Iginla's 1000th Game

It's another milestone game for Iggy today. Game number 1000

I can still remember hearing when Joe Nieuwendyk was traded to Dallas in exchange for Iginla and Corey Millen, it was a sure sign that there were some lean years coming up for the team and fans. The rebuild was fully in swing with Nieuwendyk, one of the last key players from the '89 Cup winning team, and one of the greatest players to ever wear the flaming C, being shipped out of town for seemingly little in return. It was hard not to think of the Gilmour trade as is usually the case for Flames fans when any big name is traded, particularly during the Risebrough era.

As with most power forwards, it took Jarome a few seasons to really mature in the NHL and show everyone just how broad his shoulders were. During the rebuilding years, Jarome still managed to put up some respectable numbers with a very shallow supporting cast around him, and never has had a true number one centre to set him up. Since the 98/99 season, Iginla has never scored less than 28 goals, and if he is able to find the back of the net just 6 more times this season it will be his 9th straight 30+ goal campaign. Added to that, Iggy was the league leader in goals in the last decade, and 2nd in points. And he has also won the Rocket Richard trophy twice, the Art Ross once, and the Lester B Person award as the MVP as voted by his peers. Not too bad! Oh, he pretty much led the Flames all the way to game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals against the Lightning too. And I almost (not really) forgot to mention that he does have a shiny Olympic Gold Medal hanging in his trophy case at home after scoring 2 goals in the Gold Medal game at the Salt Lake Olympics.

I think that Iginla is pretty much THE definition of what a hockey player should be. Any hockey fan that knows anything about the game would love to have an Iginla on their team. There are not many teams in the NHL where their best player is also their captain. Jarome is a total class act on top of all everything else he does and he shows it in so many different ways. Whether its him donating to charity for every goal he scores, putting fans up in a hotel at the Olympics in Salt Lake when he heard they were there and sleeping in their car, or when he could have layed out Ethan Moreau when he had him in a fairly compromising position during a scrap earlier this season, he just shows the kind of player, and the kind man he is, game in and game out.

Now this is a little off topic, but a few months ago a friend of mine shocked me by giving me what is now one of my most prized possessions, an authentic signed Jarome Iginla jersey. It was an act of generosity that came at a time in my life where I really needed a lift, and is something that I will never ever forget so thank you Paul.

And thank you Jarome for the last 1000 games. Thank you for all that you have done for the Calgary Flames and hockey in general, both on and off the ice. You have given all the Flames fans out there hope year after year for the past decade. Its not a Cup, but I am not complaining at all. For all those out there who ever even dreamed to mention that Iginla needs to be traded, well you are obviously not a Flames fan, and are a bandwagon jumper at best. Iginla has done more for the organisation that could really ever be expected. If he never scores another goal I wouldn't care. He's done enough already. I look forward to the day (not too soon of course) where Iggy's #12 is hanging from the rafters in Calgary. I truly hope that Iginla finishes his career with Calgary as that's how it should be. He is the teams all time leading points and goal scorer, and all time leader in games played. All that is lacking on his resume is that Stanley Cup.

Olli and Prusty

I am a little late with this one.

Seeing as this was reported on a day before it was made official, the Jokinen/Prust trade to the Rangers for Kotalik/Higgins didn't come as a surprise to anyone. Well, aside from the fact that the deal actually did go through.

I am sorry to see both Olli and Prust moving on. Olli was snakebitten without a doubt this season, and as he himself admitted, 11 goals for $5 million a season just doesn't cut it. I have been able to watch most Flames games this season, and Jokinen had more than enough opportunities to convert into goals that he should be among the league leaders in that category. And seriously, how many posts/crossbars has he hit this year? I am sure it was at least one a game every time I watched. But excuses are like assholes, everyone has one. Olli didn't provide what he was expected to give to the team, and even he knows that. I do not believe it was due to lack of effort though, luck was just not with him in Calgary. I think anyone who questions Jokinens heart and work ethic are way off base too as I saw no evidence of that at all. Sure, he may have been a defencive liability at times, but someone name me a few offencive focused players who aren't? Olli was never expected to be a great two way player, he was being paid to set up and score goals which he unfortunately didn't deliver on. For anyone who saw his interview after he was told of the trade, you could see that he was very proud to be a Flame and he even said he hoped to finish his career with the team. Olli's disappointment about the trade was obvious. I hope he can turn things around in New York as its very evident that he still has the skills to be a serious points producer.

While Prust only saw limited ice time when he was on the roster, he was a joy to watch. Hard working, tireless and boy can he scrap! He is the kind of player you want on your energy line without a doubt. I guess in the new NHL there is no need for more than one tough guy who can drop the gloves, and with a true heavyweight in McGratton in the lineup, Prust's role became somewhat redundant.

So farewell to Olli and Brendan. I wish you both all the best with the Rangers.

Now onto Higgins and Kotalik. I have to say I don't know a whole lot about either player aside from all of the negative press I have read since talk of this trade surfaced. Its made me scratch my head and ponder if Darryl is losing his marbles. This trade seemingly doesn't make a whole lot of sense as the players the Flames are getting in return don't seem to be on par for what has been given up. Kotalik seems to be a huge disruption to a team, and from what I have read he is a player lacking heart which does not sound like a the type of guy to play Sutter hockey. Does Darryl know something the rest of us don't? I certainly hope so.

Alot of changes have happened this week to the Flames, and more are almost certainly on the way. They currently have 13 NHL wingers on their roster when everyone is healthy, which is about 5 too many. Surely Darryl has a plan in place and we are just seeing the opening two acts. A centre is still needed, as is a legitimate back up.

In Sutter we still trust....but unless this is just the lead up to another deal that brings a headliner name to Calgary, or all the 2nd tier players that have been brought in achieve more than they have in the past, that trust will not last much longer at all with the Flames faithful. Sutter does seem to have a knack for finding those hidden gems that are outcasts, but he can't always be right can he?

C

A new era

First of all, I would like to wish Dion all the best in Toronto. I thouroughly enjoyed watching him play for the Flames, and still believe that the best is yet to come from him. Hopefully the intense media focus that will be placed on him in TO will assist him in maturing to the player most believe he can be. Thanks for the memories Dion, and for taking many memories away from players who were "Phaneufed". Am glad you are in the East.

Its hard not to be excited about the changes that Darryl has made bringing in 4 fresh faces to the team (well I am rather indifferent about Mayers). Something needed to be done to change the chemistry on this team and Sutter did it. Time will tell if Stajan, Hagman and White will make the difference that can change the Flames into a legitimate contender, or if they are just going to fade out of the playoff picture.

Its somewhat hard to gauge just how good any of these ex-Leafs are since they are just that, ex-Leafs. They have had to go through several seasons playing for a team that has had very little expectation to achieve anything, and have had very little talent to work with. Now they have a chance to play on a Calgary team that does have some genuine talent throughout the roster. The upgrade to the offence is the key here provided Stajan and Hagman can continue to produce. Having two more 50-60 point men in the lineup can never be a bad thing, but the Flames are still lacking another legitimate powerhouse up front to either compliment Iginla, or at the very least take some of the attention off of Iggy and give teams another threat to worry about.

As I said, time will tell how this trade will pan out for the Flames. Especially with the Jokinen trade seemingly stalled at the moment. This doesn't feel like its the end result that Sutter has in mind, so I believe that more movement will come. At the very least we will get a good look at the fresh faces for a few weeks before deadline day to see how it all seems to be working out. If the results aren't there, expect Sutter to be a busy man come March 3rd.

I still think Kovalchuk would look great in a Flames jersey. Lots of warm bodies, and salary space to make that happen now, especially of Olli is on his way out of town.

C