When the Flames made their run at the Stanley Cup in 2004 they showed a surprising amount of depth on the blue line. Even as injuries mounted, the supporting cast stepped up their play to keep the Flames in the post-season. This year the defensive depth cannot be questioned. Here’s a quick rundown of who is currently on the roster:

Adrian Aucoin - a big shot and good offensive zone awareness make Aucoin a good two way player. Rumours abound that Sutter would like to deal him to Los Angeles to shed his $4M salary.

Anders Eriksson - A minus-5 last season, Eriksson was rather inconsistent in his play. At times his defensive zone play was outstanding, but other times he seemed to disappear. He is a career plus-41, though, suggesting that he gets the job done in his own end of the rink.

Mark Giordano - Giordano showed great promise with the Flames two seasons ago, but departed for Russia last year as a restricted free agent after not coming to terms with the Flames. He is another young defenceman with good skating ability who can score the odd goal; a good player to have providing depth.

Dion Phaneuf - Calgary’s premier defenceman begins the first year of his new contract this season. Phaneuf has quickly become the cornerstone of Calgary’s blueline, quarterbacking the powerplay, scoring goals with his big shot and strong skating, and using his size to throw huge hits.

Robyn Regehr - This guy is the reason the Theo Fleury trade was totally worthwhile. Consistently in the 20 point vicinity and in double-digit plus-minus, Regehr is a solid two way player who can play in any situation.

Cory Sarich - If you don’t hear about Cory Sarich, he’s doing his job. I hear a lot of negative about Sarich, but I think it has mostly to do with him not putting up offensive numbers. We’ve got Aucoin, Phaneuf, and Regehr doing that, folks; Cory Sarich is a defence-first player who serves well in penalty killing roles or in a tight game. Oh, and he can throw a hit now and then as well.

Jim Vandermeer - Or as we call him: “Vandeneuf”. Vendermeer is another former Red Deer Rebel who has a physical presence on the ice. This guy won’t put up scoring numbers, but he will make life miserable for the opponent in Calgary’s zone.

Rhett Warrener - Warrener has the dubious track-record of losing in the Stanley Cup Final with three different “Cinderella” teams (Florida, Buffalo, and Calgary). A veteran presence comes with him, but he has averaged 25 games missed per season in his time with the Flames. Given Calgary’s depth and Warrener’s injury frequency, buy-out talks were rampant this summer. Evidently, the team still sees him as a valuable member of the team, and you can bet he’ll be out to prove them right.

Obviously, even beyond the star defencemen (Phaneuf and Regehr) the Flames are carrying a bevy of talent on defence. If these guys can stay healthy, Calgary’s defence should be among the best in the league. Remember too that TJ Brodie, John Negrin, Adam Pardy, and Matt Pelech are among the promising prospects that are currently developing in the CHL or AHL.

What a night, eh? I’m glad we don’t play again until Tuesday so that I can enjoy this victory for an extra day before getting caught up in the emotion of another game.

After a Habs loss and three Sharks goals in the first 3:33 of the Calgary game, I was ready to start drinking a little harder. Indeed, Trevor and I were counting the Flames out of game three. A friend of mine who happens to be a Flames fan transplanted to Vancouver watched the game with us in our hotel out here on the coast. A diehard he must be, for he kept the faith, regardless of the bleak outlook. What’s worse than the 3-0 deficit is that the transplanted Vancouver Canuck supporting Brit we brought along with us insisted “you guys will come back from this.” What does he know, right? He’s a limey, and this is hockey; he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.

And then the hit. And then THE HIT! You know the ones I’m talking about. First Dion Phaneuf introduces Patrick Marleau to the end boards, cutting him above the right eye. Good tough Canadian boy that he is [nod to Don Cherry here], he gets it taped shut and heads back out on the ice. Soon after he starts up the ice, into the trolley tracks with his head down. Corey Sarich makes Marleau pay for it, crushing him with one of the biggest hits I’ve seen this season, bloodying the Shark captain’s nose.

I know you want to see it again:

Go ahead, rewind it and watch it a few more times. Savour this beauty of that bone crunching and momentum changing hit. I can wait.

That hit got the crowd back into the game, and by extension, it got the Flames back into the game. Once they scored that first goal, they knew they could win the game. Once again it was Owen Nolan pulling the trigger on the big goal (you’ll recall he scored the goal to eliminate the Oilers from playoff contention).

So who do we call the hero of this game? Is it Sarich for his timely hit? How about Nolan for the winning goal and two assists? Maybe Cujo for being perfect in relief for Kipper? I think the answer here is that Calgary is most successful when no single player is the hero. Heroic efforts from several players contributing to the collective is what makes any hockey team truly great. If Calgary’s key players can share the hero role around like this some more, this will be a very winnable series.

Any what of Kiprusoff? I would contend that he didn’t stand much of a chance on those three goals. That said, I think Captain Hook was wise to pull his star goalkeeper after that third goal. Allowing a goaltender to be shelled behind a weak defensive effort can hurt his confidence and potentially catapult him into a rut. Sitting Kipper down before things got ugly somewhat allows Mikka to save face and rebound with confidence in the next game. Meanwhile, a new goalkeeper provides a different look for the Flames, causing a situation that the Sharks may not have been fully prepared for. I can’t see why Keenan wouldn’t go back to Kiprusoff in game four, but regardless of who starts between the pipes, I think it’s clear that Calgary has two goalkeepers who can rise to the occasion.

Now get some rest, and bring back these heroics again on Tuesday. I’ll be watching from Vancouver, wishing I was in the Sea of Red.