Flames have run out of time



Courtesy of Yahoo! Sports

 Heading into tonight’s battle of Alberta the Flames have simply run out of options. They either win out, or they start the golf season early, and even then it probably won't be enough.


How did it all come to this?

On March 9th, after a 4-3 shootout win over the Dallas Stars, the Flames were sitting in a tie for fourth place and everyone in Calgary was talking about possibly getting home ice advantage in the first round, and not missing the dance entirely.

The team was playing great. Spirits were high. It was a double-rainbow-across-the-sky kind of moment.

Then, it all came crashing down four times faster than it took to begin.

Podcast March 24, 2011

March 24, 2011







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Iceberg, Right Ahead!

HMCS Calgary Flames?

If the Calgary Flames were a ship, they'd be taking on a lot of water right now; and there might not be enough buckets to keep this one from going down. After last night's overtime loss to the Anaheim Ducks, the Flames find themselves in 10th place in the Western Conference, one point back of both 9th place Dallas and 8th place Anaheim.

There are some positives for the Flames as they make their final push however. First and foremost, it is still possible to make the playoffs. If they are able to win six of their remaining eight games, they'll finish with 96 points. That should be enough to make the spring dance. Helping them out, is the "easiest" schedule of any contending team in the West, meaning they play a few games against the basement teams (Edmonton, Colorado, etc.). Also helping them out is the doubt that is most likely rampant amongst fans, pundits and opponents. I say this is a positive, as the Flames have seemed to thrive this season when the chips were down. In December, nobody thought they'd have even a remote chance of making the playoffs and they went on a pretty decent run. Perhaps their most recent set back can be another springboard to take the team to the next level and finish the season on a good run.

Podcast - March 17, 2011

March 17, 2011




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Podcast March 11, 2011

Today TSR talks about the Flames, Tiger Woods' chances of beating Jack's majors record and the end of Mike Weir's career.




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Looming NFL Lockout: Players risk losing more than money

By Guest Blogger Pol Nikulin

The upcoming National Football League lockout will be dependent on who will buckle first, the National Football League Players Association, or the team owners.


League owners are looking for more bang for their buck, while disregarding issues that the players are concerned about. Among these issues is the proposal by league owners to create an 18-game regular season.


The proposal by the owners would get rid two of the four pre-season games, converting them into contests that will affect the standings. The NFLPA takes the stance that extending the regular season would cause a greater amount of injury.


There was an internal deadline set by NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith regarding a new collective bargaining agreement."That deadline has now passed," Smith said to the players in a letter on December 4, 2010. "It is important that you protect yourself and your family."

Flames beat Stars on back of Kiprusoff

Courtesy AP

On the wings of Mikka Kiprusoff the Calgary Flames escape from Dallas with two points.


In a game that shouldn’t have even made it to the shootout -- you could argue for both the Flames and Stars on this point – the Flames kept their improbable run towards the playoffs afloat with a breathtaking victory.

For the Flames a shorthanded breakaway in the first period by Alex Tanguay, when already leading 3-0, could have put the game out of reach if Tanguay had been able to convert. Instead, the Stars scored one late in the 1st and tied the game up in the middle of the third. The Flames were mightily outplayed in the 2nd (outshot 15-4 in the period) and, if it hadn’t been for Kiprusoff, it could’ve been ugly. The Flames also had a couple of prime chances in OT to end it including a goal mouth scramble but failed to score. No one was surprised when Stajan was the Flames player who was unable to convert.

For the Stars, they had a power play with two and half minutes to go in the game which produced a plethora of quality scoring chances including a blocker/post Kipper save combo that proved crucial in the dying seconds of regulation. Not even mentioning the three on one the Stars had in OT that Kipper managed to stop. Goligoski didn’t get all of it, but Kipper made the save nonetheless.

Podcast March 7, 2011

We talk about the Tim Horton's Brier, the situation in Phoenix, and of course your Calgary Flames! Click below to listen!

March 7, 2011





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Flames Win: Iginla and Special Teams Shining Bright

Courtesy boston.com

How’s that for a weekend of hockey for your Calgary Flames?
3 for 9 on the PP. 6 for 6 on the PK. Jarome Iginla scores his 30thgoal of the season on, no less, a penalty shot. Kipper’s save percentage was 92.06% over those two games, including 37 stops Friday night against the Jackets. But more important than any of these stats is the fact that the Flames won both of these tightly contested games against both teams that are in the perennial dog fight for a spot in the Western elite eight.

The win Sunday night means the Flames sweep the Predators in the season series, and improves their record against Central division teams to 12-5-2.

The Tim Horton's Brier; Canada's Event

2010 Brier Champions - Team Alberta

The Brier is being played in London, Ontario this week, without a doubt the biggest event in the world of curling. Over the next week, fans will see the best teams and the best players in the world competing for the sport’s biggest prize; a championship that eclipses both the World Championship and the Olympics in terms of prestige and quality of field.


Attending the Brier in person is a lot of fun, as fans from across the country fill the arena, wave their province’s flay, yell chants, drink beer and generally have a great time. Perhaps the best part of the Brier is the Brier Patch; the beer garden synonymous with curling and the event. When in Calgary, the Brier Patch is located in the Big Four building, allowing for me and five thousand of my closest friends to partake in the age old tradition of drinking beer. It is a lot of fun, and if you haven’t been, you’re missing out.

Inaugural Podcast - March 4, 2011

March 4, 2011 podcast

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Calgary Flames Hit Speed Bump in Chi-Town

Courtest Getty images

Losing on the back half of back-to-back games – it’s something that shouldn’t surprise most Flames fans.
With a record of 4-6-1 when playing the night before, the Flames don’t thrive on playing on a near empty tank of gas. Then again, I would venture to guess most teams don’t beg to play two games in as many nights.

The Flames, after giving the St. Louis Blues a thrashing of a lifetime, fell behind on Wednesday night to a much hungrier Chicago Blackhawks team. Unfortunately, the magic comeback attempt wasn’t in the cards this time as Chicago eventually squeezed out a 6-4 win on the shoulders of Jonathan Toews –the best player in the NHL right now.

Sea of Tranquility on Deadline Day

So the trade deadline has come and gone and nothing much happened.  Some will say the Flames didn't do enough to bolster their lineup, some will say they didn't shed enough assets to start the rebuilding process.  Myself, I found it kind of comforting that nothing much happened.  After all, the team's been playing quite well the past two months, and I didn't really see any reason to change things.

Looking back, I remember thinking in November, or rather fearing in November, massive changes to the team.  It wasn't so much the fact that there might be changes, instead it was who would be making those changes.  I am, of course, talking about Darryl Sutter.

Last year's bizarre trades had me fearing for the Flames.  If Sutter was still in charge, I shudder to think what crazy moves he might have pulled off, like sending Dustin Boyd to Nashville for a fourth round pick, or Aaron Johnson and a pick to Edmonton for Steve freakin' Staois.  But with Jay Feaster at the helm, there wasn't any fear of that.