Open Ice

Welcome Cammie. And boys... Lets keep this going shall we?

2009-10-06T17:30:00.008-06:00

Wow. Just wow. What a great feeling.

We have not only NEVER TRAILED IN A GAME SO FAR but are an incredible 2-0-0!!! Lets give our local hockey heroes a hand here! ... and pray that the streak continues into our Mike Cammalleri Reunion taking place in less than two hours. Which, I might add I am obviously very excited to watch.

I have probably said it before but I will say it again... You made a great impression here Cammie and I wish you the best... Even if that involves listening to French 24-7 and skating around in a Habs jersey... You were great here and, wait for it... I will not even begrudge you a goal or two tonight as long as the Flames come out on top.

-Cheers to Kipper and his simply delightful strong start (though I have to admit I thought our D would be keeping the shots against down a little more... But hey its only 2 games in I guess we can cut them a little bit of slack for the time being...)

-Iggy! No need to sweat the goals will come, we all know what you are capable of. Your line mate Jokinen on the other hand needs to pick up his game a little... *cough*trade!*cough*

And thanks to Nikolai "Shabby"bulin for your gift turnover and a great nights entertainment. You are truly a wonderful man and I am sure everyone in Calgary is grateful for your generosity. Consider the wall busted down guys :)

AND one more thing... OVECHKIN! The God of all things hockey in my opinion. Already leading the league in points! I am just going to go out on a limb here and suggest this wont change for the rest of the season. Might as well hand out MVP awards now...

Flames @ Canucks.. Among other things

2009-09-21T21:54:00.005-06:00

First things first.. I owe what little audience I might have a sincere apology for neglecting my blog for so long. Life has been busy and it is surprisingly difficult to find the time to type up a couple sentences. But anyway, it is what it is.

So.

Fleury hey? I have heard so much about him but never, ever, did I think I would get to watch (err more like listen) to this Flames legend play again. So what if he is short, so what if he has celebrated the big 40, the man can still play hockey. From the few pre-season games he has played, at this point in time I would have to welcome him to the regular season roster.. But there is a fine line between producing off perhaps an adrenaline rush and producing consistently throughout the season when the team needs it the most.. A certain bald Finnish man comes to mind as I say this.. He played great the first couple games after he got traded and then what? Nothing.

Until... Now it seems. Wow. I have to grudgingly admit Olli Jokinen has impressed as of late. 6 points in 2 games? That what we're paying him for. Finally starting to use his size and if he has good chemistry with Iggy then guess that looks pretty good for us.

But then again, as I type here listening to our Calgary heroes dig themselves out of a three goal hole its come to mind that the big guns haven't done much tonight. Its been the Prusts, and Lundmarks, and... Just as I say that Jokinen assisted by Dawes scores! Never mind. Its a team effort folks :) You got to give them a hand. What an impressive display of grit and determination they've shown. Sure a slow start but whatever Brent said to them it did something, and I like how he rewards hard work with top line ice time. So far so good.

And... WELCOME BACK BOURQUE! He's become an important part of this team and I know I speak for many when I wish him good luck in staying healthy this season. Hopefully it won't take him too long to get back into it.

Speaking of Rene... Is he the lucky winger that gets to play with Olli and Iggy? I have no doubt that he is good enough but something about that just doesn't sit well with me. I think Bourque is someone you would build a line around not just add too. He has the skills to be a force out there on the ice; I want our talent to be a little more strategically placed.

AHHHHH... And we just lost. What a game, honestly.. Since when do the Canucks tie it up with .2 seconds left!? What is that! And Backlund... He didn't even get a shot off. Sorry bud, but you're not making the best impression at camp. I'm a little surprised Theo wasn't picked for the shoot out however.. But I guess we can't push his magic hey? A quiet game from him tonight.. But good effort in the long run guys, losses like that are heart breaking.. It's only pre-season though, its only pre-season.

Revenge: 08.01.09

Bits and pieces

2009-08-19T22:39:00.005-06:00

BERUZZI TO DETROIT!

Old news I am sure, but I guess we all could have guessed this one eh? He's old and has changed his game to a more 'finesse' style... Guess that fits with the Wings pretty well.

And it makes sense, what with our new defensive outlook.. He has changed from his old aggressive style, for obvious reasons I suppose.. He still has plenty of skill but with a minus 13.. Guess that just won't cut it anymore people.

The new Team Canada jerseys.. Pretty nice. Better than the old version that's for sure. Not too exciting but at least we still have the old logo on the sleeve.. Not sure about the aboriginal print on the inside of the leaf. I know it's part of Canadian culture and everything but to most of us it means nothing whatsoever. Sorry if I offended anyone by saying that. But hey! The past gold medals won is a nice touch if I do say so myself. And I'm sure it will look amazing as it is worn by a team of future gold medal champions!

And I changed the look of my whole blog around a little bit.. I think it looks quite a bit cleaner and is getting me in the mood for Olympics :) Let me know what you think of it.

Losing points... Gaining...What exactly?

2009-08-04T23:21:00.004-06:00

Just out of curiosity.. I decided to see exactly how much offense we let slip away from us via Free Agency, trades, etc. And in turn how much we brought in to fill the gap. The results were, lets say, interesting.

Calgary Flames Players NOT RETURNING Total Points: 198
Calgary Flames Players NEW ADDITIONS Total Points: 101

(And just to clarify, only NHL points were used in this little stat of mine.)

So what exactly are the Flames gaining from all of this? Please, please, let if be defensive responsibility!

Just something else here...

Calgary Flames Players NOT RETURNING Avg Age: 31.33

Calgary Flames Players NEW ADDITIONS and NEW CONTRACTS Avg Age: 25.23

So that's one good thing :)

In 71 days...

2009-07-22T00:42:00.003-06:00

The Flames will be kicking off the o9/10 schedule! ... (Kind of makes the few days between my last post and now seem somewhat insignificant, wouldn't you agree?) Anyway.. I will start off saying that THIS YEAR WE ARE GOING TO WIN OUR HOME OPENER! Forget those first couple games last year against the about-to-die team we play first thing this year... If that made any sense to anyone the Canucks should have come to mind.. But moving on, I just have to mention how stupid I think it is that the Capitals don't come to Calgary at all this year! Like what is this!? I really don't think I'm gonna be able to fly all the way to Washington.. But we will see ;)

Regarding the recent signings and all.. I can't wait to see how the prospect camp goes. I have a feeling this is going to be a pivotal year for our beloved Flames franchise.. Lets hope we can be a force for years to come.

So, I've been looking at the rooster and been trying to figure out how the lineups could possibly work.. Might post it later, might not. My speculation is all it is, I can imagine Mr Brent Sutter has quite a few unique ideas that we will just have to wait to get a glimpse of..

Sjostrom, Murray, Armstrong sign deals with Flames

2009-07-02T10:53:00.004-06:00

Start off with Fredrick Sjostrom (RW) who just signed a 2 year deal worth $1.5 million. Honestly I had never heard of him before but what I've dicovered since then is that he is known for his big physical play and speed. Which is always welcome. The 26 year old (glad to see Sutter is sticking with his getting younger theme) played 79 games for the Rangers last year 7 goals, 6 assists, and 30 PIM. I'm unsure how "good" he is though; as in will he get to enjoy the 2nd line or is he more a of grinder/checker...?

Garth Murray (C) I really have never heard of. He's 27 and his stats for last season are not that impressive. Only playing 10 games for the Coyotes he had no points, only 12 PIM. Not a bad sive, 6'2, 210 lbs... A quick search on you-tube and I have determined that he is our new heavyweight. Sounds good, no offense but there are some guys Prust just can't take on.

Last we got Riley Armstrong (RW). This ex-Shark played only 2 games last year. He's 25 but its hard to say how much ice time he is going to get. More depth is the only thing I can think of..

And apparently the Flames have made a qualifying offer to Dustin Boyd and Chris Chucko so hopefully they both resign as well. I think most people would agree they are important parts of the Flames of the Future..

'09 Free Agent Frenzy

2009-07-02T00:29:00.004-06:00

Pretty interesting day I would say. Just a few of my random thoughts concerning the crazy events that took place:

-Cammalleri to Montreal. I really did think he would go to Toronto especially when the twins resigned with Vancouver, thought it was Burke's 'back-up' plan but whatever.. He's a Hab now and I really am sorry to see him go. Great sniper and I'm going to miss his slapshot on the PP. Best of luck in the east, Cammie. While we're on the subject... The Canadiens did pretty good for themselves eh? Gionta was interesting, who knows maybe he got tired of all the defence in Jersey. Always had a lot of respect for that guy, 5'7 and he manages to produce decent points against the monsters of todays NHL.

-Hossa and the Idiots in Chicago. Honestly, what were they thinking!? 12 years!? They are crazy. The guy is gonna be 42 before that sentence is up; these are the kind of moves organizations tend to regret a few years down the road... Especially when I imagine they are going to want to sign a few of their young stars to extensions. Like to see how Dale Tallon manages that.

-Khabibulin joins the Oilers.... I don't like it. All I can say is, I hope he has a career worst up there. No love.

-Gaborik to the Rangers. Think he will be a good fit and all.. If he plays more than 5 games.

-Knuble + Ovechkin + Backstrom = Pretty strong first line over in Washington. This guy will be just what they need in front of the net, along the boards, etc. Add some grit and such to the incredible skills the Caps already have up front. Let's just finish off them goalies... They have a hard enough time with Ovie's shot as it is let alone having a 6'3, 230 lbs wall of muscle in their face.

-Heatley... Did I hear groans...? What in the world is this man doing? What a lack of respect for the Sens and everyone else involved. I would keep him in Ottawa and just bench him for the season. Please, let him not come to Calgary.

-And finally.. Bouwmeester! I am quite happy with the signing and think he will fit in very well with our organization and hopefully under our new coach as well. Very quiet-spoken young man, and I really can't wait to see him out skating wearing the Flaming C on his chest.

Rumour! Phaneuf for Heatley

2009-06-30T01:24:00.003-06:00

The latest rumour.. Flames sign Jay Bouwmeester and then hand over Dion Phaneuf for Dany Heatley of Ottawa.

I really don't like it. Dion has so much potential they got to give him another chance under Brent Sutter's defensive ways.. And Heatley? What is so great about him that they would rather have over Mike Cammalleri?

Aw, please don't Darryl..

Mistake. Just admit it Darryl...

2009-06-29T21:06:00.000-06:00

Alright, so I decided I had to get my little opinion in on this even though it has long passed...

The blockbuster Jokinen trade? Bad move. Really bad move. Not only did it screw our salary cap over causing us to have to play the last few games of the season shorthanded but it messed up our team chemistry, and get this: Olli Jokinen, the-one-that-told-everyone-we-were-Cup-contenders-Jokinen, actually produced less than speedster Matthew Lombardi did down in the desert.
Let me clarify. For the last 19 games of the regular season each player played for their new team, Lombo had an average of 0.842 points per game while Mr Jokinen had a mere 0.789. And thats not taking into account that Brandon Prust would have had a few points in there as well.

Huh. Isn't that interesting.

Welcome Jay... and our friend the Salary Cap

2009-06-28T23:20:00.007-06:00

Of course it was a gamble. But hey, Darryl gives out picks all the time.. No big deal. Not if it turns into a signing of highly sought after soon-to-be-free-agent Jay Boumeester. With about 42 hours left to sign the 6"4, 212 lbs defenseman you can bet Mr Sutter will be quite the busy man.

But wow. The rumours all say we could be looking at at least 6 million per season (short term, long term could be cheaper) and I'm sure that I am not the only one wondering how close our heads are to the salary cap ceiling. The Vandermeer/Prust deal - GLAD TO HAVE YOU BACK! - cleared out some room but I can't help but think there is more to come.

As it stands the Flames have 16 players under contract for next season at a total cap hit of $45.618 million... Leaving us with $11.182 million of dealing room. Which really isn't much. I guess it's pretty safe to say Cammie isn't returning, as well as Aucoin and Bertuzzi. Honestly, as much as I dislike older veteran players I would have Todd return... One reason off the top of my head: Watching his incredible shootout maneuvers. But I'm getting off topic.

Anyhow, as I see it even if Darryl manages to get Jay under contract there are still gaps that need to be fixed.

Offense: Assuming Darryl doesn't want to trade Jokinen (ugh....) we still need a few more guys. I would like to dish off Primeau somewhere;nothing personal it's just 1.4 million is too much.. So that leaves us with 3 empty spots in the lineup. Getting Dustin Boyd resigned would be great, and if Backlund makes the team that's another place filled. Jamie Lundmark could be resigned as well; I tell you, that guy has good hockey sense. And quite a good shot, actually. But thats still leaving the Abbotsford Heat to fill in our injuries. It wouldn't surprise me if our oh so clever GM brought in some other affordable veteran seeing as how for some messed up reason he doesn't want Bertuzzi.

Defense: Say we sign Boumeester. We will have him, Phaneuf, Regehr, Sarich, and Giordano under contract.. As well as Pelech and Negrin but I doubt they are ready for full time positions. We still need at least two more. Really, really, want Pardy resigned. I know I am not the only one who was in awe of the way he stepped up last season. Then we still need one more... Thats open for debate.

So the question is: Do we have enough space to get all this accomplished? If not who is next out the door? *cough*jokinen*cough* ... Guess we can only wait and see what Darryl does next.

TRADE JOKINEN!

2009-06-25T23:35:00.005-06:00

Alright. So Jokinen has to go. In a perfect world we never would have traded Lombardi and Prust for him in the first place.. But I won't get started on that. This is now. And I say his bald head and 5.5 million contract must be gone.

This is my idea. Nothing is perfect but hey, it's what I got so far.

Trade Olli Jokinen and Wayne Primeau to Columbus for Derick Brassard. The Jackets need a couple veterans (avg. age is 26) and might be able to find a use for another strong presence down the middle. And, of course they have the room. Brassard would add speed and youth (at a low price, for a little while anyway) and give us the cap space to sign the blue liners we need, or alternatively use it to sign Cammalleri.

Brassard, who was sidelined by a knee injury last season (which has been resolved) still managed to put up decent numbers in the 31 games he did play.
10 goals; 15 assists; +/- 12; 17 PIM.

Cammalleri's Future?

2009-06-25T23:15:00.007-06:00

Calgary Flames forward Mike Cammalleri is due to become a Unrestricted Free Agent in a matter of days really. There are many options for the 27 year old center... Many of which seem to involve leaving the Flames.

Why would Darryl let this happen!? There are rumours that say he hasn't even attempted to offer him a contract extension... Am I the only one who would hate this to happen? Sure, sure, he is due for quite a fair raise but if we could dump Jokinen this wouldn't be an issue. I understand that under Brent Sutter's coaching we expect to focus more on our defense, but you still have to score a few goals now and then. He fit in perfectly with the team, especially Iginla and Conroy, and showed he had the spirit and grit to make him popular among Flames fans; which is honestly more than Jokinen can say.

There is talk major talk that Burke over in Toronto would like to sign him.. Seeing as he is an Ontario native... I expect to see Cammalleri dressed in blue and white next season. I am sorry to see him go.

Ovie Speaks

2009-06-23T00:00:00.007-06:00

All quotes by Alexander Ovechkin, wow, they make me laugh. Some of the best words ever spoken. What a great face for the NHL.

"That's hockey. You never know what's going to happen. It's a tough sport. No tooth, a broken nose, but I'm looking good [laughs]."

"I'm okay. Russian machine never breaks." (after being hit on the leg with a shot)

"I saw something white coming at me. I thought, 'Damn, he got me.'" (on the shaving cream incident)

"I saw the rebound and when the puck came to me, I said, oh my God, puck, I must shoot."

"Everybody in my country is jumping and drinking lots of vodka. We did it and we beat a great team." (following Russia's win over Canada at the Olympics)

"That was lucky. Best score, oh yeah. I just went down and try shoot and score goal. Clark came to me and said, 'You scored,' and I said, 'Wow.' I saw replay, it was beautiful." (on his 32nd goal)

"If I'm playing hockey, I want to win all the (trophies) I can."

"For me, it doesn't matter where I play. If coach says I must play goalie, I will play goalie."

"My weapon isn't my shot. It's me."

Another Sutter?

2009-06-22T23:19:00.005-06:00

As I'm sure everyone has heard Brent Sutter is expected to sign a coaching contract anytime now... So what does this mean for the Flames? Brent, who coached in New Jersey for the past two seasons had a decent record of 97-56-11 and the achievement of getting his team into the post season both years; but failed to move on past the first round. Sound familiar?

Anyway, personally, I think it would be a great move. The Flames are so close, to being the elite team they've been projected to be. A few slight changes is all GM Darryl Sutter is looking for. Obviously he thinks his brother might do the trick. This is a team that needs a coach that they will work for and give one hundred percent of their effort to all the time.. No more of this inconsistency, we want the same team to show every night. Preferably the team that's adding to the win column. They showed this once... Remember that time back in 04 when we went all the way? That's what we want, perhaps this second Sutter is the one to unleash the potential that they have.

He's known as a no-nonsense kind of guy, with a really, really, big emphasis on defense. And considering how last year the Flames were 23rd in the league for goals against, averaging exactly 3 a game. This could definitely improve.

For more detailed information go to: http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=426197

Just Getting Started

2009-06-21T19:52:00.009-06:00

Hey there!

First day, first post. Please don't judge right away, I will be adding more shortly. I have started this blog basically so I can voice any and all my hockey thoughts and opinions. You might agree, or you might disagree it honestly doesn't matter to me. So... Enjoy!

(Figured Ovechkin was a good way to start off.)