So I'm (yet again) terribly late to the party, talking about our team's franchise players.
Let's go through some Flames, more past than present...
Growing up in the 1980s as I did, the Flames' franchise player was clearly Lanny McDonald. He gave us (for a few short years) the ability to match up against Gretzky's Oilers just north of us, and his moustache could be spotted for miles around.
After the Cup win in 1989, Lanny retired, and a new generation of players took up the mantle in quick succession: Doug Gilmour, Joe Niewendyk, Al MacInnis, Gary Roberts. But soon the face of the franchise was evident... it was one of my favourite all time Flames, Theo Fleury. Not only was he the last one left from the Cup team, he was a feisty lil' fireplug on the ice, and was only recently passed as the franchise's all-time scoring leader.
But from out of the sad years of the 1990s, a new leader emerged, one who is indisputably our franchise man today. A perennial scoring leader in the league, a mean, tough player on the ice, a guy who can throw the punches and pick up the team and carry them wherever he needs to go. A class act in the community, an example to all the local kids, a role model for minorities everywhere.
Jarome Iginla.
His performance in the 2002 Olympics and then the magic Cup run of 2004 cemented his place in Flames history. For the last 12 years, he has been the lynchpin for all our various GMs and coaches' (he's seen three general managers and eight head coaches for the Flames during his time with us) schemes to improve the team.
In his time here (and that will continue, what with the long term contract he just signed), he has become not just the face of the Flames today, but possibly the greatest Flame of all time.
In short, he's da man. Our man.
SHAMELESS SHILL TIME: For a less polished version of pretty much the same post, look at one of our greatest hits, on our blog...
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
A Day Late and a Dollar Short? Not Iggy!
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
The Open Ice Hits Guide to this Series
Cross-posted to my other blog, of course!!!
This series has been fantastically dead even. It's been great. The ups have sent us soaring, the downs have been lower than low. Being nervous and twitchy from school and the stresses of playoff time, I've decided I can't wait to see how this puppy gets decided, I'm taking things into my own hands.
We have here some of the players from each team. Phaneuf? Lombardi? Roenick? 
It's obvious. Phaneuf and Lombardi win this for sheer angelic looks, and of course, for posing with gold medals in their hands.
Roenick loses for looking like a doofus.
Next, let's look at the leaders of both teams.
Jarome Iginla is all business. He has his eye on the goal.
Joe Thornton is still stuck prying breakfast out of the toaster.
Flames all the way.
One of the most important (yet still unrecognized) parts of making it through the playoffs is the ability to stay loose.
Now, on one hand, we have a stolid, family-friendly, and yes, cliche-ridden, stuffy holiday party. On the other hand, we have a rookie really gettin' down. I know which party I'd rather slit my wrists than sit through.
This round to the Flames also. See a pattern?
That's all I have to say about today's game. We're the full deal, obviously! Now, we just have to play some hockey.
Read More......
Saturday, March 01, 2008
Yeah, but can your rookies do this?
And he plays Guitar Hero too. And hockey...I'm sure somewhere there's some hockey involved.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Flames draft pick passes
My condolences go the family, friends and teammates of Flames draft pick Mickey Renaud. According to the Flames' site and CP, Renaud collapsed suddenly today and attempts at resuscitation were unsuccessful. He was captain of the OHL's Windsor Spitfires.
I am at a loss for words. I'm trying to think of something to say about how it puts things in perspective but I just don't know.
cross-posted to double d(ion)
Saturday, February 09, 2008
Dear Flames,
Me again. Remember what I said about suck? Before this blog got flooded by letters by girls everywhere, concerned about the performance of their boys?
Remember what I said about suck?
Don't do it again. Friends don't let friends suck. Especially when they play Edmonton.
Go for the jugular. Kick them when they're down. Kill.
Hugs and Kisses,
Leanne
PS. Ladies, I'm blushing. I love you all, I really do. Even all the Edmonton partisans. Really.
Monday, February 04, 2008
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Stuff I guarantee you did not know about the Calgary Flames
I'm feeling better about my hockey team these days. A week or so ago, when they started their road trip in Chicago, things did not look good. A bad road trip would pretty guarantee a finish out of a playoff spot... a decent one, and we'd stay alive.
What we've got is a GREAT road trip. Four wins in a row... some high scoring (mostly from our top line), good times, good times.
In particular, Calgary's 9-6 win over Tampa (sorry, Finny!) was a catalyst for visiting the history books of Flames seasons past. The Calgary Herald's beat writer for the Flames has a list of statistics:
- Thursday's three-ring circus in Tampa marked the first time since Feb. 10, 1993 the Flames had two players fire hat tricks in the same contest.
- Dion Phaneuf became the first Flame to get five assists in a game since the great Al MacInnis on March 20, 1994 (at Toronto).
- Only three other NHL blue-liners have had five-assist games in the past nine seasons
- The Flames haven't scored nine in a game since they scored 10 against Tampa, of all teams, on Jan. 2, 1996.Fifteen total goals was the most since
Feb. 21, 1997Feb 21 1992, when the Flames outgunned the Kings 9-7. (He said 1997, but I was actually at the game for my birthday, and I know it happened much much earlier than 1997. Sad!)
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Paris, France
It's not strange to see something hockey related here in New York. Although Yankees hats may be a bit more prevalent, there are enough hockey teams around that you’re bound to see a Ranger, Islander, or Devil symbol hanging around somewhere.
When I took a trip a couple months ago to Paris, London, and Dublin, I was quite concerned about leaving while the Rangers were in the midst of a playoff run. Thanks to Chris Drury (oh, the irony), I didn’t have much to worry about. They were out before I left.
Anyway, I went to the Louvre on my second day in Paris. (I think I cried stepping into that building, lol. Forgive me; I enjoy art and am a history major.) I wore a Ranger shirt with Jagr’s name on the back. I needed to dress casual considering the amount of walking I was doing… and quite honestly, all I own is Ranger tee’s. I was in this long hall of early Renaissance portraits (heading towards the Mona Lisa) when I heard from behind me “Jagr Sucks.”
Who the hell in Paris is telling me that Jaromir Jagr sucks? I was used to suffering through desperate attempts to understand small bits of French and English accents that clearly I was not used too, but this guy sounded like he was a native North American. I whipped around to see this red-haired tall dude with a Calgary Flames t-shirt on and grin on his face. I grinned back. ”No, you…” I started, ready to comment on the Flames early exit from the playoffs, but he was already walking the other way.
Rude.
As a side note, I didn’t make it to “The Great Canadian,” a Canadian Pub in Paris, but I was told rumors that they were playing the Stanley Cup Finals there. (I had to resort to emails letting me know who was winning the series.)
My Strangest Place for a Hockey Sighting? The Lourve, Paris, France. :-)
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Checking references
By now, the worst kept secret in the NHL seems to be that Calgary is thinking pretty hard about hiring Mike Keenan as their head coach. While he's one of the first coaches in the NHL I remember having a hate for, these days, I only have a mild dislike for the guy (my full take on this is on our blog), and obviously, I've never actually had to cope with his coaching before. And it can't be worse than "Nervous" Jimmy Playfair in charge of the boys for yet another year...
So who has a horrific Keenan story? Why should I be afraid? Or...should I be very very happy?
Monday, March 05, 2007
Oh, the exes
The players I still secretly follow are for the most part ex-Calgary Flames. And through the bad years and the new good ones, there's been quite a few. I'll run through a few faves of mine...
There's Gary Roberts, last still-active relic of our Cup winning team back in the day. How weird is it that he won the Cup back when at least two or three of his current teammates were still in diapers? I was sad when he retired about ten years ago due to back/neck injuries, and sooooo thrilled when he made his comeback. I wasn't a huge fan of his (to be honest) during his stint with the Leafs
There are the remnants of the "Young Guns," a failed marketing ploy of the 90s, back when we had nothing going for us other than minty-fresh cute hockey players. Cale Hulse? Todd Simpson? They'll probably never make a splash in the league, but I still get a thrill of "oh, are they still around?" every time I see them do something. For the most part they haven't panned out, so it's like rooting for the underdog when they are playing.
There are a few guys who just didn't fit in over the years - Marty St. Louis is probably the prime example (even if he did win the Cup fom right under our noses).
The biggest group by far are the guys who left after the Cup run three years ago. I absolutely can't hate on them, and for the most part wish them well. Guys like Boston's Shean Donovan, Kobasew, and Ference, Carolina's Mike Commodore, St. Louis' Ville Niemenen, Florida's Steve Montador.
Most notable from this group is Washington's Chris Clark (I often refer to him on IM as "Chris! Clark!") He was a character guy from Calgary who I watched develop from a raw youngster to becoming a mainstay on the team. Not a flashy player, but definitely a solid heart-and-soul-guy. I'm incredibly thrilled that he's now Washington's captain, even with older, more experienced players, and even younger, incredibly talented ones. And I'm glad that on Washington he's got a chance to rack up some points by playing a fair bit with Ovechkin.
I know other fans who've been much more upset by players coming and going recently...for the most part, I've seen far too many guys become exes for me to really be crushed. And so many exes, so little time...
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Thank you hockey gods
Today I give thanks for allowing the Flames to WIN A SHOOT OUT for the first time this season. Coming into this season, Miikka Kiprusoff was 1-11 in the SO, stopping only 2 of 9 shooters this season, 13 of 32 last season. Pairing those atrocious stats with the Flames' inability to score during the SO makes for a higher than average stress level during overtime as I pray and hope and yell and go bananas hoping for anyone to score to save me the agony of watching the shoot out. The Flames are ranked 28th in the league with 2 OT/SO wins and 9 losses, the wins at home and 8 of those losses on the road. Have I mentioned the Flames road record also sucks? While being 27-6-1 at home is awesome (and league leading), being 7-15-8 on the road - meh, not so awesome.
Due to the wonderful schedule of the NHL, filling up empty spaces with more divisional play, the Flames have met the Wild five times so far with a 3-0-0-2 record so you can imagine the fear that struck my heart when Calgary tied the game late in the third making it 1-1 and failing to get the GWG during regulation. The overtime period draaaaaaaaaaagged on until the clock hit 00:0 and I hid behind a pillow, anticipating what was coming. Oh. my. goodness.
- CGY - Tanguay stopped. (No surprise.)
- MIN - Demitra stopped. (Okay, what? Kipper makes a pad save?)
- CGY - Amonte stopped. (Not really sure why he was out there...)
- MIN - Koivu stopped. (Double what? The league's leader in SO goals? Stopped?)
- CGY - Iginla scores. (HOLY
shitDINAH! Slow as molasses down the ice but it worked) - MIN - Bouchard stopped. (Kipper kicks out a leg to keep out PMB's spin-o-rama move)
Read More......
Friday, February 23, 2007
Groupthink
I'm going to start my blogging career here with a bit of a serious post - down the line I'll get sillier. I don't know if somebody's written about this before, but barely a month into blogging about hockey, I think I've got some questions to ask...
Our hockey blog started as a way to compress the many, many instant messages my friend Dave and I would throw at each other in the course of the day, every day. There was a real dearth of Flames blogs which weren't just gameday summaries, so naturally we plunked ourselves down there.
But something weird happened along the way. Other Flames blogs started appearing about the same time we got started. I've been privileged to watch a small but quite genuine community come into being, nurtured by vets such as our own Hockeygirl and Five-Hole Fanatics' Metrognome.
And it gets weirder. I don't know how many of you have noticed lately just how disappointing the Flames have been on the road - but rather than being able to shrug it off and just detach myself from the game, I'm getting more emotional, more frustrated, more engaged. And the coolest thing (depressing at present, but cool) is I'm finding that we're pushing each other into having similar opinions about the state of things.
I don't know whether it's HG's assessment that
I think you will soon see that we (your fellow Flames bloggers) have a way of balancing each other out; some serious, some humourous, some long-winded, some direct, but all awesome!...so that our discussions end up weirdly generating some aggregate opinion distilled from our collective minds, or whether some of us are just better at convincing others to think about things differently. Or maybe just that now when somebody brings up an interesting point, we've got enough people that somebody else will have the time/energy/inspiration to take it up and run with it.
I've rarely had the chance to see a group of fans coming from so many different backgrounds come together and really talk about hockey. Formerly, I enjoyed hockey as pretty much a solo activity. Didn't know a lot of Flames fans out here, and at home, I'd watch games with family who weren't all that opinionated about the game. There were the good guys, and the bad guys, and the good guys were supposed to win. And that was it.
At present, I'm just trying to sort it all out. All new to me!
I guess I'll end this with some questions for those of you who've hung on long enough to get to the bottom of this post:
Am I hallucinating, or did any of you find the same thing when you started blogging?
How do you maintain your own distinct voice and perspective within your particular community? (Community's so stolid-sounding. Your tribe. Your peeps. You know who I mean)
What are things you did to help your community and fellow bloggers grow and become more interesting? (Not that they aren't right now...I'm just looking for an angle to call mine, all mine!) Read More......
Snap Shots
