Flames Crown Kings

The Flames were able to extend their longest winning streak of the month, with their second consecutive victory tonight, against the Los Angeles Kings. (what a month!) Coming off a strong 2nd half to their game in Edmonton on Monday, the Flames continued to play a more complete game, despite a couple of early setbacks.

Early in the first period, while chasing down the puck to beat out an icing call, Dion Phaneuf laid a rather large hit on the Kings’ Anze Kopitar. Phaneuf was given a five minute major and a game misconduct. I think the call was little over the top. It wasn’t a boarding penalty, as Kopitar had his back to the boards, and it wasn’t a roughing penalty, as the check was clean. I suppose it could have been called an interference penalty, but that should only merit two minutes in the bin, not an ejection. Either way, Phaneuf was out of the game, and his minutes needed to be picked up. While Bouwmeester played his normal 26-27 minutes, it was Mark Giordano and Adam Pardy who were impressive in taking on the extra work load.

Giordano seemed to be involved in almost every play of the game, issuing several hits, and playing another good game in a season that has become his coming out party. All of this was done while logging an above average 25 minutes of ice time and earning the 2nd star of the game. What really impressed me however was the play of Adam Pardy, who had over 24 minutes on ice, despite not having played 20 minutes or more in a game this year. Besides spending most of the night on the ice, Pardy had a great defensive game, perhaps his best of the year, breaking up two quality Kings’ scoring chances and finishing the contest with a plus 2 rating.

The Phaneuf ejection turned out not be the last blown call of the game, as five minutes into the second period, Giordano was called for a hooking penalty on Dustin Brown, who for some inexplicable reason, was granted a penalty shot. In the replay, it was very clear that Jokinen was between Brown and Kiprusoff and that there wasn’t any type of breakaway taken away from the infraction. It ended up not being an issue however, as Brown made one of the worst penalty shot attempts I’ve ever seen, completely losing control of the puck 20 feet in front of Kiprusoff, causing the puck to be blown dead.

In the third period, I thought the Flames played a little too conservatively in their attempt to shut down the Kings. While they were successful in not allowing any goals, they also didn’t create any changes for themselves, with only three shots on net in the final frame. While I have no problem with a shut-down game, I usually wouldn’t expect to see it in a one goal game. I suppose the proof is in the pudding however, as the game has been recorded as a ‘W’.

-TheRev

Team Canada, eh?

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 have been named to the team. Well, I have a confession: I couldn’t care less. I suppose that’s a little harsh, and I guess what I mean is that I’m not concerned, in fact, I’m happy there aren’t many Flames playing in this year’s games.

It isn’t that I won’t be cheering for Team Canada during the Olympics; it’s just that when it comes to hockey, my main concern is the Stanley Cup, not a Gold Medal. I’d rather see the Flames win the cup this year, than Canada win a hundred gold medals. As far as I’m concerned, Bouwmeester, Phaneuf and Regehr not being named to Team Canada only helps the Flames.

This year, there will only be three Flames playing in the Olympics in Vancouver; Iginla for Canada, and Jokinen and Kiprusoff for Finland. These three players won’t have the benefit of a two week break in the middle of the year, and as a result may tire as the season winds down. How often do we hear that Kiprusoff plays too much as it is, and as a result is always tired come playoff time? Well, I wish he wasn’t playing in Vancouver, giving him that time off for some much deserved rest. The Olympics also bring in a risk factor for players getting injured. What would the reaction be of any NHL fan if one of their team’s star players were injured? If Iginla or Kiprusoff were to go down with an injury, the Flames’ season would likely be over. As a fan, I don’t see any reward to this risk, and hence it isn’t one I’m interested in taking.

I see too many downsides to NHL players playing in the Olympics, and I hope this will be the final time we see this. So far, there isn’t an agreement between the NHL and the NHLPA to play in the 2014 games in Russia, and I don’t see one coming together either. I can’t foresee any circumstances where the NHL owners would release their prized assets to play in some games in the middle of the night on the other side of the planet. The argument is that having the NHL players play in the Olympics is good exposure for the league, but is it really? In Salt Lake City at the 2002 games, all the stars were aligned, with a Canada-USA showdown for the gold medal. Did this do anything to expand the game’s audience in the United States? No, TV numbers are lower than ever. In Canada, the game doesn’t need anymore exposure, and if there weren’t any NHL players in the Olympics, Canadians would still be watching and cheering the team on. In fact, if the team was made up of junior players, judging from the annual World Junior tournament I think Canada’s chances for gold would be far greater.

I'll still be cheering on Team Canada, (probably not by yelling Eh, O, Canada Go!), but I’ll make sure to have my fingers crossed that neither Iginla or Kiprusoff (and even Jokinen I guess) are injured as they battle it out for Olympic Gold.

-TheRev


photo from: http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/story/2008/04/24/teamcanada-jerseys.html

Hats Off to Bourque

The Flames headed into tonight’s game in their worst slump of the year, having scored only 13 goals in their previous seven games, in which they posted only one win, and two overtime losses. Pretty much every aspect of their game has struggled as well, and the team was in desperate need of a confidence boost. Often a trade or a coaching change is needed to change a team’s fortunes, or maybe some kind of tonic to rejuvenate the players. For the Calgary Flames, that tonic came in a blue and orange bottle, labelled Edmonton Oilers. Now can it turn the season around?

Despite an early Oiler goal, a deflection by Ryan Potulny, and being outshot 35-24, the Flames were able to come away with 4-1 win. Calgary’s attack was led by Rene Bourque, who scored his 2nd career hat trick, a natural, with a goal in each period. The win was the Flames’ fourth in four games against the Oilers this season, and moved them out of 8th place in the Western Conference. That doesn’t necessarily mean the Flames played well, but when the opponent is struggling so much, as the Oilers are, it can make any team look good. Adding to Bourque’s offensive heroics was the play of Miikka Kiprusoff who had another great game, stopping 34 of 35 shots. As he has done all season, Kipper kept the Flames in the game during the 1st period, in which they were outshot 15-4. After Bourque’s 2nd goal, things seem to calm down a bit, and the Flames were able to dominate the play in the 2nd half of the game, controlling the puck, killing off nine Edmonton power play opportunities and scoring both a power play goal and a shorty.

In typical Battle of Alberta fashion, the game had a quicker tempo then would normally be expected when facing the conference’s last place team, and right out of the gate tempers seemed to be flaring. Dustin Boyd and Andrew Cogliano scrapped following the Oiler goal in the 1st, and in the third period, Iginla, Regehr and Johnson all dropped the gloves, with Smid, Staios and Stone respectively. I’m sure Oiler fans would disagree with me, but the Flames won all four fights quite handily.

With lots of fighting, lots of hitting and the obvious distaste each city as for one another, it should be another good game when the teams meet for the fifth time this season in the annual New Year’s Eve game on Thursday night.

- TheRev

Flames Are Not Good

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 awful. The goal scoring is bone dry and when Kipper has an off game like tonight, the Flames do not have a chance at winning the game. Kipper let in some goals that were suspect including the weirdest goal I have ever witnessed when Mason Raymond flipped a perfect arching puck over the shoulders of Miikka from outside the blue line and into the net to close out the first period. The defence though, deserves no credit whatsoever. They were beaten cleanly by Vancouver’s forwards on 2 of the goals and failed to pick up one of the sisters on the first goal.

For instance on the Canucks first goal, Dion Phaneuf found himself in a shoving match with Henrik, but then left him to protect the front of the net, but forgot about the Swede, as did Regehr. Hank was then left wide open at the side of net and potted in the goal; after which he made sure to let Phaneuf know about it. Phaneuf gave him a quick spear for good measure. From all reports, “Hank was screaming at the top of his lungs.”

The Flames tried to come out and play the physical game but were thwarted by a much smarter Canuck team. Giordano went for a big hit in the neutral zone, but took himself out of the play and the Canucks break in 2 on 1 for another goal. Again out of position and beaten by the Canucks speedy forwards. Regehr and Pardy looked extremely slow and can not keep up with the forwards; a growing trend as the games wear on.

The Flames were undisciplined and were running around for most of the night. It was an embarrassing game to be a Flames fan and horrible display of hockey.

Brian McGrattan was itching all night long to beat someone up, in particular Darcy Hordichuk who he pummelled earlier in the season. In the third, with the game out of reach, Sutter sends out his goon to teach Darcy a lesson, yet Darcy is a little smarter than that. Hordichuk took the abuse and Vancouver was granted a 4 minute powerplay. Why would Hordichuk fight? They are up 5-1 and he knows he will lose. If this was Sutter’s master plan at redemption for a porous effort the rest of the night, he should think again.

Sutter should audition for ‘Grumpy Old Men 3: Grumpier than Ever.” His negative mantra seems to wearing thin and his philosophy of ‘fore-check, fore-check, fore-check’ and ‘work till you drop’ does not seem to be working. The players look exhausted and unwilling to work and its only December 27th! Something has to change, as the Flames are spiralling out of control and into the basement of the Western Conference. I am not saying fire the Coach but this team has underperformed now for almost a solid month.

The Flames play 5 games in 7 nights this week, and 3 against divisional opponents. Well you can cross off one of those games as a loss, and travel up to Edmonton for a clash with the lowly Oilers. Hopefully that is the cure for what ails the Flames right now. Everybody beats the Oilers these days, don’t they?

This has been,

Newman on the Flames

Source of Photo: http://cdn1.sbnation.com/entry_photo_images/118507/49244_canucks_flames_hockey.jpg

Feeling the Blues

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 Vancouver, looked primed for a letdown. However, things did not exactly pan out that way. The Flames applied pressure for the first five minutes of the game, and then let off into their meandering ways that have plagued them for the past couple weeks. The Flames lost in a shootout to a team that they should beat.

Unable to put anything past Blues Goalie Chris Mason in the first two periods, the Flames finally broke the goose egg when Mark Giordano fired a low point shot that snaked its way through a plethora of sticks and skates and found the back of the net. Giordano, who earned first star honours at the game, was Calgary’s best player outside of the crease. He played with confidence all night long and created opportunities and excitement, seemingly, every time he hit the ice. He played just over 26 minutes and scored the tying goal. He has assumed first time duty on the powerplay as well, as Bouwmeester was relegated to second line duty with Regehr. Sutter has been known to reward good players with more ice time, and this seems to be the case here.

The Flames now sit in 7th place in Western Conference, only 3 points clear of 9th place Vancouver. They have lost 7 of 10 games in December. They lost only 9 games in all of October and November! Goal scoring has dried up as the Flames have failed to tally more than 3 goals since November 30th when they pounded the Predators 5-0.

Where did that chemistry go?

It seems like the entire team is ice cold. No one has any confidence outside of Kipper and not one person wants to take the reins. Is Sutter’s mantra wearing thin? It is only 36 games in; what will this team be like after 82 games at this pace? The Flames were labelled to finish in the ‘tops’ of the West this year, yet now are swimming in mediocrity and failing to capitalize on opportunities like tonight. It is scary to think that with the talent this team possesses they can not seem to figure it out. Hopefully it is just a lull in the schedule and that this Christmas break will give the team time to shake the cobwebs off of their sticks. Without Kiprusoff, I hate to think where this team might be as they have become reliant on a single player to win them games.

The Flames now play 4 games in 5 nights starting on the 27th against the Canucks. If they continue to drag their knuckles through the New Year, the Flames could be in some serious ‘Barney.’ Barney Rubble; Trouble!

This has been,

Newman on the Flames

Source of Photo: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/24/AR2009122400184.html

'Twas the Night Before Christmas

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 settled their brains for a long winter’s nap.




When atop the Dome there arose such a clatter,
They sprang from their beds to see what was the matter.
Away to Dutton’s they headed for a beer,
Tore open the doors for some good Christmas cheer.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what did their eyes suddenly view,
A Tiny zamboni, with the Fire ‘n Ice crew.

With a little old driver, his face all lit up,
They knew it was Stanley, Lord of the Cup.
More rapid than eagles the players they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

"Now Iggy! Now Dion! Now, Reggie with joy!
On Kipper! On, J-Bo! On Boyd and Conroy!
To the end of the bench, to the edge of the rink!
Skate away! Skate away! Fast as a wink!"

With X’s and O’s from their pre-game plans,
They readied to play in front of their fans.
So out on the ice, the players they flew,
All with their sticks and St. Stanley too.

And then from the PA, they heard a dull whine,
It was announced the return of famed #9.
They drew their heads up to the roof in a flash,
Down from the rafters came that red ‘stache.

He was wearing a tux, he was all dressed up,
To tell them all about Lord Stanley’s Cup.
A bundle of stories he had in his head,
The glory of winning, to the players he spread.

Of Vancouver, LA and Chicago he talked,
Facing Montreal that year, it was the Cup they stalked.
“Play as a team,” he said, “giving your best,
Not until June will you be able to rest.

“The New Year will come, and your games will improve,
With each passing win, you’re finding your groove!
That is my gift, to each of you now,
When you win the big trophy, take a big bow!"

He sprang to the roof, to the girls gave a whistle,
And away they all flew fast as a missle.
But they heard him exclaim, ‘ere he flew out of sight,
“Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!”

Sky Rockets in Flight…No Afternoon Delight

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 down 2-0 midway through the first. However, they managed to fight back on the shoulders of Jarome Iginla who came alive tonight after struggling since his 1st star award winning month of November. Iginla scored his 19th and 20th goals of the season and chipped in with an assist to propel the home team to a 3-2 lead midway through the second period. Unfortunately, the Flames could not hold onto the lead and gave up a late goal to Marcel Goc and went into the 3rd tied at 3. The Flames outplayed the Predators in the third period out-shooting them 10-4 but lost on the scoreboard that matters as a tipped point shot by unsung hero Cody Franson beat Kiprusoff for the game winning goal.

The Flames are not familiar with afternoon games but that is no excuse. They are professional athletes and should come ready to play every game. In saying that, despite the early crater that they dug out for themselves, they outplayed the Preds for a majority of the game; as was evident in the shot total of 25-10 over the final two periods. The Flames power play is looking better as it connected on 1 of the 2 chances it had. They are moving the puck better and creating more chances because of it. The Predators for their part took advantage of their chances and made sure Kipper had traffic to deal with on a majority of their opportunities. Nashville is one of the hottest teams in the league and have now scored 23 goals in their last 4 games. They are firing on all cylinders and the Flames simply are not. With numerous players who are in severe scoring slumps (Jokinen, Moss and Conroy to name a few), the Flames are not finding that depth scoring that had propelled to so many wins earlier in the season. This can not continue if the Flames aim to be contenders come spring time.

Dion Phaneuf is starting to find the net more and has noticeably improved his accuracy on his point shots. With two almost identical tallies in the past two games the ‘Caveman’ is regaining the confidence he once possessed two years ago.

On one broadcaster note, if Peter Loubardias uses the saying, “Some kind of (insert either: shot, hit or save)” one more time I might lose my mind. I counted three times throughout the game where he used it and twice in a span of 5 minutes. It does not have the same ring as “Oh Baby” that the venerable Bob Cole uses and Peter, it sounds brutal, so please stop it. Please switch places with Roger Millions.

The Flames face the Blues of St. Loo on Wednesday before the three day holiday break.

This has been,

Newman on the Flames

Back on Track?

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 Kings out of the Dome.

For the fourth straight game the Flames were outshot by more than 11. In 12 of the 34 contests this year, the Flames have been outshot by double digit figures. A team that had seemingly found its way defensively has strewn off the yellow brick road and found its way back at the beginning of the maze. Consistently, Kiprusoff is forced to bail out the Flames night after night. Quite easily the MVP of the team, and maybe the league, the docile Fin has shut the door on almost every team he has faced. The rest of the Flames, however, have not been mentally present for all of the games. The Flames have failed to score more than 3 goals in any December game. The Flames were number one in scoring at the end of October, yet now sit 12th overall in goals for per game. Where has all the goal scoring gone? Jarome has been a non factor since being named 1st star of the month of November, scoring only 1 goal in his past 12 games. There were rumours swirling in Calgary today that Jamie Lundmark was in town, yet he was not officially called up and was not seen on the ice. He can’t be the solution, can he?

Two Flames defensemen had some of their finest games in recent memory as Dion Phaneuf (yes I said it) and Mark Giordano played quite well. Giordano could possibly be nominated for the best ‘quiet’ player on the Flames for the first couple months. Tonight though, he made his presence felt as it was his mission to keep King Captain Dustin Brown on his keister for a majority of the night. The climax came when Gio laid out Brown right in front of the Kings bench, causing a ‘brew-hah-hah’, which led to a Flames man advantage. Phaneuf chipped in with his 7th goal of the season, a powerplay marker, with 1 second left on the clock in the first period. A timely goal, set up from a nice face-off win by Jokinen and a simple pass over to Dion from Captain Jarome. The goal proved crucial as Kipper was able to shut the door for the second before Nigel Dawes scored the eventual game winner 1:02 into the third period; his tenth goal of the season.

The Flames did not ‘wow’ anyone tonight with their win. Albeit they did beat the top team in the west, but let’s face it, the Kings are playing way over their heads at the moment. The Flames now prepare for a rare afternoon game at the Dome against the Predators. The Flames will have to come with a much stronger defensive effort if they hope to contain the Preds who have scored 20 goals in their last 4 contests; the Flames have scored only 15 goals in all of December.

This has been,

Newman on the Flames

Vive Le Quebec Libre...of NHL Hockey.

Jean Charest, Premier of Quebec, said this week that after talking with Gary Bettman, he is confident NHL hockey will return to Quebec City. “It is going to happen,” said the Premier, citing plans to build a new arena to lure the NHL back to Quebec’s capital city.

Cela est une grande idée Jean. But here’s why it ain’t gonna happen.

1. Population of Quebec City. It has historic battlefields, a beautiful riverside setting, and the largest winter festival in the world. What it doesn’t have is people. According to the 2006 census, there are only 715, 515 people in the metropolitan area of Quebec City, which would make it by far the smallest market in the NHL. (Edmonton is currently the smallest, with 1,034,945, but is still 44% larger than Quebec City.) There simply aren’t enough people in Quebec City to sustain an NHL team. A major arena needs to be filled more than just the 41 times per year that an NHL team would be playing. There also needs to be concerts, trade shows, conventions, etc. I don’t think that Quebec City’s small population would be able to make an arena of this size feasible.

A small population also means the media numbers would be low. With just over 700,000 people, there wouldn't be a significant TV or radio audience. Add to this that any boradcast would most likely be in French only, it would further limit the team from picking up any viewers in the Northeastern US or the Maritimes. While the Flames and Oilers, which don’t have very large population bases either, can draw TV audiences from other parts of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and eastern British Columbia, a Quebec City team would be forced to compete with the Canadiens for any viewers out side of the city itself; a battle I don't see them winning anytime soon.

2. Corporate Money. There isn’t any. Or at least there isn’t enough. Quebec City is a government town, not a center of business and commerce. The majority of people work for the government in one capacity or another. While government jobs offer above average pay scales, government departments or agencies are unable to buy luxury boxes, club seating or even season tickets. Nobody working for the Federal Government ever says, “I have my company’s tickets tonight, wanna go?” And if that did happen, I’m sure most Canadians would be outraged that their tax dollars were going toward hockey tickets. Ottawa has a similar problem being primarily a government town. There aren't nearly as many large corporations as Toronto, Vancouver or Calgary, which means fewers corporate sales, which bring in millions of dollars each year from club seating and luxury suites. There simply are not enough companies in Quebec City that could afford to purchase a luxury suite for $200,000, or buy season tickets in a club section, and the average Joe cannot afford to pay even close to what most companies can pay for these seats.

3. The Arena. Mr Charest says that they will build an NHL calibre arena, capable of hosting not only a hockey team, but also the Winter Olympics. First off, that would be at least seven or eight years away before an arena could be built, and that’s if they started tomorrow. While he may say that his government is willing to pay 200 or 300 million dollars toward an arena, we’ll have to wait and see what the people have to say about it. The people in Quebec might not be too happy seeing so much of their money going toward another arena or stadium. They need only look at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, which ended up costing $1.6 billion, took 30 years to pay off, and is perhaps the biggest white elephant in Canada, no longer being used for anything except one or two Alouette games each year. A new arena in Quebec City would sit empty a lot of the year as well, as their small population wouldn’t be able to fill it.

4. The NHL. Gary Bettman and the National Hockey League, despite what Jean Charest feels, have no interest in moving to Quebec City. For starters, it is far too small a market, lacking both people and corporate money. Secondly, the people in Quebec City are already hockey fans and already follow the NHL. If the Lightning moved from Tampa to Quebec, what few people followed the Lightning would probably stop watching hockey all together, causing the NHL to lose fans. Meanwhile there isn’t any increase by moving to a team to Quebec, as those fans are simply changing their allegiance. On the off, off chance that Quebec ever did receive a team, I would think it would be an expansion team, not through a relocation, which leads to the final reason. After fighting so hard to keep the NHL in Phoenix, why would they suddenly let another franchise pick up stakes and move to Quebec City? The answer is they wouldn’t and they won’t.



There is a reason that the Nordiques moved in the first place. They weren’t viable 15 years ago, and there’s no reason to think they would be viable in 2010. The list of cities that will be home to an NHL franchise before Quebec City is long; Hamilton, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Houston, Seattle, Portland, Hartford and Milwaukee. All have larger populations, better arenas and more money, and if by chance a team relocated, it would be to one of these cities before Quebec City.


photo from http://www.toptenz.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/nordiques-uniform.jpg

Wild Shooting Spree

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’s way. Without the heroics of Miikka in the Calgary net, this game could have gotten out of hand. Kipper single-handedly won a point for the Calgary Flames, as no one else on the Flames was deserving of any sort of recognition.

Dion Phaneuf, amid the all the “booing” hoopla that was bestowed upon him this past week, had a horrible outing and was at fault on the final goal. He made a great rush up ice, but then ran out of room, lost the puck and failed to cover his defence position causing a 3 on 1 for the Wild. Too many times Phaneuf has made ill timed rushes into traffic and too many times, he has wound up losing the puck. He has been playing a lot better of late but Friday nights contest was a step back for him and step back for this team. Phaneuf’s blunder resulted in the Martin Havlats game winning goal. The Wild’s persistence paid off as there 46th shot finally sealed a victory for them. Calgary did not deserve to win this game. They did not really deserve to even be in this game, but thanks to #34 they managed to escape with a point. The Flames reverted back to their early season play after making so many steps towards to perfecting Sutter’s system.

One step forward, two steps back.

The Flames allowed their opponent to fire over 40 shots on net for the 5th time this season. In each of those games the Flames failed to register over 23 shots themselves. However, Friday night’s overtime loss was the first time the Flames did not win when allowing 40 shots.

The Flames continued their ineptitude on the powerplay extending their futility streak to 19 straight without a goal. On the other side of special teams, the Flames kept the Wild powerplay quiet, even silencing them on a 5 on 3 man advantage. Kipper made an unbelievable shoulder save to help keep the Wild at bay, and give the Flames some needed momentum.

The Flames have now lost 3 straight division contests, this being the first division match-up since losing to Colorado back on November 17th. The Flames get a chance to avenge that loss to Colorado on Sunday night when they travel to Denver to start a mini two game road swing that will take them in St Louis on Tuesday.

The Flames scoring woes continue as they have only scored 8 goals in the last five games and been held to only 1 goal in 3 of those games. Something has to change, someone has to step up. Unfortunately, Kiprusoff can not score goals. Someone else has to stand up and be a leader on this team.

This has been,

Newman on the Flames

Source of Photo: http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/NHL/Games/2009/12/11/12129451-cp.html

Some Things Never Last

Dynasties in sports are something to behold. The Yankees, the Bulls, and the Patriots all have held this title in their respective sports. The Detroit Red Wings have arguably been such in the NHL for the better part of the last 15 years. However, the Red Wings are a team on the decline. Once feared as one of the scariest teams in the league, the Wings are now struggling to score and struggling even harder to get wins.

They currently take rank at 11th in the Western Conference and are 11 points behind first place San Jose. Not to mention they sit in third in the Central division behind Columbus and Chicago. How many people can remember when the Red Wings were this far back of first place, this far into the season, much less sitting outside the playoff picture? They have won the Central division crown each of the last 8 seasons and 12 of the last 15. They have won the Clarence Campbell trophy, for top team in the Western Conference, 6 times since the 94-95 season; more than any other team. Oh yeah, they also won the Stanley Cup 4 times since the 96-97 season (97, 98, 02, 08). They have simply been THE team in the west for the last decade and a half. But, as Bob Dylan once said, “Times, they are a changing.”

The days of Yzerman, Federov, and a ‘young’ Lidstrom are gone. Zetterberg and Datsyuk are fantastic players, but their supporting cast is not comparable to the past Red Wing teams. Brett Hull, Brendan Shanahan, Slava Kozlov are all gone. Young prospects and over the hill forwards stand in their place.

Some reasons for their fall from grace:


Off-season moves. Watching Marian Hossa and Tomas Kopecky jet over to Chicago must have been a sour pill to swallow. Hossa, their third leading point getter and a 40 goal scorer, leaves for a mammoth 12 year contract with the rival Hawks after losing the Cup Final( Two straight for him personally. The Hossa curse is born). Kopecky, although not as impactful as Hossa, still adds to the players heading out of motown. Jiri hudler, the teams 7th leading scorer and top young prospect to fill the void of Hossa leaving, decides to go home to play in the KHL. The Wings lose three key players amongst their forward core in a month. They bring in Todd Bertuzzi, Jason Williams, Brad May and have recently picked up Drew Miller off waivers; not exactly “Hossa-esque” replacements.

Injuries. Now everyone suffers injuries, yet the Wings this year could not afford to. Johan Franzen, Valterri Filppula, Jason Williams, Niklas Kronwall and Andreas Lilja all have suffered significant injuries and have missed numerous games. A team that loses what they did in the off-season can not afford to have this many injuries to this many key players.

Inconsistent Goaltending. Chris Osgood is a good goalie; he is not a great goaltender though. He is also on the back end of his career at 36 years of age. Jimmy Howard seems to have taken the reins of the starting job right now, but not sure he can handle the workload of a full time NHL goaltender. Since Hasek hung up his skates, the Wings have never really had superb goaltending, but they have not needed it as their defensive systems have been so sound and their offence so good. Now that the offence has dried up, they need their goalie to steal games for them, and that does not seem to be happening. Howard is showing some promise over his last couple outings, but nothing to write home about quite yet.

Salary Cap Era. Many predicted that when the Cap era hit the league following the lockout of the 04-05 season, that the Wings, who perennially spent a lot of money on their players, would suffer a setback. On the contrary as they produced one of their best seasons in 05-06, putting together an astounding record of 58-16-8 for an earth shattering 124 points. They would go on to capture the Western Conference title in 08 and 09 and win the cup in 2008. They are a model franchise for all intents and purposes. One difference though is this, in the days prior to the cap, Detroit would never have lost Hossa, and that was an irreplaceable asset this year. Unable to pay him the money he wanted, Hossa took off for greener pastures. Ken Holland is a brilliant GM and should be applauded for the work he has done, but sometimes things just do not happen the way you hope.


With the rise of the Chicago Blackhawks, the Red Wings look destined to come at least 2nd in the Central division for the first time in 8 seasons. This season, the Red Wings have been shut out 3 times on home ice, the first two coming in back to back games (something that has not happened since 1977). Something the old Red Wings would never let happen. With Lidstrom, Holmstrom and Maltby all becoming UFA’s this summer, only Osgood and Draper would be left from the old regime of players, and both are getting long in the tooth.

Now the Wings might prove me wrong and go on a serious tear over the next month and vault their way close to the top of the west again, but I think not. A changing of the guard in the West is taking place. The dynasty is coming to its end. The Mighty Detroit Red Wings are no longer the top dogs and will not be able to cruise into the playoffs like years past. They will be forced to fight it out with the fringe hunters of the Western Conference as they battle for a spot in Lord Stanley’s Playoffs.

This has been,

Newman on the NHL

Flames Burn Thrashers

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 players’ was evident tonight as the Jarome Iginla, Olli Jokinen, Rene Bourque and Miikka Kiprusoff were all in top form.

This might have been Olli Jokinen’s best game as a Flame this season. He was flying out there as he contributed with one laser of a goal and one sweet dangle through the Atlanta (Peace up, A-Town) defence. Not to mention he had 4 shots on net, was a +2 on the night and logged more ice time than any other Flames forward (20:26). His confidence is clearly growing in each game and his chemistry with Iginla and now Nigel Dawes seems to be getting better with each outing. Iginla could have had a bundle of goals tonight but was shut down by Thrasher Goaltender Johan “Moose” Hedberg all night. His patent “leg kick” while flying down the right side of the ice was in full effect tonight, but he could not find the twine. He did chip in with two assists including setting up the eventual game winner. He also managed to draw a few timely penalties which helped kill time off the clock, because clearly the Flames are unable to score a goal with the powerplay (0 for last 16).

As mentioned earlier, it seems Iggy and Olli have found a line mate in Nigel Dawes. Dawes, a top prospect coming out of junior, never really found a spot in the NHL. He struggled with consistency in New York and really did not have time in Phoenix to do much of anything. Now it seems he is comfortable and playing well with the added responsibility in Calgary. Already on pace to shatter his career high in goals (14), assists (15) and points (29) in a season, Dawes is giving the Flames the exact kind of support player they wanted when they signed him in July. He has great speed and is able to slip in and out of the tough areas with minimal detection. Another gem signing by Darryl Sutter only a year after he snagged Glencross and Bourque out of heap of available players.

A few ‘notable notes’ from tonight’s contest was Glencross’s spirited fight in the third period; good to see the energy always riding high with him. Regehr was back after missing one game with an undisclosed injury. Conroy, however, was not in the line-up tonight after colliding with Oscar Moller of the Kings on Monday. Cory Sarich also missed his 8th straight game. Coming from an interview on the Fan960 with Coach Sutter, when asked about Sarich, he said, “You will have to ask Darryl about Cory.” Since when does the GM decide when the player is ready? Wouldn’t the Coach be in charge of that? Or better yet, maybe the team Physician?

Just ‘spitballin’ here but I think he is being shopped around and will be dealt before the deadline. It makes sense with his salary, the need to clear space for Bourque and other UFA/RFA’s this summer, and the emergence of Aaron Johnson and Staffan Kronwall on the backend.

This has been,

Newman on the Flames

Source of Photo: http://www.nhldigest.com/images/Flames%20Socks.jpg

Road Trip Complete

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 fortunate, losing 2-1 to the rejuvenated Los Angeles Kings. They outplayed the Kings but were stymied by the Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick. A surprise to say the least, Quick has helped the Kings to an impressive 18-10-3 start, putting them currently tied with the Flames in points, with 39.

The Flames finished their season long road trip going 4-2 and gaining 8 of a possible 12 points in the process. Four wins, one in a shootout, two shutouts, and two regulation 2-1 losses. Can we consider this a successful road trip?

Yes and No.

They won more than they lost. They beat some impressive teams like the Sharks, the red hot Predators, and albeit a less impressive Red Wings team than we are used to seeing, but a win over the Red Wings is still notable. As was the case tonight, their fore-checking is ‘top drawer’ and they are firing a lot of rubber on net. The cycling down low by the Bourque-Langkow-Moss line in the first period tonight was fantastic, and that was duplicated later in the game as well. Kipper played great over the trip, not counting the weak goal in Phoenix, but made up for it with a Highlight of the Year heel-kick-skate save in San Jose.

Looking at a couple negative aspects of the trip, the Flames went 3 for 19 on the powerplay, and 0 for 12 in the last three games. Subsequently they have only scored 4 goals in those three games, despite firing 92 shots on net. They have run up against some impressive goaltending in Bryzgalov, Nabokov and Quick but that is no excuse for this team. This team needs to score when called upon, and they need their stars to put the puck in the net. Jarome Iginla has only 1 goal in his last seven games coming off his torrid start in November. Olli Jokinen has been playing better, yet he only has 6 goals all season, and is on pace for roughly 17 goals. As the Flames now play 8 of their next 11 games on home ice, Iginla will need to re-ignite his scoring touch and Jokinen will have to continue his resurrection for the Flames to have success under the Dome. Just don’t call Tiger if you want help scoring at home.

The Flames style of play is getting more and more consistent as the games progress. Sutter’s influence is starting to show as the aggressive fore-checking and puck movement in the offensive zone has become synonymous with the Flames. If the Flames can replicate their road record into success on home ice, then 1st place will become a staple of this team as well.

This has been,

Newman on the Flames



Source of Photo: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/flames-suffer-rare-road-defeat/article1392226/

Streaks Snapped

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 after coming off personal back-to-back shutouts of Detroit and Nashville. Kipper was spectacular in the first half of tonight’s affair stopping all 15 shots fired on him in the first period, including a stunning two pad stack on Daniel Winnik to keep the game scoreless.

The Coyotes finally get to #34. After an extended 5 on 3 powerplay that the Flames managed to kill off, the Flames could not clear the zone and a shot by Petr Prucha slipped between Kipper and the post for the Coyotes first goal. A weak goal to end Kipper’s run of shutout hockey, but much like the Flames unbelievable road point streak, this streak had to end sometime.

The Coyotes, for their part, are not the most offensively talented team and play a very defensive style of play in order to win a majority of their games. For years, under the tutelage of ‘The Great One’, they struggled to find an identity and never really had any breath of success. Now, under the watchful eye of Dave Tippett (Not sure what Dallas was thinking in getting rid of him), they have developed a style of play that enables them to have more success. Nothing too fancy, but strong defensive efforts and they give Ilya Bryzgalov a chance to make saves. This worked for years in places like Minnesota and New Jersey and now it is apparent that Tippett and Assistant Coach Dave King have inserted a ‘trap’ style of hockey in the Desert. A concept that will not attract fans to the stadium, but a style of play that might help a dilapidated franchise reach the playoffs for the first time in eight years. For information sake, there was an announced attendance of 9,868 people tonight. In the words of Dan O’Toole of TSN, “Apparently people came dressed as seats.”(The comment was regarding the Thrasher game, but I thought it fit here as well)

Iginla and Jokinen both had 3 game point streaks snapped, while David Moss extended his point streak to 5 games when he opened the scoring with 1 second left in the 1st period. Rene Bourque returned from missing six games with an injury played 20:53 and registering 4 shots on net. Bourque is one guy you rarely have to worry about when it comes to work ethic, as he always puts forth a strong effort night in and night out.

Taylor Pyatt winning goal should never have happened. He should have been contained as he out muscled two Flames and slid it through Kiprusoff’s pads. Giordano can not allow him to get the shot off and Kiprusoff should make that save. The Coyotes limited the Flames chances and Bryzgalov stopped the Flames when he needed to.

The Flames are still 3-1 on their current 6 game stretch. Next is a clash with the lead leaguing Sharks on Saturday night. Just like when the Flames play the Blackhawks, game against San Jose should give a good indication of how good these Flames actually are. Let’s hope it goes better than that last ‘test’ game the Flames played…7-1 anyone…

This has been,

Newman on the Flames

Source of Photo: http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=301019

A Month to Remember

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 5-0 shutout victory over Nashville the Flames also just set a team record with points in 10 straight contests on the road. The Flames already have more than half the total road wins they had all of last year, when they mustered 19 wins. Not to mention, they have only 3 less than all of the 2006-07 campaign of 13, when, Former Head Coach Jim Playfair apparently lost control of some of his players away from Calgary, or so the rumours were told.

Who likes numbers?

Goals for: 38. Average of 2.7 per game
Goals Against: 25. Average of 1.8 per game
Shot taken: 399. Average of 28.5 per game
Shots Against: 430. Average of 30.7 per game
Powerplay: 9 for 52. 17.3%
Penalty Kill: 44 for 55. 80%
Kipper’s #’s: 8-2-2. 1.67 GAA. .944 Save % (Is this the Kipper of 2003-04?)
Shutouts at home: 0
Shutouts on the Road: 3
McElhinney’s #’s: 2-0. 2.50 GAA. .931 Save %
Team Record on Saturday games: 4-0
Jarome Iginla: 13 G, 7 A. (3 of those goals were Game winners. Possible First star of the month)
Olli Jokinen: 3G, 11A (Picking it up nicely)
Rene Bourque: 2G, 4A in 8 games before he was injured
Dion Phaneuf: 1G, 3A, +5(Really slowed down from his quick start, but defensively improving)
Jay Boumeester: 1G, 6A, +8
Brian McGrattan Fighting Majors: 3
Brandon Prust Fight Majors: 4
Craig Conroy: 0 Goals since April 11th of last season
Robyn Regehr: 0 Goals since February 26th of 2008! A span of 119 Games

Overall, the Flames have had an astounding month of hockey and are in the midst of a season long road trip in which they have won 3 of the first 6 games. The Flames powerplay has awaken from obscurity these past two games going 3 for 5. The penalty kill has gone 18 for 20 since the Blackhawk massacre in Dome. There are numerous positive signs coming from Flames camp nowadays, including the imminent return of Rene Bourque.

November ends with the Flames in 2nd place in conference, 3 points behind San Jose with two games in hand. The Sharks are also the top team in the NHL. If the Flames continue their road dominance, the upcoming Saturday night contest against those very same Sharks could be a battle for 1st place in the entire league.

This has been,

Newman on the Flames

Source of Photo: http://attoboy.com/atto_wp/category/hockey/page/2/

Flames Take Two

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 following night, the Flames are down 3-1 going into the third period, yet manage to battle back to beat the slumping Blue Jackets for wins on consecutive nights. The Flames now have won 9 road games on the season and have gained points in 13 of their 14 contests away from the Dome. A drastic change from past years where “the Road” was the last place the Flames wanted to be.

Miikka Kiprusoff once again stole the show in a Flames game, not to mention stole two points for the win. The Flames were out shot 40-17 over the three periods of play and Kipper managed to stop everything that was thrown at him (well, sort of). Detroit had two goals that were disallowed that looked to be legitimate scoring plays. The Wings must have thought they jumped in Doc Brown's Delorean and went back to 1999 when the infamous “foot in the crease” rule was a topic of conversation. The goal was apparently called off because Kipper did not have a chance to save the puck due to Cleary being in front of him, and being slightly in the crease. Is that not called screening the goalie? Most fans, even Flames fans, thought that it should have counted yet the Flames caught a major break. It is a very vague rule as there was no penalty called on the play and is something the league should look into changing. Nonetheless the Flames played a strong third period and kept the home team off the board and Miikka earned his second shutout of the season.

Now if you read this blog often, you will know Olli Jokinen really grinds my gears. Well Olli, you really have shown you can contribute to this team after all. Scoring 10 points in the last 8 games, he is showing more confidence and playing like he is capable of being a high calibre NHLer. He is fore-checking with authority and using some patience when he is handling the puck, which is a drastic change from earlier in the season. Scoring 2 goals and 2 assists during the weekend’s two wins, Olli is shutting up his critics and letting his playing do the talking. The Jokinen-Iginla experiment is clicking right now as they have provided a majority of the Flames offence over the last couple weeks. Sutter must have implored the motto, “at first you don’t succeed, try, try again, and again, and again,” until it works. Sutter does make an interesting point, where as Keenan might have diverted away from the duo playing together rather quickly, Sutter let the two superstars gel through time and let both players grow accustomed to one another. Things do not always click right away, and this seems to be the case here.

Curtis McElhinney, starting his 3rd game of the season, had a very average game amid the “Whiteout” in Columbus, but shockingly came out with the win. Normally, that would have been a loss for the back-up goaltender, but the Flames persevered and rallied to win the game. Allowing two very soft goals from the Blue Jackets, it looked as if McElhinney and the Flames were headed towards their second road loss in regulation this season. But, Curtis stopped all 13 shots he faced in the third and overtime and then made a key stop in the shootout to win his 2nd game of the season. He has had better games, but this was a good sign that the Flames back-up goalie does not need to stand on his head to win the game.

The Flames have not lost in regulation on the road since a 2-1 defeat to very same Jackets back in late October. The Flames have gained point in 9 consecutive road games and look to set a record when they travel to Nashville on Monday. The Predators, for their part, are one of the hottest teams in the NHL. They have won 8 of their last 9 games and have quickly vaulted into contention in the tight Western Conference. The Flames swept the season series last year against the Preds, outscoring them 18-12 over the four games.

The Flames are now atop the Northwest division by 2 points over the Avalanche and hold 2 games in hand. November has once again been the Flames month and hopefully they can close it out with another good showing on Monday in Music City.

This has been,

Newman on the Flames

Source of Photos:http://www.life.com/image/73870860

Arena #2.5, #3.4 - Southern California

My mission is to see the Flames play in all 30 NHL arenas, a mission that began in October of 2005 while at a local pub watching the Flames take on the Oilers. With the previous season’s work stoppage, and the season before’s run to the Stanley Cup Finals, Flames tickets had become a very hard item to come by. I was then struck with the idea of combining two of my favourite activities; watching hockey and travelling. You can follow my quest to visit all 30 arenas right here…

November 21, 2009 – Los Angeles, CA

As winter settles into Calgary, it’s always nice to make a little road trip to Southern California to see the Flames play a couple of games in warmer climates, so this past weekend, we made what has become our annual pilgrimage to Los Angeles. The Flames were playing in the Staples Center on Saturday afternoon and the Honda Center on Monday night.

I’ve never liked afternoon games as it just doesn’t seem right to be watching hockey while it is still daylight out, and sunlight is beaming through the tunnels and into the seating bowl. Nonetheless, we arrived at the Staples Center about an hour before puck drop, which on this sunny afternoon was at 1:00PM. We were walking from our hotel and passed through LA Live, which is being dubbed the “Times Square of the West.” Of course it is nothing like Times Square, and far too contrived to ever be like Times Square, but it is filled with bars and restaurants and adds more to the vibrancy of the city than what was previously there, a two level parking garage. LA Live also features the Nokia Theatre, which hosts various awards ceremonies and movie premiers. On this particular Saturday, it was being set up to host the American Music Awards the following night.

As this was not our first trip to the Staples Center, we were less inclined to do the usual circle of the concourse. Instead, it is a quick line to the concessions for an afternoon beer, before heading to out seats in section 207 behind the Flames’ attack end. Noticeable at this game, was the poor attendance. Of all the games I’ve been to at the Staples Center, there are usually pretty good crowds, nearing capacity. I don’t know if it was because it was an afternoon game or not, but by the time the puck dropped, the arena was only half full.

Things started off with a bang as most fans hadn’t even sat down yet, when Iginla came in and scored 13 seconds into the game. The Kings were able to take the lead in the 2nd period with two goals in 38 seconds, but the Flames settled down and scored four unanswered goals, taking the game 5 – 2. The afternoon was highlighted by Jarome Iginla scoring his 9th career hat trick in the win. It was great to see the hats being thrown onto the ice at an away game, and I’ve been asked many times if I threw mine. I’d like to set the record straight: I did not throw my hat, as we were sitting behind the net in the 200 level. I wouldn’t be able to reach the ice on my own, and as we were surrounded by Kings fans, I don’t think they would have passed my hat along to ice level. If I could have thrown my hat, I would have. Really. For serious.

We headed to ESPN Zone across the street after the game for some beer and nachos, and then spent most of the night at one of the greatest bars in the world at the Figeuroa Hotel, two blocks from the Staples Center. If you’re ever in LA, head to the Figueroa for a drink, you won’t be disappointed!

Staples Center Fast Facts

Seats: Section 207; $40; StubHub
Score: Flames 5, Kings 2
Souvenir Stick: none
Public Transit: Train stop across the street
Unique Arena Trait: Three levels of luxury suites
Swag: Anze Kopitar 8x10 photo

November 23, 2009 – Anaheim, CA

The second leg of our Southern California trip was the Flames-Ducks game at the Honda Center in Anaheim. For the past four years, a trip to SoCal meant a game against the Kings who haven’t made the playoffs in almost a decade, and a game against the Ducks, we were perennial Stanley Cup contenders. This year however, the roles have been reversed, as going into the weekend, the Kings and Flames were tied in the standings at fourth place in the Western Conference, and the Ducks found themselves in the cellar. This was my fourth game at the Honda Center, I thought this would be the best opportunity to see the Flames do something I’d never see before; win in Anaheim.

We arrived at the arena only ten minutes before the game, as there isn’t really anything to do in the Honda Center beforehand. It may be the most vanilla arena in the league, and it is exactly what I fear when there is talk of a new arena for the Flames; I fear we end up with something like the Honda Center. It lacks any unique characteristics, or any atmosphere. It kind of feels like the Saddledome during the Superskills competition, as the crowds are sparse, few people really care about the result, and after the game everybody will leave as soon as possible to get home earlier.

Our tickets for the game were purchased on Ticketmaster and were part of a “Miller Lite Beer Pack” promotion, which for $60 each, we received a ticket in the lower bowl, a hot dog and a beer. Ahhh, the benefits of watching hockey in California! Interestingly enough however, when we redeemed our hot dog and beer vouchers, we received Coors Light, despite the promotion being sponsored by Miller Lite.

Like the game in LA two days earlier, the stands were pretty empty, with an announced crowd of 15,000 and change, but a crowd I’d guess to be closer to around 12,000. With the Ducks in last place, the fans have obviously stopped coming. Our seats were in section 227, which is in the lower bowl and behind the net in the Flames attack zone. As usual at a Flames-Ducks game, we were surrounded by enough Flames fans that it didn’t feel like watching a game 2000 miles from the Dome.

The Flames came out gunning, keen to make a sweep of the SoCal teams and outshot the Ducks 43-34. Despite this advantage however, the Ducks were up 2-1 on the Flames heading into the final minute of play. With much of the sparse crowd heading for the doors, hoping to beat traffic, the Flames pulled Kiprusoff for an extra attacker. On a pass from Jokinen, Iginla was able to score with only 18 seconds left in the game to tie it up. Unfortunately, the Flames were not able to score in overtime or a shootout, while Teemu Selanne was, as he beat Kiprusoff on the Ducks’ third shot, to give them the victory. Despite not winning, it was still the best Flames performance I’ve seen in Anaheim.

After the game, we headed to a nearby pub to have a beer with 'Phil in Anaheim,' whom we had met two seasons earlier at a Flames-Ducks game. Phil's a die-hard hockey fan, and we had another great discussion of everything hockey related.


Honda Center Fast Facts

Seats: Section 227; $60; Ticketmaster
Score: Flames 2, Ducks 3 in a shootout
Souvenir Stick: none
Public Transit: none
Unique Arena Trait: none
Swag: none

Photo from: http://www.life.com/image/84302189

A Tale of Two Goalies

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’s contest:

Ilya Bryzgalov: 12 Wins, 2.13 GAA, .918 Save %
Miikka Kiprusoff: 13 Wins, 2.49 GAA, .917 Save %

Both goalies played well enough to win the game tonight but only Kipper came out with the W. Phoenix does not exactly possess the highest scoring offence; they average the 3rd least goals in the league while Calgary ranks 6th best. The Coyotes did not create many actual scoring chances throughout the game and the Flames were able to keep the chances they did get mainly to the perimeter. The one goal Phoenix did score was a point shot on the backend of the powerplay, which found its way through a maze and into the back of the net. Calgary managed to play one of its stronger defensive games this season.

As for the Flames offence, they were propelled forward by their second line and some great fore-checking. The first goal was produced by some great work down low by Eric Nystrom, coupled with a timely broken stick from Conroy, which enabled Langkow to slip onto the ice and into the slot unabated ripping it through Bryzgalov’s five hole. Calgary’s second goal was created also by some diligent fore-checking and a dandy no-look pass from David Moss, which Nigel Dawes through into the net for his first goal in 13 games.

A strong game from the secondary scoring of the Flames which is much needed as Jarome Iginla, unfortunately, can not score every game.

Anyone watching the game would have noticed Sutter shuffling the deck with the top line Left Wing spot all night. Lundmark, Dawes and Boyd all sifted by Iggy and Jokinen’s left side and no one seems to be able to cement their spot on the top unit. Who else is there? Do we bring up Backlund and give him a shot? Is it too soon for him? I think Boyd is the best fit for that line and presents the most upside at this point, but only time will tell. As for Lundmark, he is too much of a defensive liability at this point to be a permanent fixture on the top line or in the NHL. He does possess some offensive flare but his inconsistencies on the defensive side of the puck have plagued him for years and are a main reason he has never stuck it out in the big leagues. His ice time has severely decreased in the three games he has played, dropping to 11:06 in tonight’s affair.

Going back to the goalies, both have the opportunity to represent their countries at the upcoming Olympic Winter games. While the Breeze will battle Nabokov for the starting job for Russia, Kipper has stated that he will only play for Finland if he is named the starter. The decision by Kipper is controversial in some respects, but the right choice. He is deserving of the starters role at this point, by simply being the most experienced Finnish goalie and arguably playing the best right now. Pekka Rinne and Antero Nittymaki will both challenge Kipper for the job, but Rinne is very inexperienced and Nittymaki has been quite inconsistent over the years; albeit both goalies are playing well at the moment. In the end, it is Kiprusoff’s job to lose, and Jari Kurri’s decision to make.

As for the Flames, they head out on a six game road trip that takes them through Detroit, Columbus, Nashville, Phoenix, San Jose and Los Angeles. A very critical road trip as the Flames are looking to uproot Colorado from their perch atop the Northwest division. We should expect to see McElhinney at least once along the long trip as Kipper can not be expected to rival the Energizer bunny for endurance, like he has in years past. The Flames will look to improve on their spectacular road record of 7-1-3, and put some separation between them and the rest of the western conference.

This has been,

Newman on the Flames

Source of Photo: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/dawes-propels-flames-past-coyotes/article1377911/

Flames Can't Solve Ducks

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 those two frames. Despite doing so, the Flames were only able to generate 2 goals and allowed the Ducks to score on their limited chances during the first period. It just happened that the Ducks scored these two goals faster than most people can use the bathroom. Does this sound familiar? For the fourth straight game the Flames allowed two ‘bang-bang’ goals to occur:

Colorado- 2 Goals in 1:06
Chicago- 2 Goals in 36 seconds (Albeit the game was out of reach at that point)
L.A- 2 Goals in 38 seconds
Tonight vs. Anaheim – 2 Goals in 1:08

Is it a lack of focus? A sudden lack of confidence? Do they forget about their assignments because they are worried about getting scored on again? For professional athletes to show such a lack of mental toughness is brutal. This has happened far too often this season to simply consider it a strange occurrence. This problem, along with the “shift after a goal” dilemma needs to be fixed immediately.

Jarome Iginla was again a force, scoring the tying goal with 18 seconds left in the game, while logging a beefy 28 minutes of ice-time. Olli Jokinen played better; that is all. The other part of that top line, Jamie Lundmark, may have paved his way back to Abbotsford tonight for “the bonehead” play of the year when he fired the puck directly into the slot from behind his own net, right onto the tape of Corey Perry, which led directly to the Ducks first goal. This play, coupled with a -2 performance on the night, really nullified any good progress he made in the Kings game.

The Flames head home to face the Hamilton (Phoenix) Coyotes on Wednesday night. The Flames have been horrifyingly average at home and need to exert their dominance inside the Dome. The Coyotes seem like a good place to start doing so.

This has been,

Newman on the Flames

Source of photo: http://www.seattlepi.com/hockey/2041ap_hkn_flames_ducks.html

Iginla Wears a Nice "Hat"

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, Iginla snapped home his 13th of the season. Playing on a line with Olli “Joke”inen and recently called-up Jamie Lundmark, Iginla continued his hot streak and helped Calgary stop their recent 2 game slide.

The second period offered some suspense as flashes of Thursday nights collapse came into view when the Kings scored 2 goals in 38 seconds to take the lead by 1. Fortunately, Sutter called a timeout and calmed his troops down, enabling them to force the Kings into making some mistakes. The Flames responded, coming back and scoring a powerplay goal on a highlight reel pass from Bouwmester to Iggy to tie the game up at 2. The turning point in the game came in the early portion of the 3rd period when the very same Iginla took an untimely tripping penalty, opening the door for L.A. to take the lead. However, the Flames “flipped the script” on the Kings with some aggressive fore-checking forcing a turnover in the Kings zone. A well timed pass from Glencross turned into Daymond Langkows 7th goal of the season, and a 3-2 Flames lead. Iginla finished off his afternoon with a rebound goal that let the hats rain down from the rafters from loyal Flames Fans following the team down to Southern California.

Rebounding from Thursday game was vital. A disappointing game today could have been disastrous. Jarome Iginla knew this, and carried his team on his very broad shoulders.

Jay Bouwmeester and Cory Sarich were two defensemen that stood out in this game. The pass from Bouw was “all-star esque” and Jay seems to be finding his way with his new team after a very quiet first 20 games. Cory Sarich’s hit on Wayne Simmonds behind the net in the first period helped to set the tone for the whole game; something Sarich has to do much more of if he wants to justify not being traded.

The Flames powerplay scored two goals on seven chances, and one goal was scored on a 2 man advantage. It did look better today but is still not producing at the level it should be.

And a new “Joke” segment that I have added until my favourite whipping boy turns it around (who knows if he ever will?):
Lombardi- 4 Goals, 8 Assists, 19 GP
Jokinen-3 Goals, 10 Assists, 21 GP

Bottom line- Jokinen continues to pave his road out of Calgary.

This has been,

Newman on the Flames

source of photo: http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-elliott-kings22-2009nov22,0,1323445.column

Thursday Night Massacre

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, turned into a laugher as the Chicago Blackhawk’s demonstrated that they are a far superior hockey team. The Flames allowed a season high four powerplay goals and with no pressure to speak of on the penalty kill, the Hawks were able to work it around with ease and score at will. Kiprusoff had one of worst nights of the year, but also had little to no help in front of him. The turning point of the game came early in the second period. After the Flames managed to tie the score at one, Blackhawk Defenseman Nik Hjalmarsson absolutely obliterated Rene Bourque; a great hit that sent Bourque crashing to ice and out of the game (Not sure if this was true as the TV in bar had no sound, but by looking at Bourque’s TOI, it would seem to be correct). A powerplay goal would follow, and then the Hawks would pile on four more in the period to make it 6-1.

What happened?

Well, the lack of discipline was depressing for a veteran team that are playing like a bunch of rookies. For the second straight game against the Blackhawk’s (a team they should aim to beat) the Flames have been embarrassed on two different levels.

One key problem is the powerplay as they have gone 4 for 38 in their last ten games (no bueno) and failed to even gain the zone on many occasions, which is a serious concern going forward. Once again, why is Lowry consulting Preston about the PP?

Another serious concern is the lack of defensive ability anywhere on the team. Case in point, Colorado’s first goal on Tuesday night when the puck just sat in the slot while 5 Flames players stared at it, and eventually stared at it going into their own net. Tonight’s game; the Hawks control the play and are rarely pressured when handling the puck. Going back to the Leafs game, similar deficiencies can be found as the Leafs controlled much of the game and if it were not for Kipper, the Flames would be on a four game losing streak right now.

All of sudden the Flames can not win at home either. They have lost four of the last five games on home ice, getting outscored 16-6 in those four losses. What happened to teams being intimidated when they came into Calgary? That seems to be a thing of the past now as teams are coming in on a regular basis now and having their way with the Flames.

The Flames have now lost 3 of their last four games overall and have been severely outplayed in two of them (Toronto and Chicago). Maybe a road trip is the best thing for this team, as they need to re-group and re-focus on what it means to play as a team.

One final note, when did Sutter yell louder: during the second intermission tonight or yesterday talking to Phaneuf in his office? Apparently showing his displeasure towards Phaneuf about being selfish after Tuesday loss to the Avalanche, Sutter was witness to an entire team of heartless individuals play a game of hockey tonight.

I feel for the people that paid good money to see that game live…

This has been,

Newman on the Flames

Source of Photo:http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/story/2009/11/20/sp-hockey-wharnsby-take5.html

Blue Jacket Blues

I received an interesting email today from the Columbus Blue Jackets. I’ve been on their mailing list for a couple of years after buying tickets from their website, but haven’t unsubscribed as I enjoy getting some of their offers. For example, last month, I received an offer of a lower bowl ticket, a pre-game buffet in the club section and a beer in their in-arena pub after the game. All of this could be had for the low price of $50. I don’t think you could have the buffet for $50 in Calgary.

Today, however, I received a different type of email from the Blue Jackets, and one I’m glad we won’t be receiving in Calgary anytime soon. The email, with a subject line of “Important Question,” talked about how the Blue Jackets and Nationwide are working with local officials for a solution to their economic problems. It then asks you to complete a survey, which is being conducted on their behalf by Business First of Columbus. The survey consists of a single question: “How Important Is It That Columbus Retains the Blue Jackets Hockey Franchise?” I can’t imagine what it would be like to get an email from the Flames asking how important it was to me that they stay in town.

The email speaks volumes about what is happening in the NHL right now. Most of the talk recently has been around the Phoenix Coyotes and their financial troubles and the discussion of the viability of hockey franchises is usually confined to the Sunbelt locations. It is usually assumed that the teams in the North are safe and can survive without any problems. When one of these so-called “northern” teams is sending their fans an email asking if the franchise is important, you know something is rotten in the City of Columbus.

I attended a Blue Jackets game in 2008 against the Flames. The game was fairly late in the season, and the Blue Jackets were already effectively eliminated from the playoffs, but the arena was about three-quarters full. The problem for the Blue Jackets isn’t getting fans into the building; it’s getting them to pay more to do so. We sat in the lower bowl, three rows behind the Flames bench with tickets that cost less than $50. The same tickets in the Saddledome would cost at least three times that much.

Here in lies what I believe to be the problem with many of the teams in the NHL. The attendance problems in Phoenix are well documented, but people often point to some successful franchises were attendance is ‘good,’ like Carolina or Tampa. Yes, there may be a lot of fans in the building, but their ticket prices are so low, they are at a serious disadvantage economically compared to teams in Vancouver, Philadelphia or New York, and this doesn’t take into account the fact that their TV audiences are almost non-existent. While the Phoenix situation seems to have been resolved temporarily with a sale to the NHL, it hasn’t. Attendance in Phoenix has plummeted to even lower levels, and those fans in attendance are hardly paying anything to be there. Their problems will come to the surface again, and the next time the Coyotes are the top story, I would expect a few other franchises to be right there with them.


-TheRev

Battle for Supremacy

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 in what turned out to very similar games. The Flames once again severely outshot Colorado but failed to win the game. The Avalanche took advantage of their chances and were able to hang on to the lead; something they have been very good at this year. They are eerily similar to the Minnesota Wild of yesteryear, in that they lull you to sleep and then pounce on you when given the opportunity. Coach Joe Sacco (not Joe Sakic), has installed a very good system in Colorado and the young Avs are executing on a very consistent basis.

Can somebody tell me why Rich Preston was brought back to run the powerplay? Over the last nine games the Flames have gone a horrifying 3 for 33 with the man advantage. A team that was firing on all cylinders early in the season has gone ice cold. What is wrong? What is different? They can barely get into the zone and when they do, they take ill-fated shooting attempts that are either blocked or tipped into the netting. Jokinen simply fires the puck when it hits his stick as the thought of actually setting a play up never really seems to cross his mind. Nowadays a powerplay reverts back to two less minutes that the Flames have to defend their own goal. They might as well just ask the timekeeper to subtract two minutes from the time remaining and resume the contest. They must figure out their problems on the powerplay or the ‘goals for’ column will continue to shrink, and subsequently the loss column will continue to grow.

The Flames had a fantastic opportunity to claim first place in the division tonight with games in hand, yet failed to do so. Were the Flames complacent after winning five of the last six games? The first game back from an extended road trip always seems to cause problems for teams, yet that is no excuse for a Flames team that craves to achieve the elite rank in the NHL.

The Flames better be rested up because the pesky Blackhawks come into town on Thursday night. The history between the two teams is growing, and after the last match-up with the Hawks, the Flames should be chomping at the bit to destroy them. This time, Sutter will make sure to get out to a 6-0 lead….just to make sure.

This has been,

Newman on the Flames

Arena #14 - Air Canada Centre

My mission is to see the Flames play in all 30 NHL arenas, a mission that began in October of 2005 while at a local pub watching the Flames take on the Oilers. With the previous season’s work stoppage, and the season before’s run to the Stanley Cup Finals, Flames tickets had become a very hard item to come by. I was then struck with the idea of combining two of my favourite activities; watching hockey and travelling. You can follow my quest to visit all 30 arenas right here…

November 14, 2009 – Toronto, ON

The time had finally come to make a trip to the self-proclaimed “centre of the universe” to visit the Air Canada Centre, home of the 2nd last place Toronto Maple Leafs. Being the Leafs, these weren’t easy tickets to come by, but I was going to be visiting it sooner or later, so why not this weekend? A friend of mine’s brother was able to secure some tickets, so we ended up with lower bowl tickets, free of charge, which really helped make this trip possible.

The Air Canada Centre, or ACC as it is known, is located in downtown Toronto, just south of the CP Rail tracks. The arena, which is also home to the NBA’s Toronto Raptors, opened in 1999 and replaced the much more storied Maple Leaf Gardens. It is located a couple hundred yards from a subway station and is easy to get to from anywhere in the city. Outside the arena, there is still a lot of construction going on, as two luxury condominium buildings are currently going up. Talking to some Torontonians, I learned that in one of the buildings, for an extra $300 per month on your condo fees, you can have the Maple Leafs’ symbol on your door and access to a Leafs and Raptors themed sports pub. Only in Toronto.

We entered the arena at the main entrance on the West side of the building. There isn’t anything overly spectacular about the entrance, although it does feature a television studio for Leafs TV. Touring the concourse, there was a variety of different concessions, including Japanese and Greek cuisine, sandwich stands, pizza stands, and Tim Horton’s. For beer, there was the ironically named “Lord Stanley’s Mug,” a brew pub, featuring an attached Molson brewery. The unique thing about beer in the ACC is the price; $14 for a large beer. You read that correctly, fourteen dollars! Granted it was quite large, but fourteen dollars? Without a doubt, the most interesting concession was a hotdog stand called “Burkie’s Dog House,” featuring a cartoon of Leafs’ GM Brian Burke and a selection of specialty hot dogs. I didn’t think I’d ever see a concession stand named after a General Manager, but judging from CBC and TSN’s hockey coverage there is a major obsession with Brian Burke in Toronto; an obsession I just don’t understand. I’m still trying to figure out why they show Burke every time Toronto scores or is scored on.

The seating bowl of the ACC is similar to most new arenas, with two tiers of seating and a row of luxury suites between them. There are also two sections of luxury suites at each end of the ice in the upper bowl. Hanging from the rafters are a row of banners honouring their many retired numbers and another row celebrating their Stanley Cup victories. I enjoyed seeing they hadn’t left room for any more Stanley Cup banners to be hung. Perhaps this 42-year drought is no accident. The best part of this seating bowl was the amount of Flames jerseys in the crowd. I think it might be the most Flames fans I’ve seen at an away game that wasn’t in Phoenix or Anaheim; I was quite surprised.

The game was being billed as “80’s Night” and featured a brief ceremony before the game with Wendel Clark and Russ Courtnall. I thought it was a little strange that the Leafs would chose to dedicate a night to what was arguably their worst decade of hockey. To each their own I guess. The game started off with a bang, as Jarome Iginla and Eric Nystrom scored 16 seconds apart only 2 minutes into the game. This was followed by two back to back fights, including Colton Orr issuing a beating on Brian McGrattan. Despite being outshot by the Leafs 20-4 in the 2nd period, the Flames were able to win the game 5-2, with goals from Bouwmeester, Nystrom, Boyd and two from Iggy. Following the game, during the Three Stars presentation, I was excited to see that both Iginla and Kipper, 1st and 2nd stars respectively, skated out onto the ice when their names were announced.

I was a little surprised at how timid the Toronto fans were. I suppose there isn’t much to cheer about these days, but we didn’t hear a peep from a single fan in attendance, be it good natured ribbing or off-colour remarks meant to insult. I thought it might also be because we were sitting in the lower bowl where there tends to be more of a corporate crowd, but we didn’t hear anything in the concourses or the streets of downtown either. I had been a little nervous heading into this game, knowing the Flames recent track record in Toronto, and not wanting to face any rabid Leafs fans after a Flames loss. Fortunately, the only thing we needed to worry about was where to go for a celebratory beer after the game.

The following day we headed over to the Hockey Hall of Fame, located on Front Street, only a few blocks from the ACC. I thought the Hall was very well done and we had a great afternoon reading about so many great players and moments in hockey history. Some of the highlights for the Flames included Lanny’s booth in the main hall, Doc Seaman’s Stanley Cup ring, and seeing the Flames’ names on the Cup itself. I would highly recommend the Hall of Fame to anybody visiting Toronto.

That’s fourteen arenas down, sixteen to go.

-TheRev


Air Canada Centre Fast Facts

Seats: Section 106; $203; brother of a friend
Score: Flames 5, Maple Leafs 2
Arena Rating: 6/10
Unique Concession: Concession named after the GM. (Burkie’s Dog House)
Souvenir Stick: Maple Leaf, plastic; Hall of Fame, plastic
Public Transit: Subway one block away
Unique Arena Trait: $14 beer
Swag: None

Photos





Next up is a return to Southern California to see the Kings and Ducks…