One Hand Clapping

A wise man once asked, ‘If a hockey game is held, and nobody is there to see it, does it still matter?’ The better question for the Calgary Flames tonight will be, ‘If a hockey game doesn’t matter, will there be anybody there to see it?’

This will be the situation the Flames find themselves in heading into tonight’s game against their divisional rivals, the Minnesota Wild. Both teams have been eliminated from playoff contention, neither is in the running for a top draft pick, there isn’t really a heated rivalry between the two, and there aren’t any players chasing any kind of significant milestone. (Except of course that Jay-Bo could score his fourth goal of the season.) The game will be Fan Appreciation night for the Dome faithful, which if memory serves means there’s a special on hot dogs, and maybe a dollar off the beer. But really, who cares?

Myself, I’m curious about a few things in tonight's game. First off, what will the crowds be like? I don’t expect the sell out streak to end, but I imagine there will be a lot of empty seats, as the Saddledome suffers from ‘Phoenix Coyote-Syndrome.' (This is where the announced attendance and the actual attendance differ by several thousand.) Second, I want to see what the reaction will be from the fans, to a Flames team that has failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2003. Will there be boos when the players come out, or maybe a smattering of applause like one hears at a Thrashers game? ‘We acknowledge that you’re on the ice, but don’t really care what happens, so we’ll simply clap politely.’

Of course the other big thing to see tonight will be what kind of game the fans are treated to. With neither team playing for anything of importance, other than pride, I imagine most players will be gliding around, avoiding an injury to finish off the season. Maybe both teams still feel the need to put in an honest effort for the benefit of the fans, but I’m not holding my breath. I think legally, tonight’s tickets should be required to carry a disclaimer of ‘May cause drowsiness, do not operate heavy machinery after watching this game.’ Let’s face it; these two teams aren’t very exciting at the best of times.

The last time the Flames played a meaningless game such as this was in 2003. That was the year that Darryl Sutter took over as coach from Greg Gilbert, and although the team played well down the stretch, they were eliminated from playoff contention with only 37 games left in the season. One of their last games that season, on March 31st 2003, was against this same Minnesota Wild team. Maybe ‘this same team’ is a stretch; all the players are different, the coaches are different, the owner is different, management has changed, and the uniforms are different. They still play in Minnesota though.

That night in Minnesota, the Flames took to the ice with nothing to play for, and it showed. Current Flames goaltending coach Jamie McLennan was put in net, giving Roman Turek, who had already recorded over 20 wins that season, a well deserved night off. The Wild were in control of the game from start to finish, and were able to gain a 3-0 victory, giving the Flames their 10th shutout loss of the season. (Yes, that says 10th; and you thought this year’s team was bad.) The Flames’ effort was so bad, that even the opposing goaltender, Manny Fernandez, was critical of their performance. Said Fernandez afterward, “It was a boring game,” referring to the ease in which he was able to record a 26 save shutout. “They didn’t show me they wanted to win at all. They didn’t have shots. I don’t know if the guys are just off their game because they know they’re not making the playoffs.” Ouch!

The Flames finished that season in last place in the NW division, and 17 points behind 8th place Edmonton. Of course they’ve faired a little better this year, but does any of it really matter? They still didn't make the playoffs, and the season has been considered a failure. Does anybody care what happens in this game? Well, I for one do care. I’d like to see some kind of effort from the hometown heroes tonight, not only to make me feel that they came as close as possible to the playoffs, but also to show that they have a little heart, even if there isn’t anybody there to see it.


- TheRev