensive? If the trend continues he is going to co...
Newman writes...

Fatal Error

Posted Monday | Comments 0
There are 11 games left in the season. The Flames are playing one of the four opponents that they definitely should beat. Miikka Kiprusoff is the Flames MVP and starting goalie. Vesa Toskala, the Flames back-up, starts in between the pipes. Can someone please explain this to me? I don’t care about Brent Sutter’s hunches that Miikka can’t play the Wild and tha...
Newman writes...

Hagman Lifts Flames to Victory

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
The Flames did what they had to do tonight beating the Anaheim Ducks 3-1. In the process they once again pulled within two points of the Detroit Red Wings for 8th place in the West. Driving the Flames to victory was Niklas Hagman who had his coming out party wearing the red, yellow and black. Calgary also had two point nights from Iginla and Bouwmeester for the Flames ...
Newman writes...

And now, the end is near

Posted Friday | Comments 0
“You're not, you're not good, Al. You stink.” That was Ty Webb referring to Al Czervik’s golf game in Caddyshack. He might as well have been referring to the 2009-10 version of the Calgary Flames as they all but sealed there playoff fate Thursday night on the Island with a 3-2 loss to the third worst team in the league. With only eight games remaining and ...
saneopinion writes...

Flames issues

Posted Friday | Comments 0
Inhale...exhale...inhale... scream in frustration...inhale. I'll be fair, I waited a long time to post this because I wanted to not write while still upset over the Islander loss. I wanted to step back and look at things logically, maybe speak to some people who have an outside point of view, surprisingly some Oiler fan friends of mine are being pretty classy about it a...
Even the most delusional of Flames fans have to have given up by now. Even if the Flames managed to win all six of their remaining games, which the Flames have given no reason to believe they would be able to, they would still only have a 70% chance of making the playoffs (unlike Eklund, I will cite SportsClubStats.com for these numbers). The only thing Flames fans can loo...
According to Sportsclubstats.com the Calgary Flames have a 4.7% chance of making the postseason. A slim, faint, flicker of hope, but hope nonetheless. The schedule is not very easy but the Flames have no other options than to run the table for the rest of the season, and even then they need help to get into the tournament. If they win all six remaining games then ...
Newman writes...

Flames improve playoff chances

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
The Flames won 2-1. The Avs lost 5-2. “So you’re telling me there’s a chance!” With the events of tonight, the Flames now sit only two points behind Colorado with a colossal, gigantic, enormous match-up against those same Avs on Friday night in the Mile High City. Miikka Kiprusoff single-handedly won yet another game for the Flames, who have leaned on...
It wasn't lack of effort although the 2nd period kind of was a sleep walk. There were a ton of chances, the system provided a lot of opportunity for the Flames to manage some goals. The real issue here is lack of finish and lack of skill. Mathematically the Flames can still make the playoffs and if you read my blog you'll know that I have stated the Flames will tickle ...
brodie403 writes...

European Connection

Posted Monday | Comments 0
As an avid Flames fan I sit here and wonder why is it all the great and exciting teams today in the NHL have that "it" factor then it hits me no exciting european. (All do respect to Kotalik who really is not that good now that we have seen him play out west) For now we have to wait on Backlund and Hagman who do have upside there no Ovie and Geno or Datsyuk or I hate to sa...
Newman writes...

Flames fall to Nemesis

Posted Monday | Comments 0
According to Dictionary.com a ‘nemesis’ is defined as an opponent or rival whom a person cannot best or overcome. Well, the Blackhawks are, by definition, the nemesis of the Calgary Flames. A team they have not beaten, in the regular season, since the 2007-08 campaign. A team that ousted the Flames in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs last year, and...
Newman writes...

Let's make it official

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
After weeks of uncertainty the Calgary Flames are officially eliminated from Stanley Cup playoff contention. This ends days, weeks and months of faint hope and un-needed stress for most Flames fans who still wanted to believe this team was destined for the big dance. It was the 3rd overall pick in the 2009 draft, Matt Duchene, who officially eliminated the Flames, when...
saneopinion writes...

Flames Post Mortem

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
I have my scalpel, I'm ready to do the post mortem. 8:45 A.M April 7th My first incision into this body that represents the Flames organization is where I would typically find something wrong, the brains. I'm seeing some slight decay where the contract negotiation cluster is and also some decay in the trade stem. Conclusion: Darryl Sutter's 2010 season will go ...
matthockey53 writes...

My team for 10-11

Posted Friday | Comments 0
Here are my deals: To Boston: Iginla Sarich ( Yes Boston has the space to take on this salary.) 3rd pick To Calgary: TOR 1st Wheeler (RFA) Colborne Ryder To STL: Kiprusoff (they lose mason) Langkow ( add on) Irving White Moss To CGY: Pieterangelo 1st pick Boyes ( add on) Allen or Bishop To COL, WSH or LA: Regher Dawes 3rd round pick T...
S Kaspar Rollins writes...

The Iginla Question

Posted Saturday | Comments 0
Two years ago, in an otherwise completely meaningless Game 82, the playoff-bound Flames met the Canucks at GM Place. Since the Canucks had just been eliminated from playoff contention two nights before, the only thing on the line was Jarome Iginla finishing off his second career 50-goal campaign. The Flames eventually got the captain his 50th in what amounted to a pond hoc...
As a testament to how dumb we are Darryl Sutter has now told us, in all of his wisdom, why the Flames did not make the playoffs. Apparently, and unbeknownst to us, the Flames had a bad home record and the goal scorers did not score! In other Darryl news the name of the hockey team is the "Flames" and they play in Calgary. I don't have to be a G.M. to also tell you the powe...
Hey if you're in a pool please, for the love of god, do not talk to me about it unless we're in it together. Do not be fooled, no one wants to hear you talk about your pool, it ranks right behind hearing your warcraft dungeon raid stories and right before your high school football stories. **** Playoff predictions are impossible and annoying. I heard this mornin...
Newman writes...

Flames Season in a Nutshell

Posted Wednesday | Comments 3
Well, the season finally comes to an end and the Calgary Flames have missed the playoffs for the first time since 2003. What is wrong? What needs to be done? What has transpired that led to this? Well to diagnose the problem we must go back to the beginning. The season opened in early October with a much hyped match-up between the Flames and their arch rival Vancouver ...
The media is sometimes a little laughable. The Calgary Herald headline: "Willing To Waive" with a picture if Iginla The Calgary Sun headline: "Iggy Believes!"...sound different? I listen to the question, it was, (I'm paraphrasing here), "Iggy, there has been a lot of speculation regarding you being traded, can you give us your thoughts on that?" He responded (...
saneopinion writes...

Off Season Tradeables

Posted Friday | Comments 0
There are some UFA's that are available this summer that would make a fan salivate at the thought of seeing their name on the back of your favorite jersey like the Kovulchucks of the world. Having said that I always like seeing who is RFA, even better yet who is RFA on a team that is cap tight? The first thing you have to do is identify the cap tight teams for next year...
Newman writes...

Whiteout in Cowtown?

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Is it just me or are there a lot of people in Calgary cheering for the Phoenix Coyotes? Case in point, I was out on Friday night at a bar on 17th avenue grabbing a couple of beverages after the Hitmen game, while catching glimpses of the Yotes Wings game on the screen behind me. And to my amazement, and less than the time it took for me to order a beer an enormous cheer...
saneopinion writes...

Trade the goalie

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Quick, Rinne, Anderson, Boucher, Halak, Varlamov, Rask and Elliot. Here is a list of Goalies that are not up for a Vezina yet have their teams in the playoffs, in some cases they even took their team there seemingly by themselves. When asked about trading Jarome Iginla most Flames fans like to think what would be brought back but don't actually want that trigger pulled...
With the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs entering its second leg tomorrow night, I thought it would be interesting to look at some former Calgary Flames that are thriving in this years big dance. The obvious one, right off the bat, is Montreal forward Mike Cammalleri. He signed in Montreal for 5 years at $6 million per season, after leading the Flames in goals last season wi...
In a search for a number one center, the Calgary Flames might be staring the solution in the face everyday. Backlund? No, maybe one day though. Langkow? Too inconsistent and small. Stajan...hahaha no. How about Jarome Iginla? Instead of finding someone to play with the most prolific scorer on the team why not find a winger for him! Think it's crazy? Hear me out...
saneopinion writes...

A sign in a signing

Posted Friday | Comments 0
So the Oilers want to go ahead and draft one of the OHL's best players? Well in what appears to be a smart move, Darryl Sutter has signed Bryan Cameron of the Barrie Colts. Who's Bryan Cameron? Bryan is a notable signing as he led the OHL in goals this year, not Seguin, not Hall but Cameron. 52 goals. Haven't heard of him? I'm not surprised, neither have I. The prob...
I try to justify the Dion Phanuef and Jokinen trades over and over again. I still think Dion was a fair trade, we gave them a player who has a ton of upside (debatable) and we took one of their best d-men and two of their best goal scorers in return. Jokinen returned a former 30 goal scorer and a player who had been maligned by his coach and needed a move. Now I read th...
I have to wonder why the flames have not made an announcement regarding anything lately. There is a public perception out there that the evaluation is not just about the on ice personal but also about the office guys, namely King and Sutter. One might take it that a signing of a junior player to a free agent contract is a move, and it is, but is it a significant one? ...
FLAMESTR writes...

Flames Fans Don't shoot Me

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
Let me Clarify this I will respond to slander against my Source but if you legit questions I will answer them to my best ability. Last time I did one of these blogs, I really paid for it. It made me wish I had never done it. Like most of the world (if you have not heard it, where have you been living? Under a ant hill?) I have heard silly Iggy rumours which are pret...
saneopinion writes...

Welcoming Kelly Kisio

Posted Friday | Comments 0
What Kelly Kisio would bring to the Flames is a popular question right now. The Calgary Hitmen are in the Memorial cup and over the past few years have been perennial contenders in the WHL and there is a very simple reason for that. Drafting and trading. The Globe and mail is reporting that Kisio has a job waiting for him after the Memorial Cup and to be honest I like i...
Jarome Iginla will get 30 goals this year. You heard it here first, it is probably the safest prediction I have made to date considering he's always got 30 in recent memory. My other prediction is that Calgary will not have a number one center for him no matter what. You may think this is another easy prediction considering the salary cap of the Flames and their inabili...
One consistent problem with the Flames over the course of the past couple seasons is their brutal power play. What can be done to fix something so basic. In essence the first thing minor coaches will tell players is that there is an extra man out there, find him! The next thing they say is don't stand still because the opposing team will box out and use active sticks...
Newman writes...

Sutter staying put...for now

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
''What we want to do here is put an end to the death watch; to other people's speculation. We move forward.'' – Ken King, CEO and President of the Calgary Flames- The ‘Death Watch’ he was referring to was that of Darryl Sutter’s relationship with the Calgary Flames organization and whether or not he would be the General Manager of the team for the upcoming 2010-...
The reflective introspective is done. After meditating in front of their version of Buddha, which is actually just a picture of Gary Bettman in a towel, the Flames have started addressing the shortcomings of their feeder system. After signing Bryan Cameron, a junior scorer who could not comes to terms with L.A., the flames have now set about replacing Keith Aulie's hulk...
“Ken came out and said that, but it wasn’t important for me to have that publicly. It’s more important what happens internally.” Darryl Sutter made these comments in response to Ken King coming out last week and publicly endorsing the Flames GM. We all are aware of Sutter’s dealings with the media and how he, how do I say this, would rather eat hot garbage tha...
The Calgary Flames have, for better or worse, decided to stay the ship. And staying the ship means keeping Daryl Sutter. They have decided that radical changes are not needed. In their infinite wisdom, they are not going to trade any of the top players or prospects to get a number one pick. Unless, of course, Mr. Sutter can hypnotize one of the general managers into tak...
hockey_man writes...

Semin?

Posted Saturday | Comments 0
Is it possible that the Semin deal involves Calgary and a 'star goaltender most think is untouchable'? Think about it... If we could get back Semin, a blue chipper and Varlamov, isn't Kipper and Sarich (or even Regehr) worth it? There are a few UFA goalies that we could pick up as well...
saneopinion writes...

VEGAS! Flames tales...

Posted Monday | Comments 0
Monday's can be painful aweful days, days where you look to the week ahead and groan. I just came off a long weekend where I went to Edmonton to watch my Fiancé graduate with her Bachelor of Science in nutrition and food sciences from the Uof A, aside from being super proud of her, it was a nice reprieve from the working stiff world I live in. Then this morning I get a bo...
saneopinion writes...

Flames need a depth charge

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
There's a record in Calgary that has been skipping since Joe Nieuwendyk was traded to the Dallas Stars in 1995. We need a number one center.....we need a number one center...we need a number one center. It's like the unofficial anthem of the Flames. If an anthem does ever get written it will be something like,"Star Spangled Center" or "O'centermen" or "God save our cent...
What are the chances Patty Kane took a cab home last night after landing in Chicago??? What?? I'm just saying... Now that the Blackhawks have won the cup, congratulations Chicago fans, they can now look forward to clearing out salary. It's too bad they can't keep this team together but that gaff by Tallon when he didn't get the offers to his restricted free agents in ti...
saneopinion writes...

The perfect solution.

Posted Friday | Comments 0
Sometimes life hands you a perfect solution. Ian White is really under rated and he knows it, he was 8th in goals by a defenseman last year and 29th in points by a defenseman, no one talks about it but that is really good. As his agent you would look at comparables right? Who also had 38 points and what do they get paid? I'll tell you. Campbell- $7.1 Million Kubina...
FLAMESTR writes...

Flames Trouble Fix Them.

Posted Sunday | Comments 0
We all know about the bad press that constantly surrounded the Flames last season. I can understand it, with the Flames not making the playoffs. The last time the Flames did not make the playoffs was the 2003 season. I see two major issues that need to improve next season, one being the offense, and the other being too many defensive breakdowns in their own zone. So ...
If the Flames had an info-mercial for the draft it would sound like this: A guy with a "NHL GM" name tag picks up the phone and says, "Gee... I wish I could improve my team right away instead of drafting, I think we can win now but just are missing a few pieces..." sigh. (appearing out of nowhere and obviously reading off queue cards) D.Sutter, "WELL... fear not my...
Newman writes...

Flames Cap Crunch Part 1

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
With the draft only days away now and July 1st fast approaching I thought it was an ideal time to take a closer look at the Flames overall situation when it pertains to the talent on the ice and what Darryl Sutter needs to do in order to assure that he keeps his job past April of 2011. First off, Gary Bettman announced that the Salary Cap for the 2011-12 will increase ...
After dissecting the backend and goaltending situation of the Calgary Flames I thought I would conclude by taking a further look into the quagmire of grinders and checkers that are the Flames forwards. Currently the Flames have 10 forwards signed at $28,954,166. The rundown of players looks like this: Jarome Iginla –Age 31, $7,000,000 Daymond Langkow-Age 32, $4,5...
What does it mean when Sutter signs Breen and Cameron as UFA prospects? It means that they are his 1st and 2nd round picks in essence. Cameron had more goals than any other CHL player, more than Hall, more than Seguin, more than Eberle, more than Beach even more than number 10 on the list, and Flames prospect, Ryan Howse. Flames fans, Cameron IS our first round pick. H...
Somebody should be hired to be a translator for the Calgary Flames General Manager Daryl Sutter. Seriously, we should develop a new language called Suttereze. If we had a translator, then we could understand than what the Flames General Manager means. Daryl has been telling everyone that will listen that he is not trading any of his good players. Does he really mean i...
Well that was Vanilla. Calgary has made no significant moves at the draft as of yet after 5 rounds unless you count the acquisition of Henrik Karlsson from san jose, he a huge Swedish goalie, for a late round pick at this draft. He's 26 and you'd imagine he's the top spot for the #2 position in Calgary this year. The biggest and most mind boggling blunder was when Ka...
With not a single pick in the top 60, expectations could not have been that high for the Flames at this year’s entry draft. The rumour mill buzzed with far-fetched rumours about players like Jordan Staal, Jason Spezza and even Ilya Kovalchuk that some desperate Flames fans (including myself) ate up. But all the Flames came away with after two days in Los Angeles was a po...
saneopinion writes...

Kotalik on Waivers

Posted Monday | Comments 0
Kotalik on waivers, this is a move that says buy out. If my math is correct and it usually isn't: 6 Million x .66= $3,960.000 (2/3 of the contract) 2 years x 2=4 years to pay it out $990,000.00 over 4 years towards the cap. in my best comic book guy from the simpsons: " Worst....trade...ever". Jokinen would be exactly $0.00 against the cap this year if no...
The one forgotten aspect of Kotalik is that before he was traded to Calgary he had the Flames as one team he didn't want to go to, there was speculation that he would take the trade and go play in the KHL this year which would have been a much better trade for Calgary then. Having Higgins for a couple months is better than having Jokinen for a couple months. We'll see! It ...
I haven't shared my thoughts with the fine readers of Hockeybuzz for quite some time but I've recently been quite impressed with the amount of response given to the Flames bloggers and the great debates and speculation that has taken place. Unfortunately, I feel that some of the Flames faithful have set the bar too high in their expectations of Sutter during this offsea...
So Dawes, a winger who makes $850,000.00 a year will be bought out if he is not claimed by another team. His cap hit will be $141,667.00 if he is bought out, for two seasons. This is odd because really he was producing for what his salary was, if not exceeding it. Ales Kotalik will not be bought out, all signs point to Management saying in not so many words, "You c...
saneopinion writes...

Uh oh...the advocate.

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
First, how come there's at least 5-6 guys on here that regularly blog for the Flames but the oiler fans are only passionate enough to comment on other people's blogs?? Just saying... I get that you guys got Hall and are making some good moves but one of you wrote on Vetter's blog about the cup... c'mon!! **** Okay so everyone is all thinking Sutter is all going insa...
Newman writes...

The Flames did what?

Posted Friday | Comments 0
I woke up on Canada Day feeling like it was Christmas day as the NHL Free Agent Frenzy was upon us and all sorts of excitement was about to unfold. Some big moves right off the bat that saw Gonchar sign with the Sens. I saw that Vancouver had thrown a pile of money at Manny Malhotra. I had to look twice when I saw that New York gave Derek Boogaard $6.5 million over 4 years...
Chadavitch writes...

Moustache Man

Posted Friday | Comments 1
I don't know if anybody else heard it yesterday... a loud and resonant “WTF???"(Why the face?) emanating from the general Flames fan-wagon. I heard it echo from my living room moments after passing my lips also, but the more I think about it, the more I agree with the move. Sure, Olli Jokinen was overpaid and “underperformed” last year for the Flames, and I still w...
saneopinion writes...

Flames quick hits

Posted Friday | Comments 0
So if Kotalik can be "persuaded" to play in Russia and Langkow can be buried in the IR as to not count against the cap due to his broken vertebrae in his neck...and White re-signs then what does Sutter do with the space he has left? Still too many D!!! It's almost universal everyone wants Robyn "Rocket" Regehr gone now as well as Sarich for the most part. Staios can stay, ...
FLAMESTR writes...

Welcome to bizarro world

Posted Saturday | Comments 0
The Flames gave notice when they waived Kotalik that losing was no longer an option. But in a somewhat surprise move, they put Nigel Dawes on waivers. The Flames inform the media that his contract would be bought out if there was no claim. This move really confused me. Why waste someone with 14 goals? If he would have played full time, he would have scored 20 goals. ...
You are Flames Management, you are at the entry draft and looking for solid prospects to fill your cupboards and you don't have a first or second round pick but you do have a lot of later round picks. One school of thought says that you could draft guys that have shown promise in their first eligible year, like Max Reinhardt who had a terrific last half of the season. The ...
saneopinion writes...

The Flames as it stands.

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
There is a legitimate numbers game going on with the current Flames lineup, no one thinks Sutter is done making some moves but it's hard to tell where he'd move from and what he'd want back. Aside from Cap restrictions the positions are all out of whack if you consider that players are most proficient when playing from their comfort position. At Center: Jokinen, Langko...
So today the Herald finally picked up that the Flames have let go their head of amateur scouting and two other scouts, well for regular readers of my blog you read it here July 2nd. I am not ashamed to tell you when I think I'm ahead of the curve because it only happens a few times a century! In political, talk to the media type of talk Tod Button, head of scouting addr...
Chadavitch writes...

Feaster or Famine?

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
Hmmm... Jay Feaster is the new Flames assistant GM... or is that assistant TO the GM? Could it be that after swapping out the amateur scouts they've now realized that Sutter is at the very least in need of some "assistance"? Perhaps his first order of business should be to show Darryl where the door is and pass on the old axiom about letting it hit him on the way out. ...
Before reading on i would like to introduce the Calgary Flames Drinking Game, it's pretty simple, every time there is a Flames press conferance you do a shot when Sutter says, "To be honest". Prepare for a hangover my friends.... on to the blog... I feel confused. At first I thought I have just lost some perception, sometimes it's hard to take a step back and see wha...
Recently Sutter came out and said that he was willing to go to 1 or 2 year contracts, this flies in the face of the Hossa like deals that are ranging 10,12 even 15 years in length. My question is why? If Sutter is only giving out one or two year contracts is that because ownership is only giving him that amount of time to turn this around? Most of Sutter's contracts have b...
Newman writes...

What if Kipper plays bad?

Posted Monday | Comments 0
When the Flames gave up three or more goals, they only won 10 of 37 games; proof that scoring goals was a serious issue for the team. However, despite the inability of the Calgary Flames to put pucks into the opposing net, rarely did they have too many issues with keeping the puck out of their own net. They ranked 5th in the league in ‘goals against per game’ with 2.48...
In my best Bones McCoy voice: Damn it... I'm a blogger not a journalist!! What does this mean? It means that A: journalists will not bear my foul stench or even acknowledge my existence and B: I am not even as accountable as them for vetting things. This is basically awesome. I get to write about my favorite team and make up crazy trades ideas and get smacked down b...
Iceman57 writes...

The Flames status quo

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
While I hope Sutter does have something up his sleeve for all Flames fans to rejoice over, i really wouldn't mind going into next season with the current line-up. Each line has some size and speed, should be more responsible in their own end and has some scoring touch. I'm also another one who doesn't mind seeing Kotilik in a Flames jersey, when he got into that fight afte...
When D.Sutter came from San Jose he made a habit of trading for players he knew from that system, we all appreciate the Kirpusoff trade but the players that followed like Lynn Loyns, Bryan marchment, Mark Smith and Jeff Friesen indicate that Sutter like to trade or sign what is familiar to him. Darryl is not the first G.M. to trade for what he knows, but it does make us th...
We have heard a lot from our friends to the North about their development camp, how it got sold out because people wanted to see the likes of Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle and Magnus Paarvi. You can't disagree the copper and blue have a fair amount of young talent coming up in their system but what about the Flames? It has been said the Flames cupboard is empty and that they ...
I'm ready for the punishment. I can take it. What I'm going to do here is maybe point out why Kotalik should be on the starting roster come October. I know the prevailing thoughts are that he's going to the KHL or maybe being demoted but I will play devil's advocate here and maybe shed some light on why he was traded for in the first place. To be clear I'm not a fan but so...
miikka4ever writes...

What to do with 4 lines

Posted Monday | Comments 0
I have often asked myself, why cant a team ice 4 lines that can score? Well the obvious reason now would be 4 number 1 lines would be a crazy cap hit. The old school thought of 2 scoring lines 1 checking and 1 fighting/energy line scheme is gone (tell that to some gm's...sutter) so what can, or should teams be doing. Look at what the blackhawks did this last season, no ...
FLAMESTR writes...

Prospect Camp Day 1.

Posted Monday | Comments 0
It's interesting how we are judging the prospects after watching them only for an hour at day one in the camp. But as bloggers, that is what we do. I hesitate to judge the prospects too harshly as they go through the motions for the coaches. I sat there watching some of the players this afternoon, trying to figure out which ones to pick out for my blog. I cannot go throu...
This is less of a blog and more of an article on Nyren that I wrote for another website. Thought it had some local flavour and might give some more insight into another potential Flames propspect. Calgary Hitmen defenceman Giffen Nyren does not belong to any National Hockey League team; not yet at least. After being invited to the Minnesota Wild camp last summer, he...
Much has been made of Daryll Sutter's strange decision to bring Olli Jokinen back into the fold. Pundits and fans across the hockey world blasted the move, some speculating that he had gone crazy. Bringing back Jokinen may have its pitfalls, but it is not the worst move Sutter has ever made. That distinction belongs to the decision to let Kristian Huselius walk in favou...
FLAMESTR writes...

Camp Notes Day 2

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
Notes from Day 2 Mikael Backlund Backlund continues to be the best prospect on the team. He proved it again today. He was awesome today. His skating skills were particularly strong, he was smooth and fast. He has a great shot and terrific speed and vision. John Negrin Negrin continued to shine today. His skating skills are best by far among all the defenseman. ...
saneopinion writes...

Flames Butterfly Effect

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
It's funny when you look at how a few decisions can have a massive butterfly affect on a team. Release a player here, trade a player there, draft this player instead of that player. When the dust settles, sometimes years from a certain move, you either win the Stanley Cup or you draft first. There have been some major things the Flames organization has done that spring...
BlueBloodPat writes...

Hockey Totems Revealed

Posted Friday | Comments 0
To make a long story short, for those who have not seen the summer blockbuster Inception (which I highly recommend you do), a totem is an object that separates reality from dream. The totem distinguishes reality from dream because it takes on different characteristics in a dream state. Therefore, if the owner of the totem knows their totem well enough, they should be able ...
When I saw that Ian White signed, the first thing I read after it was referring to what moves the Flames were going to make to allow this to happen. So to be clear, they don't need to make any. Simply demoting expensive players under the guise that they were outplayed in camp would suffice. In reality having two guys in your minors who are legitimate nhl'rs would be a huge...
FLAMESTR writes...

Yea

Posted Friday | Comments 0
It was a rough afternoon at the prospects camp this afternoon. Whether it was the ice or the players themselves, it was real chippy practice. The rookies were put through a light workout, as they were finished about a hour earlier today. The defence were having some troubles controlling the puck in the offensive zone. But in the defensive zone, a couple of Defensemen...
In my previous posts I've indicated that I do not think much of a major shake up is going to happen prior to next season with the Flames, unless you call assigning veterans to the minor league a major a shake up. However having said that I'm a fan and like all fans I like to play the what if game with the rumors that are being circulated. The reason Hockeybuzz is fun to me...
Total Games Played and Player Quality Considered - All results are open to debate Anaheim Ducks 2003 Draft Rd 1. Ryan Getzlaf Rd 1. Corey Perry Rd 6. Drew Miller Rd 8. Shane O'Brian Atlanta Thrashers 2000 Draft Rd 1. Dany Heatley Rd 6. Darcy Hordichuck Boston Bruins 2006 Draft Rd 1. Phil Kessel Rd 2. Milan Lucic Rd 3. Brad Marchand Buffalo Sabres ...
Newman writes...

Back to the Future?

Posted Sunday | Comments 0
[i]Marty: "Oh, this is heavy, Doc. I mean, it's like I was just here yesterday." Doc: "You were here yesterday, Marty, you were."[/i] Remember this? When Marty and the Doc were forced to go back to 1955 to steal back the ‘Grey’s Sports Almanac’ from young Biff so that he wouldn’t become rich and powerful and eventually kill Marty’s Dad George and marry Marty...
Okay first off, The NHL and the NHLPA both missed the PR boat by not getting the Kovalchuk thing done on TV. They could have has live streaming of who gets to be the arbitrator between Judge Joe Brown and Judge Judy, then they could have had a fan vote and a reality TV program. A show that follows Kovalchuk's wife on a shopping spree when the credit card gets declined, Kov...
Newman writes...

Flames TV...I have some issues

Posted Wednesday | Comments 2
The Flames and Roger’s Sportsnet just announced a deal on Tuesday that would see the cable outlet broadcast Flames games until the year 2020. They will broadcast at least 58 Flames games every year and be the clubs Official Television Broadcaster and digitial service provider. It was also announced that fans won’t have to “rely” on Flames Pay-per view for games no...
saneopinion writes...

Which Craig Conroy???

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
Craig Conroy signing is actually very interesting on so many levels. The cap level, the number of roster spots level, his performance level. Very interesting. What isn't interesting is that it's Craig Conroy, a 4th line center, it's the ramifications that we all enjoy. I haven't heard if this is two way or not which would be really interesting to know. Cap Level: This s...
Newman writes...

Conroy is back...unfortunately

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
The Flames signed Craig Conroy to a two-way contract today. He will make the league minimum $500,000 if he plays in the NHL. He is 38 years old and in the twilight of his career. He scored all of THREE goals last season in 63 appearances. Now, I don’t mind that the Flames stay loyal to someone, but stay loyal to him by making him a coach or a consultant or somethi...
Recently, before the major earth shaking signing of a certain Craig Conroy distracted me, I was being called out a little for putting up the hockey news prediction of the Oilers finishing last. The Hockey News has in the past bashed Edmonton a little, they published a survey that said Edmonton and Buffalo were the two worst cities to play pro hockey in according to the Pla...
O...M...G.... will this off season ever end?. Can we please get a training camp up in here?? When is that prospect camp again? I'm jonesin' hard over here for some real hockey to talk about. Last night I found myself on you tube looking up our prospects and found some cool highlights: For Backlund: [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqGTuS2YjeA[/url] For Erixon: [ur...
With the addition Wednesday of Michel Goulet as their Western Professional Scout, the Calgary Flames have slowly surrounded Darryl Sutter with some much needed help for the upcoming season. Sutter has been on the hot seat with many fans, including myself, since the end of the season due to the Flames disappointing finish in last years regular season. With the addition o...
I think it's kind of fun to be able to watch your farm team play a few games here and there for an average fan to really get an idea of what you have in the system. Since the Heat will be on TV a few times, against Toronto every time, we will be able to see what is cooking down there, if anything. If you are lucky you may even catch a Jim Playfair melt down! The problem wi...
Hello Flames Fans, look at your number one center, It's Jokinen. Sadly it's not Savard, but if he recaptures his past form he could be almost as good. Look down, you stepped in something, that's gross. Back up, you're in Edmonton and now you know why there's something on your shoe. Look down, back up, where are you? You're in the Dome looking at Savard playing with Iginla ...
It is not even what would qualify as the pre season , yet, Everyone from the casual blogger, to the Ultimate Fake who I will not even mention who has a 1 for 5 record in rumors, seem to love harping on the Flames for how things have gone post season. I though am not among the haters. I love what the Flames have done in the post season. 1) The Phaneuf Trade. We got mo...
Many flames fans are already giving up on the season. Some are even hoping for the team to tank this season which would spell the demise of Darryl Sutter. Is this approach towards the 2010-11 season justified? Lets look at the various reasons as to why this season is considered to be over before opening night faceoff by the fans Last I looked at the Ales Kotalik Trade ...
saneopinion writes...

premature e-blogulation

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
The Blogger vs. Mainstream Media debate continues and still there's no end in sight. Sometimes there's respect and sometimes there's not. Basically the main difference is one gets paid to do a job, one does it out of pure passion. The new debate circles around if bloggers should get media credentials and access to players etc after a game, for the N.H.L.'s position on it r...
There was a time around 95-2000 where Paul Kariya was a major pick in our pool, maybe a top 5 at one point. A high quality goal scorer, terrific speed, incredibly classy and now it appears his career might be over due to a head injury. I feel kind of sad about it, I felt the same way when Pat Lafontaine went down with head issues, just so much fun to watch but the eggshell...
Some teams have cap space right now and can make a trade. Having cap space doesn't mean a team will make a trade though. In fact the biggest indicator of a teams willingness to make a trade is expectations. There are few teams with that right combination of cap space and high expectations that have voids that need to be filled...possibly by Calgary who is definitely consid...
Did you ever wonder what it would be like if NHL players and personalities were cast in major movie roles? Well, I’m going to answer that question today by listing some of the greatest movie quotes of all-time and inserting which NHL personality would have been best-suited to be cast in that role, a few perhaps with some minor modifications. Sources say some famous quo...
CoreyPerry94 writes...

Hallo meine Freunde

Posted Monday | Comments 0
Hey all, new here and just figuring out how all of this works. I have been reading for a long time, and just now decided to sign up. Avid Ducks, Flames, and somewhat Caps fan, so I will be randomly blogging on one of the three at any given time. Considering there is no Ducks blogger here, I figured I may as well fill the hole a bit. First blog to come eventually, ahaha. ...
CoreyPerry94 writes...

MY Awards Predictions

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Stanley Cup: NJD Reason: All hinges on Brodeur, but with a more competent backup (The Moose), he will get more rest in the regular season and with the wicked supporting cast NJ has, I can definitely see them taking it all if Brodeur steps up his post-season play. Presidents: Washington Capitals Reason: Is a reason needed? Maurice Richard: Alexander Ovechkin Reason...
UPDATE: Click link at bottom for King's response to this blog! It’s the start of September 2010. Summer is over; well, in Calgary, it never really began weather wise but that's neither here nor there. For the Flames, it was time to give their “Hot House” members (people who are on the waiting list for Flames season tickets) an update on the team. The Flame...
Newman writes...

Talk to Me About Depth Sutter

Posted Friday | Comments 0
People who know me or read my blog, understand that I do not care much for Darryl Sutter and the way he has chosen to run this franchise. Well, Sutter’s comments on Thursday at the Flames Charity Golf tournament struck a chord with me, as they tend to do. Before I rant though, let’s start with a good quote from the farmer himself: [i]"This is going to be th...
Darryl Sutter's Cookie-cutter Comments: It's another year and already its become clear that Flames fans need to brace for more of the same from Darryl Sutter. After having quite possibly one of the worst seasons a GM can possibly put together without actually [i]trying[/i] to screw up, Sutter is back with the same-old shenanigans. Late last week an article in the ...
Newman writes...

Captain Jarome

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
With the season just around the corner, I thought I would run down the roster on the Flames one player at a time and prognosticate, if I may, about what lies ahead for each individual player. I would like to start this 22 part series by looking at the one, the only, Jarome Iginla. The Captain. The team’s life blood. The franchise. These are some of the words used ...
saneopinion writes...

The pentincton shame

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
It stings right? All that we hear about the Oilers and their youth and even sitting their best three prospects they trounce the Flames prospects. Sitting Hall, Eberle, and Svensson was a chicken move for a few reasons. One, it's a no lose situation if the oil lose then hey... The big three weren't playing. If they win then it's extra gloat time. Secondly they were shelt...
Newman writes...

The Bouw-Meister!

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
Last year, the Calgary Flames traded for Jay Bouwmeester’s negotiating rights two days before the free agency period had opened and subsequently signed him to a 5-year deal with a cap hit of $6.68 million dollars per season. Jay Bouwmeester WAS the biggest off-season acquisition of last summer. A big ticket, free-wheeling defenceman who could quarterback a power play...
saneopinion writes...

Penticton pt2.

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
So I wrote an abbreviated blog from my i-phone, it's difficult to navigate the world of Hockeybuzz, spell correctly and get all of thoughts across so I wanted to elaborate on the last blog. This is a tournament. You come to win. I keep hearing, why would they play their best players against Calgary, what if they got injured? It's a legitimate question. I guess then ...
Newman writes...

A Steady Growth of Moss

Posted Friday | Comments 0
When talking about players who were drafted in the 7th Round of an NHL draft, not many players really stick out at you. Sure, there are the Henrik Zetterberg’s(7th Round in 1999) or Pavel Datsyuk’s(6th Round in 1998) of the world, but for the most part the best a late-rounder will be is a third line grinder or bottom tier defenceman. Enter David Moss, drafted #220...
Before we get underway with all the prospect/training camp/ fitness stuff I wanted to reflect on the importance of perspective with regards to the game. The Bill Masterton Trophy gets overlooked a lot because it's not as sexy as the Hart trophy or the Conn Smyth. This trophy is "...awarded for dedication, sportsmanship, and perseverance." Now doesn't that sound like the ki...
Micheal Aldred writes...

Preview: Calgary Flames

Posted Saturday | Comments 0
[b]Primary Staff:[/b] Darryl Sutter (GM) Brent Sutter (Head Coach) [b]2009-10 Stats:[/b] 82GP 40W 32L 10OTL 90PTS [b]Place:[/b] 3rd Northwest, 10th West, 16th NHL [b]Top Scorer:[/b] Jarome Iginla – 82GP 32G 37A 69P [b]Captains[/b]: Jarome Iginla (C), Craig Conroy (A), Jay Bouwmeester (A) [b]OFF-SEASON MOVES OUT:[/b] Chris Higgins (Signed with Florida) Eric ...
Newman writes...

Rocket Robyn Regehr

Posted Monday | Comments 2
Let’s do some role-play. Robyn Regehr plays Maverick , Jordan Leopold is Goose, and Dion Phaneuf is the Iceman. Maverick and Goose were a great pair, as documented, but once Goose was blown up (traded) Maverick has never been able to find that perfect wingman. “You can be my wingman anytime.” Iceman finally accepts Maverick, and vice-versa, at the end of Top ...
Newman writes...

Goons "R" Us

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Raitis Ivanans and Tim Jackman. When Sutter made these signings I couldn’t help but scratch my head. Jackman is 6’4” and 210lbs. Ivanans is 6’4” and 240-256 lbs, depending on which website you look at. Jackman had 98 PIM, 4 goals, and 5 assists last year in 54 games, while Ivanans had 136 PIM, 0 goals, and 0 assists in 61 games last season. Bot...
Make no mistake about it. Alex Tanguay at 1.7 million for 1 season is a solid signing, if not a bargain. However, let's go back and look at the events that led up to the original trade for Tanguay, his tenure with the Flames and the eventual (or inevitable) falling out. [b]2005 - 2006[/b] My first season as a Calgary Flames season ticket holder. I was fortunate ...
"Split Squads" aside from being a really really great porn title it is also the reality for the Flames tonight. Every pre-season they play all of their top guys together, which is great, except they always lose against the opponent's prospect team. Vancouver is a team that I actually think has a great mix of veterans and good prospects, pretty solid defense and overall a g...
Newman writes...

Alex Tanguay: Back in the Saddle

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
Brought back from the depths of darkness, Alex Tanguay is back in a city he loves and playing with a player, Jarome Iginla, which he dearly missed. Tanguay spent the last year wallowing away in Tampa Bay, getting ever so slowly pushed out of the team picture. By the time the season ended, it was clear that Tanguay did not want to be in Tampa, and Tampa did not want any ...
This is why you sign three number two centermen! In case two get injured you line up doesn't really change!! I am fearful of one thing though and that is Conroy on the top line, it happens every year and it hasn't worked in several so I'm hoping against hope that Conroy stays in the bottom six where he does his best work. With Stajan's Injury and Langkow dealing with a slo...
Newman writes...

Mikael Backlund: The Time is Now

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
Answer: Trevor Kidd, Niklas Sunblad, Cory Stillman, Jesper Mattsson, Chris Dingman, Denis Gauthier, Derek Morris, Daniel Tkaczuk, Rico Fata, Oleg Saprykin, Brent Krahn, Chuck Kobasew, Eric Nystrom, Dion Phaneuf, Kris Chucko, Matt Pelech, Leland Irving, Mikael Backlund, Greg Nemisz, and Tim Erixon. Question: Name the Calgary Flames first round picks for the last 20 year...
Newman writes...

Niklas Hagman: A Good Fit

Posted Friday | Comments 0
Coming over in “The Trade” from the Toronto in late January of last season, Niklas Hagman was considered to be the most highly skilled player that took the westbound trip to Calgary. A six foot tall, quick, Finnish forward with loads of unused potential was bound to help the Calgary offence going forward. The following 27 games didn’t exactly yield the projec...
Hagman... injured? Apparently Hagman had the flu but came back and played one game in the pre-season, scored a goal and has promptly fallen off the map again. When Langkow hurts his neck we are told, "He hurt his neck". When Stajan Separates his shoulder we are told, "Separated shoulder, out indefinitely". Hagman get injured and we're told ... nothing? Maintenance. hmmm. T...
Just some quick thoughts on the Flames and some of the players. As for the team itself I think they have to be happy with the result overall yesterday. Tampa Bay dressed a roster that will be close to what they open the regular season with, yet they were clearly outplayed by the Flames and their rookie-laden roster for most of the night. The power-play, although suc...
Newman writes...

Flames in Net

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
The goaltending position in Calgary has never been a worry for the past half decade, and considering Flames fans tend to worry about pretty much everything else, it’s nice to have one less thing. This season, Calgary looks to have its strongest tandem to date in between the pipes with Miikka Kiprusoff and newcomer Henrik Karlsson manning the 4X6. Kipper for his part,...
saneopinion writes...

Debatable Defence

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Brodie and Pelech. Then there were two. The other obvious up and comer would have been Negrin but he's all heating it up in Abbotsford ( I hope that's their slogan, if it isn't you're welcome.). Brodie the Offensive D-man and Pelech the stalwart stay at home guy who no one likes to go near. So who makes it? The power play last year sucked and having a guy on hand who c...
Many flames fans are already giving up on the season. Some are even hoping for the team to tank this season which would spell the demise of Darryl Sutter. Is this approach towards the 2010-11 season justified? Lets look at the various reasons as to why this season is considered to be over before opening night faceoff by the fans Last I looked at the Ales Kotalik Trade a...
Newman writes...

Olli Jokinen: Here we go again

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
With the news that Olli Jokinen has suffered a minor injury in last night’s pre-season tilt with the Phoenix Coyotes, I thought it was time to look deeper into the man they call the Joker. If you read my column, and I believe there is maybe one person out there who does (Hi Dad!), you know I have never, how can I best put it, enjoyed having Olli Jokinen troll the ice ...
It was a successful night for the Calgary Flames last night, and has been a successful pre-season thus far. I had hoped when going to the Tampa game on Saturday night (to check out my new, and slightly downgraded :( seats at the 'dome) that Henrik Karlsson would get the nod so I could see him live and get a good read on his game. But, I never got the chance... fortunat...
It has been a pretty good pre-season thus far. Unbeaten and seeing some surprising faces score is certainly encouraging but enthusiasm for the upcoming season can often put the blinders on reality. For instance it is nice to see Kotalik trying, I did say we should give him a chance a long time ago, however he will not out score Iginla in the regular season. In pre-season h...
Newman writes...

For the 'what ifs' in life

Posted Friday | Comments 0
“You may say that I’m a dreamer. But I’m not the only one.”- John Lennon What if... What if the Flames won the Stanley Cup this year? What if the Flames don’t make the playoffs this year? What if Darryl Sutter doesn’t make it through the season? What if Iginla scores 50 again? What if Olli scores 40? What if Olli scores 10? What if...
All Haters Beware...you will Discover and get used to the Taste of your own Feet. Want Ketchup or Barbecue Sauce with them? I am sure either will improve the bitter taste of De"Feat" Flames proved in the PRe Season, with their 7-0-0 Record, capped off by a Shut out by Netminder Miikka Kiprusoff, That This Flames Team Can play to win, as a team, and can still win, in spi...
Hockeycrazed writes...

Flames opening line up?

Posted Monday | Comments 0
We got a pretty good feel for what the flames will look like come Thursday Tanugay-Jokinin-Iggy Hagman-Backlund-Bourque Glencross-Mayer-for the moment Jackman Ivanans-conroy-sutter When was the last time Calgary actually had a legitimate looking to 6? Throw in a healthy Stajan and kotalik and its actually a pretty solid looking top 9. With a bottom 5 of Mayers,...
With the announcement of Cam Cunning and Matt Pelech on waivers for the Flames, we now get a real look at the players who have the final shot at making the team for the start of the regular season. Of course - this could all end up being thrown out depending on the injury status' of both Ales Kotalik and David Moss who were to be fixtures on the third line with Glencross....
Brendan Morrison. I sat in the dome in '04, Flames vs. Canucks in a pivotal game 6. If the Canucks won it was going back to Vancouver for game 7 and along with it the home crowd advantage Calgary enjoyed. They turned the beer off after the 2nd period so by the third overtime we are basically hung over. Our seats weren't directly behind Kipper but they were just off center ...
Newman writes...

This and That and Morrison

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
With the regular season on our doorstep my goal of profiling every single player on the Flames roster came up a little short. But with that being said I will run down, quickly, those players I missed and share my thoughts on the signing of Brendan Morrison. The Rest of the Healthy Forward Core: Bourque, Glencross, Conroy, and Meyer Bourque is coming off a career...
jtommyt writes...

West Predictions

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
The predictions I'm seeing for this year just don't make any sense to me, so I'm going to give this a shot on my own... We'll see how it shakes out at the end of the year. 1. Vancouver Canucks It pains me to say this, but when I look at the rosters in the West, Vancouver just seems to be the strongest bottom to top this year. The weakness with this team is defense, b...
Newman writes...

The Ultimate Question

Posted Thursday | Comments 3
Will the Calgary Flames make the playoffs? That seems to be the question I hear more than any other when I watch TSN, Sportsnet, TheScore, or drop in on conversations at the local watering hole. So, will they? Well it’s a little more complicated than that. It involves beating out seven other teams in a very, very competitive Western Conference. I could go...
flamesfan!! writes...

Pre-Season

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
The season is upon us. In 12 hours time, the puck will be dropped to kick off the 2010-11 season for the flames. This pre-season has been both a good and a bad one for the flames even though they end it with a perfect 7-0 record. Positives - TJ Brodie He was considered to be one of the better defense prospects for the team, but was also considered to be a year or t...
OurStupidBlog writes...

GAME 1 of 2010-11

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
Game 1 of the 2010-11 season! Game 1 of this season's "Battle of Alberta," it's about time! Hell yeah! Finally, we get to see how these kids are going to perform on the big stage. I'm particularly interested in seeing how the Oiler coaching staff manages ice time between the top 3 lines that all have to potential to put up some decent numbers. I'm also interested in wa...
Newman writes...

Bloodied and Beaten

Posted Friday | Comments 0
What a start to the 2010-11 National Hockey League season for the Calgary Flames. They looked fast, they looked hungry, and their power play was really clicking. Oh, no wait, that was the Edmonton Oilers. Damn. I don’t really know where to begin. How do you describe such a pathetic effort? How do you wait five and a half months to redeem yourself for a disappo...
That second period last night was awesome!! I don't recall a first or third though... I have to say Jordan Eberle... my hat is off to you, crazy goal there and I thought the best player on the ice last time the Flames and Oilers met in pre-season. What as Flames fans can we take from that game last night? I don't want to be just another guys who goes crazy after a ...
Newman writes...

Weekly Roundup

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
It was a good news bad news type of week for the Calgary Flames. Good news: They recorded their first win Bad news: They recorded their first loss Good: They scored a power play goal Bad: The goal was scored into an empty net and was one of twelve chances in two games Good: Calgary beat a very good team in the LA Kings Bad: Calgary was clobbered by the O...
Newman writes...

Quick Hits

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
Heading into tonight’s game with the perennial bottom dwelling Florida Panthers, the Calgary Flames are faced with a few interesting decisions. 1. Which veteran defenceman will suit up in place of Adam Pardy: Sarich or Staios? Well I have to believe Cory Sarich gets the nod here but I have been wrong before. I personally don’t like either option and would rather...
Stajan is back so Morrison has moved to the right wing, when Bourque, Moss or Kotalik come back we will find ourselves in an interesting dilemma. Do you keep Backlund or lose him to the minors when Morrison goes to third line center? For me Backlund is the star forward when it comes to turn overs, he's a little Datsyuk out there, it's amazing. Morrison has been given seco...
Toronto fans know this all to well as JF Jr. put them here until possibly this past season . He's not the only one to do this Sather in New york, Nashville (arguably due to Trotz getting the most out of his players), Florida, and Edmonton (all teams which have finished in the middle of the conference but not getting a top 5 pick, consistently. Flames may enter purgator...
Newman writes...

Same Pile of...

Posted Friday | Comments 0
“SHUT UP! Enough already, Ballstein! Who cares about Derek Zoolander anyway? The man has only one look, for Christ's sake! Blue Steel? Ferrari? Le Tigra? They're the same face! Doesn't anybody notice this?” – Mugatu This is how I feel. The Calgary Flames are Derek Zoolander. Derek Zoolander is the Calgary Flames. Regardless of the grammatical nightmare that ...
I think we've had a reasonable amount of games to discern a few things for ourselves about this Flames team and the individual players on it. After a hard fought win last night it was clear where the weak spots were and where the bright spots were. Rinklighter commented he was in the 300's on Vetter's blog and could see the face off domination. I could see a few things fro...
flamesfan!! writes...

Kippermania

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Kipper got his first shutout of the season as the flames blanked the preds 1-0. A really physical game that saw some big hits thrown by either sides. The Positives Kiprusoff Kipper with an amazing effort blanked the preds with 34 saves on the night. Kipper has been playing tremendously and 5 games in, he seems to already be in midseason form. Sarich With a few...
Newman writes...

Farm Boy Theory

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
"You don't have to worry about that. He's not going down there to get confidence. But he's an awesome kid. He's a farm kid, and you know clearly what direction he's going.” -- Darryl Sutter’s comments regarding TJ Brodie and his demotion to the AHL. The question I pose is this: What is it that makes farm kids such good hockey players? Are they seemingly toughe...
Luongo. There are guys in the NHL who play for the money and those that play to win. I have to wonder where Luongo falls with these guys. He was the captain of the team, that means he must have that drive right? Yet after signing a long term contract he had a noticeable slump in his play, I know Vancouver fans are going to jump on this but if you're happy with his performa...
flamesfan!! writes...

Ring of Fire

Posted Sunday | Comments 0
Another flames win, another two goals for Bourque, another shutout for Kipper another point for Morrisson. The flames are shaking off their inability to score stigma by the buckets. Goals from three different lines and the Glencross line also had some tremendous opportunities. The Good Kipper What a game by Kiprusoff. The guy seems to have x-ray vision in being abl...
Newman writes...

Flames Ignited

Posted Monday | Comments 0
Who the hell are these guys and what did they do with the Calgary Flames? You know who I’m talking about right? The team that finished 2nd last in goal scoring last season and was averaging less than two goals a game heading into Friday night -- yeah that would be them. Well, something happened to change the tides and now the Flames are looking like world beaters ever...
"Whoa Whoa Whoa... Whoa....Whoa... This is not my batman mug."- Peter Griffin (family Guy) interrupting a conversation about something completely different. I thought about that quote when I hear the conversations going on right now about the Flames. Everyone is talking about how great they are doing and how much they score... They did have a couple of good games on t...
saneopinion writes...

In Sutter's Defense

Posted Monday | Comments 0
I know, two blogs in one day is overkill but I can't help myself. D. Sutter has been under heat for a while, this dates back to his Phaneuf trade and the Jokinen trade that brought Kotalik here. I'm not saying that they were great moves but in retrospect we're kind of eating our words aren't we? On Phaneuf, and Leaf fans you can't reverse facts here. Since going to ...
saneopinion writes...

Don't hate the player...

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
In what was a pretty interesting game with huge leads and come backs, fights from guys who don't normally fight and teams trying to score on them selves one debatable point has been over looked. Taylor Hall was hip checked cleanly by Marc Giordano, this prompted Colin Fraser to speed over and take on Giordano. The thinking that Hall has to be protected and if you check him...
Newman writes...

Flames Problems Have Changed

Posted Friday | Comments 0
Well, at least the problem isn’t scoring goals anymore. The Calgary Flames, after averaging less than two goals for their first half dozen games, have become an offensive powerhouse reminiscent of the 84’ Oilers – averaging nearly four and a half goals per game. It’s simply ironic that once the Flames start scoring, the defence decides to take a break. They...
Last nights loss was about small things. How many times have you heard Don Cherry say, "Get your sticks outta the way there!!" when talking about defending shots? It's beaten into player from an early age, let the goalie see the shot and take the body. On the winning goal Ian White got burned AGAIN after tipping a pretty harmless shot. He stuck his stick out, the puck defl...
The obvious statement is that a 7-2 loss at home against the Capitals may have been the worst game of Hockey I have ever witnessed. The 2nd period will for sure hold a title of the worst period of all time, maybe of any club. Getting past the obvious though there may be some things that are more disconcerting. After what has to be a low point in many of the Flames' car...
“In view, a humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of Fate.” Is that Jarome Iginla? Well, it’s entirely possible. A man who is both chastised for what he doesn’t do, but loved for what he does. It’s a fascinating situation to be in and now that November is upon us it is historically Jarome’s, and the ...
bgoug168 writes...

Thoughts on Iginla...

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
If one looks at the individual stats on the Calgary Flames for the past six NHL seasons ('03-'10), they will find that Jarome Iginla has been the team's uncontested scoring leader during each one. Only twice in those past six seasons has the #2 scorer tallied more than 66 points. Once, in the 06-07 campaign when Alex Tanguay had 81 (followed by Huselius and Langkow with ...
saneopinion writes...

The Iginla Talk

Posted Friday | Comments 0
Lots of Iginla talk lately, not by anyone on hockey circles so much but from fans and the media. I think this is a good thing, to mentally prepare ourselves for an Iginla-less Flames team. Iginla has been this teams top scorer for so long it's hard to get used to the idea, how could we win without him right? Well 30 other teams do it every night, and a lot of clubs have wo...
flamesfan!! writes...

What's up with Iginla

Posted Saturday | Comments 0
The Flames perennial leader in goals and points, Jarome Iginla is on pace for a measly 12 goals and 37 assists giving him a total of 49 points in the season. Is this just a lousy start for the notoriously slow starting Flames captain? Or is this something else? It is widely believed that Iginla has had a history of starting slow and finally finding his groove in the mon...
Newman writes...

Round and round we go

Posted Monday | Comments 0
Do you remember the scene from National Lampoon’s European Vacation when the Griswold’s enter a traffic circle and then gets stuck in it and goes around and around and around and around, unable to break through and drive in another direction? Well, the Calgary Flames are the Griswold’s and are stuck in said traffic circle. With every gut-wrenching 2-1 loss, wi...
Our poor Calgary Flames. I'm now on the side that a rebuild in the very near future is inevitable. This year, or next, what's the difference? They aren't contenders. This is an aging team of mostly past-their-prime/underachieving/overpaid vets. I don't see it magically getting better. (But I'd love to be wrong). I also no longer believe the mythical trade for a 1st l...
FLAMESTR writes...

Don't read it

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
What do you think the hottest topic with the Calgary Flames is this season? Everywhere you go, if they are talking the Flames, they are talking Iginila. Whether they are talking what is wrong with Iggy, or about the rumours of Iggy being traded to LA or the Rangers, or saying that Iggy should turn over the torch. Then again, there is talk about how Iggy has always started ...
sirwin31 writes...

Flames Game/Snappy Blog Title

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
Newman is on hiatus for about a week, so I'll be trying to fill the daily negative, I mean reality-check based, Flames' blogs that he is so aptly known for. Last night the Flames gave up the first goal of the game for the first time in as long as I can remember. Maybe we should get back into the Delorean and get it up to 88 mph ... nope, I'll just use the internet. It ...
saneopinion writes...

Iginla Bids start here:

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
It's funny when you look at perceived value versus reality. Right now, in reality, Iginla is a serviceable second line winger. His perceived value as a super star is the exact opposite. Iginla has a lot of qualities that make him hyper attractive for a lot of markets. He does still have an incredible shot and can change games when motivated, he can lead and is a huge marke...
Some observations I have seen lately: As Kessel goes so do the Leafs, it is no coincidence that Kessel's pointless streak pretty much goes hand in hand with the Leaf's losing streak. I think Burke has actually made some good moves with Versteeg and Armstrong, at the very least the Leafs are respectable but that scoring punch is lacking still. Macarthur is a good player ...
flamesfan!! writes...

Time to turn up the heat

Posted Friday | Comments 1
44 minutes to puck drop. The flames take on the desert dogs tonight in Phoenix. The desert dogs last season were the huge underdogs throughout and had a tremendous season crossing 50 win and 100 point plateau. The coyotes, though, have had a rocky start to the season (much like the flames) and the last year's surprise factor has disappeared. They still have a solid goa...
If you want to be despondent about last nights game I certainly understand. The negative story lines are more than the positive. Iginla a minus 4 and zero shots, the final score being flattering as the game was out of reach etc... One thing we can take away is a new legit first line. I have been imploring everyone to shift their paradigm and start thinking that Iginla's...
I was going to right earlier today about the exact same crap as before, to old lots of talent even more NTC, at the end of the day the team lives and dies with iggy. I think it can be agreed that this group of players isn't the right group to get it done, and will be together for awhile thanks to the aforementioned NTC's. I think its time to trade Iginla (gasp unthinka...
In the wake of a wave of unsubstantiated Jarome Iginla speculation, Darryl Sutter decided to distract Flames fans by making another trade to complain about. Ian White and his facial hair as well as Brett Sutter are gone, replaced by Anton Babchuk and Tom Kostopoulos. My immediate knee-jerk biased reaction: it looks to me like an about equal trade in value, but a trade that...
I’m baaaaaaaack!!!! After spending a week talking about whether Man U could really win the premiership this year or whether the England victory over Australia will really shake the foundation of the rugby world, I am back in North America to talk about the sport we all know and love: ice hockey (or at least that’s what everyone kept calling it over in jolly old Engl...
betweenthelines writes...

He is The Saviour

Posted Friday | Comments 1
It was not long ago when Daryl Sutter was regarded as The Saviour here in The Stampede City. It seems that we've all forgotten to thank the man for giving us a competitive hockey team for the last 8 years. We are such a passionate city when it comes to sports, but as soon as the cards fall, we start pointing fingers and demand heads to roll. Together as a city, as a com...
saneopinion writes...

What If....

Posted Friday | Comments 1
What if. It is a small phrase that usually pre-cursers everything I find annoying. What if Gelina's goal had counted in '04. What if Dion got traded for a 1st. What if they didn't trade a 1st for Jokinen...or trade to get him back again...or trade him for Kotalik. What if what if what if. As Jim Rome is fond of saying, " if...if my aunt had junk, she'd be uncle. But she do...
thought I would do a blog on some news I received. Last time I reported breaking news: well, let's not go there. Most of this news is not new, but it kind of adds to the drama. I have news on three teams: Calgary, Edmonton, and Tampa Bay. Edmonton Oilers I tweeted the info earlier. This much I know: the Oilers' names have been leaked in the NJ trade. Cogs, Penner, an...
From satisfaction to utter shock. What just happened? Did that just happen? Did I just witness that? Surely, some of the many responses from shocked Flames fans after they blew a late two goal lead in Detroit to lose 5-4 to the Red Wings. But really, they didn’t do the things necessary to win the game. They took too many bad penalties (see Stajan tackling Filp...
Newman writes...

Flames continue slide

Posted Tuesday | Comments 6
The Calgary Flames lost 2-1 to the New York Rangers tonight. The Flames had their chances to tie the game, but were stymied by the post, Martin Biron’s pads/glove, or a combination of both. This is an all too familiar tale. So what else can I say that hasn’t be said already. Nothing really, and so instead I will look at some individual efforts that have stu...
Matt Stajan got creamed last night by Marc Staal and the hit has been reviewed and was legal. Given Staal's history and the circumstances of the hit I would have been surprised if he received more than a game anyway but with Colin Campbell you have to wonder if he thinks Stajan is "a little faker", guess so. The controversy behind the hit is that Stall doesn't appear to le...
There are 61 games left for the Flames this season. 75% of the season still remains. A half full type person will tell you that the Flames are 3 games below .500 and because it is so early there is not a lot to be worried about. That may be true. A half empty person will point out that to make the playoffs you would need a minimum 93 points typically. What that mean...
The Flames beat the best the league had to offer, or at least the best in terms of points coming into today, downing the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 in a shootout. The win didn’t come without its share of controversy as the Flyers had an apparent winning goal disallowed in overtime due to Chris Pronger doing his best impersoation of Sean Avery. With the Flyers on a power...
Here are some numbers from the five game road-trip the Flames just came back from: A record of 1-2-2. Outscored 14-9. Average of 2.8 goals against per game. Average of 1.8 goals for per game. Outshot 161-146. 1 for 15 on the PP or 6.67% completion, including going 0 for 12 in the final four games. 16 for 21 on the PK or 76.19% efficiency 1 -1...
Newman writes...

Mo-Vember ends with a W

Posted Tuesday | Comments 1
With the win tonight the Flames finished the month of November with a 4-7-2 record – a far cry from last year’s 10-2-2 domination over the month of Moustaches. For his part, Jarome Iginla continued his November tirade scoring eight goals and adding five assists in 13 games. Not only did he score more, but Iginla began asserting himself more in the play. He was the ...
saneopinion writes...

The Perfect "Suck" Storm

Posted Thursday | Comments 4
I think the perfect storm for angry Flames fans is when the Oilers win and are two points back of catching the Flames (with a game in hand) and the Flames get blown out by the Vancouver Canucks on the same night. That is simply like pouring salt and lemon juice on our open heart surgery. There are fans clamoring for heads to roll however which heads and in what order i...
Just a few things I wanted to touch upon following the Flames 3-2 shootout win over the Minnesota Wild. Thing #1: Darryl Sutter and his claim that goals against are the Flames big problem Yes, the Flames rank 24th in the league in goals against per game. But, if you dig a little deeper you will see that these numbers are quickly skewed due to a couple blow out games...
I can't help but see Darryl Sutter's face sloppily super-imposed on the body of Bill Murray as he turns over in his bed to slap his alarm clock at the beginning of another day in the film "Groundhog Day". [IMG]http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w151/mslepp/darrylgroundhog-1.jpg[/IMG] That's what it seems like in Calgary, year after year. Yes - I used to be a stau...
Newman writes...

Lightning go up in Flames

Posted Wednesday | Comments 1
On a day in which Sylvester Stallone got elected into the boxing hall of fame (huh?) and Graham James gets out on bail(you have to be kidding me right?), the Calgary Flames climbed out of last place – at least for the time being. With the Oilers shootout loss, the Flames sit one point ahead of the junior high school misfits, but unfortunately the Flames have played o...
saneopinion writes...

Sutter firing unlikely.

Posted Friday | Comments 65
Oh my. Looks like another loss, which means a win tonight and the record will probably keep skipping. In the meantime everyone is calling for Sutter's head on a platter for putting together a loser team with one of the highest salaries. Let's look at this calmly though. Sutter was made Executive Vice President this summer. Does that tell you that ownership wants him go...
California dreamin’ or California nightmare? I’d say the latter was a more apt description of the result of the two game road trip. Two games, one point – simply put, it’s just not good enough. Despite late charges in both games, the Flames fell short in each game – stretching it to the shootout in Anaheim while falling in regulation in LA. They fall be...
Newman writes...

The Return of Dion

Posted Wednesday | Comments 5084
The Toronto Maple Leafs and Calgary Flames will face off on Thursday night at the Dome. You would think a game between the 22nd and 26th ranked team in the league wouldn’t exactly be a must see affair, but this upcoming tilt between two cellar dwellers has a little more oomph than your run of the mill basement clash. Did I mention Dion Phaneuf will be making his ...
mslepp writes...

Dion Phaneuf: Cheers or Boos?

Posted Thursday | Comments 3972
It's a date most Flames fans had circled the very day the NHL schedule was released. My first thought back in July in regards to his return was that Calgary Flames fans will boo Dion mercifully. When I thought about his return in September when my season tickets were delivered, I laughed again to myself, "oh man, are people gonna boo this guy." But, today, when ...
Newman writes...

Flames options moving forward

Posted Thursday | Comments 7442
In light of the Flames facing off against Toronto tonight, the team they partnered off with to make last year's blockbuster deal, I thought it would be interesting to look at some of the Flames options moving forward. The Flames have issues. That’s clearly apparent. But fixing those issues -- therein lies the true work of art. How do you get yourself out from under...
I wanted to sit down tonight and really try to discern why the Flames are a last place team because there is no way they should be. On paper this team is a good team. I don't want to hear about Kotalik and Jokinen etc. Those guys should get 20-30 goals even being defensively awful. Besides it's not as though shipping one of them would fix this team. I have to admit I'm ...
“Do you struggle to save the puck? Are you having trouble stopping that little black piece of rubber from going in the net? Do you find yourself riding the pine more than you think you should? If so, we believe we have the answer for you. Come on over the Calgary where the Flames will show you what true hospitality is all about. Their under-achieving band of overpaid hoc...
FLAMESTR writes...

OH HOW SAD WE LOOK

Posted Wednesday | Comments 7354
Even with the loss for the Flames tonight again in Columbus there will be no coaching or general manager change. Sorry if you were expecting it. I have been the ownership is not happy either, but they trust the Sutters. They trust that the rebuild will done right. I know the fans do not like the idea of this team dropping out of the playoff race, but I think its time to re...
The Flames have been under the microscope with their farm system. There have been a lot of negative comments on the Flames' drafting. The Flames' draft history has been under a lot of scrutiny, and rightly so. I have heard over and over again that the only draft pick that has turned out has been Dion. I, for one, have really questioned the Flames' picks. They have always ...
The Flames are on a roll – sort of. Winners of their last two games, and four of their last five under the Dome, the Flames climbed to within six points of 8th spot in the western conference. Let’s just ignore the fact that the Flames have played more games than pretty well everyone else in the conference save the Ducks. Olli Jokinen has six goals in his last ni...
Newman writes...

Darryl Sutter is no more

Posted Wednesday | Comments 19
Goosebumps can be caused by many things. Being scared, excited, nervous, cold, anxious, etc. So is it wrong that I had them running down my arms when I heard the news that Darryl Sutter was no longer the General Manager of the Calgary Flames today? To say I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time would be an understatement. It all happened so fast. One minute...
Newman writes...

Flames Thoughts

Posted Thursday | Comments 7
41 games down, 41 games to go – and they are going to be long 41 games at that. Sitting 14th in the Western Conference, six points back of 8th place, hopes for a miracle run are fading in a hurry. It doesn’t help the situation when a majority of teams ahead of the Flames have played fewer games than them, making it doubly hard to gain any sort of ground. Did I...
OilFanInYYC writes...

0.667 Hockey....Really?

Posted Friday | Comments 24
Being an Oilers' Fan for all of my life I must admit that seeing the Flames woes has given me a little bit of satisfaction. I think this is mainly because of the fact that I live in Calgary now and this is the first year since I have moved here that I haven't had to put up with listening to cocky Flames fans going on about how their perennial mediocre team was so great an...
After an off-season that included two signifigant trades, the 2011-12 Calgary Flames take to the ice in a season full of optimism. Head over to The Sports Roundup to get a glimpse into the future! http://www.thesportsroundup.com/2011/01/calgary-flames-october-two-thousand-and.html Newman twitter.com/TSRNewman www.thesportsroundup.com
A very small percentage of making the playoffs, yet the team must still charge forward. Head on over to the Sports Roundup for the latest musings as the Flames look forward to playing the Sens and the Leafs this weekend. http://www.thesportsroundup.com/2011/01/dwindling-playoff-hopes-for-flames.html Also check out why a certain blogger at TSR dislikes the Toronto Ma...
Despite being down four goals in the middle of the second period the Flames clawed back to gain a very valuable point. Head on over to The Sports Roundup to find out what this means for the surging Flames! http://www.thesportsroundup.com/2011/01/flames-show-resiliency-in-comeback.html Newman twitter.com/TSRNewman www.thesportsroundup.com
Newman writes...

Wild times in Flameland

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
The Flames got smoked 6-0 by the Minnesota Wild? Are you joking me? Lot of broken ankles this morning jumping off the Flames resurgence bandwagon. Come on over to The Sports Roundup to get a quick look at the what the Flames are facing now. Plus the Flames could have had Fleischmann for Regehr, would you have done it? Post your comments here: http://www.thesportsround...
So because Sutter was so hated we could not wait to have him gone. It was obvious that a whole serious of wrong turns accumulated in his firing. The Jokinen trade for Kotalik, the Stajan deal etc. We all know where he went wrong and we assume that Feaster can see the issues and correct them. It's being made clear to fans that Feaster is actually of Sutter's mindset. ...
carlgaryflames writes...

About time

Posted Monday | Comments 0
Name: Carl Dunlop Born: Calgary Alberta Thats all you need to know……. I`ve wanted to do this for some time. Letting my thought be known about what I know best. Two words…….Calgary Flames. Im not saying that everything I say about the Calgary flames is right, but it basically is. Im not going to lie, I love this team. I love sports, its what I know bes...
Newman writes...

Flames Roll into Break

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
The Flames are rolling into the All Star break with four straight wins and now sit only two points out of a playoff spot. Head on over to the Sports Roundup to read more about the Flames impressive string of play. http://www.thesportsroundup.com/2011/01/flames-roll-into-break.html Newman @TSRNewman www.thesportsroundup.com www.thecheckingline.com
Newman writes...

Flames finally win in ATL

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
The Flames finally won a game in Atlanta. First time EVER. They keep pace in the playoff chase. Come on over to TSR and read up on the latest from your home town heroes. http://www.thesportsroundup.com/2011/02/calgary-flames-finally-win-in-atl.html Newman www.thecheckingline.com www.thesportsroundup.com twitter.com/TSRNewman
The Flames can't be stopped. They roll past the Sens 5-2 to keep pace in the Western Conference playoff race. Come over to the Sports Roundup to read the latest on the home town heroes. http://www.thesportsroundup.com/2011/02/different-strokes-flames-and-sens.html Newman twitter.com/TSRNewman www.thesportsroundup.com www.thecheckingline.com
Hey, I'm just another armchair GM and fan, but if I'm Calgary's Jay Feaster, I'm really looking to bulk up for a serious playoff push. With the way Calgary have turned their season around since the departure of Darryl Sutter, I suspect Calgary will squeak into the playoffs. And, I’d hate to be the guy to say “anything can happen in the playoffs”, but… ANYTHING C...
I find it quite interesting the resurgence in New Jersey and Calgary. On one hand, a coaching change. On the other, a GM change. No major personnel changes. Same result. Two of the hottest teams in the league. In New Jersey, the importance of the "right" coach is stressed... in Calgary, the coach is somewhat downplayed. Bottom line: The players have sucked it...
[b]Heritage Classic[/b] Let's get something straight right off the bat. There are two reasons for the Heritage Classic: 1) It makes the NHL a helluva lotta cash. That much we know for sure. but, more importantly to you and me; 2) The fans LOVE it. And that might be an understatement. Reading the Globe and Mail this morning, I was quite disappointed bu...
Most of you probably read that headline and thought, "Thanks tips." Yes, we all know Darryl Sutter left us with very little to go with on the farm in terms of prospects. And, we all know that we don't have a 2nd or 3rd round pick this year. The 2nd was thrown in on the Primeau/Stralman deal for god knows why and even more mystifying was the 3rd being thrown in t...
Honestly, there's really not a whole lot to address. Jay Feaster went out and did what he said he wanted to do. Add depth. To address my headline: Feaster did what he said he would do and it improves the team just a little bit. More importantly, it keep the target on Hagman's back. If he slips, Modin will be in. And, Modin is more than capable of taking up a spot...
I want to take this opportunity to let you know that tiger blood will drip from the Flames chest in their quest for a playoff spot. Direct Charlie Sheen reference there sorry. In early January I was on www.sportsclubstats.com checking the chances of the Flames making the playoffs, my memory is fuzzy but I believe it was like 2.7% or something. They would have to win...
Newman writes...

Flames hit a Speed Bump

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
The Flames hit a speed bump Wednesday night as they fell to the Chicago Blackhawks. Come on over to the Sports Roundup to read more: http://www.thesportsroundup.com/2011/03/calgary-flames-hit-speed-bump-in-chi.html#more Newman twitter.com/TSRNewman www.thesportsroundup.com www.thecheckingline.com
Come on over to the Sports Roundup to listen in on TSR's inaugural podcast. We talk about Morrison, Iginla's hall of fame chances and the flames post-season chances. Come check it out! http://www.thesportsroundup.com/2011/03/inaugural-podcast-march-4-2011.html Newman twitter.com/TSRNewman www.thesportsroundup.com
The Flames are rolling! Thanks to Jarome Iginla and two special teams units that are firing on all cylinders. Come over to the Sports Roundup to read more and stay tuned for a podcast later in the day! http://www.thesportsroundup.com/2011/03/flames-win-iginla-and-special-teams.html Newman twitter.com/TSRNewman www.thesportsroundup.com www.thecheckingline.com
Newman writes...

Flames talk

Posted Monday | Comments 0
Come on over to the Sports Roundup to listen to our podcast for March 7, 2011! http://www.thesportsroundup.com/2011/03/podcast-march-7-2011.html Newman twitter.com/TSRNewman
The Flames keep winning. Is it any surprise that Kipper is playing out of his mind? Come on over to The Sports Roundup to read more! http://www.thesportsroundup.com/2011/03/flames-beat-stars-on-back-of-kiprusoff.html Newman twitter.com/TSRNewman thesportsroundup.com thecheckingline.com
mslepp writes...

The Enigmatic Matthew Stajan

Posted Thursday | Comments 1
Ok, so he's not really enigmatic. I just like the sound of the title. Makes it seem like I have something profound to say... I don't. Anyway, here is the story of the week the Flames traded for Matt "My Wife Is Hot and That's ALL I Have Going for Me" Stajan as seen through my life experiences. Be prepared. This is long. Oh, but it makes fun of the Leafs AND Oile...
Today we weigh the Flames playoff chances after a tough loss last night to the Coyotes. Come on over to TSR and have a listen! http://www.thesportsroundup.com/2011/03/podcast-march-11-2011.html Newman twitter.com/TSRNewman
Newman writes...

Flames Must Win Now

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
The Flames playoff chances were severely hurt this past week with three straight losses. Come on over and check out my first ever exclusive TCL(The Checking Line) blog. http://thecheckingline.com/blog/newman/calgary-flames/flames-playoff-hopes-fading#comments Also be sure to head over to The Sports Roundup to here the latest podcast! We talk mostly Flames and throw ...
Newman writes...

Flames Chances are not good

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
The Flames have put themselves in a massive hole with 6 losses in their last 7 games. Come over to the The Sports Roundup to see hear more. www.thesportsroundup.com Newman twitter.com/TSRNewman
Newman writes...

Flames have run out of time

Posted Saturday | Comments 0
The Calgary Flames need to win their remaining six games and get some help from both the Ducks and Stars to even have a chance and playing hockey past April 9th. How did this all happen? Come on over to the Sports Roundup and read more. Be sure to follow me on Twitter as well at twitter.com/TSRNewman http://www.thesportsroundup.com/2011/03/flames-have-run-out-of-time.ht...
Newman writes...

Flames are Cooked

Posted Friday | Comments 0
The Calgary Flames playoff hopes are cooked. After an impressive run, they will fall short for the second consecutive year. come over to the Sports Roundup to read more. http://www.thesportsroundup.com/2011/04/flames-are-cooked.html Newman twitter.com/TSRNewman
Newman writes...

Hope: It's a Horrible Thing

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
What am I? Nuts? So the Flames aren't totally out of it yet. Yes there is little to no hope, but there is still a little which has a lot of fans grasping at straws to cheer this team to the bitter end. Come to the Sports Roundup to read on. http://www.thesportsroundup.com/2011/04/hope-its-horrible-thing.html Newman twitter.com/TSRNewman
Newman writes...

Newman on CBC Radio

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
In case you missed it I was on the CBC Homestretch this afternoon talking about the Flames playoff chances. Come to The Sports Roundup to have a listen. http://www.thesportsroundup.com/2011/04/tsr-talks-to-cbcs-homestretch.html Newman Follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/TSRNewman
Newman writes...

Calgary Flames Post Mortem

Posted Monday | Comments 0
The Flames season is over. So lets take a look back at what went wrong. Come on over to the Sports Roundup to read more! http://www.thesportsroundup.com/2011/04/calgary-flames-post-mortem.html Newman twitter.com/TSRNewman
Jay Feaster is the acting GM of the Flames. When will the tag be removed or will it be removed? Come over to The Sprots Roundup to read more and feel free to comment on what you think might happen. http://www.thesportsroundup.com/2011/04/jay-feaster-acting-to-be-or-not-to-be.html Newman twitter.com/TSRNewman
I'm divorcing Hockeybuzz... once and for all. *For anyone from Edmonton who happens to stumble onto this blog accidentally, swan song in this case means my last post (figured I'd save you the google search).* Quickly, I can't stand the website anymore. It started when Eklund attempted to set up a meeting with me to discuss writing for the site, then, never followed...
Conroy might be able to provide two Flames players with some perspective this offseason. Come read more at the Sports Roundup! http://www.thesportsroundup.com/2011/05/craig-conroy-common-denominator-for.html Newman twitter.com/TSRNewman
The Flames new manager actually only has a few things to take care of and any credible G.M. should be able to get these things done. Let’s touch on the G.M. bit for a second first. The fact Feaster hasn’t been anointed the holy one speaks to the probability of at least a due diligence search for a G.M. That search could involve Jim Nill, the assistant in Detroit. Le...
Glencross took a hometown discount to stay on a team and in a city that he is comfortable with. Also, Feaster is officially the team's GM. Read more here: http://www.thesportsroundup.com/2011/05/flames-sign-glencross-and-make-feaster.html Newman twitter.com/TSRNewman
Since Jay Feaster was announced the active g.m. as opposed to the acting g.m. and a major contract was just signed in Curtis Glencross I decided it was about time to focus...on the draft. Feaster said this is Tod Button's draft which makes me think he had less input than we may have realized previously, in addition the Flames have had their new amateur scouts on the ground...
icedog97 writes...

Jetting Off to Winnipeg

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
On Tuesday, (May 31st, 2011) the NHL announced that the Atlanta Thrashers were being bought by True North and that the new owners would be relocating the franchise to Winnipeg, Manitoba. As someone who has enjoyed NHL hockey for more than three decades, having a franchise in Winnipeg is something I am strongly in favor of. But will it work this time? Like a lot of ot...
Newman writes...

Winnipeg and Tim Erixon

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
"Going to Winnipeg!" But how long can it last this time. The Rev takes a harsh look at the reality of keeping hockey afloat in a very small market. Also, the Flames lost a coveted prospect in Tim Erixon, but did they even have a choice in the matter? Come to the Sports Roundup to read more on these two topics. http://www.thesportsroundup.com/2011/06/welcome-to-winnipe...
dude84 writes...

Flames state of team

Posted Saturday | Comments 0
It is the start of summer the flames have traded away a blue chip prospect and a 5th rounder for two 2nd round picks and from what I know of Roman Horak a career AHLer. we all know the prospect is Tim Erixon who's father Jan played for the Rangers his entire career racking up 57 goals and 216 points. Apparently the entire family loves the city and organization which meant ...
Newman writes...

Why I Don't Like the Canucks

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
I can't stand them. The other thing that pisses me off is that a lot of people in Calgary including a lot of the bars are supporting them. It makes me so angry but seeing them lose tonight was so great. Come read why here: http://www.thesportsroundup.com/2011/06/why-i-dont-like-canucks.html Newman twitter.com/TSRNewman
The draft week is starting off with good news already, the cap is being raised by close to five million for next season and with that the floor is also being raised as well. This has a two fold benefit for our Flames, first it gives the team breathing room to make some important signings or at least be able to pursue one major free agent July first. The second benefit woul...
Newman writes...

Karlsson re-signs.

Posted Monday | Comments 0
The Calgary Tower is back! Well it never really left, but you know what I mean. Karlsson re-signed with the Flames for another two years today. Read more here: http://www.thesportsroundup.com/ Newman twitter.com/TSRNewman
I’m going to put these up for fun and feel free to rip me a new one but in my fantasy g.m. brain here is what I would do given what the Flames have to work with right now. Erixon going to the Rangers for two 2nd round picks changed the game because now they have all of the picks they would have anyway, if there was a silver lining to that fiasco this is it. So armed with...
Newman writes...

Robyn Regehr to Buffalo?

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
What a day for hockey fans! Regehr could be headed to Buffalo if he agrees to waive his no trade clause. What does this mean for the Flames? Come to TSR to read more: http://www.thesportsroundup.com/2011/06/bye-bye-birdie-robyn-on-his-way-out-of.html Newman twitter/TSRNewman
saneopinion writes...

Wrap up from the Draft

Posted Saturday | Comments 0
This blog may come too soon, we may still see a Ryan Smyth trade, we may see more signings or we may even see a new assistant G.M. To Summarize the weekend I think we have to break it down into a few different categories. They are the Draft itself, the trades, Smyth, and Tanguay's Contract. The Draft: I do not think anyone really thinks Bartschi at 13 was a bad pick,...
Newman writes...

Regehr and Tanguay

Posted Monday | Comments 0
Robyn is gone. Tanguay is back and the Flames no longer have to worry about Ales Kotalik sucking it up on the ice. Come to TSR where I look at what the impact of the both the trade and the signing mean to the Flames http://www.thesportsroundup.com/2011/06/regehr-traded-and-tanguay-signs.html Newman twitter.com/TSRNewman
I’ve read some blog posts recently and the replies them that seem to indicate a strong feeling that the Flames have no prospects, that other teams have youth on their side and seem to imply that the Flames are destined to be a last place team. There are a couple things to look at here, are the Flames really that old? Do they really have no prospects? Of the players si...
saneopinion writes...

Flames send messages

Posted Sunday | Comments 0
What a day free agency frenzy must have been for Mikael Backlund hey? With a nine year offer for Brad Richards on the table the flames affectively told Backlund that they did not believe he has the potential to be a number one center. There are a glut of centers but Backlund seemed to have an edge looking at training camp. Langkow is older, hasn't really played on a year a...
[img]http://1.cdn.nhle.com/flames/images/upload/2011/07/109844431.jpg[/img] Today Calgary finally managed to land defenceman [b]Anton Babchuk[/b] back in a 2 year contract worth $2.5 million per year. It is believed that this negotiation was stalled until now because Calgary was trying to keep Cap room for Brad Richards. Saturday night news spread of New York Rangers si...
saneopinion writes...

Babchuck Questions

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
I’ve heard both sides of the argument about Babchuck. Is he worth 2.5 million a year? Is he the minus 4 player in Carolina or the plus 14 player in Calgary? Is he defensively sound? One of the most compelling arguments I have heard that is that Babchuck played sheltered minutes, Kent Wilson of flamesnation.com brought this up first. I think what that basically means ...
Newman writes...

Non-Moves: Flames Strategy

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
The Flames decided not to go ballistic this weekend and probably for the best. Feaster, I thought, made some sound moves and really good non-moves. Come read my thoughts and remember to follow me on Twitter: http://www.thesportsroundup.com/2011/07/non-moves-flames-strategy.html Newman twitter.com/TSRNewman
Newman writes...

Calgary Flames in July

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
The Calgary Flames have made some small moves in the last week or so. But were they good moves and moves they really needed to make? Come over to TSR and read more http://www.thesportsroundup.com/2011/07/calgary-flames-in-july.html Also remember to follow me on Twitter at: @TSRNewman Newman
Is a team about ownership or the fans? This question on if the Jets will honour the jersey numbers retired before them is perplexing in my mind. If the team came back as The Winnipeg Storm or the Winnipeg Mosquitos (trust me they are terrifying) then I could see why they wouldn’t honour the old Jets. Winnipeg people loved their Jets so much any other name would have b...
saneopinion writes...

Stats getting out of hand

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
Stats. Is it just me or are they getting out of hand? I have read more and more articles dealing with “adjusted corsi” dealing with zone starts and different line mate combinations etc lately. I do think there is a place for all stats however all stats are subjective to the million variables that go into an average day in this world. Stats will never tell a whole story...
saneopinion writes...

FN Strikes back

Posted Sunday | Comments 0
I direct messaged Kent Wilson after I posted my last blog, not to pick a fight, but as a matter of congeniality in a blogosphere that seems to lack respect sometimes. Kent took the time to read my blog and respond in kind here: [url]http://blogs.thescore.com/nhl/2011/07/31/common-misconceptions-about-statisitical-analysis/#more-28434[/url] While I can appreciate his con...
I’ve always maintained my opinion is just that, an opinion. Sometimes this opinion break with traditional views, my views can sometimes elicit anger and emotional responses. To be honest there are times I play devil’s advocate just to get us thinking a different way and I invite this sort of response. The latest couple blogs have had to do with my opposition to a F...
For Flames fans ready for a change 2012 is a year to look forward to. No less than 10 current roster players will be unrestricted free agents in the 2012 season and the free agent pool as it stands has some pretty good depth to it. During the course of the season obviously trades happen, extensions could be signed and injuries could take a player out. The Flames will have ...
saneopinion writes...

WHY SO SAD??

Posted Monday | Comments 0
Why so sad Flames fans? The Flames have been reflecting on their season, hitting the golf course and lamenting on what could have been. It’s obvious to most Flames fans the Flames would have run rough shod over the playoff competition, especially the Canucks. Especially them. Now we look forward on the next season but I sense from most of you a pessimism in lieu o...
The issue I feel we run into since the new collective bargaining agreement came into effect is that our internal G.M. often argues with the real life scenarios that take place. I read trade ideas, in fact I am guilty of making them, and hear how simple it would be to fix this team. We Blame Sutter for quite a bit, maybe rightfully, but we also seem to forget what he did...
Over the Next 30 days I will be Previewing each of the National Hockey League Clubs heading into the 2011-12 season starting from the Anaheim Ducks. Day 4 of the series belongs to the official AarifDeenReport Calgary Flames Preview. Please resort to myhockeybuzz page for previews of teams falling before this team. [b]Follow me on Twitter @AarifDeenReport please. [/...
Newman writes...

Scott Hannan: Newest Flame

Posted Sunday | Comments 0
The Flames signed Scott Hannan to a one year deal worth one million dollars. It's an okay signing but the Flames are stuck once again doing the exact same thing. Come read more here: http://www.thesportsroundup.com/2011/08/scott-hannan-new-flame-but-same-old.html Newman twitter.com/TSRNewman
saneopinion writes...

You and your damn rules!!

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
New rules are part of the NHL’s mandate to increase scoring and it’s fan base. New rules make traditionalists cringe and create frustrated feeling in fans that have already bought in. In the end the idea is that the league feels scoring equals entertainment which equals money. How are the nets? Too big? Too small? Shrink the goalie equipment, enlarge the nets, creat...
Mathwil3 writes...

Pommer on the Move?

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Calgary and Buffalo, Buffalo and Calgary just another match made in heaven. Whether trading for Drury or just recently trading for Regher these two teams have come to accommodate each either. Whether it is a mutual hatred for Edmonton or long lost sister cities they getter done. Now it is rumored that they are not finished. What could they be up too? Everyone in Buff...
This is the first blog I've ever written on the Calgary Flames, so please excuse any factual errors and if my grammar ain't so good. After five consecutive years of spring hockey in Calgary, the last two seasons have ended prematurely. Many pundits and so-called experts are predicting the same disappointment for the Flames this coming season. However, those of us who wa...
Newman writes...

Langkow GONE

Posted Monday | Comments 0
Langkow was traded for Lee Stempniak. What does the move mean for the Flames? Did Jay Feaster make the right move? Follow the link! http://www.thesportsroundup.com/2011/08/langk-you-very-much-daymond-langkow.html Newman twitter.com/TSRNewman
Kzak99 writes...

Langkow out, Stempniak in.

Posted Monday | Comments 0
Flames GM Jay Feaster has continued his purging of big contracts by shipping out center Daymond Langkow in return for the unpredictable RW/LW Lee Stempniak. Langkow was acquired during the lockout year of 2004, basically replacing Craig Conroy who then GM Darryl Sutter let walk via free agency. The mantra at the time was "bigger and younger" and Langkow managed to fill ...
flamesfan!! writes...

Bye Langkow

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
Last week saw another long time Flame being traded away. This time the name heading out was the veteran center, Daymond Langkow. After a successful comeback to hockey, Langkow finds himself on the Coyotes, being traded by the Flames for Lee Stempniak. Langkow, one of the leaders in Calgary's locker room, recovered from a freak injury which saw him out of action for ...
flamesfan!! writes...

Bye Langkow

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
Last week saw another long time Flame being traded away. This time the name heading out was the veteran center, Daymond Langkow. After a successful comeback to hockey, Langkow finds himself on the Coyotes, being traded by the Flames for Lee Stempniak. Langkow, one of the leaders in Calgary's locker room, recovered from a freak injury which saw him out of action for ...
I sat down at my computer last night, excited to watch some hockey. It had been months since the last time I saw the puck drop. After a summer filled with horrible hockey occurrences, it was nice to see some hockey action. Unfortunately, it came in the form of a 6 - 1 drubbing of the Calgary Flames, from the San Jose Sharks at the rookie tournament. The Flames started o...
Prospect camp is on. Generally I like the format and I like seeing how the prospects play amongst guys at a similar development level. I hate seeing incidents like with Kyle Greentree a couple years back where he was challenging to be a late cut but at the prospect tourney gets run from behind by an Oiler plug missing his shot. For what? So who’s been bad and good? Th...
Following the abrupt ending to what was a dream run, and a fantastic playoff ride for the Vancouver Canucks and their fans, I sat on the sidewalk on Granville Street, Head in hands fighting back tears as I watched my city burn. After a trip to the pub with my good buddy and fellow "browntobure" blogger, where we disccussed all the things that went wrong, what could have b...
flamesfan!! writes...

Flames By Position - Centre

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
With the flames kicking off their pre-season with a doubleheader against the Canucks tonight, the flames faithful are out and about showing off the team colors. The season is knocking on the door, but the question is will the flames answer early or will it be the usual early season woes. The flames find themselves with a lot of options to play in the middle going into the...
Newman writes...

Roman Empire

Posted Friday | Comments 0
Can Roman Horak stick with the big club? And for how long? It's been the surprise of Flames TC. Come over TSR to read more http://www.thesportsroundup.com/2011/09/roman-empire-horak-looks-to-stick-with.html Newman twitter.com/TSRNewman
saneopinion writes...

Flames Playoff Chances

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
The Flames are a borderline playoff contender. You can call this a prediction if you want or you can call it total B.S. but it is hard to argue with. Saying they are borderline does not imply that should they reach the post season they couldn’t do some damage, I do think that if the opponent is the right one they could do damage. Borderline just means they will have to f...
Newman writes...

Flames downed in Opener

Posted Sunday | Comments 0
the Flames were soundly beat last night. Sign of things to come? Or just a prime example of how far the Flames are from being a good team. Read more here: http://www.thesportsroundup.com/2011/10/flames-downed-in-opener.html Newman twitter.com/TSRNewman
By Aakash Gulati One game into the season. Hockey is back and the Flames are here. Having previously looked at the flames centre depth, it is time to look at who will be flanking the Flames centres. A consistent theme with all the flames wingers is their consistency issues. Iginla With over 900 points and flames top leading scorer for the last 11 seasons, Iginla has ...
Flames thoughts: Turris- There has been mixed opinion on this kid. He hasn’t put up star numbers but has a load of talent and potential. Turris Played the 11 season getting 5 more points than his previous NHL stint in 09 and improving from minus 15 to even plus/minus. He did improve, although marginally. His average ice time was not great so it makes sense his point t...
flamesfan!! writes...

Flames first win

Posted Friday | Comments 0
Flames won their first game of the season against Montreal and that too by a decent margin of 4-1. After two stinking losses against the pens and the blues, finding the win column is definitely a good feeling. Going into Toronto with a win will be a feel good factor. In Toronto we will be up against ex-flames Phaneuf and Lombardi and the game should be a fun one for a Satu...
A brutal 1-3 start has lots of fans wondering if we're in for another playoff-less season in Calgary. Should we be worried or is it too early to tell? Come read for yourselves, and I swear I try to be positive... http://www.thesportsroundup.com/2011/10/should-calgary-flames-fans-be-worried.html Newman twitter.com/TSRNewman
The scene: The Oilers Taylor Hall at a Draft Lottery Party one year after he himself was drafted first over all. The management has thought it a good idea to send him out with the commoners to see what the reaction would be if the Oilers won the draft lottery. As it turns out they did not even win that, a fact almost forgotten. The New Jersey Devils won the lottery however...
In a snoozefest of a hockey game, the Flames dropped their second straight Saturday afternoon. But did they necessarily play that bad? And what about the revised goaltending philosophy in Calgary. These things will be debated... http://www.thesportsroundup.com/2011/10/no-afternoon-delight-flames-lose-second.html Newman Follow me: Twitter.com/TSRNewman
The plan. I have heard this term a few times now from the management and coaches of the Flames. The plan was to have Kipper play less and have the back up come in and win a few. I think we now have enough of a look at Karlsson to make an accurate assessment of his play and that is he is not the right guy. The plan only works when things fall into place and sometimes that p...
Newman writes...

Flames Bury Avalanche

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
The Flames stuck to their guns on Wednesday night and pulled out a much needed win. A run down of the game and a look at what the play of Horak means for the team going forward. http://www.thesportsroundup.com/2011/10/flames-bury-avalanche.html Newman
I am going to take a look at the Flames last ten years of first round draft picks and tell you if I think it was a bust or not. Chuck Kobasew 2001 1st rd. 14th overall. Kobasew wasn’t the only player from the 2001 draft that became a regular NHLer for the Flames. David Moss was the other player but besides those the rest of the draft has become a bust. Kobasew ...
I am going to take a look at the Flames last ten years of first round draft picks and tell you if I think it was a bust or not. Chuck Kobasew 2001 1st rd. 14th overall. Kobasew wasn’t the only player from the 2001 draft that became a regular NHLer for the Flames. David Moss was the other player but besides those the rest of the draft has become a bust. Kobasew ...
Sabres42 writes...

In Jhonas We Trust

Posted Friday | Comments 0
Lindy Ruff did say he would follow the "schedule" the goalies were given in the beginning of the week before the Philly disaster. So turns out Enroth gets the 4 x 6 tonight and Miller gets the cage in Ottawa tomorrow night. I think this is the right move here by the Sabres bench boss. He may not say he meant for it to go this way but none the less putting Enroth in toni...
With a number of teams struggling between the pipes I thought it would be fun to take a look at the goaltender market. I will look at each potentially available goaltender and the possibilities of them being moved this season. First up in a series of articles is... Miikka Kiprusoff, Calgary Flames We start off in Calgary where the Flames are struggling mightily and ...
I went into this weekend of Sabres hockey rather skeptical after the past few performances of the team. Despite only losing by one goal in a lot of their games, it was not a accurate depiction of the game as a whole. Buffalo was not playing good hockey, and there was no reason to think this weekend would be any different. However, 2 games and 4 points later, I was plea...
Newman writes...

Flames Moves: Youth Movement

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
Hagman on waivers. Backlund is back. Byron up, Brodie up. Babchuk and Bmo out. Check out a quick recap of the Flames recent moves and tell me what you think as the Flames just got a helluva lot younger. Click below: [url]http://www.thesportsroundup.com/2011/11/flames-moves-youth-movement.html[/url] Newman
Newman writes...

Flames Split Back-to-Back

Posted Sunday | Comments 0
Lose one. Win one. It's been the story of the season for the Flames. Paul Byron showed some jump tonight. Come read more here: http://www.thesportsroundup.com/2011/11/flames-split-back-to-back.html Newman
Newman writes...

Hagman Claimed by Ducks

Posted Monday | Comments 1
It's over. Hagman is finally leaving Calgary. Come to the The Sports Roundup to find out what it means and a little more about his run in cow town. http://www.thesportsroundup.com/2011/11/hagman-claimed-by-ducks.html Newman
You know in the dark cold mornings when you get out of bed to slap the alarm and have to turn on the first painful stinging light? That realization that the snooze button can’t actually delay the reality of having to get up and face the day. It hurts at first but as you grow accustomed to it you can start to look forward instead of looking back. We are at that point in t...
So here we are AGAIN. The trade possibility talk about the Flames top players. I want to be as clear as possible so everyone knows my stance in regards to the top guys everyone talks about. Iginla- Iginla is the last chance this club has for a massive return, Dion’s trade was a blown opportunity, Iginla has to be traded for something. Management has said he won’t be...
The Flames blew a 3-1 lead with less than 5 minutes left in the third. You wanna hear a rant...well here it is because I'm pissed off! http://www.thesportsroundup.com/2011/12/new-low-flames-lose-to-jackets.html Newman
[img]http://images.tsn.ca/images/stories/2011/11/17/kabs_65373.jpg[/img] As per NHL.com the Carolina Hurricanes have found a dance partner in Montreal Canadians and managed to trade a problem player for a recently injured player. The deal as reported is just a straight player for player trade involving no picks or other players. With any luck Kaberle can find some wa...
[img]http://d.yimg.com/a/p/sp/getty/b9/fullj.5cfadff89c55c7892381ab0fe12523c4/5cfadff89c55c7892381ab0fe12523c4-getty-135478954.jpg[/img] Well here we are, after having 2 days off in a row the flames are back to the grind. Tonight we get to watch the flames play the Predators on the road. In their last 10 meetings the flames have managed 6 wins against the predators. The...
[img]http://www.welive2ski.com/20080415_4318-.jpg[/img] Disappointment! Well here we are again folks, falling again to a very beatable opponent! When looking back, the flames gave an alright effort but nothing more then that. When Playing against a team like Nashville with its shut down back end we need to be in the offensive zone most of the time. Like I sa...
Hey everyone, As it turns out I will be linking only from here. You can see an excerpt from my blog below and the link adjoing it. I encourage to follow @tsrnewman and @sanehockey for updates on this site. I have written on the hockeybuzz website for many years now and have been asked repeatedly to change to other sites but have declined mostly or in one case I acce...
It’s game day for the Lightning as the Calgary Flames come to town for the only meeting of the year between these two teams. When I look at both teams, I see disasters. Neither team is playing well right now. That being said, at least the Lightning have a future. We have young, talented players who should be able to carry this team for a really long time. In Calgary...
1. Former Head Coach and GM Darryl Sutter has been rumored to be the next Head Coach for the Los Angeles Kings. King’s GM Dean Lombardi recently fired Terry Murray and is seeking a permanent successor. There is an old connection between Lombardi and Sutter, dating back to their days in San Jose that has fueled the speculation of Sutters imminent hiring. 2. Time for a...
[img]http://img542.imageshack.us/img542/1564/eruption5.jpg[/img] Welcome Back! Tonight's game is the first game that Jay Feaster will get the play against his former team the Tampa Lightning. It was in 2008 that Jay Feaster decided to resign from his position as GM of the Lightning and he will be looking for the win. As much as I wish I could say this team would be m...
Was that offense I saw? Wow, how nice it is to see the Lightning score goals and get solid performances from a lot of key sources. It’s like my entire Christmas wish list was answered in one night. Thanks Santa! Alright, so the goals may not have been the prettiest what with all the deflections and all, but a win is a win is a win and this team will take whatever it ...
[IMG]http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRE0Z5NGiZAZvUkr5OBYCXq0LXiK7qozOMZFMj61j3NugzfJhV_-g[/IMG] Thanks to those who have been reading my blogs the past two weeks, I am trying to help fill the void since we only have one official blogger for the Flames this year. Due to this being an early game this will be a short blog. The Flames find themselves facing off ...
Having taken points from each of their last seven games, the Chicago Blackhawks will look to continue that success against a recently surging Calgary Flames club tonight at the United Center. The Chicago Blackhawks come into this game with an impressive 20-8-4 overall record and 8-1-1 in their last ten games. The Calgary Flames, however, hold a mediocre 14-14-4 overall ...
[img]http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/sports/photos/2009/04/13/blackhawks-flames-090205.jpg[/img] Im baccckkkkkk Well its been a bit of a trying week, first we saw the flames fall at the hands of the Nashville predators, then we saw the Tampa Bay Lightening and Florida Panthers both push Calgary out to only 1 point. What can we take away from this? Well the positive spin...
[img]http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/390310_10150417679757293_500697292_8615052_2062699810_n.jpg[/img] Christmas Time! Sorry for not getting a blog up sooner as I had expected to yesterday at some point. Christmas time is here and I have plenty of shopping still left. I will be traveling to Toronto, Ottawa and Kingston (kind of like a hockey road trip)...
[img]http://www.commongrounds.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/santasleigh.jpg[/img] Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the Dome Not a Player was hanging, not even Jarome. Their equipment was hung in their lockers with care, In hopes that Jay Feaster would manage them fair. The players were home with their families in bed, While thoughts of a playo...
[img]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7014/6593768465_4fc6277974_b.jpg[/img] Christmas time Let me start by saying Merry Christmas / Happy Holidays to you all. I had a great Christmas and spent time visiting relatives all over Ontario, and stuffing my face. The best gift aside from the time with everyone? Box seats, center ice, for the Calgary versus Ottawa game! Now th...
dude84 writes...

The Circle Of Life

Posted Saturday | Comments 0
Jerome Iginla is on the verge of getting his 500th goal both in his career and as a flame but the team is out of the playoffs and have missed for the last two years. Iggy as he has come to be known by flames fans was drafted by the Dallas Stars 11th overall in 1995 but was quickly traded to Calgary after the draft for Joe Nieuwendyk the Stars won the cup with Nieuwendyk bu...
40 games in the season the Flames sit in 12th spot in the west. What's been good so far this season. Read more here: http://www.thesportsroundup.com/2012/01/calgary-flames-mid-season-report.html Newman
[img] http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/377538_10150453288332293_500697292_8764872_728421700_n.jpg[/img] WJC It's official Canada gets its rematch against Russia, but this time its not for gold. After coming through the first round of the tournament Canada won every weighted game that they played along the way. Where does this leave us? We received a bu...
[img]http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_xAsxoR0MHHo/TLzh204kfnI/AAAAAAAAAW0/MOq6AVQoFBQ/s1600/i.jpg[/img] WJC Agony! Ahh that feeling of nostalgia. It was just last year that Canada found itself in a very similar place. And yes now it is official, Canada has lost yet another WJC (anyone who isn't first is a loser so lets not talk about the bronze game). I am now starting to k...
[img]http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FsjRzf68I0s/TdOxz6uVlTI/AAAAAAAAAzM/QntEDfnHxno/s1600/elephant20shit1.jpg[/img] With an effort last night that can only be described as "Worse that anything I have squiged out of my Ass", the Calgary Flames managed to drop their fifth game in a row last night 9-0. I SAID NINE NOTHING!! A shut out vs nine goals. This is disgus...
Newman writes...

Mr. 500: Jarome Iginla

Posted Monday | Comments 0
Jarome Iginla joined the exclusive 500 goal club on Saturday night. Now, there are talks of him once again leaving town. I don't think it's going to happen though. Come over to The Checking Line to read more! http://thecheckingline.com/blog/newman/calgary-flames/mr-500-jarome-iginla Newman
Here is an excerpt from my latest blog: ...Calgary needs a great goalie to be a decent club, not sure if that is an indictment of the system being played but it is safe to say that if Kipper leaves a replacement will have to be found. Irving played decent up here and won against the Canucks which made him beloved by fans but his stats are not great after that Boston gam...
[img]http://screencrave.frsucrave.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/The-Last-Exorcism-The-Wall-Crawler-27-8-10-kc.jpg[/img] Yesterday The Boston Bruin's Brad Marchand received a 5 game suspension for his hit on Sammy Salo. Finally a few of the bad hits that the Bruins make (like 2 out of 1000) are being called. Sure this is great and makes us feel a little bette...
The Habs got Mike Cammalleri's huge contract off the books on Thursday. The Habs traded Cammy, along with Karri Ramo, who is playing in the KHL, and a 5th round pick to the Calgary Flames for forward Rene Bourque, prospect Patrick Holland, and a 2nd round pick in 2013. It is interesting to note that this trade happened a little more than 24 hours after he made critical...
Last night the Habs(16-20-7) lost 2-1 to the Bruins(28-11-1) but that wasn't the main story. less than 24 hours after Mike Cammalleri called the team a bunch of "Losers" he was nowhere to be seen in the 3rd period, the commentators thought he might have been injured. Then tweets from Dave stubbs, Mckenzie, Duthie said possibility that Cammalleri could have been traded. ...
I know this is an old subject, however I have not had the chance to post this as of yet. So here it is. This is my tribute to one of the best captains, and most talented players in NHL history. To start off, I’d like to say congratulations to Jarome Iginla, for scoring his 500th goal – a feat performed by only 42 other NHL players. It may not have been the prett...
Over the past few weeks, I've received numerous tweets and emails asking me the same question. "What should Calgary do" and "Should Iginla be traded". This is not an easy question to answer, and therefore I have decided to write about it. The organization will be analyzed as a whole, and I'll give MY opinions on what the Flames' should do. I think that for the best inte...
[img]http://nationalpostsports.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/0119hall.jpg[/img] Taylor Hall was Injured in practice the other night and ended up taking a bunch of stitches. He is out for a few days at least but luckily didn't loose an eye. Scary injury that turned out as good at you can hope. Wishing him a quick recovery! As you may or may not know the Calgary flames...
After coming out of LA and San Jose with 3 out of 4 points, and taking both games to a shootout, I've come to realize that Feaster does not deserve all of this criticism he is receiving. Feaster and the Flames have impressed me this year.They've battled through adversity, and have showed that the Flames' organization does infact have some NHL-ready prospects. After the ...
The Flames' get out shot 32-25 against the surging Los Angeles Kings, and again can't score, however the overall game was a solid performance by Calgary. Here are some notes on last nights' game, as well as some others leading up to tomorrows' game against Edmonton. - Jarome Iginla was a beast last night. Scoring a Powerplay goal, and coming in 2nd on the team for total...
[img]http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/396165_10150496555357293_500697292_8929549_435481295_n.jpg[/img] When asked to comment on his feelings towards the Oilers, Sullivan felt actions spoke louder then words! This one is dedicated to All Mighty Oil, who I promised I would post more pictures of my dog for. Why don't we talk about injuries? Oiler fans...
Well there's another one in the books folks. The Calgary Flames' defeat the young and vibrant Edmonton Oilers, 6 - 2 in what did not look like a 'Battle of Alberta'. Although the shots (23-23) would indicate a fair game, it was far from it. [b]A few things from the game to note:[/b] - Lee Stempniak was a monster, scoring 3 G, adding 1 A for a total of 4 points. He a...
[b]It's NIEMI time!![/b] What else can I say. Niemi put on a show during the game. Stopping Tanguay on a breakway not once, but twice - along with many other stellar saves. Don't take anything away from Kipper, as he played extremely well too. It was a battle of the goaltenders. The first two periods of the game were rather equal and quite boring. The third period, ...
[code][ # Comments] [/code] Brendan Morrison was just traded to the Chicago BlackHawks for prospect Brian Connelly who is a 5'10 and scored 52 points over the last 80 games. Morrison was a UFA this year and was not going to be resigned. With the number of forwards we have this was the best move since it gives him a chance to win a cup this year. One can only wonder if t...
Morrison was traded tonight to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for Brian Connelly, a name that surely no one has heard of. After doing some research, and watching some footage, this Connelly kid is quite impressive. At only 5'10, he may not be as intimidating as some defensemen, however with 52 points in 80 games last season, and a AHL All-Star, who according to some...
The Flames' struggles for offensive production continued tonight, as they lost 3 - 1 to the Detroit Red Wings. A common theme since the beginning of the season, and for the past few seasons at that. The dump-and-chase system that Calgary has so long employed is stagnant, and has clearly not produced results. Detroit outplayed Calgary in the first, and was up 1 - 0 headi...
The goal scoring issue is coming to boiling point and the Flames, more then ever, need to start scoring or they can kiss those playoff pipe dreams good bye. Check out the re-cap at TCL-West! http://west.thecheckingline.com/blog/newman/calgary-flames/wings-dispose-flames Newman
[img]http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/dEhP1eNtUUhJ8RlJ.v25Ow--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTYzMA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en/blogs/sptusnhlexperts/GRABBBBBBs.jpg[/img] As you might know I decided to get twitter, and its proved to be lots of fun. Follow me @vowswithinhb [i]#Update: Well looks like Stempniak will be out for 6 week now, + Kolanos will wear #8 for the ...
There are not many words to describe the frustration that last nights game brought upon me. I've been one of the biggest advocates of not only Feaster, but Sutter. I've defended them countless times. The game in Anaheim was the tipping point for me. Although Calgary did come back and tie it - it was one of the worst games I've seen them play in a long time. With the exc...
A huge late goal by Cammalleri last night earned the Flames a much needed point. Come to TCL-West to read more: http://west.thecheckingline.com/blog/newman/calgary-flames/cammalleri-ties-it-late-flames-get-point Newman
The Flames moved into a playoff spot in Saturday for the first time all season with a 1-0 shutout win. Kipper continues to play out of his mind but the PP is all of a sudden stuck in neutral. What gives? Read more here: http://west.thecheckingline.com/blog/derrick-newman/calgary-flames/flames-playoff-spot-pp-struggling Newman
"...There is a faction that say as soon as something goes wrong the crazies come out and talk about trading Iginla or Kipper. I respond, why is it crazy when the same club, with the same players, goes through the exact same thing every year and never wins? Why is that crazy? Sutter is historically a coach that either misses the playoffs or goes out in the first round. Tha...
" ... This summer is shaping up to be a very busy one for the Flames organization. Should the Flames not make the playoffs as expected then it certainly seems likely that Brent Sutter will be fired, this will be more about his results than his ability. It should be noted that in my opinion no coach will be successful in Calgary until the entire culture of the organizat...
[b]Follow me on Twitter for prospects news, analysis and Calgary Flames updates @RyanHB [/b] In this edition of my blog, I will look at a Calgary Flames' prospect, in Michael Ferland. Over the past couple of years I've been watching Ferland play, and develop into the player he is today. I will go over his strengths, weaknesses and projected placement- in a precursor ...
MattRicard writes...

Free Agency Forecasting

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Let's face it - this year's crop of free agents can be described as underwhelming ... at best. Brad Richards is really the only big name in the class and given the amount of teams reportedly in the running for the pivot, he'll likely fetch around $8 million per season mark and will get a long-term deal. That kind of contract doses cold water on the thought the club may tak...
MattRicard writes...

Free Agency Forecast

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Let's face it - this year's crop of free agents can be described as underwhelming ... at best. Brad Richards is really the only big name in the class and given the amount of teams reportedly in the running for the pivot, he'll likely fetch around $8 million per season mark and will get a long-term deal. That kind of contract doses cold water on the thought the club may tak...
MattRicard writes...

Free Agency Forecast

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Let's face it - this year's crop of free agents can be described as underwhelming ... at best. Brad Richards is really the only big name in the class and given the amount of teams reportedly in the running for the pivot, he'll likely fetch around $8 million per season mark and will get a long-term deal. That kind of contract doses cold water on the thought the club may tak...
MattRicard writes...

Let's face it

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Let's face it - this year's crop of free agents can be described as underwhelming ... at best. Brad Richards is really the only big name in the class and given the amount of teams reportedly in the running for the pivot, he'll likely fetch around $8 million per season mark and will get a long-term deal. That kind of contract doses cold water on the thought the club may tak...
MattRicard writes...

Let's face it

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Let's face it - this year's crop of free agents can be described as underwhelming ... at best. Brad Richards is really the only big name in the class and given the amount of teams reportedly in the running for the pivot, he'll likely fetch around $8 million per season mark and will get a long-term deal. That kind of contract doses cold water on the thought the club may tak...
MattRicard writes...

The Erixon Saga

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
Jay Feaster's hands were tied. The Flames General Manager tried every possible angle to get defenceman Tim Erixon inked to an entry-level deal but as the 5:00 PM ET deadline crept closer, it became apparent there was nothing he could do to convince the 20 year-old to sign on. If no deal was able to be made, Erixon would be put back into the NHL Entry Draft this mont...
"... So we start with the overall questions, What’s next? After three seasons of no playoff hockey the Flames fans are mad. We all remember the season after season futility and it seems like those scars are now being opened. The 04 run is now long gone and all good will it generated is depleted. After so long losing there has to be a major shift in culture with the Flame...
What would Calgary want? A first round draft pick would be the obvious starting point, what else that would be added to any potential trade would be totally up in the air. So in assuming that the Flames asking price is starting with a first, anything less would be not worth moving him, who’s first is most attractive? Obviously Edmonton’s but there is no way on both sid...
there hasn't been a flames blog in awhile beside the vancouver blogger. So i decided to take a chance and voice my opinion on the change Calgary should do. Its time to do something in calgary because it has not work for the past five seasons. Calgary has two big asset in captain Jarome Iginla and goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff. Kipper would be easier to trade because there ...
Today, Jay Feaster announced the signing of the 26 year old Czech centre Roman Cervenka to a a 1-year contract worth US$3,775,000 including bonuses. The deal had been in place since Thursday, however Cervenka's contract ended on Monday. Roman Cervenka recently led his team in points, registering 11 goals and 11 assist in 20 KHL playoff games. He is described as having...
.... You read it here first: Iginla and Kipper will start the season in Calgary. A few more crystal ball gazing ideas come to you when you absorb this information. The first being that Olli Jokinen will probably be re-signed. I know this flies in the face of what Eric Francis thinks but there are a few factors here to consider when discussing Jokinen. He was the be...
Jadon9 writes...

Fight Fire With Fire

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Many of you flames fans out there including myself, are feeling very weary about managements goals that are said and un-said. Jay is a great hockey man, and may or may not have drafted the next Nieuwendyk, we'll just have to wait. Now clearly stuff needs to happen before on and after July first, beginning with the trade of failure Jay Bouwmeester. Jay hasn't even come clos...
Jadon9 writes...

Fight Fire With Fire

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Many of you flames fans out there including myself, are feeling very weary about managements goals that are said and un-said. Jay is a great hockey man, and may or may not have drafted the next Nieuwendyk, we'll just have to wait. Now clearly stuff needs to happen before on and after July first, beginning with the trade of failure Jay Bouwmeester. Jay hasn't even come clos...
“We want the cup” rained down on the Madison Square Garden ice for the final ten minutes of game seven of the Eastern Conference semi finals. Roman Hamrlik would steal Henrik Lundqvist’s shut out, but while eager fans were hanging on the edge of their section trying not to fall from anticipation, Dennis Wideman was parked on the bench. Playing a season-low 15:1...
Blackstrom2 writes...

The Moderators are funny

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
You guys are hilarious. The page I was banned on had two posters calling each other idiots and retards, but I got banned for saying lol @ Flames. lol @ you.
Blackstrom2 writes...

The Moderators are funny

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
You guys are hilarious. The page I was banned on had two posters calling each other idiots and retards, but I got banned for saying lol @ Flames. lol @ you.
Flames Bring Back Sarich Refusing to Admit the Need to Rebuild Cory Sarich agreed to a two-year, two million dollar contract to return to the Calgary Flames this morning. Bringing Sarich back puts some more size at the blue line, but it shows Calgary’s lack of commitment to rebuilding. They lost prized Swedish defender Tim Erixon to the Rangers in the Scott Gome...
Well, I have not posted an article/blog on this site for a while, and am returning. I figured why not return by answering a short question/answer forum. I asked people via twitter to send in some questions, and I will answer here. @ChrisBowenYYC asks: "What do you think the make up of the blue line will be come opening night" - Well its tough to tell right now. Jay ...
[img]http://dildeepsingh.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/backlund.jpg[/img] As it was just announced several minutes ago that Mikael Backlund has signed a 1 year 1-way contract with the Flames with a Cap hit of $725,000. This is even less then Roman Horak, T.J Brodie and Derek Smith will make this year. Backlund is nothing but upside at the age of 23, despite his injury...
Today, Mikael Backlund was signed to a one-year, one-way deal worth $725,000. Up until yesterday, negotiations had gone nowhere. JP Barry, Backlunds' agent told me "We have not yet made any progress". Just a few hours later, I get a text from him "Progress is being made". When I checked with him this morning, he said a one-year deal is on the table, ready to be accepte...
[img]http://img.deniksport.cz/img/2/article/416977_sport-hokej-extraliga-slavia-sparta-cervenka-crop-crop-crop.jpg[/img] There has been a lot of talk about Roman Cervenka and questions as to what he was offered in his contract and what it actually means to the team and cap in real world dollars. The following is my attempt to explain and debunk it. Roman Cervenka w...
Jay Feaster has come under heavy scrutiny since taking over as “acting” general manager of the Calgary Flames on December 28th 2010, however questions of his direction and lack of stated strategy have fans feeling confused and unsure of where the Flames are headed. The major question then is “Are things getting better or worse for the Calgary Flames hockey club?”. ...
Once an offer sheet is laid out by a team all of the other team’s fans start to wonder why their team is not doing it. Jamie Benn, Suban, or however you want to talk about are not going to be let go via offer sheet, it’s very rare. If they do get the sheet they don’t move very often, most clubs will match and trade later when they can control the return. So are...
Yes indeed, it was yet another 'dollar short and day late' season for the Flames after missing the playoffs by a mere three wins. The casual observer and even some knowledgeable fans and media members have concluded the Flames’ owners are ‘crazy’ wanting to forego an all-out rebuild keeping their goaltender and captain and the 2012-2013 season will just be more of th...
First of all I would like to respond to the posters who commented on my last blog. I tried to use the comments section but my posts showed up blank. Hi guys, thanks for taking the time to read and comment on my blog. @HopintheCordoba. Yeah, that pick caught a lot of people off guard including me. Even though ISS/CS etc. had Jankowski rated lower, Craig Button had hi...
Feaster’s first player acquisition as acting GM was underwhelming and perhaps a token move to show he wanted to bolster the lineup without giving up much. With the Flames’ season winding down and a playoff spot looking less likely with each passing game, Feaster added a ‘broken down’ Fredrik Modin, giving up a seventh round pick at the deadline in 2011. Modin had l...
I am taking a departure from my in depth analysis of Jay Feaster’s first two seasons as the Flames' GM to comment on statistical analysis in hockey. Specifically as it pertains to the Calgary Flames. The reason I am doing this is because I read a post on another site maligning the Wideman signing quoting (so-called) experts who called the Wideman signing the worst UFA...
In Jay Feaster’s second off-season, he was forced to eat a bit of humble pie when his pre-season guarantee of making the playoffs blew up in his face and the Flames missed out by just six points in an eerily similar fashion to the previous year. The first dilemma facing the GM was whether or not to re-sign Brent Sutter. To me it was a no-brainer. Sutter may be a good ...
This is my last installment on the examination of Jay Feaster’s tenure as Flames GM. I hope the series has been interesting, informative, entertaining or some combination of the three. To wind things up I would like to look at the Flames 2012 draft selections. Although Feaster has minimal involvement with assembling the scouting list, it is a product of the scouting s...
Ice_Hawk writes...

Not Another F^&%$#@ Lockout!

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Although things could change, the current state of CBA negotiations is pointing to yet another lockout. If so, this would be a natural hat-trick. Since the NHL owners slotted hired-gun Gary Bettman as their commish, the mood of player/ownership negotiations has gone from somewhat amicable to downright confrontational and even combative at times. The financial state ...
In the minds of many it seems a foregone conclusion that the Flames will miss the playoffs again if there is a 2012-2013 season. The reasons range from ‘lack of scoring’ to ‘an aging core’ to ‘the Flames will suck until they rebuild’ and pretty much everything in between. Not so fast. Until the season begins it is impossible to accurately assess a team’s c...
Bettman is oft’ made out to be the bane of the NHL’s existence by some, and by others excused for simply trying to fulfill the owner’s mandate of selling the game in the U.S. market, ending labor unrest, completing expansion plans, and modernizing the views within the ownership groups. [b]Let’s look at the body of work of Mr. Bettman.[/b] Since the diminutiv...
If forced to describe Theoren Fleury in one sentence during his NHL career, one would likely use the words troubled, conflicted, gifted and of course, mouthy. Most fans, journalists, fellow players and management couldn't stand Theoren Fleury, particularly Rangers and Blackhawks fans/brass. But one has to wonder, if we knew about Fleury's problems then, would many still de...
First of all I would like to clarify that I was pro-ownership last lockout. Owners had bumped up salaries to the point the league’s finances were in rough shape. However, it was basically a few ownership groups who were driving the pay-escalation, and it was difficult to indict the group as a whole. Some owners had been victims themselves and had come out and criticiz...
The firing of Brian Burke in Toronto should serve as a clarion call to other executives and coaches in the NHL, alerting them to the fact that the natives are restless. As bizarre as the timing of the Leafs removing Burke is, it only serves to reinforce the heightened sense of urgency that many franchises have, not just the Maple Leafs. However, in the case of the Leafs, t...
Recently Edmonton’s Arena deal moved forward finally after long and bitter negotiations between the Katz group and The City. The final deal ends up being that the city will get roughly 4 Million a year from the club, which is about double what the currently pay. The total amount of the project is going to be in the vicinity of 600 million dollars, a hefty sum no doubt, a...
[img]http://blog.nj.com/devils_main/2009/03/medium_kip310.jpg[/img] It has been a scorching rumour and topic in Calgary for the past year or so now in Calgary- What should the Flames do with Jarome Iginla and Miikka Kiprusoff? As per Capgeek.com, the Flames have five UFA’s and four RFA’s this upcoming off-season. There’s no secret that the Flames are a team cons...
I'm by no means the first person to mention that the Flames would do well to offer sheet O'Reilly and give up their 1st and 3rd for him. This is not a unique idea and the good guys over at Flames Nation have already laid out why it is such a good idea here:[url]http://flamesnation.ca/2013/1/15/outside-the-box-sign-ryan-oreilly-to-an-offer-sheet[/url] Before I continue i...
Tonight the Coyotes hosted the Calgary Flames, who just came of a hard fought come from behind victory last night against the Dallas Stars. The Coyotes were looking to take advantage of that fact when they were coming into this game… and take advantage they did. In less than a minute they grabbed the lead with a rebound goal by Keith Yandle. I got to feel for Calgary...
The Phoenix Coyotes took on the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames on back to back nights this weekend. I will be pretty brief in my explanations of the games because I did not see enough of them to give what I believe to be a high-quality analysis. Also, I am not a huge fan of writing a lot after losses because sometimes there is not much positive to say. First off, t...
A long time ago I wrote a, “What would Iginla asking price be” for the Flames. Of course it was met with a lot of vitriol. No one wants to think that their best prospect may be included for an aging star like Iginla but make no mistake, if the trade happens the Flames will only do it if the return is an overpayment, otherwise why do it? Iginla will only go to a team...
saneopinion writes...

Kiprusoff and the price

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
Kiprusoff- Return and potential partners My last entry regarding Iginla and his value is being discussed once again on Colin`s blog if you want to head over there and put your two cents in. You can see that original entry here: http://my.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?user_id=33826&post_id=14517 and you can see Colin`s here: http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Colin-Da...
There are about nine teams in the Western Conference that certainly care about the Columbus Blue Jackets right now. Perennial losers they may be but CBJ are not letting their past stop them from making a serious push for the playoffs this season. Since February 26 the Jackets have gone 6-0-5, earning points in eleven straight games. The streak has allowed the Jackets t...
Tonight the Calgary Flames play head to head with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The rumours surrounding the future of Jarome Iginla as a member of the Calgary Flames make this game a little more interesting than your average epic Flames/Blue Jackets showdown. Over the next two weeks the Flames and Iginla will receive some very tempting offers that will greatly affect the f...
Follow me on Twitter: @flamesfan1981 With the recent trading of Flames icon and captain Jarome Iginla, there is no doubt that Calgary management have made it clear they intend to rebuild or "retool" as they calling it. Bouwmeester will almost certainly yield a larger return for the Flames than Iginla and here's why Jay Bouwmeester is arguably one of the best defence...
Follow me on twitter @flamesfan1981 When I originally began writing this article it was before the recent moves by Feaster in the trading of Flames icon Jarome Iginla and their top defender in Jay Bouwmeester. Some of my opinions will certainly change based off of these 2 moves. On December 28, 2010, Darryl Sutter resigned as the General Manager of the Calgary Flame...
Miikka Kiprusoff will most likely go down as one of the Flames all time best goalies in franchise history. He's been a solid goalie for the past few years and a workhorse. Despite having a subpar year (could be attributed to not going to play anywhere during the lockout, along with a list of other things) some people think he may have some left in the tank, which he absolu...
Follow me on Twitter @flamesfan1981 It's no secret that the Flames organization is in need of a full rebuild. By full rebuild I mean a full tear it down completely and rebuild from the ground-up type of rebuild. With the recent trades of Jarome Iginla, Jay Bouwmeester and attempting to move Kiprusoff; all fans were under the assumption the Flames organization were doin...
Follow me on twitter: @flamesfan1981 For the past two decades the Calgary Flames franchise has attempted to fill their to center positions with low cost or washed up bandaid solutions that simply weren't the answer. To put this into better perspective, the Flames top 2 scoring Centerman since the 1996 season have been Robert Reichel (354 points in 425 games) and Craig ...
I want to start by saying there are numerous reasons the Oiler's arena has been looking like it wouldn't work. Most people believe it is money and who would pay the money. Others believe it is municiple politics. Both of these play a part and I will touch on that but the final hurdle has been the Calgary Flames. Let us start with Katz and his role in this. When buyi...
Follow me on Twitter @flamesfan1981 and please note I will be Tweeting LIVE FROM THE PRUDENTIAL CENTER at the 2013 NHL Entry Draft! Thanks to the Flames partial fire-sale during the season, they are in a unique position of owning three 1st round draft picks in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft taking place in New Jersey. The draft is deemed by many scouts and hockey experts to ...
Draft Predictions At Number Six (Flames) Hi everyone, over the last few days I’ve been asking twitter followers of mine who they think the Calgary Flames will pick at number six in their own opinion. So let’s hear what they said. Ryan Smiley (@BacklundFan11) - Im gonna have to say I’d pick Max Domi of the London Knights (OHL). He’s probably one of ...
Quick Hit Mock Draft top 10 1. Avs- Mackinnon- Because Top tier talent like his at forward with his size is an undeniable play. 2. Panthers- Drouin- Drouinand Huberdeau woul make up their Kane Toews and they know it. 3. Lightening- Barkov- Jones is a huge temptation but they drafted their stud D already, they will need Centre help and scoring with Vinny likely on his ...
Follow me on Twitter @flamesfan1981 There have been plenty of 1st round mock drafts in which we all have ideas on what player will be drafted in what range. In this blog I am going to break down all of the Flames picks, from rounds 1 through 7 and determine who should be drafted at that position based on the Flames strategy of "best player available". Here are the...
If Carolina is looking to trade the 5th pick, as a Flames fan I think that they should go all out to try and get it. For the Flames, the ideal is to get Nathan MacKinnon. But there is no way that is going to happen. At least not while completely crippling the roster. While MacKinnon will be a franchise somewhere, the steps needed to get to that pick will set the re...
Follow me on Twitter: @flamesfan1981 The 2013 NHL Entry Draft was probably the single most important draft in the history of the Calgary Flames franchise. Flames brask has made it clear they intend to rebuild the team properly and made the promise to fans they would draft the 'Best Player Available' in order to fulfill the needs of the organization. Did Jay Feaster an...
[b]Twitter : @ProspectReport[/b] I checked out the Calgary Flames' scrimmage today, and just felt it necessary to post a few thoughts, going over who impressed, and who didn't. It's going to be a quick blog. For those who don't follow me on twitter, I run my own scouting service, and cover the Flames for a few sites - just starting to post here as well. Mark Jankowsk...
I know it has been a while since the 2013 NHL Draft came to a close, but this is something I have been meaning to comment on for a while and simply haven't gotten around to writing. Since its been a while, here is a list of who picked whom and in which position. 6th Overall - Calgary - Sean Monahan Center - 6'2"/185 lbs 8th Overall - Buffalo - Rasmus Ristolainen D...
Mason Raymond should not be overlooked when talking about the slim free agent pool left and the forward position. Look for Raymond to be signed almost immediately following the signings of Grabo, Brunner, Morrow. Raymond is rumoured to be considered a backup plan/2nd option for a depth forward behing the previously mentioned forwards. ...
Sorry for the delay in returning. Taking a much needed holiday has kept me from my blog. Originally I was going to look at Mr. Feaster's possible off-season moves, but I think I pretty much missed the boat on that one. So now I am going to turn my attention to Junior Camp for the WJC and talk a bit about my impressions of some of Canada's hopefuls, concentrating on Flam...
This is the second of my installments based on the the Junior Development Camp in Lake Placid. Game 2: Canada:7 Sweden:3 Canada's starting lineup: Poirier-Gauthier-Jankowski Horvat-Monahan-Lazar Domi-McDavid-Hudon Rupert-Gaunce-Rychel Mantha Sweden came out flying in this one. They were undefeated so far in the tournament in four previous starts, and had bee...
Here is my final installement of the evaluation camp from Lake Placid. Game 3: Canada 1 USA 5 Lines: Monahan-Gauthier-Lazar Horvat-Laughton-Shinkaruk Domi-McDavid-Reinhart Leipsic-Petan-Wilson Girardr USA notables for Flames fans: Gillies-Goal Sieloff-Defense This game was a in stark contrast to the previous two Canadian tilts. The previous two teams (Fin...
Ice_Hawk writes...

A Case For Klimchuk

Posted Sunday | Comments 0
A lot of controversy erupted when the Flames chose Emil Poirier over hometown prospect Hunter Shinkaruk in the 2013 draft. But after watching the games at the US development camp, I think it became obvious why. Poirier is a more complete player with better size and speed. But what about Morgan Klimchuk? What if the Flames would have taken Klimchuk ahead of Shinkaruk? ...
Ice_Hawk writes...

Front and Center

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
The Calgary Flames’ lack of a true #1 center has been the focus of many sports writers and fans for close to twenty years…and rightly so. The fact that the Flames have not managed to acquire this most basic piece of the puzzle, shows how completely inept the organization’s hockey operations department has been. It has been a disgrace. But at least current manageme...
Humans hold grudges. Most of us have a strong desire to hold people accountable for not treating us well. And if you want to not treat another GM well in the NHL, I recommend tendering an offer sheet for one of their RFAs. Ever since the Oilers swooped in and scooped up Dustin Penner, offering him 10 times his old salary, there has been bad blood between Burke and the ...
Ice_Hawk writes...

Between The Pipes

Posted Friday | Comments 0
Usually at this time of year the main questions in net are for the Flyers, but never have I seen a more convoluted goaltending situation than there is in Calgary. As I mentioned in my last blog Calgary is in tough at center, with no #1 or #2 center going into camp. As scary as that is, if Kipper retires (nearly assured) Calgary has no proven #1 goalie either. The Fl...
Here is my offering regarding game two of the prospects tourney. Flames lineup was changed for this game, with more of a ‘B’ team look on both defense and up front with the tryout guys getting a shot: Reinhart-Jooris-Penner Ferland-Monahan-Smoskowitz Hanowski-Granlund-Poirier Elson-Knight-Baertschi Kanzig-Culkin Davies-Wotherspoon Roy-Ramagern Ortio ...
I am not talking about color of skin or race but there are some key building blocks. You have to have a guy from Sweden on there. It is a must. Chicago has more than one. We moved our only guy, Omark to the minors. Good goalies don't come from Regina, if they are born there, fine but they need to play minor league hockey in Quebec. We all know that. Chicago agai...
So just a couple things I saw from the Flames tonight:rnrn-Karri Ramo played well, better than I expected. It looked like he was over-committing at times but otherwise was positionally sound. He looked confident in net and I think that he's gonna be a good goaltender.rnrn-The team played very well in the 1st period (clearly) even though Holtby gave up two softies, the Flam...
[b]Twitter:[/b] @ProspectReport After a long hiatus, I'm back to cover Calgary again. What felt like an eternity, the summer is finally over and hockey is back. Calgary lost their opening night 5-4 to the Washington Capitals in a hard-fought game. There are a lot of positives to take away from last nights game. Calgary absolutely dominated the first period, and made...
With the season having just started I figured now would be a good time to go through every team in the league and look at how they are doing and how they are headed. So without further ado. [u]Anaheim[/u] The good: This team has insane depth at Goalie with 2 nhl starters and 2 of the top rookie goaltenders in their system. The ducks have a lot of flexibility with wher...
In defeating both the Calgary Flames and Phoenix Coyotes, the Ducks improved to 4-0 at home and 6-1 overall this season. While neither game was the blowout of the previous 2 games, both were hard fought victories for a Ducks team that won't quit. I was only able to watch parts of the Ducks-Coyotes game (yes, I do have a social life outside of hockey, yes, a part of me w...
tylercastro writes...

Feaster Flamed Out

Posted Thursday | Comments 1
Jay Feaster is now out as the Calgary Flames GM. As well as assistant general manager, John Weisbrod. The Flames went 92-80-33 under Feaster since the 2010-2011 season, failing to make the playoffs, yet staying over .500. Brian Burke, President of Hockey made the decision Thursday morning, where he then called a meeting for nearly everyone in the organization. Players sai...
tylercastro writes...

My Team on the Move UP

Posted Tuesday | Comments 1
A new thing i'm going to try is called, My "Team on the Move." This is going to be based on my opinion, of course. So my first team on the move is going to be... the Calgary Flames! Why not? The Flames have already played three games since the firing of Jay Feaster. They have earned at least 1 point in each of those three games. The exact record, 2-0-1. Calgary's leading s...
ggarritty11 writes...

Team Alberta Oil-Flames

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
Lets call a spade a spade and let it be known that neither Edmonton or Calgary have a competitive enough hockey club to put a dent in the NHL standings. They are even total opposites as to the blueprint of the team. Lets get these owners in a room and combine forces to make a legitimate team that comes from Alberta that we can both be proud of. Dont get your panties in ...
When looking at the standings coming out of the Olympic break, there are only a handful of teams that are considered to be sellers at the trade deadline. With so many 3 point games many more teams are in position to make the playoffs, 5 teams in the east 3 points out or less and 4 teams within 4 points in the west . The only teams that are sellers at the moment are the Sab...
“And lastly I’ll say that there’s one other guy in hockey today that is still working in the game that has won more Stanley Cups than me. So I think I know a little bit about winning, if there’s ever a concern.” Almost one year ago Lowe threw up that line onto reporters microphones, thereby providing ammunition for them and everyone else to take aim at in the ...
Ice_Hawk writes...

Jay Feaster: A Post Mortem

Posted Friday | Comments 0
Since Brian Burke took time to assess Jay Feaster before his dismissal, I thought I would take a while to evaluate the choice. Now that the season is over and a new GM has been hired the time seemed right. I am not going to analyze every deal, signing and draft pick Feaster and Weisbrod made. That has been done to death, and many of the conclusions people have made are ...
The Flames need _____ (fill in the blank). It is a pretty easy question, one most G.M.’s or Hockey Ops presidents are aware of the holes in their team. It could be argued Calgary needs a number 1 goalie however Ramo showed enough to get a shot next year likely. His .911 sv% was comparable to several goalies you would consider #1’s like Hiller and Quick. This was...
saneopinion writes...

Flames summer fun pt 2

Posted Friday | Comments 0
The fun for Flames fans is this offseason that is coming up. Who would make sense for the Flames to pursue? To trade for? To offer sheet? They have Cap, they have some trade bait in Beartschi, Hudler, their 4th overall pick, David Jones and Smid. Nazim Kadri- Remember when Brian Burke shot down Brian Murray live on TSN in front of the nation at the draft when Murray...
So much talk about how to fix the Oilers but I keep hearing he same ideas. When you have been this bad for this long it is time to think out side the box so here are some suggestions on how to fix this real quick.rnrn1) Hire Mike Milbury as an Assistant GM and let him run development. Since development has not been a strong point for this team for so long, why do it. His k...
saneopinion writes...

Vinny to Flames Rumor

Posted Friday | Comments 0
So the rumor de jour for Flames fans is that Vincent Lecavalier could land in Stampede city. Tim Panaccio Brought this up recently and is the source of this rumor. Why it makes sense: Burke identified a number 1 center as part of the off season targets, Lecavalier is now removed from being considered a #1 but as far as Flames skill level there are worse guys out there t...
I would believe that most Flames fans are hoping for a terrible season, sounds crazy doesn't it? With Connor McDavid going to be the #1 pick in 2015 it would be in the Flames best interest to finish last. How would they do this? First the two names we are hearing locally as players the Flames could use from the draft are Ritchie and Virtanen not Bennett and Draisatl. I wou...
Many different opinions circled around after the Flames draft. Was it underwhelming? Was it a success? A failure? Did the Flames only draft on size? Why a Goalie? The reality is that despite our individual opinions, these kids are Flames now. So lets look at them and make some comments. [b]Sam Bennett[/b]: I obviously watched the videos and read all of the scoutin...
Ice_Hawk writes...

Burke/Treliving Part I

Posted Friday | Comments 0
Brian Burke dismissed Jay Feaster back on December 12, 2013 for reasons which were purposely left ambiguous. It wasn’t that long ago but a lot has transpired since then, so it might be time to take an early look at what has happened since. Mr. Burke traded former first round pick, Greg Nemisz, to Carolina for Kevin Westgarth (pending UFA at the time). Nemisz had not p...
With the 2014 NHL draft in the books, and summer development camps at a conclusion as well, I thought I would share my thoughts on the teams that did well at the draft, how the Calgary Flames stacked up against other organizations, and what the Flames came away with, as 6 new prospects were added to the talent pool. I know it’s already been a few months, however I feel s...
30th. Lowest salary in the league according to capgeek (and maybe their finishing spot in 2014/15). This is new area for the Flames who have been top four a few times in spending. This is an era where David Jones is the Flames top paid player along with Jiri Hudler. An era where they do not have a strong right winger for the first time in recent memory. The Flam...
[b]Follow me on Twitter @DailyNHLGRIND A Glance Back[/b] I don’t think anybody could have predicted the outcome of the brutally nicknamed metro-terrible division last season. Columbus impressed while the Capitals faltered. The Penguins took a dip in the playoffs while the Rangers surprised many after a rough start. Other teams sort of slotted right into their right...
stljam writes...

Dominating bounce back game

Posted Sunday | Comments 0
ETA: I just wanted to take this opportunity to wish all of our friends and relatives in Canada a wonderful Thanksgiving. Those of us here in the US are happy to have you as neighbors. Original: The Flames couldn't handle the Blues Saturday night and showed their youth and inexperience with numerous fumbled pucks and chances. The Blues jumped out to an early lead ...
In evaluating a long term plan for a team it is essential, and fairly obvious, to determine your core and players that make sense to build around. For the Calgary Flames and their plans to re-build, it seems fairly obvious they are planning on being in a playoff spot within three seasons after this one. Contract expiry is the biggest clue with only 7 players signed through...
I know there are a lot of people who think Brad Treliving has done a good job as Flames’ GM so far, but I would like to express my thoughts on why I question his performance. When he was hired, I like many others, didn't know much about him beyond the obvious. I was somewhat wary of the decision to hire a rookie GM, but with seasoned veteran Brian ‘I look like I sle...
And that's the God damn truth!!!
Ice_Hawk writes...

Calgary's Corsi Meaningless

Posted Monday | Comments 0
I have noticed a lot of advanced stats guys put way too much stock into Corsi and Fenwick numbers, sometimes to the exclusion of more direct and conclusive metrics. The newly annointed 'advanced stats' are a useful metric, but they are not the be-all-and-end-all of hockey analysis and in my opinion are like +/- in some ways. Although in previous use, the +/- stat came...
Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DailyNHLGrind Calgary scored twice in the third period to win its 17th game of the season. They defeated the Avalanche 4-3 in overtime and their two goals brought their third period total to a league leading 39 goals. The Avalanche got their starting goalie back tonight but was still unable to play a solid 60-minute effort in...
The Flames are in a very strange spot, sitting on the playoff bubble and having a look at the post season for the first time in a very long time. It’s strange not only due to the amount of time since they have had this kind of look but strange because of how they might have to approach this trade deadline. The issue for the Flames is that they have a few players that...
In the recent past I’ve been spouting the need for the NHL to revise the point system to reflect a more accurate landscape when it come to teams who win in regulation. My idea for a point system would be 3 for a win, 2 for an O.T. win, 1 for a shoot out win, and zero for losers. I did my research on this prior to last night’s games so they’re already outdated but I w...
Former NHL defenseman was found dead at his Mississuaga home this morning. Montador played in the NHL last for the Chicago Blackhawks in 2011-12 season but also had stints with the Flames, Panthers, Ducks, Bruins, Sabres and Zagreb Medvescak (KHL). In his 10 seasons in the NHL, Montador recorded 33 goals, 131 points and 807 penalty minutes in 571 games. In the 2011-12 seas...
Oh the Advance stats. How far they have come. From a bunch of non-jocks writing blogs to the NHL publishing them on nhl.com. Some call it a major advancement. Other say who really cares. I fall into the who cares side of it. While they might have some use, I think too much value is being put in these number. A good example of this is the Battle of Alberta. I live right...
kingcong39 writes...

Ghosts of the 2013 Draft

Posted Saturday | Comments 0
Seeing the highlights of the Calgary Toronto game last night and the tremendous performance (amid the embarassment that is the Maple Leafs this season) of Sean Monahan and his line, it had me thinking back to the 2013 draft. The Buffalo Sabres needed forward help in the worst way. The situation was dire, although in hindsight, dire would only be an applicable word to th...
Dearest Oiler fans, I think this relationship needs some honesty. I know you're not the best at listening to it but I have to try anyway. I miss our battles, I miss when beating the Oilers meant something. I miss have a close head to head win loss count. I miss you being talented. I miss you having courageous fans. How much does it burn (pun intended 100%) that Johnn...
thesnirk writes...

The Great MacT

Posted Sunday | Comments 2
First this great comment from a winning coach. My Favorite quote of the year. "All those beautiful stats, they're not worth nothing once the score is up there and the game is over. That's the most important stat and tonight they got one goal more than us," Bob Hartley (as per TSN) after out shooting Columbus 40-26 and loosing in overtime. Ok with that...
The Calgary Flames, clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2009 after beating the defending champions the LA Kings 3-1 last night. They clinched the playoff spot with one game to go in the season. For most of the final part of the season they battled with the Kings and the Winnipeg Jets for 3rd in the Pacific and the final wild card spot. This has been one of the...
[b]Does every NHL team have a drafting identity?? [/b] When discussing prospects/potential selections I've heard multiple categories used to describe the reasonings for why an NHL team will select who they will select... these include: 1. BPA - Best Player Available 2. Organizational needs 3. Safe pick 4. Transferable NHL skills/size 5. Previous chemistry with othe...
A few weeks ago I posed a question to my fellow flames fans “If the flames make the playoffs does the idea of a rebuild change?” This led to some heated discussions with some people throughout the thread that viewed the idea as completely ludicrous. For those who don’t know me I have a couple of values that I find to be very important, one never say something bad ab...
Two rivals from Western Canada surprised many by making the playoffs this season. They are the Vancouver Canucks and the Calgary Flames. Both teams haven’t won a playoff series since they made the Stanley Cup. The Canucks made it more recently in 2011 when they lost to the Boston Bruins and the Flames made it in 2004 when they lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Flames ...
After the Flames qualified for their first postseason since 2009 they won their first playoff round since they made the Stanley Cup Final in 2004. Their opponent this time is the Western Conference champions the Anaheim Ducks a team they have not beaten at the Honda Center in their last 20 straight regular season games (0-15-5) and 2 out of 3 in the 2006 playoffs. Both the...
Regular Season Only!!!! The Flames played well above what was expected of them this season. There are still people who can’t believe how the Flames made it to the playoffs. The Flames had a 44.43 SAT %(Corsi For %), shots on goal + shot attempts that missed the net + blocked shots, was 28th in the league and a 45.74 USAT %(Fenwick For %), shots on goal + shot attempts...
Misterbator writes...

CGY: Where we at fool?!

Posted Sunday | Comments 0
Most Flames fans are salivating at the possibilities of our ever evolving hockey club. Last year, we made the playoffs and actually won a round! With the emergence of John Gaudreau(anyone notice his FB fan page?) as a top flight winger, Sean Monahan posting career highs in goals and points, Sam Bennett delivering some early post season magic, it begs the question, so far, ...
KABOOM. Many have speculated and this week starts the changing of the guard in the NHL. The LA’s, Chicago’s, and Boston have run into a huge obstacle… Namely the salary cap. With so many teams rebuilding, retooling and shifting gears this week promises to be the beginning of the most active off season in over a decade. So what can we expect? Anaheim – One mu...
Now before people go off half cocked just remember all of these teams had a chance to negotiate contracts with these players for fair market value before the day after the NHL draft or file for arbitration. As soon as an offersheet is put down as an NHL GM i would look at the other RFA's on the team and find the one I like and put an offer sheet down. So here is how ...
Misterbator writes...

A pattern of success

Posted Saturday | Comments 0
Welcome to the new era of Calgary Flames hockey. Yesterday, a coup took place in the eyes of most of the hockey world. No, we didn't make a deal for the Oilers lottery pick, we didn't even pry the second pick from the Sabres. What we did was achieve the improbable, if not the impossible. We parlayed, what was a middling first round pick, coupled with two second round picks...
After the draft and a hectic beginning to free agency, teams are starting to settle in and we can get a better idea of what teams will look like going into training camp. The West once again looks ready to be the more impressive conference, with tough competition in both the Pacific and Central divisions. Today I want to focus on the Pacific Division. This year in particul...
One word to best describe the Calgary Flames 2014/15 season is miraculous. Having finished 27th the previous year and no significant roster changes besides for Johnny Gaudreau and Jonas Hiller, the Flames managed to secure a playoff berth with one game to spare. One of the main talking points of the season was the Flames inability to have the puck on their sticks more t...
To make the playoffs again, the Flames will have a have to compete in not only a tough division but also a tough conference. The Los Angeles Kings, Dallas Stars, San Jose Sharks and the Colorado Avalanche are all looking to get back into the playoffs after missing out last season. The Flames will have to beat them to have the best chance to make the playoffs. The Vancouver...
Over the weekend, it was discussed in a rumor blog that the Columbus Blue Jackets and the New York Islanders were in serious trade discussions. The apparent rumor is Ryan Johansen and a second round pick for Kyle Okposo, a first round pick, and Travis Hamonic (who would then be dealt to Calgary). For the pieces the Islanders are giving up, that is a lot to give up...
Donovan writes...

The flames distant future

Posted Sunday | Comments 0
Lets just say the Flames stay the course and not do anything crazy trade wise and Macdonald or Ortio actually grow into a true NHL number 1 goalie grown in the organization. After this year I am to hope Monahan signs longish term 5+ maybe 7 even somewhere around $5.25-$4.75 the year after when Johnny is RFA that could be $6? Bennett if he continues to stay and play for ...
Kraqule writes...

Flames- Coaching Change???

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
First I must commend Bob Hartley on demanding a strong work ethic and compete level in Calgary. These are not easy intangibles to build but with that being said the young Flames need a true tactician. A coach that can take these brilliant hockey minds like Monahan, Gaudreau, Bennett, and Hamilton and take them to the next level. [b]Current Issues:[/b] The Flames sit ...
Kraqule writes...

Flames- Coaching Change???

Posted Thursday | Comments 0
First I must commend Bob Hartley on demanding a strong work ethic and compete level in Calgary. These are not easy intangibles to build but with that being said the young Flames need a true tactician. A coach that can take these brilliant hockey minds like Monahan, Gaudreau, Bennett, and Hamilton and take them to the next level. [b]Current Issues:[/b] The Flames sit ...
CBJ Game Bad on road v. Bad at home. What an interesting battle at home tonight for the Jackets as they welcome the Flames as they looking for a start to an awful first half of the 2015-16 season. As mentioned through the first sentence of my blog, the Flames are not a good team away from the Scotiabank Saddledome. As for the second half of the intro, the Jackets have ...
Last night, at home, the Columbus Blue Jackets were defeated by the Calgary Flames by a final score of 4-2. The Flames got goals by Sam Bennett (2), Michael Frolik, and Johnny Gaudreau. Other players with points include Dougie Hamilton, Mark Giordano (2), TJ Brodie, Mikael Backlund (2), and Kris Russell. Johnny Hockey was my player to watch, and has his 20th goal t...
The back-to-back was successful for the Columbus Blue Jackets as they defeated the Calgary Flame in the Scotiabank Saddledome by a final score of 2-1 in regulation. This makes their Western Canada trip a success as they went 2 for 3 against these clubs, falling only to Oilers. The Flames' lone goal scorer was from Jiri Hudler, who is having a down year similar to Nick ...
In the NHL, the largest reason team consistently lose games, sign bad contracts and overpay for players, is the massive gap between player’s perceived value and their actual value. This is a major issue in the NHL. In days of the past, there were excuses for making decisions based on the “eye test”. But in reality, the eye test is not only useless, but also actually ...
Just to start quickly I actually want to see Phil Kessel lift the cup and prove that the leafs really did get ripped off AGAIN and even worse probably somehow screw up Austin Matthews, you would think its impossible I do not anyways! I think to touch on Hartley getting dropped just like this shows little class based on BT as he gave him a big extension after winning t...
There's speculation that Los Angeles Kings head coach Darryl Sutter is headed to Calgary to coach the Flames. Of course, he has to be released by the Kings. However, the prospect of Sutter going to his home province (Alberta) is real. Despite winning two Stanley Cups during Sutter's tenure with the Kings, the past two season hasn't been happy times for L.A. The...
So i was talking to someone with direct knowledge of the situation that there was almost a 3 way trade done on day 1 of the draft just before it began. They had mentioned that there was a trade in the works that would have sent the 3rd overall pick (clb) to calgary for the 6th overall pick + but that the blue jackets did not want to move to the 6th spot. Enter the oi...
thejonathans writes...

Hudler

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
So where does hurler sign? he's still unsigned, and so's russell. two former flames who got traded at the deadline. but everyone's talking about Russell, so i will ask, where does hurler sign? I think maybe Montreal.
thejonathans writes...

Monahan Contract

Posted Friday | Comments 0
The Calgary Flames Signed Sean Monahan To A 6 Year Contract For Way Too Much Money! Sean Monahan re-signing i think is a great move by the flames. he is a great player, but Gaudreau is still unsigned ... but he'll sign, and what's so exciting about an RFA contract? we knew he would re-sign, so it's nothing. it's not really big news at all. we all knew he would sign, and...
For more information follow @PesekWill and @NHLPenaltyBox {Twitter} The Islanders have played majority of their games at home to start the year, and based off their record from last year at home, it was kind of a disappointment to start this year at home. Now after only registering 1 point on the road this year, in a heartbreaking OT loss to the Florida Panthers, they t...
The Blue Jackets busy week if games continue where they take on the struggling Calgary Flames. The Flames are continuing to find a winning way after making the postseason two years ago. This summer, they fired veteran coach Bob Hartley for former Stars coach Glen Gulutzan. They traded Patrick Sieloff to Ottawa. They let a lot of experienced players walk, including goal...
The Western Canada road trip continues for the Jackets, as they continue their time in Alberta. Tonight, they battle the Flames. The Flames have been a confusing team to watch this season. They were riding a six winning streak with Chad Johnson taking the reigns as the number one starter. Against Tampa Bay, they lost badly, and yanked Johnson. The Flames goaltendin...
Will.Pesek writes...

Long Road Ahead for Isles

Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
The Islanders enter play on Tuesday sitting 1 point ahead of the Toronto Maple Leafs for the last playoff spot in the East. After going 3-2-1 in the first six games of the road trip, the Isles remain in Western Canada to take on the Oilers. Goaltender Thomas Greiss has started all six games so far, despite getting pulled versus Columbus and Calgary and he has been superb. ...
Donovan writes...

Tonight the night!?

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
After the absolute nail biter against Pitt they play something hopefully a little calmer against Boston tonight. The Saddledome should be completely wild with excitement and anticipation about 11. Still 15 or so to play but it would be nice to see a battle of Alberta in the first round for the flames to actually get some sort of redemption from all season but most impo...
If we’ve learned anything over the years, you never count out Getzlaf and Perry; and to the Ducks’ daunting d-corps, add in forwards the likes of Silfverberg, Rakell, and Eaves, and it’s only a matter of time until they start paddling – or is it swimming? – their way up the standings. I would expect no less of the Kings, although time is quickly running out on th...
Donovan writes...

The upcoming season

Posted Monday | Comments 0
Well as I watched TSN with Free agent day almost a complete total waste of air time, (kinda like trade deadline) The flames did something I believe every day before that for somewhere around 5 days, way to anti climatic BT haha, no seriously I approve how he works totally. The only issue I have is really mike stone, I feel that might be a touch much value for him, more ...
Flameswarrior92 writes...

Flames need Jagr

Posted Monday | Comments 0
The calgary flames need a top line RW that's no surprise but where can they find it? Look no further then the ageless wonder, Jaromir Jagr would fit the bill perfectly. He played with young talented players in Florida putting up very respectable numbers for a guy that is in his mid 40's. Whether Jagr is on the flames radar remains a mystery, but one could argue the flames ...
THX1138 writes...

The 31, August 7 edition

Posted Monday | Comments 0
31 teams; 31 reasons to post a random comment. Let's go. Anaheim Ducks – The Ducks are a conundrum for me. They have a good roster. They’ve won the Pacific Division something like five seasons in a row. There was very little change to their roster this summer. It seems like they can make the final four group in the playoffs on any given season, but ultimately, this ...
In a previous blog I wrote that I expected Edmonton to finish 2nd in the division, behind the Ducks with the Flames a close 3rd. The Battle Of Alberta has gone on for decades but both teams have had very little to celebrate over the past ten years. Chanting "my team is slightly not as bad as yours" doesn't have quite the same ring to it. Both teams have star players that a...
Tonight the Oilers played the Flames in Edmonton and at the same time we had the Oilers playing the Flames in Calgary. I debated on which game I wanted to zero in on and in the end I chose the Edmonton home game to see Strome with McDavid as well as to watch Jesse Puljujarvi. Here are the good and bad things from the game. Everything I am about to say should be preceded by...
THE DEBATE – Hockey Podcast | Episode 19 Flameout in Calgary, Canadian Media, and Panthers Alive and Well Debate 1 | The Calgary Flameout Debate 2 | Canadian Media Criticism Debate 3 | Florida Panthers Alive and Well Brad Burud and Blake Friars breakdown the Calgary Flames struggles and discuss the multitude of reasons for their drop in the standings. They...
Inside Edge Hockey News Radio Show - Episode 7 - Flames Fallout, New Taylor Hall, and Season Ticket Drives The Inside Edge Hockey News Brad Burud discusses the struggles this year in Calgary. Will the Flames make big off-season moves if they fail to make the playoffs. Why is Taylor Hall thriving in New Jersey? How would Regina do with a season ticket drive? [htt...
The most proven way for building a quality NHL roster while managing cap space effectively is through the draft. Drafted players are controlled for the longest period of time. A team's ability to draft NHL players through multiple rounds of the draft directly correlates to long term success. For this endeavor I took a look at every roster in the Pacific Division from t...
I got quite a kick out of the initial reaction to the Hamilton trade on day-two of the draft. Everything from 'Worst trade in Flames' history' to 'Fire Treliving Immediately'. Holy over reaction Batperson! Dougie's name had been popping up in rumours since the end of this dismal season and it was disclosed after the trade that the teams had been working on the deal for ...
THE DEBATE – Hockey Podcast | Episode 29 NHL Draft Shuffle, Flames/Canes Trade and Top Targets Debate 1 |NHL Draft – Winners and Losers Debate 2 |Flames/Canes Blockbuster Trade Debate 3 |NHL Free-Agents and Trade Targets Its NHL Draft time and Brad Burud and Blake Friars breakdown the winners and losers, and what players moved up and what players fell in...
drop_da_mitts writes...

Flames China Trip

Posted Tuesday | Comments 91
With the Flames first preseason game in China less than a week away the long wait for the new season is almost over. It is a season that has many fans of the team optimistic about a playoff berth and maybe more. The new look squad will be competing this weekend against the highly regarded Boston Bruins. Although this matchup will feature watered down preseason squads it wi...
The NHL season is one week old and its time for Brad Burud and Blake Friars to discuss what went down in week one of the season. Who is off to a hot start and who is struggling. Injuries are taking their toll on numerous teams. I think we are all in agreement when we say we are tired about hearing how great the Toronto Maple Leafs are…. we discuss. And, don’t forget th...
INSIDE EDGE HOCKEY NEWS – RADIO SHOW | EPISODE 10 Player Survey, Calgary Flames Outlook, and Dirtiest Player Brad Burud talks about a NHL player survey done by Kevin Allen of USA Today. What do players think about concussions, surprise teams, expansion, and the potential lockout. The answers may just surprise you. Then Auddie James joins the show to breakdown the C...
jking7 writes...

The Pacific Division Gives Thanks

Posted Wednesday | Comments 5
Many hockey insiders believe American Thanksgiving to be the time of year where NHL General Managers sit down, take a hard look at their rosters, and evaluate where they are and where their season could be headed. Most teams have played roughly 20 games by this point, so by this time many GMs have developed a solid understanding of what is working for their club, and what ...
INSIDEEDGEHOCKE writes...

Hey! We are fans too…

Posted Wednesday | Comments 0
THE DEBATE – Hockey Podcast | Episode 52 Hey! We are fans too… It is our most selfish episode ever, but a damn good one. Brad Burud and Blake Friars talk about what they love. It is time to talk about their favorite teams. Blake talks about why he is a Vancouver Canucks fan. Talks about his greatest moments as a Canucks fan and tells you why he thinks they wi...
The Instigator |Episode 28 Doughty: Criticism to Boost Your Ego This week Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty set the hockey world a buzz with this comments prior to a game in Calgary. He praised Mark Giordano, but criticized Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson on their defensive capabilities. He then took aim at Matthew Tkachuk of the Calgary Flames. He claimed that...
In an extremely tight playoff race, the Canucks have managed to find themselves atop the Pacific division with a very unsettling three point lead. The young Canadian team finds themselves with 65 points, followed closely by the Oilers, Knights, Flames, and Coyotes who are all within 5 points of the Canucks. With five teams battling to win the Pacific division, none of t...
After tonight, there is no reason why the Sharks could not make a push into the playoffs. Sure, the division has many competitive teams, but none are taking control of their destiny. The Canucks lost to an outdated Minnesota roster, and to make things worse, Pettersson missed the game due to a lower body injury. Jay Beagle and Jake Virtanen were injured as well, but cam...
The Calgary Flames dropped there third straight decision Thursday night, in a disappointing loss to the Nashville Predators. A Nashville Team that came into the game three points back of the quickly falling Flames, is now a single point back of them with two games in advantage to boot. Calgary is quickly falling behind, and unless they start playing with some urgency and h...
JDB writes...

Flames Win BIG Over Canucks

Posted Sunday | Comments 2
Saturday night went quite well for the Calgary Flames, bulldozing the Vancouver Canucks 6-2 in enemy territory. It’s no secret this season has been tough for the Flames, especially after such a wonderful year last season, that saw them hit first in the Western Conference. They were a team with a killer instinct, and that finally cam alive against their divisional rival. ...
Just a few days past the Flames lost Captain and defensive rock Mark Giordano to a hamstring injury. Currently, he’s week to week so it’s hard to know when exactly he’ll be back and ready to go, but one thing for sure, is the Flames REALLY don’t need anyone else going down with an injury. Especially so close to the seasons end, with so many teams in the race for ...
The Calgary Flames have had hardly any help from their bottom six most of the season. Outside a couple contributors (Ryan/Dube) they haven’t had much, and to say it has been very concerning is an understatement. However, in the past two games that seems to be coming to an end. San Jose was pummeled 6-2 in their own building by the Calgary Flames Monday night, as the Fla...
The Calgary Flames ended their four-game road trip on a high note, beating the Anaheim Ducks 6-0. Despite the score, the Flames didn’t play great by any means, but the fact that the Ducks were terrible helped them out. Still, Anaheim peppered Cam Talbot with 44 shots, all of which he was able to turn aside. Calgary made the most of their chances, despite Anaheim dominati...
Blackhawks beat the Flames (who were channeling their inner Detroit Red Wing), into the Ice with EASE, by a score of 8-4. The entire game the Flames just couldn’t gain any ground. Every time the Flames looked as though they were starting to get back into, a defensive lapse would occur, they would leave someone all alone in front of the net, and would trail AGAIN. This wh...
With the trade deadline just one week away, I’m genuinely curious about what the Calgary Flames will do. On one hand, the Flames desperately need a top six winger. They’ve needed one for a long while and one has to think Brad Treliving will be adding one. Tyler Toffoli seems to be the guy linked to the Flames, but who really knows? Having said all that, one also has to...
Once again, the Flames find themselves unable to string together some wins, and once again they lose to a team they NEED to beat. A team that is right behind them in the standings. Once again, the Flames are unable to ring in some consistency and it’s cost them another game yet again. It’s all too predictable at this point with the Flames. They win one or two row and t...
The Calgary Flames marched into Tampa Bay looking to rebound from a disappointing loss to the Nashville Predators a few nights ago. A game in which while they weren’t awful, they weren’t good enough to win. They had some good looks, but with .1 seconds left let the Predators tied up the game. Overtime they went, and the Flames dropped the game. Perhaps they deserved a ...
sdperry writes...

Playoff hockey starts now!

Posted Sunday | Comments 0
Teams are working towards the second half push. Those teams who have depended on stick checks and fancy moves will likely win a few, but will be disappointed with some hard losses. I hope to have some insight soon as to who will flourish and who will falter.
The Calgary Flames are quite possibly one of the most frustrating teams to cheer for, just ask any fan. Why? Well, since their cup win in 1989, this team has been on a downward spiral, with bad coaches, bad GM’s and nearly zero playoff success outside of their miraculous run to the cup in 2004 which saw them lose in game 7 to the Tampa Bay Lightning, and a trip to the se...

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