500pts couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy!

But what is it that Connie brings to the Rink game in and game out? A friend of mine we’ll call MKB is zealous about the Flames. A season ticket holder for some time now, he was here when the Flames acquired Conroy from the Blues (with a draft pick that ended up being David Moss) for Corey Stillman. For every game I attended and sat next to MKB, I would hear stories of the players they meet and who signs autographs while leaving the players parking lot and who doesn’t… stuff like that. MKB developed a closer relationship with Craig Conroy, why? Because Conroy appreciates every fan that comes to the rink to support the team. MKB met a family at the Saddledome and the families’ daughter was the biggest Craig Conroy fan so they took her after the game to meet him and he didn’t disappoint. Not only, did they get a poster and stick signed, but they also got pictures and spent a good 20mins talking with him (MKB was entertaining the Conroy kids and even gave each of them a pink Flames touque!).

Craig Conroy brings passion, energy and a ‘lead by example’ mentality that is contagious. Reporters and fans alike LOVE him for his quotes and interactions but coaches like Keenan (coached Conroy in St. Louis), Sutter, Quenville and even Jaques Demers know exactly what they’re going to get. A guy who brings it to every game and doesn’t make excuses when things slump or look grim. Someone who delights in the success of his teammates over his own and someone who can thrive under hard nose coaches like Quenville, Sutter and Keenan.

Was it a coincidence that Iginla scores 96pts (A Rocket Richard Trophy winning 52 goals) in his first full season with Conroy (who had a career high 75pts)?

500pts may not get Conroy a ticket to attend the HOF induction ceremony but when it’s all said and done, Craig Conroy will never be declined for a free dinner at Flames Central and while he’s there, he will never decline a person who wants to sit and talk shop or thank him for playing is heart out for the city of Calgary. I’m sure he won’t forget the fans like MKB who have a deep love for athletes that offer nothing but their best to the team, the city and the fans!

Congratulations on point #500, Craig Conroy!

Always a pleasure!

Thoughts from my FIRST Battle of Alberta at the ‘Dome!

Before I could even get comfortable in my seat, the Oilers score and their fans make sure to turn to every Flame fan and let them know they scored.

The Flames kept their composure coming back from every 1-goal lead the Oilers took.

The difference between the Oilers and Flames? The Flames seem to EARN every goal they scored last night.

I found out why Zack Stortini has the name “Huggy Bear” (the good ‘ol Clutch and Grab)

Wasn’t impreseed with Craig McTavish sending out Stortini for the last minute of the game… Thankfully the Flames ignored his calls for a fight… what a BUFFOON! (Both McTavish and Stortini)

Flame fans were there for the challenge! (For every “let’s go Oilers” chant, they would immediately respond with “Oilers Suck!”

I had the honour of seeing my first Oiler fan vs. Flame fan fight (although the Flame fan seemed to be the instigator, the Oiler fan was ejected… hehe)

I always have room for a Mike Cammalleri one-knee, one-timer… love those!

The Saddledome Scoreboard crew need to update their sports information because they still have the Oklahoma NBA team listed as the “Sonics”

Thankfully, Dwayne Roloson does not play for the Flames… PAGING Tommy Salo! PAGING Tommy Salo! (Salo’s still 37 yrs old, why not give him another chance?!)

 Best Video of the night: Oiler fan with a mullet is discouraged in Edm with a ball and chain and stops at the “City of Champions” sign and drinks, then tries to cut off the ball in Chain in Red Deer and finally, gets to the ‘Dome and has Harvey cut his hair, change his clothes and the final scene is a newly rejuvinated Flame Fan entering the ‘Dome with 2 Calgary Ice Girls!

Mike Keenan chews through ice like a Coffee Grinder…

Do the Flames need a 3rd Jersey?

Never get tired of hearing Johnny Cash at the end of the game! (Ring of Fire? Timeless!)

What’s one area the Flames need to upgrade? Backup Goalie… Still not convinced McElhinney can do what Joseph did in last years playoff… come in to hold the fort.

Was VERY impressed with Dustin Boyd’s goal… flashes of his World Junior HC days…

Still kind of nervous seeing Pardy paired up with Phaneuf… can’t wait ’til Vandermeer gets back!

Who leads the Flames in HITS? Curtis Glencross (who’s second? Rene Bourque!)

Eric Nystrom can play for me anyday… a player who knows his limited role and excels in it!

Quick thoughts on the Oilers… Craig McTavish is probably gone at the end of the season… Sheldon Souray is overrated and the core group of Horcoff, Moreau, Cole, Souray, Visnovsky, Pisnani, Staios and Garon are all 30yrs or older… Will Hemsky be around when he becomes an RFA or UFA?  Gagner is fast but he’s struggling this season…

Thoughts moving forward… The Preds start a 5 game homestand against Vancouver and Calgary is next on Jan. 3… I don’t see the Preds in the Playoffs this year and they’re having a very ‘average’ season… Wouldn’t be surprised to see Curtis McElhinney get the start to see if he can get his 1st win!

The Flames play a back-to-back with their 2nd game against a rested Blackhawk team who remind me of the 2006 edition of the Edmonton Oilers (slightly overachieving and very FAST!).  They will have a stinging after a GREAT outdoor classic game against the Wings and will be rested to play the Flames at the United Centre.

The Flames finally come back home but take no comfort in taking on the San Jose Sharks.  Nabakov is playing about 5 games less so far this year compared to last year and is always a headache for Flame fans… no Torrey Mitchell and no Jeremy Roenick as of this blog and I’ll have the honour of being in attendance again for this game and hopefully Conroy will have point no. 500 by that time and we’ll be on a 6 game win streak gunning for no. 7!

Always a pleasure!

Iginla doesn’t score and Kiprusoff saves the day…

Sounds like we were transported back to the days of Darryl Sutter’s coaching… It literally was on many occasions with the relentless checking by everyone and commitment to good ‘ol fashoined elbow grease.  Knowing that Minnesota just played the night before and got creamed by an up and contending Blackhawk team, Calgary took to the body and didn’t let up except for the occasional break here and there.  Phaneuf started the hit parade dishing out a vintage check early in the 1st period and the Flames didn’t get lulled into Minnesota’s neutral zone trap (Agh! Lemaire!) but kept on getting the puck deep into Wild territory and won in typical Darryl Sutter fashion… a throw-the-puck-to-the-net goal that went off Langkow’s skate and a hustle play by Nystrom that lead to a SHG!  All the meanwhile, Mikka looking calm and collected while standing his ground against a late onslaught by the Wild.  It’s not that Iginla was struggling, far from it but it wasn’t on him to carry the team to a victory… I’m sure if we ask him, a hat-trick with a loss vs. no points and a win, he’d take the latter.  Being in Calgary since the summer of 2004, I’ve seen this team with three different coaches and I can honestly say that this years squad is the one that resembles the Cup-run team of 2003-2004, only this year, there is more talent and more strength.

When you replace Donovan, Leopold, McAmmond, Gelinas, Clark and Saprykin with Phaneuf, Moss, Cammalleri, Glencross, Bourque and Bertuzzi, you’ll see that you haven’t lost grit but you’ve simply added talent and consistency to Iginla, Regehr, Conroy and Kipper!  I can say this much after watching tonight’s game at the Dome, many fans weren’t that worried with a 2-1 score because the tenacity and grit and a solid Kipper held the crowd together.  Although there was much outrage when the ref’s called a delay of game penalty to Mark Giordano, after the tying goal was scored… (the Ref’s blew it and knew it! and hoped it wouldn’t affect the game in anyway… this according to the Hot Stove Lounge on the FAN 960 post game show)

Good to see that we don’t need to rely on Iginla to bail us out when we have 3 solid lines that can contribute consistently with a fourth line that keeps opponents on their toes.  Looking forward to watching my first Battle of Alberta at the Dome on Wednesday!

In closing, I’d hate to be a season ticket holder for the Minnesota Wild… that neutral zone trap tempts you to slip into a coma… It almost happened tonight ’til Langkow ignited the crowd!

Watching the game tonight, there was 1 player who stood out above the others for me. No, it wasn’t Nystrom (although his short handed goal was a beauty) or Phaneuf (who did  several great defensive plays) - it was Kiprusoff. He didn’t have to make a lot of saves tonight, but he did have to make some spectacular (and timely) ones. It seems that he has found his groove again. The way he is moving around the crease, and his positioning lately reminds me of his performances back in 2004. The way he is playing of late gives the Flames a chance to win every night.

Here’s hoping he can bring his “A” game to the Dome on Friday versus the Oilers.

There was a moment from last night, sitting in the Dome having just watched Jason Spezza score a nifty goal to put the Sens up 2-0, where I was thinking (and the gentleman next to me was vocalizing) how wimpy the Flames were playing.  A team as frail as Ottawa (Little Alfie fell like a tonne of bricks just skating into Robyn Regehr, on which Regehr was penalized…), should not have been winning the battles on the boards and pushing our D-men around… Then something changed… maybe it was the 2-0 score but the spark was lit and out came the line of Rene Bourque, with Iginla and Langkow battling hard pushing around the all-of-a-sudden helpless Sens and Langkow fed a pass to Bourque who finished the wrap around to get the Home squad on the board.  This sparked turned a low fire into an inferno as Calgary scored twice in the next 3 minutes to take the lead.   Each time, they had out muscled Ottawa on the boards and in the corners.  To overpower and win battles is what Calgary needs to KNOW if they are to take on the Wings, Sharks and Blackhawks for the Western crown and a chance for the Cup!  There was a time when a one goal lead was never feared by fans because Darryl Sutter had instilled this knowledge that they WERE stronger and just as quick as any team in the league… Last night, I got that shiver back when Adrian Aucoin from one knee one-timed the go-ahead goal!

Tomorrow, they’re playing a Wild team that is playing the Hawks tonight so if they KNOW they’re stronger and just as quick, tomorrow will be a walk in the park… if they choose to mull things over and THINK they might be a strong team, it’s going to be a long night.

Just a question for Flame fans to ponder… is Dion Phaneuf playing too much to the point of ineffectiveness?  Last night, he looked sluggish, couldn’t get any Dijon (mustard, Anchorman Ron Burgandy would pronounce it as Dion…) on his shots to finish one-timers or quick passes and is currently sporting a very UN-Norris like -10… what’s going on?

After watching another painful shootout loss for the Calgary Flames, I decided to do a bit of shootout research. Anyone who follows this team closely knows that their success in the shootout is abysmal at best. They don’t seem to have the right skill set in this particular facet of the game. But, how do they compare to the rest of the teams in the NHL?  Since the shootout came into effect in 2005, there have been some astoundingly poor statistics for the Flames. As of tonight’s game, here are some facts:

Total Number of Shootouts: 24
This is the second worst (or best - depending on your view) in the NHL. The only team in the league with less shootouts is the Carolina Hurricanes (currently sitting at 23). Based on their shootout success, the Flames should be doing everything to keep this number as low as possible. On the flipside, the New York Rangers have participated in an incredible 50 shootouts since 2005!

Shootout Winning Percentage: 0.333
That’s good for 28th in the league, only to be outdone by Ottawa (0.286) and Philadelphia (0.31).  It’s difficult to believe that the Flames can win only 1/3 of the shootouts in which they are involved. Compare that to teams like the Dallas Stars (0.73) or the New York Islanders (0.667) and it’s easy to become a frustrated Flames fan.

Shooting Percentage: 27.85%
79 attempts, only 22 goals. This percentage gets the Flames into 25th place in the league (starting to notice a trend?). Essentially only 1/4 of the shootout shots are going in the net. If you watched tonight’s game, you can see why - all three shooters simply tried to fire the puck as hard as they could through the goaltender.  No dekes, no moves.  After losing Huselius and Tanguay in the off-season, the Flames have been left without any real “finesse” players. The top 3 teams in the league are the Dallas Stars (42.11%), the San Jose Sharks (40.91%) and the Los Angeles Kings (40.19%).

Shootout Save Percentage: 0.589
I suppose this stat can only be blamed on one person… Kipper. This is the 27 worst save percentage in the league and is unacceptable from the highest paid goalie in the NHL.  During the game, Kiprusoff has an extremely fast reaction time. He has the reflexes of a cat. However, I believe this to be his down fall as a shootout goalie. It is simple for a player to get him to commit - one quick deke later, and the puck is behind him in the back of the net.

Each time a Flames game goes to a shootout, my first thought is to turn off the TV and accept the loss. The bonus point awarded to the winning team could sure be useful down the stretch when teams are fighting for their playoff lives. A few extra points could mean the difference between 3rd place and 8th place in a competitive Western Conference. If I were Keenan, I would be spending a few practices trying to improve in this important component of the game.

We all know the Flames have the best uniforms in the NHL, and obviously have no need of a third jersey. What would a third jersey do that the beautiful red home uniform doesn’t already do? Not every NHL fan is as lucky as we are, and that marketing machine that is professional sport has devised the concept of more and more jerseys that can be hocked to the fans. That’s great if your team did a good job of designing their alternate uniform, but as we will see here, this is not always the case. Here is my ranking, from worst to best, of the alternate jerseys being sported in the NHL this season.

19		Atlanta Thrashers Are these guys actually wearing hockey jerseys? They look like motocross jerseys to me. You can’t see it well in this photo, but the swooping bird heads on the shoulders make these look like the NFL Rams’ uniforms. These things are an abomination, but in the big picture they aren’t that much worse than the powder blue home jerseys these guys are burdened with. If you are a Thrasher fan, you have my sympathies, as your team is my winner for the worst of the third jerseys.
18		Phoenix Coyotes The worst part of this is that when the Coyotes rolled out their maroon rebranding, it took them from one of the worst looking teams in the NHL to one of the best. Granted, these ones aren’t as bad as the original Phoenix alternate; however, the lame logo on the front of these jerseys is the killer on these ones. If it were up to me, Wayne’s boys would stick with their everyday uniforms.
17		Dallas Stars Another case of not as bad as their old third jersey, but oh-so-lame because it’s only a colour reversal of their less than spectacular home jersey. They would’ve looked better in the old star pattern jersey.
16		Ottawa Senators I thought this one was a joke when I first saw it. “What? Really?” Who thought the giant nickname wordmark was a good idea on these? I don’t mind the pattern on these ones, and the stripes on the arms work for me by making me think of the Ottawa 67’s uniforms, but that “logo” is just laughable.
15		Boston Bruins I’m pretty sure I saw leaks of this one last spring. I wasn’t impressed with it then, and it hasn’t really grown on me. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not terrible, but it’s not overly creative or unique. The black third jersey is uninspired, and when you’ve got Zdeno Chara and Milan Lucic on your roster, do you really need to look more intimidating? Maybe I’m just the crazy one for liking their old yellow thirds.
14		Chicago Blackhawks Yes, we’re solidly in the it doesn’t suck, but it’s not really turning my crank category. I don’t mind the Hawks’ new get up, but swapping white for black just seems kind of boring. It is a classic look that’s worked for decades and still works; it’s just not as exciting as the kids who are wearing it.
13		San Jose Sharks Overall, I thought their RBK redesign was a moderate step backward from their previous look. The third jerseys pretty much continue that with another mundane black entry. Do guys really get excited to wear these?
12		Carolina Hurricanes When the ‘Canes first joined the NHL I despised the square blocks along the waistline, but after learning the significance of said blocks I gave it a pass, and I’m glad they kept that element here. I kind of like the crest on these ones, too. It’s good to see a modern club who isn’t having a visual identity crisis.
11		Los Angeles Kings The Kings have a terrible track record on third jerseys, so the fact that this one isn’t ranked #19 is almost a miracle. I like the black/white/gray that harkens back to the Gretzky era in LA, so the Kings get a pass on the black shirts. Extra points for incorporating modern and classic design elements into the same jersey.
10		Toronto Maple Leafs Considering they’ve barely changed their look in their entire history, it’s tough to stray far from the classic look. This design is expected, but timeless.
9		New York Islanders Glory day throwbacks are all the rage, right? If you’re ever presented with the choice of (a) Captain Highliner, (b) 70’s Championship throwback; choose B every time!
8		Edmonton Oilers I know the City of Chumps loved the McFarlane third jersey, but I thought it was too far of a departure from the identity of the club. When I see this jersey it reminds me of the classic Battle of Alberta, complete with Lanny McDonald and 1989. Go Flames!
7		Tampa Bay Lightning This was a tough one for me, because the “Bolts” crest is downright stupid. I love the colour and pattern of the jersey, though, so despite the awful crest, it’s starting to grow on me. I’d love to see it with the proper logo crest on there.
6		Philadelphia Flyers Bold move to bring back the Broadstreet Bullies look, but for another club who has never deviated far from their original look, I think this works well.
5		Vancouver Canucks I think I’ve made my feelings on the everyday Canuck sweaters pretty well known. In short, I think they look like a peewee team who is trying too hard. The orca crest sucks, and the arching “Vancouver” crest is a visual mismatch to the crest. This alternate may be the biggest improvement over the everyday sweater on any team in the league. The classic look with some contemporary style tweaks wins with me, even if the Canucks don’t.
4		Pittsburgh Penguins The Penguins overshot the glory day throwback a little bit, but sometimes vintage wins for its visual impact. Having seen the league’s poster boy posing in this jersey since last year’s Winter Classic, this one has had plenty of time to grow on me. As a Lemieux fan, I’d prefer a 1991 throwback, but this one’s pretty cool too.
3		Buffalo Sabres The modern life of the Sabres has been one ongoing identity crisis. I like to think that this throwback is an admission of wrongdoing on so many of the jerseys since.
2		St. Louis Blues Personal sentiment aside, this is probably the winner of the best jersey. It’s clean, it has a classic look, and it integrates the arch into the crest design. The Blues at one time nearly had a pretty loud alternate (pardon the pun, and thanks to Mike Keenan for withholding that monstrosity), so the discretion shown in this design is refreshing. If I was a Blues fan, one of these would already be hanging in my closet.
1		Montréal Canadiens Habs win. This may be my bias, but the modern-looking throwback is the best looking jersey on NHL ice. Except for the Flames’ jersey, of course.

I’m sure you think you know better than me. Leave your thoughts in the comments!

With only 2 wins in their last 7 games, the Flames are back in action versus one of their division rivals, the Colorado Avalanche. Their last setback, was an embarrassing 6-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks, and after 5 days rest, look for the Flames to come back firing on all cylinders.

During the break, the Flames have been focusing heavily on defensive aspects of the game… not just by the defensemen, but by all positions. The Flames have given up an incredible 24 goals in the past five games (nearly 5 goals per game!) and have hung Kiprusoff out to dry more than once. The team’s original goal for this year was to decrease the average goals against per game by .5. If they expect to achieve this goal by the end of the year, they are going to have to become the best defensive team in the NHL for the remainder of the season.

Darryl Sutter has to be scratching his head, wondering what needs to happen in order to motivate his team. The game against San Jose was an excellent test to see how the Flames could handle an “Elite” hockey club and, as the final score indicated, the team failed miserably. The good news? The Flames now know what level they need to play at and what they need to do to get there. If they don’t do that quickly, I think we can expect to see some adjustments to the Flames lineup.

Each year, the excitement mounts as I count down the days until the Flames season opener. However, after last night’s game, I think I am going to skip future season openers, and count down to the second game of the season.

Let’s face it, with the exception of a portion of the first period, the Flames were dominated by the Canucks last night and the final score was reflective of this. But really, should I be so surprised that the Flames lost their season opener? In the past 14 seasons, the Calgary Flames have marked a “W” in the win column only once in their first game.  In Kiprusoff’s 5 attempts in a Flames uniform he has 5 straight losses.

This team seems to be cursed when it comes to season openers:

Season            Score     Outcome     Opponent
2008-2009         6-0              L              Canucks
2007-2008         3-2              L              Flyers
2006-2007         3-1              L              Oilers
2005-2006         6-3              L              Wild
2003-2004         4-1              L              Canucks
2002-2003         3-0              L              Canucks
2001-2002        1-0              W             Oilers
2000-2001         4-3              L              Red Wings
1999-2000         5-3              L              Sharks
1998-1999         3-3              T              Sharks
1997-1998         3-1              L              Red Wings
1996-1997         3-1              L              Canucks
1995-1996         3-3              T              Lightning
1994-1995         3-3              T              Jets

Saturday, luckily, is a new day and a new game. A different Flames team must show up to the Saddledome in order to regain their confidence. In the past, Kiprusoff has been known to bounce back “big-time” after significant losses - this is one trend that I hope will continue.

Forget the sophmore jinx, Calgary is more familiar with the big contract jinx. Remember Roman Turek? It seemed his play tanked the moment he signed a big contract. I dare say that Phaneuf’s signing was a more responsible one than that of Turek, simply because the Flames have had more time to evaluate Phaneuf; Dion Phaneuf is the real deal.

Still, a $7M contract will put more pressure on Phaneuf to perform, and that pressure could affect his performance. Some guys react very positively to pressure and expectations, while others crumble under it. If he can continue doing what earned him the big contract in the first place, Phaneuf will be fine.

And what is it that got him here? Let’s take a look:

Yup, that’s what we want to see more of!