Hope: It's a Horrible Thing

The general feeling that some desire will be fulfilled.


This is the definition of hope and the general sentiment that most Calgary Flames fans have endured for quite some time now.

Yes, their mathematical chances are extremely miniscule, but it’s difficult to give up hope even for the biggest cynics like myself if there is still a fighting chance.

I find myself checking the standings nightly (not that this is uncommon) and analyzing every nuance of each team wondering if this happens, and then this happens, and then that happens, then the Flames would only have to win out and they would make it.

What am I on? Someone must have roofied me.

But it’s just that feeling that you hold on to. That feeling that things could happen and that things could actually work out the way you had always hoped.

Flames are Cooked

And that’s that.

A two and a half month stretch of some impressive hockey collapses like a loosely formed house of cards in a matter of two weeks. As a result, the Calgary Flames will miss the playoffs for the second consecutive year.

Despite going 16-5-1 from mid January to mid March, the Flames will be hitting the links and not the ice come April 13th.
Last nights game just further intensified the disappointing sensation that was emanating through Flames nation over the past week. A disallowed goal that from every conceivable angle was actually in the net was the final straw. The ‘non-goal’ allowed the Ducks an opening and they quickly took a two-goal lead and all but drove the final nail into the Flames coffin.

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.

Wild Times in Flameland

January 18th, 2010. The Flames lose 9-1 to the San Jose Sharks in the midst of a streak that would inevitably crush any playoff aspirations they had last season.


January 19th, 2011. The Flames are embarrassed, 6-0, on home ice by the Minnesota Wild, crushing all hope that had been slowly building up over the past two weeks.

Deja-vu?

Hold the phone. The Wild did this to the Flames? The 3rd lowest scoring team in the Western Conference just gave Calgary the ol’ “how’s your father?” Yikes. It doesn’t get much worse.

Surrendering 11 goals in two games is never a good thing either.