Flames Vs Yotes

Well the Flames have a chance to equal a winless streak the club has not seen in 20+ years today. Facing a hard working Coyotes side does not bode well for Calgary, especially if Bryzgalov is on his game. Which is usually the case this season.

On a brighter note, Iginla finally made his way back onto the score sheet in yesterdays loss, so hopefully this is a sign of things to come.

This ship needs to get put back on course soon, or some major changes need to happen to shake things up.

C

Flames fact of the day

Did you know that the Calgary/Atlanta franchise has the largest number of unique 50 goal scorers with 8? This excludes players with multiple 50 goal campaigns.

That's NOT Hockey

Once again, hockey is in the news for all the wrong reasons. Patrice Cormier has hit Mikael Tam with a sickening elbow and has subsequently been suspended indefinitely. As he should be.

TSN reported earlier in the week that Gary Bettman has said that the solution to head shots etc will take time and he is 100% correct. There is no quick fix to solve this problem, it's going to be a long process of education involving all of hockey governing bodies worldwide. Start educating the kids as soon as they are playing at a level that allows checking. When it comes to NHL (or any professional) players who are suspended for unsafe play such as head shots or hitting from behind, why not have them do some community service with people who have had serious sports injuries due to the neglect of other players? Surely that will make them think twice in future when they can see a players numbers going into the boards.

These are the kinds of plays that need to be removed from the game. It's not hockey. But to people around the world who are not hockey fans, its plays like this and this and this that they see and connect with hockey. Most of my Aussie friends have the perception that hockey is generally a brutal, violent game that you only watch to see fights. This is not the case at all as there is much much more to this game that needs to be appreciated and understood aside from the physicality of it.

To help out, here are a few more examples of what is and is not hockey. To me at least. Lets start with what hockey isn't to go along with the examples above.

Not hockey. Try soccer if you like that sort of thing.

Not hockey. Couldn't resist putting that one in.

And neither are these

Oh, this isn't hockey either. Just kidding, it almost is.

This is hockey (stick tap to Ron Francis and Sami Kapanen for getting up and heading "towards" the bench) . So is this and this and this and of course this

C

From puckdaddy

This pretty much sums it all up for the Flames at the moment:

-Much is being written about the Calgary Flames and their recent struggles. From Puck Buddy Alex B.: "It's now been 31 games since the Flames won in regulation when the other team scores more than once. They have won a total of two games in that span when the other team scores two goals, both via shootout. Simply put, the Calgary Flames, without one good month (November) and Miikka Kiprusoff(notes), would be worse then the Edmonton Oilers right now. I keep hearing from the media that the Flames are struggling, they're slumping, but 31 games? That's nearly half the season, that's not a slump!"-

Maybe that will bring a small glimmer of hope to my friends who are Oilers fans. Ok, maybe not.

A few down days

Well, there hasn't been much to comment on with the Flames lately seeing as they are on an 0-5-1 streak with 4 straight reglation losses. They have a few days "off", but I would be surprised if Sutter is letting them have any time off. For the teams sake I hope not.

I wish I was at a hockey game right now. I don't care who is playing, as long as its cold! Its freaking 42C at the moment.

Bob must be reading my blog...

Bob Mckenzie from TSN seems to agree with my last post. Just a few days late there buddy.

Phaneuf for Kovalchuk

While I think Kovalchuk will come to terms with the Thrashers before deadline day, if he happens to be put on the trading block Sutter should make a bid for him. And a serious one at that. Phaneuf and whatever else needs to be thrown in to make the deal happen. Calgary needs more offence, and they need it now.

Their current salaries are pretty much on par, so no cap issues for this season. The key is could the Flames find a way to sign Kovalchuk to something long term as Dion is a too steep of a price to pay for a rental player. If they allow Jokinen to walk at the end of the year, there is over $5M in cap space gained. Along with the dollars freed up by moving Dion, its possible that a serious offer could be tabled to the Kovalchuk camp to keep him in town for quite a few years with some money left to better the team elsewhere, like resigning Bourque to start. There is enough depth on the blueline in the organisation at the moment where the loss of Dion could be handled. Especially for a winger who looks to be on schedule for his 6th consecutive 40+ goal season.

Iginla and Kovalchuk on the wings would be a very daunting duo for any team to have to try and contend with. Not that this is a likely scenario of course. We can all dream though.

Burrows Vs Auger - How this could have been prevented

Just my two cents worth.

No one will know what was really said during the warm up when Auger had a "chat" with Burrows. Aside from Auger and Burrows of course. That really doesn't matter any more anyway as the NHL has taken the action they deemed to be appropriate, which I agree with. However, how can a situation like this be avoided to begin with and in the future?

Simple, the NHL needs to utilize the ref's crease more effectively. There are players on each team with a C or an A on their jerseys for a reason. The on ice officials, more specifically the ref's, should only be speaking to those players from the refs crease (there could even be an audio feed recorded), and no others at any time. And they should not have to take any sort of questioning from any other players on or off the ice. If a player can't let his captain's speak for him, a few unsportsmanlike minors will surely make him bite his tongue before too long. Of course linesman wouldn't have this restriction as they do need to give instructions to the players at times, and they don't have the power to really affect a game calling phantom penalties wanting payback for being made to "look bad".

Yes, there are only 3 players with a letter on their jersey per team, so they will not always be on the ice. But there are more than enough stoppages in plays, TV timeouts etc for a team to send one out when needed. And with the two ref system, one of the officials will be available in the ref's crease until play is about to resume.

Officials from any sport have a tough, generally thankless job. The best ones are the ones who don't get noticed at all. They don't have the benefit of seeing multiple slo mo replays from multiple angles that fans and review panels do. They have to make a call, then and there, with no hesitation with what they can see with their own two eyes at ice level. They also don't need players to embellish injury to try and milk a harsher penalty for the offender. That's just not hockey. Well, maybe in Europe it is.

C

Sharks 9 Flames 1

Can it get much worse than that? I was considering doing a tribute to the Flames cup winning team from 89, but it hardly seem appropriate with the form this side is showing at the moment. Lanny's 'stash deserves better.

I am thinking there has to be a Leafs connection that is plaguing the Canadian teams at the moment, but Kyle Wellwood in Vancouver kind of throws that theory off as the Canucks are the only Canadian team with any sort of form at the moment. Give me time, I think there is some truth to this theory.

Oh, since I first posted, the Flames are 0-3. My timing seems impeccable.

Flames VS Ducks

I have a bad feeling about todays game. Its been a long time since the Flames had a win in Anaheim.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=306587


Hmm....taking a 10 minute misconduct isn't what I meant by doing something brilliant Olli.

Season so far, part 2

The Forwards:

Jarome Iginla - Iggy is lacking the consistency this season that the Flames desperately need from him. He is still showing flashes of the Iginla the fans know and love, but is that the best we are going to get from the Captain from now on? Its very hard to be critical of Iggy, but he needs to lift his game and his team if the Flames are going to make any noise this season.

Rene Bourque - Another great pick up by Sutter. Flames fans saw last season what Bourque was capable of when he broke all of his previous regular season scoring numbers with a 21-19-41 in just 58 games. He is set to break, make that destroy, the career highs he set last year picking up 17 goals along with 21 assists through 42 games. I have not even touched on the defensive aspects of his game, but he is among the league leaders in SHG this season. In the last year of his contract, after 2 seasons of putting up career best, Bourque is a player that Sutter and the Flames cannot lose. Give him a hefty raise and lock him up.

Daymond Langkow - Its hard not to love having Langs on your team. One of the hardest working, and most reliable players at both ends of the ice the Flames have. Looks to be on pace for his 8th straight 20 goal campaign.

Olli Jokinen - In my eyes, on many nights I think Jokinen looks to be one of the best Flames on the ice. Other nights, not so much. As I mentioned before, see seems to have hit a massive amount of posts and crossbars this season. Hasn't lived up to the expectations placed on him when he joined the Flames, especially with the explosive start he had. In the final year of his contract, I don't expect to see him back in the lineup next season unless he does something brilliant. The dollars will need to go elsewhere.

Nigel Dawes - Another gem that Sutter picked up for less that $1M for this season and next. Dawes is on pace to have a career high season with plenty of games to go. Has shown some tremendous offensive skills at times, but needs to show them on a more consistent basis. Not even 25 yet, Dawes could has the potential to develop into a solid 60 point man.

Curtis Glencross - Fantastic 2 way player who can lift the team some games with his style of play, just not often enough. Very smart player with the puck in both ends, and chips in a few clutch goals. A few more would be even better.

Dustin Boyd - In just his second full season with the Flames, Boyd is on pace to improve on his numbers from last year. Most importantly is the defensive aspect. Boyd was a -11 for season in 08/09, and is a +6 so far this year.

David Moss - Looks to be a career 3rd or 4th liner. Solid enough player, but has not lived up to the offensive expectations from the organisation.

Craig Conroy - Glad to see Conroy finally got the monkey off his back by potting a few goals. At 37, his best offensive years are behind him now, but still an excellent depth player to have on the roster. He does everything well, with little notice.

Eric Nystrom - In the few minutes of ice that Nystrom sees, he is usually a pleasure to watch. Hard working, gritty and defensively sound, Nystrom is an outstanding energy line player.

Fredrik Sjostrom - Scores highlight reel goals. At least the only goal he has this year was.

Brandon Prust - Has to be considered a contender for the middleweight division belt. Fearless. Has shown he can do more than just drop the gloves too.

Brian McGratton - Knows his job, and loves it. Has shown he can be responsible with the puck if he is actually on the ice long enough to touch it. First Gordie Howe Hat Trick of the year too.

Quick thoughts, team by team

Anaheim - Has the most expensive backup goalie in the league. And Joffrey Lupal is making over $4M a season until the end of 2013?? Really??



Atlanta - If Kovalchuk doesn't resign before the deadline, will he be moved? Will the rest of the Russian connection leave with him? If so, would anyone even notice?



Boston - Sure, they seem to be a safe bet to make it to the post season. But is it just me, or does anyone else think the boys in Beantown should be concerned that their leading goal scorer is Marco Sturm with 15 goals, and their 2nd leading points getter is a soon to be 42 year old Mark Recchi? Can Marc Savard be that productive at Recchi's age? I guess we will find out when his contract is nearing the end.



Buffalo - I still can't work out how the Sabres keep on winning. What looks to be very underwhelming roster just keeps getting the job done. Miller looks like he can be the difference in any game against any team. Scary. Glad they are in the East.



Carolina - Looks like someone finally reminded the Canes that they are....the Canes. No miracle play off runs look to be on the cards any time soon. Good new for Ward and Staal, only 6 years left in your contracts guys.



Calgary - If half of the shots Jokinen has had go off the post or cross bar went in the net this season, he would be the league leader in goals. By far.



Chicago - A thought that will make every team in the West shudder....imagine if the Hawks had a true #1 goalie.



Columbus - Rick Nash must be very pleased with the direction the team is heading since he signed his extension. They should be a lock for the playoffs once, maybe twice more before his contract is up.



Colorado - Can a team still be considered over achievers this far into the season? A talented young team with lots of cash to spend come deadline day to stock up for a run at the Cup.



Dallas - With all due respect to Mike Modano, the writing is on the wall. Call it a career this summer.



Detroit - Just when you think we might have a post season without the Wings in it, they find an answer. Jimmy Howard. Once the playoffs start, and Howard gets the hook its Osgoods time to shine. As usual.



Edmonton - Injuries to "star" players + bad contracts = 09/10 Edmonton Oilers. At least Pat Quinn should get a good LONG look at all the prospects in the system.



Florida - Nathan Horton looks to be the next great thing to be hidden in Miami. For his sake, I hope another GM actually watches a Panthers game to save him before its too late.



Los Angeles - Has the talent in place to be a contender for the next few years. If only Kopitar could be consistent for a full season. Doughty's play has been outstanding, can't wait to see him dressed in red in a few weeks time.



Minnesota - Doesn't seem to have to talent to do much more than scrape into the post season. Although, if they do squeeze in, they will make the 2nd round if facing the Sharks.



Montreal - If they make the playoffs, I am sure they have the size and strength to battle through a few long series. Plus they always seem to get a result in regulation time too, so no need to worry about the problem of sudden death OT.



Nashville - Can anyone else believe they are keeping pace with the Hawks? Could be a hard team to deal with in the first round.

New Jersey - Has anyone seen any xrays of Marty Broduer after he has had surgery? I think he is slowly being replaced with bionic parts, he just doesn't seem to be slowing down. At all. Not even a hint of it! So happy that the Flames decided to swing a deal with the Devils to trade UP so they could use NJ's pick to take Trevor Kidd and let NJ take Marty 9 picks later with the Flames pick.

New York Islanders - Only 6 more years of paying for Mike Milburys outstanding long term contracts. Oh, thats if DiPietro can stay healthy and productive for another 10 years. But I can't see any problems there.

New York Rangers - Can Gaboriks hip stay strong enough to carry this team very far in the playoffs? If it can get them to the playoffs first of course.

Ottawa - Seeing as there is zero chance that the Sens will have to face the Leafs in the post season, the sky's the limit in Ottawa.

Philadelphia - Seriously, how weak is the Eastern Conference if the Flyers are a mere 2 points out of a play off spot after the dreadful start they had?

Pittsburgh - Malkin, going through a bit of an off season, is averaging a point a game. Pathetic.

Phoenix - Yes, I almost forgot about them which is why they are after the Pens instead of before. Bryzgalov is awesome. I wonder how he would look in a Chicago jersey.

San Jose - Still not convinced that Heatley is the right player to take this team to the next level. Although he is an excellent scapegoat to take some of the heat off Thorton. That is if Big Joe can still be found when the playoffs start.

St Louis - Are contemplating petitioning the league to allow them to play exclusively on the road. As soon as possible.

Tampa Bay - What can you buy with $10 million in Tampa Bay? Apparently around 11 goals and 32 assists in 46 games. Sounds like a bargain.

Toronto - Leading scorer is a defence man, and they still think Toskala is an NHL goalie. Nuff said.

Vancouver - Class act of an organisation, players and fans especially.

Washington - I wonder when the coaching staff will try and put a defensive system in place. They seem to have the offence part down pat.

C

Preds 1 Flames 0

Well so much for my prediction of a 4-2 Flames win today. I thought today's game was a bit of a let down from start to finish. McG and Belak dropping the gloves would have been pretty much the highlight of the night.

Not much to comment about on the game aside from the lack of offence which is plaguing the team as of late. Its great to see that the team finally seems to have dealt with the defensive issues that were all to apparent early in the year, but Kipper needs a little more support to get things moving in the right direction. Hopefully a visit from the once mighty Ducks will be whats needed to give the offence a boost.

C

The season so far...

A few observations on the season so far.



Its been a pretty successful season so far for the Flames. Hard to complain when they have been flirting with 1st in the North West for pretty much the whole year. The problem at the moment is, if your not in 1st your 6th, just 4 points away from 9th place. And a surging Red Wings squad with a hot goalie in Howard has to be cause for concern for all the teams in the West, especially when they are healthy.



Its great the see the North West is back to being the toughest division in hockey. At the moment, 7 points separate the top 4 teams since the Wild have turned their season around making it a 4 horse race. All other divisions have at least a 13 point spread between the top 4. I will be kind and not mention how the Oilers are fairing so far. Its been a tough year for our rivals from the north. Any time a team loses their top forward, dman and starting goalie for any significant time its going to be a long season. I almost feel bad for them....almost.



A look at the Flames from the goalie out:



Mikka Kiprusoft - Kipper has been showing that he still is the goalie all Flames fans have been hoping he still can be. He is among the league leaders in all the goalie stats, most importantly being SV% which is back up to a very healthy .926 after having that decline over the past few seasons. He has performed miracles once again for his team, many nights facing 35+ shots and keeping them in the game. There have been a few forgettable soft ones that have sneaked past Kipper, but most of the time he has been exceptional when he hasn't been hung out to dry by his team mates. The kick save against the Sharks has to be the save of the year. If Kipper can see it he will stop it. Kipper thrives on a heavy work load, so even with the Olympics coming up I think he will have enough left in the tank to take this team as far as they can in the playoffs. A few extra games off down the stretch would be great, but if the Flames are still fighting for playoff position I hope we see Kipper between the pipes whenever he is needed.

Curtis McElhinney - Curtis has looked pretty good when he has gotten the nod for a start. The team seems to be confident enough in themselves and in him when he is the backstopper. As I said, Kipper is who I want to see in goal when the game really matters. But all is not lost if McElhinney gets the call. As long as its not a long term thing.

Defence

Jay Bouwmeester - JBow has been an exceptional acquisition by Sutter. Flames fans can be confident having him patrolling the blue line for 25+ minutes a game, game in and game out. He has been solid all around for Calgary, in all situations. His offencive production is not at the level we were hoping for, but it is very apparent he has some great offencive skills at his disposal. The best is yet to come from Boumeester.

Mark Giordano - In my opinion, the Flames best dman this year hands down. Gio has developed into a solid all round defence man who is more than capable of playing in any situation thrown his way. If it were not for them depth this team has on the blueline, Gio could easily be playing on the number 1 pairing on a regular basis. He is sound defensively, makes outstanding breakout passes, and has the wheels to join the rush with excellent puck skills. Glad to see him back with the Flames after taking a year off overseas. Sutter needs to keep Gio with the team as he only has one year left in his current deal, and at just over $1M this season and next, Gio has to be one of the biggest bargains in the league. Sutter would be wise to renegotiate during this off season to show Gio that he is a valued part of this team.

Dion Phaneuf - Dion and the coaching staff have to decide what sort of blueliner Dion is going to be. Either he is going to be an offencive defenceman where the team can live with the defensive liabilities that will stem from that style of play provided Dion is putting up the points. Or he has to work on being another Regehr. A punishing, defensively sound defence man who the team is not counting on for offence, but know they can rely on to shut down the oppositions top offensive threats. I don't think that Dion game has matured enough to be the kind of player he is trying to be now, and because of that his game is suffering both at both ends of the ice. I still have faith that Phaneuf can be the cornerstone for the franchise in the future, but with Jbow signed long term as well as all of the other defensive assets available, I wouldn't be overly upset or surprised if Dion gets traded to help out the offence. Provided the return is right.

Robyn Regehr - Not the best start to the season for Reggie as he and Phaneuf seemed to take some time to gel together. But since the shaky start, Reggie had provided pretty much what we have all expected from him. Solid, hard hitting defensive play. Regehr taking an opposing player into the corner or end boards is generally a thing of beauty, with just a touch of nasty thrown in. Just ask Ales Hemsky.

Cory Sarich - Sarich has been pretty solid on the blueline when he has been in the lineup this season, which hasn't been enough. With the performance of Aaron Johnson and Steffan Kronwall who have taken Sarich's spot when he was out injured, his cap hit of $3.6M for the next few years seem rather high for a 3rd pairing dman. Especially when there are others in the system able to fill the spot at a much lower salary. If Dion doesn't get moved, I expect Sarich will to put a few more goals up front.

Adam Pardy - Pardy is developing into a very good #5/6 defense man for the Flames. He is very sound in the role is expected to fill, and does not make very many mistakes. His puckhandling and skating abilities have hugely improved since last season, as has his confidence. With another year to go in his contract, hopefully Pardy's game will continue to improve as it has over the last season.

Aaron Johnson - From the limited amount of game time Johnson has had, I have liked what I have seen. An agressive, hard hitting, hard working player, perfect for the Sutter system. He would move into the 3rd pairing with Pardy very nicely.

I'll cover the forwards later.

C

First Post

Well, I have been thinking about doing this for a while, so here it is. My hockey blog.

Where to start? Well a bit about me. I am Canadian, but moved to Australia back in the late 90's and it is where I call home now. But I will always be Canadian, and a hockey fan at heart. I have probably had more exposure to different types of sports that most people either from North America or Australia. I grew up watching the 4 major North American sports, not so much basketball though. In Australia I have been able to watch different codes of Rugby (Union and League), Aussie Rules Football (yes there are rules that actually make the game make sense!), and cricket, even though an Aussie friend of mine recently pointed out to me that "I just don't get cricket". Thanks Rach.

And you know what? I wouldn't have it any other way. When it comes to sports, hockey is the only one I am truly passionate about. In my eyes, nothing else can compare to hockey. Sure I enjoy lots of other sports, but nothing near the same level as a great hockey game. Or a bad one really! And play off hockey is just the nuts.

I'm a Flames fan. Living in Calgary for a few years when I was a kid I was able to see a few games. I remember seeing Lannys moustache up close when he tossed a puck to me over the glass during the warm up one game. I got to see Gretz and the Oilers play during their dynasty years, but unfortunately I don't really remember it. I think Lannys mo was so big that its blocked out all my other memories of being at the games! I was not lucky enough like one of my Canadian friends here to be in attendance for not one, but two! Cup winning games in Edmonton cheering for his Oil. Although he doesn't seem to want to talk much hockey lately for some reason.

Being in Aus, the media coverage of the NHL is laughable to say the least. Unless there is a major brawl or dirty play, hockey never makes the sports highlights here. So I rely heavily on the web and a gamecentre account to watch games and keep up to speed on whats going on. Thank god for tsn.ca and puckdaddy to give me my daily dose of hockey happenings.

Luckily I have come into a circle of fellow canucks to talk/play/watch hockey with. We have fans of 5 of the 6 Canadian teams in the group. For some reason Sens fans are hard to come across, or they are just too ashamed to admit to it. We have a few hockey pools going which helps to keep everyone pretty knowledgeable about the whole league.

When I get asked what I miss most about living in Canada, I normally answer friends and family, which are a given I suppose. And number 3 is hockey. I miss Saturday night double headers on Hockey Night In Canadawhen its -20C outside. Its not quite the same watching it on a Sunday morning/afternoon sweating in 35C degree heat! But all that aside, I have grown to love and appreciate the game more and more since I left Canada. The game, or the NHL to be more specific, is far from perfect, but I will elaborate my thoughts on that more at a later date.

Thats about all for now. Flames and Preds tomorrow. Hopefully the Flames offence will find its way sooner rather than later. Iggy has been far to quiet as of late, so I am predicting a 3 point game from him tomorrow in a 4-2 win.

C