Turning Point

One play can often be the turning point in a game, but rarely do you see one play possibly be the turning point in a season.

That might have been the case this evening.

Tonight, in front of a sold out crowd at the Pengrowth Saddledome, Curtis Glencross was awarded a penalty shot with 1:30 remaining in the 2nd period. He skated back towards Kiprusoff who was smiling and spouting advice on what Glencross should do. Known for a laser snap shot in the top right corner, the speedy left winger blazed up the ice picking up the puck at the centre dot. He came in with great pace and let go a snap shot as expected, but instead tried to pick the left corner of the net. Unfortunately, Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard was not buying what Curtis was selling and threw out his blocker to keep the Wings within one. Fist pumping as he skated out of the crease, Howard knew he made a pivotal stop. 40 seconds later Pavel Datsyuk scores to tie the game at one.

So often plays are over analyzed and over scrutinized for their importance in a single game, yet this play stands out as a possible defining moment for a Flames season that is slowly slipping away.

Rewind to the start of the game. You could sense the tension in the ‘Dome. You could feel the uneasiness running through the fans minds. The Flames hit the ice to very few claps and a less than normal ovation. It was a weird game in that regard. Normally, the ‘C of Red’ is bouncing with excitement as the Flames make there way onto the ice; the opposite was the case tonight.

The fans had a right to be nervous. The Flames are on the verge of missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since the 2002-03 season; a span of seven years, six if you discount the lockout. Never in a full year with Darryl Sutter have the Flames missed the playoffs.

They now sit three points back of Detroit and four points back of 7th place Nashville.

They have 13 games remaining; nine of which are against teams currently in the playoffs. They have eight games remaining away from the ‘Dome where they are 17-10-6.
They have five remaining games at home where they are 17-16-3.
Maybe this stat is the silver lining that helps the Flames make a push?

The Flames have been horrendous on the powerplay of late sporting a ghastly 3 for their last 31 chances; not to mention zilch on the last 13 attempts. Tonight’s rendition of the man-advantage was like watching a train wreck as they had a difficult time even gaining the offensive zone. Granted the Wings have now killed off 19 straight penalties, but the Flames need to find some chemistry when they have more players on the ice than there opponent.

A few highlights tonight from players not normally noticed for them. Craig Conroy hit the score sheet and looked good in his limited role of 9:40 of ice time. He won all 12 draws he took, and led the Flames to a very rare dominating performance in that stat category.

Ian White also stood out for me tonight. Not only did he create some chances in the offensive zone, but he made some sound defensive plays including one in particular on Zetterberg. Since coming over from Toronto he has been the exact opposite of Dion Phaneuf; a reliable defenceman. He has been a +9 and has recorded five assists in the process. Not to mention he has helped Robyn Regehr post a +8 rating over that same time.

A couple of bright spots that a team like this desperately need more of. Obviously, I did not mention #34, but we all know he has been far and away the MVP of this team.

Kiprusoff can only do so much though, and his heroics might not be enough to help this band of underachievers jump into Lord Stanley’s tournament.

This has been,

Newman on the Flames

Playoff Hopes

As the Winter Olympics begin in Vancouver, the Calgary Flames start their hiatus from hockey for the next two weeks. With only three players participating in the games, most players will be enjoying some time off from hockey. It will also be a time to reflect on the final 20 games of the season, and how their success in those 20 games will determine whether or not they’re playing in the post season or not. Something that seemed almost impossible at New Year’s is now a very real possibility; the Flames may miss the payoffs for the first time since 2003.

The Flames’ run to the playoffs will be an uphill battle as they try to hold off Detroit, Anaheim, and Dallas, and catch Nashville, Colorado and Vancouver. With Calgary’s win on Saturday, they sit in eighth place in the Western Conference with 69 points, and 20 games left to play. Looking back at the post-lockout era, there is a problem for the Flames. With only 20 games remaining, the Flames have only 40 points still available. It is a pretty safe bet they won’t win all 20 games, so the questions is how many games will they need to win in order to secure a spot? In the past four seasons, the eight place team in the West has had 91, 91, 96 and 95 points. So in the best case scenario, the Flames would need 22 points, or the equivalent of 11 wins in their last 20 games. In the worst case scenario, the Flames would need 27 points in their final 20 games. To put these numbers in perspective, the Flames have recorded 14 points in their previous 20 games, and in their best stretch this season, from November 4th to December 13th, the Flames managed 27 points in 20 games. Securing the 8th playoff spot will be a gargantuan task for the boys in red.

Securing the necessary number of points will not be solely in the hands of the Flames either. As the League heads into the stretch drive, most games will be within the conference, meaning many games will represent four point swings. Not only do the Flames need to win their games, but they need other teams to lose, and they need them to lose in regulation time. Last week, the Stars, Canucks, Avalanche, Kings, Ducks and Red Wings were all involved in three point games, and with the exception of Colorado, were all on the losing end. However, they all gained points on the Flames those nights, who were unable to get any points.

Is there any positive news heading in the stretch drive? Well, the Flames have a slightly better road record than home record, and 11 of their final 20 are away from the Dome. But, one is against the league’s best team, the Washington Capitals, and one is in Chicago, where the Flames haven’t won since the Cubs were World Series champs. Only 12 of the final 20 games are against playoff teams. But, three of them are against the Red Wings and Ducks; teams the Flames traditionally struggle against and who are in the thick of the chase. The Flames have four games left against Minnesota, against whom they have a 22-7-3 record over the past five seasons. But, they haven’t beaten them in their two previous meetings this year.

Of course anything can happen in the final two months of the season, and I look forward to watching. Perhaps this Olympic break is exactly what the Flames needed to right the ship, and go on a winning streak. I remain fairly confidant the Flames will make the playoffs, but I fear they will be the 7th or 8th seed. Once again they will face Chicago or San Jose, and I am not confidant they can win a series against either of these teams. If the Flames do make the playoffs, it will likely be yet another early 1st round playoff exit.

One final bit of bad news for the Flames is that they don’t have any games left against the Edmonton Oilers, while Nashville, Chicago, Detroit, San Jose, Vancouver, Anaheim, Dallas, Phoenix, Colorado and Los Angeles do. Yet another two points they need to make up somehow.


-TheRev


Photo from: http://www.calgarysun.com/sports/hockey/2009/09/03/10740696.html

Some Things Never Last

Dynasties in sports are something to behold. The Yankees, the Bulls, and the Patriots all have held this title in their respective sports. The Detroit Red Wings have arguably been such in the NHL for the better part of the last 15 years. However, the Red Wings are a team on the decline. Once feared as one of the scariest teams in the league, the Wings are now struggling to score and struggling even harder to get wins.

They currently take rank at 11th in the Western Conference and are 11 points behind first place San Jose. Not to mention they sit in third in the Central division behind Columbus and Chicago. How many people can remember when the Red Wings were this far back of first place, this far into the season, much less sitting outside the playoff picture? They have won the Central division crown each of the last 8 seasons and 12 of the last 15. They have won the Clarence Campbell trophy, for top team in the Western Conference, 6 times since the 94-95 season; more than any other team. Oh yeah, they also won the Stanley Cup 4 times since the 96-97 season (97, 98, 02, 08). They have simply been THE team in the west for the last decade and a half. But, as Bob Dylan once said, “Times, they are a changing.”

The days of Yzerman, Federov, and a ‘young’ Lidstrom are gone. Zetterberg and Datsyuk are fantastic players, but their supporting cast is not comparable to the past Red Wing teams. Brett Hull, Brendan Shanahan, Slava Kozlov are all gone. Young prospects and over the hill forwards stand in their place.

Some reasons for their fall from grace:


Off-season moves. Watching Marian Hossa and Tomas Kopecky jet over to Chicago must have been a sour pill to swallow. Hossa, their third leading point getter and a 40 goal scorer, leaves for a mammoth 12 year contract with the rival Hawks after losing the Cup Final( Two straight for him personally. The Hossa curse is born). Kopecky, although not as impactful as Hossa, still adds to the players heading out of motown. Jiri hudler, the teams 7th leading scorer and top young prospect to fill the void of Hossa leaving, decides to go home to play in the KHL. The Wings lose three key players amongst their forward core in a month. They bring in Todd Bertuzzi, Jason Williams, Brad May and have recently picked up Drew Miller off waivers; not exactly “Hossa-esque” replacements.

Injuries. Now everyone suffers injuries, yet the Wings this year could not afford to. Johan Franzen, Valterri Filppula, Jason Williams, Niklas Kronwall and Andreas Lilja all have suffered significant injuries and have missed numerous games. A team that loses what they did in the off-season can not afford to have this many injuries to this many key players.

Inconsistent Goaltending. Chris Osgood is a good goalie; he is not a great goaltender though. He is also on the back end of his career at 36 years of age. Jimmy Howard seems to have taken the reins of the starting job right now, but not sure he can handle the workload of a full time NHL goaltender. Since Hasek hung up his skates, the Wings have never really had superb goaltending, but they have not needed it as their defensive systems have been so sound and their offence so good. Now that the offence has dried up, they need their goalie to steal games for them, and that does not seem to be happening. Howard is showing some promise over his last couple outings, but nothing to write home about quite yet.

Salary Cap Era. Many predicted that when the Cap era hit the league following the lockout of the 04-05 season, that the Wings, who perennially spent a lot of money on their players, would suffer a setback. On the contrary as they produced one of their best seasons in 05-06, putting together an astounding record of 58-16-8 for an earth shattering 124 points. They would go on to capture the Western Conference title in 08 and 09 and win the cup in 2008. They are a model franchise for all intents and purposes. One difference though is this, in the days prior to the cap, Detroit would never have lost Hossa, and that was an irreplaceable asset this year. Unable to pay him the money he wanted, Hossa took off for greener pastures. Ken Holland is a brilliant GM and should be applauded for the work he has done, but sometimes things just do not happen the way you hope.


With the rise of the Chicago Blackhawks, the Red Wings look destined to come at least 2nd in the Central division for the first time in 8 seasons. This season, the Red Wings have been shut out 3 times on home ice, the first two coming in back to back games (something that has not happened since 1977). Something the old Red Wings would never let happen. With Lidstrom, Holmstrom and Maltby all becoming UFA’s this summer, only Osgood and Draper would be left from the old regime of players, and both are getting long in the tooth.

Now the Wings might prove me wrong and go on a serious tear over the next month and vault their way close to the top of the west again, but I think not. A changing of the guard in the West is taking place. The dynasty is coming to its end. The Mighty Detroit Red Wings are no longer the top dogs and will not be able to cruise into the playoffs like years past. They will be forced to fight it out with the fringe hunters of the Western Conference as they battle for a spot in Lord Stanley’s Playoffs.

This has been,

Newman on the NHL

Flames Take Two

The Flames went into two arenas that have been quite unfriendly in the past and walked away with 4 points. First, the Flames shut out the two time defending Western Conference Champion Red Wings in Joe Louis Arena, which is no easy task. For the first time since 1977, the Red Wings were shutout twice in a row at home; the Flames being the back half of that equation. The following night, the Flames are down 3-1 going into the third period, yet manage to battle back to beat the slumping Blue Jackets for wins on consecutive nights. The Flames now have won 9 road games on the season and have gained points in 13 of their 14 contests away from the Dome. A drastic change from past years where “the Road” was the last place the Flames wanted to be.

Miikka Kiprusoff once again stole the show in a Flames game, not to mention stole two points for the win. The Flames were out shot 40-17 over the three periods of play and Kipper managed to stop everything that was thrown at him (well, sort of). Detroit had two goals that were disallowed that looked to be legitimate scoring plays. The Wings must have thought they jumped in Doc Brown's Delorean and went back to 1999 when the infamous “foot in the crease” rule was a topic of conversation. The goal was apparently called off because Kipper did not have a chance to save the puck due to Cleary being in front of him, and being slightly in the crease. Is that not called screening the goalie? Most fans, even Flames fans, thought that it should have counted yet the Flames caught a major break. It is a very vague rule as there was no penalty called on the play and is something the league should look into changing. Nonetheless the Flames played a strong third period and kept the home team off the board and Miikka earned his second shutout of the season.

Now if you read this blog often, you will know Olli Jokinen really grinds my gears. Well Olli, you really have shown you can contribute to this team after all. Scoring 10 points in the last 8 games, he is showing more confidence and playing like he is capable of being a high calibre NHLer. He is fore-checking with authority and using some patience when he is handling the puck, which is a drastic change from earlier in the season. Scoring 2 goals and 2 assists during the weekend’s two wins, Olli is shutting up his critics and letting his playing do the talking. The Jokinen-Iginla experiment is clicking right now as they have provided a majority of the Flames offence over the last couple weeks. Sutter must have implored the motto, “at first you don’t succeed, try, try again, and again, and again,” until it works. Sutter does make an interesting point, where as Keenan might have diverted away from the duo playing together rather quickly, Sutter let the two superstars gel through time and let both players grow accustomed to one another. Things do not always click right away, and this seems to be the case here.

Curtis McElhinney, starting his 3rd game of the season, had a very average game amid the “Whiteout” in Columbus, but shockingly came out with the win. Normally, that would have been a loss for the back-up goaltender, but the Flames persevered and rallied to win the game. Allowing two very soft goals from the Blue Jackets, it looked as if McElhinney and the Flames were headed towards their second road loss in regulation this season. But, Curtis stopped all 13 shots he faced in the third and overtime and then made a key stop in the shootout to win his 2nd game of the season. He has had better games, but this was a good sign that the Flames back-up goalie does not need to stand on his head to win the game.

The Flames have not lost in regulation on the road since a 2-1 defeat to very same Jackets back in late October. The Flames have gained point in 9 consecutive road games and look to set a record when they travel to Nashville on Monday. The Predators, for their part, are one of the hottest teams in the NHL. They have won 8 of their last 9 games and have quickly vaulted into contention in the tight Western Conference. The Flames swept the season series last year against the Preds, outscoring them 18-12 over the four games.

The Flames are now atop the Northwest division by 2 points over the Avalanche and hold 2 games in hand. November has once again been the Flames month and hopefully they can close it out with another good showing on Monday in Music City.

This has been,

Newman on the Flames

Source of Photos:http://www.life.com/image/73870860

Arena #6.2 - Joe Louis Arena

My mission is to see the Flames play in all 30 NHL arenas, a mission that began in October of 2005 while at a local pub watching the Flames take on the Oilers. With the previous season’s work stoppage, and the season before’s run to the Stanley Cup Finals, Flames tickets had become a very hard item to come by. I was then struck with the idea of combining two of my favourite activities; watching hockey and travelling. You can follow my quest to visit all 30 arenas right here…

April 15, 2007 – Detroit, MI

If you can’t get tickets to a Flames playoff game in the Dome, you might want to consider heading to the other barn to see some hockey. After being unable to secure tickets for either game three or four of the Flames-Red Wings series, I decided to look into going to Detroit. Checking on the Red Wings site, I had no problem getting tickets, so it was off to Toronto, and then a nice four hour drive through Southern Ontario into the Motor City.

Game Two was an afternoon tilt at Joe Louis Arena, with puck drop scheduled for 1:00PM. We had landed in Toronto at 6:30AM, so there was plenty of time to make the four hour drive to Michigan. After touring around downtown for a couple of hours (which involved going to White Castle for burgers) we headed to the rink. Walking to the arena from our parking spot a few blocks away, I was again reminded of my dislike of watching hockey games in the afternoon. Being that this was a playoff game and in April, it was even worse. It is supposed to be dark for hockey games, not sunny and 23C outside; it just doesn’t fit.

When we arrived at the arena, we still needed to pick up our tickets at Will Call, which happened to have approximately 12,000 people in line. We found the end of the line, snaked around the corner and half way down the length of the building, and began to wait. There was still a lot of time, so that wasn’t a factor, but it was a little intimidating standing against a wall in downtown Detroit, wearing a bright red Flames jersey. There were plenty of comments, but nothing we couldn’t handle. As we exited the Will Call booth after an hour line up, I was approached by a reporter from CBC, who asked me for a few comments. Happy to oblige, I began what turned out to be a CBC radio interview, standing on the steps of the Joe. The reporter asked me the standard questions: “Are you from Calgary?” “Why come all the way to Detroit for a game?” “Do you think the Flames can win this afternoon?” among others. All easy questions really; I am from Calgary, because it’s easier to get tickets, and of course they can!

We headed into the dreaded Joe, where we were given red playoff towels, saying “Ride the Red Wave!” I guess the Red Wings wanted in on the C of Red, but it just wasn’t the same. I suppose it was better than when teams hand out white towels, which I’ve never understood, as waving a white towel is the international sign for ‘I surrender!’ Entering the seating bowl, we found a ton of Flames fans. Talking with a lot of them we found some that had made the trip from Calgary as we had, but the majority were transplanted Calgarians, now living in Toronto and Southern Ontario. The game didn’t work out as planned, and within four minutes of puck drop the Flames were down 2-0. By the end of the game it was 3-1 for the Red Wings, and a two games to none lead in the series. Dejected, we left the arena and prepared to make the long, monotonous journey back to Toronto. With a win, the drive would have seemed like going around the corner, but of course, winning makes everything better.

As we made the walk from the Joe to our car, we heard one of the greatest comments I’ve ever heard at an away game. As we waited to cross the street at a red light, a group of four Red Wings fans approached the same light on the other side of the street. They began hooting and hollering the usual things, until one yelled, “Calgary’s a dump!” This was a pretty ironic statement, as we were standing at an intersection where the only building that wasn’t abandon featured a pawn shop specializing in bail bonds. Calgary could be called many things, but in perhaps the biggest crime-ridden cesspool in the developed world, it can’t be called a dump! However, as Detroit has one of the highest murder rates in the United States, I opted not to retort and we continued on to our car.

We were back in Canada within a few minutes, and on our way back to Calgary to see if the Flames could somehow even up this series.

-TheRev

Joe Louis Arena Fast Facts

Seats: Section 217B; $63; Red Wings Website
Score: Flames 1, Red Wings 3
Unique Concession: Little Caesar’s Pizza
Souvenir Stick: none
Public Transit: Detroit People Mover across the Street
Unique Arena Trait: One-tiered seating bowl
Swag: ‘Red Wave’ Playoff Towel

Arena #6 - Joe Louis Arena

My mission is to see the Flames play in all 30 NHL arenas, a mission that began in October of 2005 while at a local pub watching the Flames take on the Oilers. With the previous season’s work stoppage, and the season before’s run to the Stanley Cup Finals, Flames tickets had become a very hard item to come by. I was then struck with the idea of combining two of my favourite activities; watching hockey and travelling. You can follow my quest to visit all 30 arenas right here…

February 11, 2007 – Detroit, MI

I woke up the day of this game in Buffalo, NY, where we had attended the Flames-Sabres game the night before. I had my alarm set for five in the morning, as there was an eight hour drive ahead of us and we needed to be in Detroit for a 6:00PM puck drop. I was awakened by my phone beeping however, alerting me to a new text message. Checking the message, I learned that Kobasew and Ferrence had been traded to the Bruins for Wayne Primeau and Brad Stuart. Surprised at the announcement, I headed to the hotel lobby to confirm the trade on their internet station. Sure enough, the two had been traded, and both Primeau and Stuart would both be paying in the game in Detroit that night. We had left the arena in Buffalo after 11:00 the night before, and within six hours, two players had been traded! Such is the hockey business I suppose.

We hit the road shortly after, making our way to Detroit along I-90, passing through Cleveland, OH. We arrived in the Motor City a couple of hours before puck drop, checked into our downtown hotel, and made our way to the arena. “The Joe,” as it is commonly referred to, is situated on the banks of the Detroit River, which separates the city from Windsor, Ontario to the South. Detroit, it should be noted, is the only place in the continental United States that you can enter Canada by heading South. Much like Buffalo, Detroit’s proximity to Canada means that many of the Red Wings’ season ticket holders hail from Windsor and Southern Ontario, which is only a bridge or tunnel crossing away. In fact, the City of Windsor even operates a bus line that crosses the border and circles downtown Detroit; making it very easy for Canadians to get to the arena.

Joe Louis Arena is unique in many ways. Opened in 1979, The Joe is the fifth oldest arena in the NHL, and as a result, lacks many of the amenities taken for granted in most facilities across the league. First off, there are stairs everywhere. There are stairs to get into the arena, stairs to get into the seating bowl, and stairs to get into your seat; not a very handicap-friendly venue. Concessions in the Joe Louis Arena are, for the most part, pretty standard. Most of them are generic arena food outlets, and the rest are Little Caesar’s outlets, which makes sense as the Red Wings are owned by Little Caesar’s founder Mike Ilitch. Another curiosity about The Joe, and something I’m not a fan of, is the restrooms. Instead of the standard urinal, Joe Louis Arena uses the old fashion trough. There is nothing worse than peeing into a trough and it was probably my least favourite thing about this arena!

There is only one level to enter the seating bowl, and your seats are either up or down from there. In our case, we were up, sitting in section 202B. The seating bowl of the Joe is also unique from most arenas. There really is only one level of seating, instead of the tiered seating at most arenas, with only a small walkway that circles the arena between the “upper” and “lower” sections.

The game didn’t turn out very well for the Flames, as the Red Wings jumped out to a 4-0 lead after one period, and eventually had a 6-1 lead early in the 3rd. A late charge got the Flames to within 2 goals, but Johan Franzen scored with 90 seconds left, putting the game away once and for all. The two newest Flames did not contribute offensively and seemed, understandably, a little out of place with their new team. One reprieve from the Flames less than inspirational performance happened during the 2nd intermission. The Red Wings select people to ride the Zamboni during the intermissions, and during the 2nd, one of the Zambonis had a guy in his late 20’s, wearing a blue jacket and ball cap. As the machine crossed center ice, he stood up and removed his jacket, revealing a Calgary Flames t-shirt. The Flames fan started to raise his arms to encourage the crowd, who promptly booed him for the rest of his ride.

Following the game we exited out the South side of the building onto Atwater Street, which runs between the Arena and the river. At street level, the Flames’ team bus was parked only a few yards away, and there was a small group of Flames fans cheering as they boarded the bus. When Jarome Iginla came out, he strayed from the line, and approached the gate we were all standing next to and had the security guard open the gate up. Iggy then signed autographs and posed for pictures for everyone there. I was able to get my jersey signed, but unfortunately my camera’s batteries had died. It was impressive to see a star player take the time to sign autographs after a fairly lopsided loss.

We then left the Joe Louis Arena on foot, and headed to the downtown district of Greektown, which is filled with restaurants, bars and casinos. It was a great place to go and forget about our unsuccessful road trip that saw the Flames go 0-1-1 in Buffalo and Detroit.


Six arenas down, twenty-four to go…


-TheRev


Joe Louis Arena Fast Facts

Seats: Section 202B; $49.75USD; Ticketmaster
Score: Flames 4, Red Wings 7
Arena Rating: 6.8/10
Unique Concession: Little Caesar’s Pizza
Souvenir Stick: Steve Yzerman, black, wooden
Public Transit: Detroit People Mover Station across the street
Unique Arena Trait: One-tiered seating bowl
Swag: None

Photos