If a Tree Falls at McMahon...

Last April I wrote about a game between the Calgary Flames and Minnesota Wild that didn't mean anything.  Neither team was going to the post season, nobody on either team was nearing a significant milestone, and concession prices were not cut in half.  I wondered '...if a hockey game doesn't matter, will anybody be there to see it?'

Last night at McMahon Stadium, the Stampeders and the city found themselves in a similar position.  The Stamps had already guaranteed themselves a playoff spot, already clinched a first-round bye, and already sealed up home field advantage in the Grey Cup pre-cursor.  There wasn't really anything to play for and nothing for the fans to cheer for, except for well played football.  But would this happen when neither team had anything to gain, and like last April's Flames tilt, would the fans be involved in the game, or merely provide the Stamps with a smattering of polite applause?

Flames Problems Have Changed

Well, at least the problem isn’t scoring goals anymore.


The Calgary Flames, after averaging less than two goals for their first half dozen games, have become an offensive powerhouse reminiscent of the 84’ Oilers – averaging nearly four and a half goals per game.

It’s simply ironic that once the Flames start scoring, the defence decides to take a break. They have allowed 10 goals in their last two games. The defence was horrid, but the goaltending wasn't much better.

In his first home start as a Calgary Flame Henrik Karlsson allowed six goals on 33 shots. It wasn’t his finest performance and definitely didn’t instil a bunch of confidence in the team, the coach, or his fans.

Flames Ignited

Who the hell are these guys and what did they do with the Calgary Flames? You know who I’m talking about right? The team that finished 2nd last in goal scoring last season and was averaging less than two goals a game heading into Friday night -- yeah that would be them.


Well, something happened to change the tides and now the Flames are looking like world beaters every time they hit the ice.

This team has scored 10 goals in two games and outscored their opponents by four in both affairs. One reason for the surge in goal scoring has been that every line now seems to be creating chances.

The Farm Boy Theory

Curtis Glencross at the Calgary Stampede

"You don't have to worry about that. He's not going down there to get confidence. But he's an awesome kid. He's a farm kid, and you know clearly what direction he's going.”



-- Darryl Sutter’s comments regarding TJ Brodie and his demotion to the AHL.

The question I pose is this: What is it that makes farm kids such good hockey players? Are they seemingly tougher from growing up on a farm, or has all the time herding cattle and riding horseback made their hockey sense super innate? Does Sutter know every farmer in the world? Is he possibly stereotyping ALL farm kids?

Fantasy Football Lesson

As we near the halfway point of the NFL Fantasy season, I thought it was time I pass on some of the many lessons I’ve learned over the years concerning the obsession that is fantasy football. Or more specifically, the lesson I learned this passed weekend, when, thanks to a healthy mix of misfortune, bad luck, and million-to-one odds, I lost my match up to one of the most hapless opponents to ever take to the simulated field.

I was in rural Ontario this past weekend, where I was attending a wedding. The small Inn we stayed at, while quaint, seemed to be stuck in 1997, or maybe 2003. Either way, they didn’t have Wi-Fi or any other Internet access, nor did anywhere else in town, which consisted only of a Home Hardware, a ‘convenience’ store whose shelves resembled those of a Soviet-era deli, and a pizza/coffee house, which only seemed to be open for about four hours each evening.

The Weekly Roundup - October 18th, 2010

Flames rollercoaster ride continues

With the amount stress Calgary Flames fans have experienced in the past week, one might think you had been riding the emotional highs and lows of a teenage girl who is trying to fit in at a new school. But yet, this all comes thanks to a team destined to pull at the heart strings of its faithful followers to the bitter end. It is the ultimate love-hate relationship.

The Flames began the week by beating an L.A. Kings team that most think will finish in the top of the Western Conference. Spirits were brought back up from the devastating season opening loss to the Oilers and things were looking bright with the Florida Panthers coming into town on Thursday. This should have been a good game to start a small winning streak, however having said that it ended up being two and half hours of some of the worst entertainment you will ever see. Watching the senior lawn bowling championships on the ‘OCHO’ would have out-duelled this snooze fest, but sadly for Flames fans they were left to wallow in self pity for having to pay any sum of money to watch 20 baboons troll around an NHL arena. I felt pity for anyone in attendance as it was difficult enough watching on TV.

Same Pile of...

“SHUT UP! Enough already, Ballstein! Who cares about Derek Zoolander anyway? The man has only one look, for Christ's sake! Blue Steel? Ferrari? Le Tigra? They're the same face! Doesn't anybody notice this?” – Mugatu


This is how I feel.

The Calgary Flames are Derek Zoolander. Derek Zoolander is the Calgary Flames. Regardless of the grammatical nightmare that is that last sentence one thing remains – the 2010-11 Calgary Flames are eerily similar, if not the worse, to the 2009-10 version of the Flames.

Quick Hits

Heading into tonight’s game with the perennial bottom dwelling Florida Panthers, the Calgary Flames are faced with a few interesting decisions.


1. Which veteran defenceman will suit up in place of Adam Pardy: Sarich or Staios?

Well I have to believe Cory Sarich gets the nod here but I have been wrong before. I personally don’t like either option and would rather see Matt Pelech recalled but that is not going to happen just yet. Both Sarich and Staios are very similar in style. Sarich provides possibly steadier defence, while Staios might provide you with a little more offence, but either way both players are interchangeable and might I add very overpriced at this current juncture. With Kotalik eventually having to come off the LTIR, Sutter will have to make a move to free up cap space. One of these two d-men will be either waived/demoted or traded in the not too distant future.

2. Will Matt Stajan actually suit up?

With Bourque set to sit out the Panthers game, it would be a definite plus to have Matt Stajan back in the line-up to help fill the void left by Rene. Stajan was centering he second line with Hagman on the left and Morrison moved over to the wing. Morrison has played wing before so that’s not a huge switch for him and shouldn’t cause too many problems. On a related note I sure hope they move Morrison out and Backlund in when it comes to the powerplay. The unit has yet to score with a goaltender actually in the net, so adding some young creativity might actually help the situation. I know I have stated this time and time again but I’m just hoping that Brent Sutter might read this and he might realize that what he is doing is not working. You know, 1 for 12(really 0 for 11) is good and all but maybe you should try something different. Just saying, either way...

Those were my quick thoughts. Also check out my game summary of the WHL’s Calgary Hitmen’s third win of the season here: http://exm.nr/cNqOlG

Newman
twitter.com/TSRNewman
 
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The Weekly Roundup - October 12, 2010

It was a good news bad news type of week for the Calgary Flames.
Good news: They recorded their first win

Bad news: They recorded their first loss

Good: They scored a power play goal

Bad: The goal was scored into an empty net and was one of twelve chances in two games

Good: Calgary beat a very good team in the LA Kings

Bad: Calgary was clobbered by the Oilers—a team they did not lose to all of last year.

Good: Matt Stajan took the ice Monday wearing a ‘non-contact’ jersey and looks to be on the mend

Bad: Both Rene Bourque and Adam Pardy left the game Sunday and did not return. Compile that with Raitis Ivanans concussion on Thursday night and the sick bay total climbs to a staggering eight players (Langkow, Moss, Stone, Kotalik, Stajan, Bourque, Pardy and Ivanans).

Good: The Flames have out-shot their opponents 69-55 in the first two games of the season.

Bad: Of those 69 shots, only a small percentage were actual legitimate scoring chances (mostly referring to Thursday’s game where Calgary maybe had two tangible chances at scoring a goal).

Good: The Saddledome has a new sponsor: Scotiabank

Bad: All the dumb nick names people are trying to come up with: Worst of all was “The Bank.” How about “The Dome”? Seems to have worked for the last 20 some-odd years.

Bloodied and Beaten

What a start to the 2010-11 National Hockey League season for the Calgary Flames.


They looked fast, they looked hungry, and their power play was really clicking. Oh, no wait, that was the Edmonton Oilers. Damn.

I don’t really know where to begin.

How do you describe such a pathetic effort? How do you wait five and a half months to redeem yourself for a disappointing season with an effort like that?

The Ultimate Question

Will the Calgary Flames make the playoffs?

That seems to be the question I hear more than any other when I watch TSN, Sportsnet, TheScore, or drop in on conversations at the local watering hole.

So, will they?

Well it’s a little more complicated than that. It involves beating out seven other teams in a very, very competitive Western Conference.

This and That and Morrison

With the regular season on our doorstep my goal of profiling every single player on the Flames roster came up a little short. But with that being said I will run down, quickly, those players I missed and share my thoughts on the signing of Brendan Morrison.


The Rest of the Healthy Forward Core:

Bourque, Glencross, Conroy, and Meyer

Bourque is coming off a career year and has looked great in camp. I liked the line combination of him Hagman and Backlund but it looks as if the newcomer BM will take Backlund’s spot up the middle. I’m not extremely pleased with this, but I will get to that later. As for Bourque, he is the key to the ‘secondary scoring’ for the Flames. With Stajan and Langkow riding the ambulance for now, Bourque, along with Hagman, really have to provide that next wave of scoring behind the big three.

The Weekly Roundup - October 4th , 2010

Flames star in: General Hospital


The line-up at the Flames infirmary ward is getting longer by the second. All that talk about being over the cap to start the season has gone out the window as the Flames will have more than enough players placed on the Long Term Injured List, making their salary void against the cap. Daymond Langkow (neck), Matt Stajan (Shoulder), Ales Kotalik (Knee), David Moss (shoulder), and Ryan Stone (Knee) are also out indefinitely and have no time table for a return.

You can also add Adam Pardy to the list temporarily as he left Sunday night’s game with an eye injury.

Once faced with too many centers, the Flames now have not enough, as only Jokinen, Backlund, Conroy, and rookie Stefan Meyer are the natural centers left on the team. With all the injuries, the thought of Meyer starting the season with the big club has become a very realistic possibility. He has impressed in camp and has the size that Jon Rheault (just sent down) does not. If Flames fans know nothing else, it’s that Sutter likes bigger players.

Side Note: How good is Backlund looking these last couple games? He centered Iggy and Tanguay on Friday night and picked up two assists, while last night, playing with Hagman and Bourque, he looked great. He is reading the play much better and you can almost see the confidence grow in his game each and every night. Could a first round pick for the Flames actually pan out the way fans and management have hoped? Fingers are crossed.

For the 'what ifs' in life

“You may say that I’m a dreamer. But I’m not the only one.”- John Lennon 

What if...

What if the Flames won the Stanley Cup this year?

What if the Flames don’t make the playoffs this year?

What if Darryl Sutter doesn’t make it through the season?

What if Iginla scores 50 again?

What if Olli scores 40?

What if Olli scores 10?

What if Tanguay has 50 assists this year?

What if Kipper wins the vezina?

What if Kipper got hurt?

What if Calgary skipped over the Keenan era?

What if the lockout never happened?

What if the lockout never ended?

What if the Gelinas goal actually counted?

What if Turek never got hurt?

What if the Flames never hired Sutter?

What if the Young Guns were actually good?

What if Darth Vader wasn’t actually Luke’s father?

What if the Flames never traded for Iginla?

What if the Flames never traded Gilmour?

What if 1989 never happened?

What if the Flames never drafted Theo Fleury?

What if the Flames didn’t trade Brett Hull?

What if 1986 actually happened?

What if Marty was in fact stuck in 1955?

What if the Flames never acquired Lanny McDonald?

What if Calgary never acquired the Flames?

As sports fans, as in life, we are bombarded with a million ‘what ifs’ every single day.

For the Calgary Flames, this has been a pre-season filled with too many ‘what ifs’ to even count.

Never has a season been such a question mark at the beginning of the year. Ok, maybe I’m over exaggerating a tad, but not too many people in the sports world can make heads or tails of this current Flames team. Sutter has successfully confused the entire hockey world with his irregular maneuvers.

Maybe he IS the mastermind he makes himself out to be. Then again, maybe not.

Either way I think John Lennon was onto something, because it’s fun to think ‘what if,’ and it’s fun to dream up endless scenarios and possibilities for something you care far too much about.

Go Flames Go!

Have a good weekend!

Newman

twitter.com/TSRNewman

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Cowboys and Bonhommes

You may have noticed I haven't written about the Stamps since their loss against the Roughriders two weeks ago.  The truth is, I've been in hiding from angry gamblers who told me they lost on Sports Select because they went with my prediction of a Stampeder victory.  Remember, when you're right 51% of the time, you're wrong 49% of the time!  Well now I'm back to talk about tonight's game against the Alouettes.

I don't know what happen the last two weeks, but I'm confident the Stamps are better team than they have shown in losses to Saskatchewan and BC.  Before these two losses, I wouldn't have worried about playing Montreal in the least bit, but I'm not so sure now.  I'm still picking the Stamps for a few reasons though.  Firstly, they really do have a good team, and they've proven that many times this year.  They still have the number one defence in the league and their offence is no slouch either.  Secondly, Montreal isn't as good as many think.  Sure, they dominate the Eastern Conference, but so could the Lions; the Detroit Lions that is.  The East is weak, and when you play the bulk of your games against Toronto, Hamilton and Winnipeg, of course you're going to win a lot.

The Stampeders aren't going to lose three games in a row, they're too good.  After losing to such a weak opponent in the BC Lions, they'll need to avenge themselves to prove once again, they're the best team in the league.  Tonight's game at McMahon and next week's game in Montreal, between the two first place teams, will be the evidence needed to back up that claim.  I'm confident they can do it.


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