Darryl Sutter is No More

Goosebumps can be caused by many things. Being scared, excited, nervous, cold, anxious, etc.


So is it wrong that I had them running down my arms when I heard the news that Darryl Sutter was no longer the General Manager of the Calgary Flames today?

To say I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time would be an understatement. It all happened so fast. One minute I’m strapping on my own skates to take part in a Canadian winter tradition of playing hockey outdoors. The next thing I know my phone is erupting with text messages and phone calls informing me that Darryl Sutter resigned/was forcefully told that his services were no longer needed.

I didn’t know whether to keep playing, go into full celebration mode or rush home to my keyboard.

It’s exciting, is what it is. It’s a step in the right direction for a franchise that desperately needs a direction other than a downward spiral.

Flames like the holiday season

Courtesy: AP

The Flames are on a roll – sort of.


Winners of their last two games, and four of their last five under the Dome, the Flames climbed to within six points of 8th spot in the western conference. Let’s just ignore the fact that the Flames have played more games than pretty well everyone else in the conference save the Ducks.

Olli Jokinen has six goals in his last nine forcing most people to hide their distaste for the Finnish centerman. He’s playing how he should be playing, and that’s what the Flames him to do. Let’s hope he keeps it up.

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 Gio! Now, Reggie with joy!
On Kipper! On, J-Bo! On Moss 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!”

-TheRev


twitter.com/TheRevBW
thesportsroundup@gmail.com
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Flames Infomercial a Real Winner

“Do you struggle to save the puck? Are you having trouble stopping that little black piece of rubber from going in the net? Do you find yourself riding the pine more than you think you should? If so, we believe we have the answer for you. Come on over to Calgary where the Flames will show you what true hospitality is all about. Their under-achieving band of overpaid hockey players will shoot it right into your logo. They will miss the net when you are out of position. They will even fire nice softball perimeter blasts with no screen, just so you can boost your confidence. It’s that easy. So give them a call at: 403-777-SUCK.  Multiple visits encouraged if you are REALLY struggling.


WARNING: IF YOUR HAPPINESS LASTS MORE THAN 4 HOURS PLEASE CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR.”

Sounds like this could really sell!

Flames options moving forward

In light of the Flames facing off against Toronto tonight, the team they partnered off with to make last year's blockbuster deal, I thought it would be interesting to look at some of the Flames options moving forward.

The Flames have issues. That’s clearly apparent. But fixing those issues -- therein lies the true work of art.

How do you get yourself out from under this mess? A mess that includes but is not restricted to: Locked in contracts to over rated players (cough...Stajan); no-trade/movement clauses to anyone and everyone (Iginla, Langkow, Stajan, Bourque, Kotalik, Jokinen, Tanguay, Bouwmeester, Regehr, Sarich, Kiprusoff).

These problems, among others, are reasons why the the Flames are going nowhere fast, just so everyone is aware.

So let’s look into some possible options to fixing this crap storm of poor managing.

The Return of Dion

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Calgary Flames will face off on Thursday night at the Dome.


You would think a game between the 22nd and 26th ranked team in the league wouldn’t exactly be a must see affair, but this upcoming tilt between two cellar dwellers has a little more oomph than your run of the mill basement clash.

Did I mention Dion Phaneuf will be making his much anticipated return to where it all began? Well he is, and it’s become quite a big deal.

Drafted 9th overall by the Flames in 2003, Dion was the most anticipated Flames prospect since the hay day of the late 80’s. This wasn’t Rico Fata, or Daniel Tkaczuk, or even Chris Dingman, this was a player who played for Team Canada at the World Juniors and dominated and a player who the coach/GM at the time knew very very well. Well enough to hug on draft day, and Darryl is not a hugger.

Flames get single point in California

California dreamin’ or California nightmare?


I’d say the latter was a more apt description of the result of the two game road trip. Two games, one point – simply put, it’s just not good enough.

Despite late charges in both games, the Flames fell short in each game – stretching it to the shootout in Anaheim while falling in regulation in LA.

They fall behind early only to fight back and fall short in the end. The story is all too familiar, and so are the cast of characters, both on the ice and off of it.

Lightning go up in Flames

On a day in which Sylvester Stallone got elected into the boxing hall of fame (huh?) and Graham James gets out on bail(you have to be kidding me right?), the Calgary Flames climbed out of last place – at least for the time being.

With the Oilers shootout loss, the Flames sit one point ahead of the junior high school misfits, but unfortunately the Flames have played one more game.

Really, Flames fans should’ve known this was coming, what with the seven, now eight, game string in which the Flames have yet to record two of the same result in back-to-back games.

Inconsistent.

Road Trip XV Re-Cap

Well now that I've had time to settle back into Calgary, I thought I'd put together a little summary of the East Coast swing that was my road trip last week.

While it obviously would have been nicer to see the Flames go 4-0, I never really thought that would happen.  Let's be honest, this team isn't very good, so I never really expected too many wins.  Plus, I have to admit I have a spectacularly poor record at away games, having gone 10-13-4 in the past six seasons.  Of course this isn't to say there aren't any positives from this trip.  They did manage three points, which is better than many of my trips.  Also, they didn't get shutout, which is always an empty feeling leaving an enemy's arena.

Here's a look at the numbers for the trip:

Stated and provinces visited: 6
Distances Driven: 2495km
Distance Flown: 2690km
Trains Taken: 3
Big Apples Visited: 2
Toll Booths passed: 11
Amount of Tolls: $56.50

NHL arenas: 4
Former NHL Arenas: 2
Total cost of tickets: $315
Cost of equivelant tickets at the Saddledome: $540
Flames goals: 6
Flames goals witnessed: 5

White Castle Sliders eaten: 11
Street Vendors Patronized: 8
Different Fast Food joints visited: 6
Different beers drank: 11

To View photos of the Trip, click here.

View a map of the Trip below:

View Road Trip XV in a larger map


Not sure where the next trip will be, but there are still 13 arenas to see the Flames play in!

-TheRev

twitter.com/TheRevBW
thesportsroundup@gmail.com

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Flames goals against not the problem

Just a few things I wanted to touch upon following the Flames 3-2 shootout win over the Minnesota Wild.


Thing #1: Darryl Sutter and his claim that goals against are the Flames big problem

Yes, the Flames rank 24th in the league in goals against per game. But, if you dig a little deeper you will see that these numbers are quickly skewed due to a couple blow out games. The recent 7-2 loss to the Canucks where the Flames basically gave up following the Canucks 4th goal, coupled with the Caps dismantling of the Flames on Halloween night, also a 7-2 beat down, are the two cases I speak of. Subtract those two bizarre outings and the Flames sit tied for 11th in GA. The Flames problems have never been stopping the puck – take last year as an example where the Flames finished 5th in the league for GA.