Flames off to an odd start

The opener against Vancouver was a bit of a roller-coaster.  That first period is the way a hockey club should open a season -- relentless, quick, drawing penalties, finding the back of the net...and all in those amazing retro jerseys.  But it was downhill from there -- the Flames kept the foot on the gas, but switched the gear to neutral in the second and reverse in the third.

I can't say that I'm surprised, but I'm definitely disappointed.  If there's one thing that drove me nuts last year (and the year before) it's the alarming inconsistency -- from game to game, and sometimes period to period.  It's, of course, way too early to make any substantive judgments but I'm hoping the structure and discipline that Brent Sutter brings to the team will transform it from the wildly-inconsistent team of the past to a consistent, defensively-sound team.  It's what we're all hoping for, I'd expect.

I'm still thrilled about the J-Bo acquisition.  He's such a calming presence on the ice, and the tandem with Regehr is going to be one of the best -- if not the best -- pairing in the league.  Phaneuf's new-found spot in the 2nd pairing is much more appropriate than the 1st pairing, he still has a lot to learn about defensive coverage and responsibility -- and perhaps just a little bit of humility.  I thought both Phaneuf and J-Bo acquitted themselves well in the opener and I hope it continues.  Phaneuf's thunderous check of Daniel Sedin in the closing seconds of the 1st was a fantastic reminder of the kind of play we should expect from him this year.

I don't think we could've asked for anything more from our 4th line -- they were outstanding.  Grinding it out, putting the puck in the net, doing everything that was expected of them and more.  Please, please...hopefully McGrattan stays far, far away.  I see chemistry in this line and they should not be bumped.

Speaking of chemistry, there was none to be found on the first line.  That has to change, and I suspect it will tonight.  Edmonton's first defensive pairing is a notable dropoff from Vancouver's, which will help, but I'm mostly counting on a rebound of effort from Iginla, Jokinen, and Moss (who honestly, probably shouldn't be on that top line).  The talent is there, but there's a nagging feeling I have that Jokinen and Iginla just aren't going to click.  I think the Flames would be served putting Jokinen on the second line and Langkow back on the first.  It'd spread out the (theoretical) scoring potential on the team a bit more, but I think it couldn't do anything but help the team at this point.  Iginla and Jokinen never really clicked going back to when they first were put together, and some players just won't have that spark.

As for Kiprusoff?  That was a pretty impressive game.  What else can we say?  Hope he keeps that up, we'll need him to.

I'm going to predict a (narrow) Flames win tonight, 4-3 on goals from Iginla, Glencross (x2!), and Phaneuf.

(Also: I've updated the blogroll links on the right.  Added some, removed some dead sites.  If I've omitted a great NHL site or Flames blog, please let me know)

Back to Business

So the roller-coaster season of roller-coasterness continues... some days we're awesome, some days we're doomed, some days we're the most butt-ugly team in the league.

And for the first time in a bit, I would suggest we have a game that actually matters. If we legitimately are the best team in the NW, Vancouver is the team we have to beat to prove it. They're on an upswing after a dismal couple of months, they've shored up their roster with Mats Sundin (Good ol' Matsy - let's forget his rep as a Flames-killer) and an improving Roberto Luongo.

Dunno. I got nothing except that I badly need our boys to win this win. Lately, Vancouver fans have annoyed myself and Dave more than just anybody - Toronto and Edmonton are traditionally our whipping boys, but they just haven't been any fun lately.

So... here's hoping Iggy breaks out of the slump, Dion stops pouting or whatever he's been doing to be so invisible the last couple of games (not a bad thing?), and... 5-1 Calgary. Bert, Lombo, GlenX, Iggy, hell, Kipper, and Mats gets his 500th goal.

What was that about #500? I can't hear you.

Score on That Ginger (Punjabi Edition)

First off, we now have an alternative to Marc Crawford when he does the HNIC games.

Second off, Corey Schneider was pretty impressive for a red-head. It's heart-warming when people don't let disabiliites get in their way of accomplishing their life goals. Kudos to him. *kick*

Third off, can we petition to have Mason Raymond's jersey to have "Mason-Raymond" on the back? Maybe "M Raymond". For whatever reason, Jim Hughson can only say his name as a grouping, as if there's another Raymond we may be confusing him with. Something that just annoys me. Drinking game potential, though tonight it was some scotch so that's quite expensive...

Fourth off, what should be done with the Wellwood, the tubby little cheating bastard? How can no one catch this at the game? Does he not understand the concept of the hashmarks? The league needs to look at this.

Finally, it's interesting that this team can't beat Vancouver at the start of the season when they lost against every other team...but when Vancouver is one of the hottest teams int he league we beat them twice in a row pretty convincingly. The world works in mysterious ways.

The Beast, It Is Slain

Second ago, the Flames finally defeated the evil Vancouver Canucks for the very first time this season. It's about time, I think. It was officially "a gooder". Some brief notes:

• Glencross: What a machine! The chuckwagon racing has done him good. I don't see what else it could be, what a terrific signing. My hate for him last year is directly proportional to my love for him this year.
• Lombardi: He has been impressive tonight, in that he's been able to engage stealth mode and stay off the scoresheet while his linemates rack up the points.
• Kiprusoff: He looked like a starting goaltender.
• Iginla: Looked impressive, loved the pass on Cammalleri's 2nd goal. Perfect.
• Langkow: He got 2 assists and I didn't actually notice him too much, but obviously he was doing a lot of things right.
• Keenan: M-mi-mix-mix-mixmaster Mike is at it again. Keeps me on my toes, I suppose, but I still don't like it.

But it's not over yet. Time to kick the puppy while it's down, and enjoy doing it.

Bourque, Bourque, Bourque

So we're all anxiously awaiting the season opener on Saturday at home vs the Canucks...

What? Oh, the season opener was last night? Well, that was pretty forgettable.

Were there any bright points? I guess if you're Robyn Regehr's agent, last night's game where he didn't appear was awesome, if only because it highlighted what a key component of the team he is, despite all the season previews which blithely stated that Iginla, Phaneuf and Kiprusoff were the core of the team.

Pardy (who skated in Regehr's place) in due time will probably develop into a Regehr-like defenseman, but it'll take time. As it was, I cringed a little at how well the Canucks were able to take advantage of the gaps in our D.

The point at which we lost the game was probably during a 5 on 3 in the first period. Had we capitalized on that chance, I'd be writing a very different post right now, but we fanned on the shot, and...yeah.

I like that we have more than one strategy on the powerplay besides "Get the puck to the point, and let Phaneuf shoot it," but besides positioning guys at the net correctly (yes, I'm looking at you, Rene Bourque), we have to make contact with the puck.

Goaltending? I ain't touching that one with a 10 ft cattle prod. There were games Kipper has stolen for us in the past...this wasn't one of them.

And the best news of all?

It can hardly get wosre.

Vacation Reading

I was not-so-recently (sorry about that) given a review copy of Cold-Cocked: On Hockey, a recent book written by Lorna Jackson, a writer living on Vancouver Island, and yes, a Canucks fan.

I'm not interested in writing as an alien, a stunned onlooker, a girlie fan in a baggy jersey, or a robot guided by the television camera's morbid fixation on the puck.

The 2003-04 season was a watershed year for the Calgary Flames and their fans. In Vancouver, it was a watershed year for the Canucks, with names like Bertuzzi and Moore forever entangled in that season. And it was a watershed year for the author of this book as well. It would be a difficult year, with stresses in both her personal and professional lives that change her indelibly. She would commute from Vancouver Island to Vancouver regularly, to catch games and try to interview as many players and members of the Canucks organization as she could. Despite the many frustrations she would encounter, she would tough it out somehow, using what she observed on the ice and in the dressing room as inspiration.

Most hockey books I've encountered in the past have been bathed in fond nostalgia, or drowned in journalistic impersonality. Not so, this book. Ms. Jackson writes passionately, about her life, her past, her surroundings, as they all intersect with hockey. She's fearless and relentless in exposing every facet of her life as she spends the year asking questions about the game, and subjecting her answers to deep feminist analysis.

However, the same energy which so distinguishes this book from others also points out its greatest flaws. While there's no doubt that Ms. Jackson can write vividly, and likewise, there's no questioning the amount of sweat and tears that went into the writing, it's not at all clear to me why she wrote it.

It's obvious that this was a big year for her, full of changes and pain and joy, but it's unclear what drove her to begin chronicling it, what drove her to attend as many Canucks games as she did, what drove her to acquire dressing room credentials for the year. It's fortuitious that she got as much exposure to the Vancouver Canucks during this year that she could use as material to base her musings about her life.

Whatever Ms. Jackson's original intentions were, the book changes tone early on, to become a book about writing the book. However, the lack of explanation of what inspired this project in the first place makes the result come off as a vanity piece. It becomes more narcissistic than reflective. Which is unfortunate, for a writer who is so skilled and passionate about what she loves.

Maybe I'm being harsh. My impressions certainly weren't helped by encountering frequent and reoccuring typos of names I dearly love, names of players from my own team, like Nieuwendyk (OK, maybe we can let that one go), and McLennan. These only helped to reinforce my vague sense that Ms. Jackson's world was constrained that season, by the Canucks and nothing but, not even other teams nearby.

So my final verdict? Read this book if you want to dissect the life of a Canucks fan, if you want to see what makes this specific woman tick. Don't read it expecting to derive any new revelations of the game, to generalize her experience to what we all feel when the puck hits the ice.

Other HLOGgers chime in:
Sherry at Scarlett Ice
Cat at Untypical Girls

Worst March Ever

(Photo inspired by Scarlett Ice)

Yeah, that was ugly. This whole month has been weird to me.

I should hate the Oilers. I really, really should. But damnit, they have been impressive. I actually have a soft spot now for the little-team-that-could, and on another level I'm jealous of all of the young talent that is emerging on that team. Particularly when I'm comparing it to our prospect closet, which is as barren as the Queen of England.

The Oilers have come up from the depths of hell to be battling -- rather successfully -- for a playoff spot.

Simultaneously, the Flames fumble to find the suck knob and crack that sucker sky-high such that instead of pulling comfortably into a division title -- as they were headed -- they start losing games when you can't lose games, to teams you can't lose to. Flashbacks to last season

To make matters worse, Vancouver came out of nowhere to dominate tonight's game. I realize it's only two losses in a row, but these are not trivial games. The effort needs to be there. It's not. We've got 3 more games, on the road, and this isn't going so swell.

What is the problem? We don't have Playfair as a scapegoat this year (though he is still around...). My original thought was too many strong personalities in the room, too many former Captains, and basically too many people playing solo instead of playing as a team. But this isn't totally the case...Iginla put in a strong game tonight anyway. It shouldn't be overconfidence because this team, post 03-04, has underperformed.

What is the problem? Fuck if I know, but if it's not going to get fixed soon...well, nothing. I'll just be as pissed as I am these days.

It's not all doom and gloom. Still in the playoff picture. 3 more games to go. Plenty of time for this team to man up and pretend like they want a shot at the cup, though I'm starting to guess just how many people on the team actually care.

Meh.

Jeff Shantz and Rico Fata are still alive?

Apparently so. Who knew?

Kudos to Mark Giordano and Hnat Domenichelli for winning that other Christmastime tourney.

We'll keep it short today. Boo Canucks, go Flames. Let's see the team play a full 60 minutes without falling asleep on their feet, and maybe let's slip Luongo some tainted eggnog. It's getting past the best before date of that stuff, y'know.

49-1 Calgary (originally it was going to be an aping of MG's infamous 4-1 prediction, then my fingers slipped reaching for the hyphen. And why the hell shouldn't I leave it that way? What? Oh. Happy thoughts! And Happy New Year! )

Some belated post-games

Not too many surprises this weekend...

The Flames played the who-are-they-now? Oilers on the weekend, generally outplaying them. It was pretty close until Kipper stole one, some guys who haven't been scoring lately managed to hit the twine, and presto! All was well with the world.

Less than 24 hours later, the Flames were in Vancouver to play the Li... sorry, the Canucks, and unsurprisingly, looked like a team playing their second game in 24 hours. Lackadaisical is probably the nicest word to describe their play. Despite coming out ahead in the shot clock, genuine scoring chances were few and far between, and that turned the game into a loss. It definitely didn't help to have Regehr and Moss gone for parts of the game (is it just me, or does Vancouver have horrible karma injury-wise?) It was a bit disappointing given that the Canucks' D is sorely lacking... well, players, at present, and a chance to capitalize on the Manitoba Moose's simplistic defensive scheme was squandered. I don't think the schedule is an adequate excuse for last night's performance - if they can't do this every so often, how legitimate a playoff team do you expect them to be?

There's just a couple of things I'd like to get out there, as well:
Rumours: Let's just get this clear, hey? If we didn't change the coaching at this point in the season last year, it's not happening this year. Take any muttering that says "Keenan," and file that next to the UFO sightings and the alien abductions. Also, I hereby pre-emptively cancel the Flames' incessant search for a #1 centreman - between Langkow, Lombardi and Conroy, we average out to a 1.352-center*, and will probably be just fine. You're jokin' if you're thinking about Jokinen. Marleau is also highly unlikely, given the Flames' cap situation.

*(Yes - I know that if you take 3 whole numbers and average them, you're going to get a x.0, x.333333, x.666666. And?)

Things I like: Oh. This is harder than I thought. Kipper had a good game Saturday? That's the goalie I remember the Flames having. Um. Lombardi's really good, as of late. He might not be ready for the toughest minutes yet, but I like his work on the PK, and well, that goal that Nolan set him up for was a beauty. Won't see a better one.

Things I would like to change: Special teams. The PK has been terrible, and that's no secret. One of the key points in yesterday's match were the powerplays (three minors which translated into two overlapping 5-on-3s, essentially) which the Flames enjoyed early in the second period. Shortly after nothing happened there, we got dinged with a penalty and Vancouver never looked back. Uh-oh.

Also, the D. They've just looked awkward this year. I'm not sure whether it's the rotating pairings, but...argh. With a D-corps so supposedly stacked, losing Regehr should not be so glaring a gap.

The big thing is the three (or has it been only two? Sadly, I'm losing count) weeks of squandering divisional games. I think I'd be ok if we lost a pile of games, as long as they were against the Eastern Conference. Remember that at the start of this stretch, the Flames were, in the eyes of many, off to a great start. Not so much anymore. And losing to divisional opponents sucks, and it just sets a bad precedent for the rest of the year.

Anyways, that's enough for now. If you want more, look to MG and Matt for much more (and much more fantastic) detailed analysis of the way things have been.

Look for another divisional tilt tomorrow... I hereby nominate Dave to do the pre-game. And it'll be amazing. Right Dave?

Slip-slidin'....

Geez. It's been forever since we've seen the boys win... loss after frustrating loss...

Oh. This is a Flames blog? I thought we were talking about the Hitmen?

See, the big boys are nowhere near abysmal yet. It's been a depressing couple of the weeks for the Hitmen, who started the season with a hot streak, and well, have been nowhere near that good since then.

So, back to the montony of division rivalry-time. At least this isn't as bad as last year, where we played Colorado back-to-back-to-back...

The good news is, somebody has to win tonight. I like Calgary's chances a bit better than Vancouver's. We're healthier, and at least our big guns are scoring. Every so often. And our d-men have been mostly been untouched by crazy freak accidents.

There's been some fantastic discussion by MG, Kyle, and Duncan about problems with the team. I'm not going to add much to this, I'm afraid, I'm supposed to be using my computer to breed cyanobacteria...but, I will pointedly ask everybody which assistant/associate coach is supposed to be working with the boys on their PK. Ahem. Is that a canary yellow shirt I just spotted? So really, I'm disappointed but not surprised (also correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think I'm off base here). But hang in there, guys! Winter is coming. Then the season actually starts ;)

Predictions? It had better not be 4-1 again, that's all I'm going to say...

Wake me up when October ends...

Uh...nothing new tonight. Go Langkow. Go Lombo. Go Phaneuf. Boo Eriksson. Let's try not to lose the next one with mere minutes/seconds to go. Penalties. Officiating. Um. Come out and play. For 60 minutes, damn it...

On the other hand, it could have been worse. On After Hours, Keenan indicated (shocking Kelly and Scott in the process) that McElhinney injured his knee during warmup. According to Iron Mike, we could have seen David Hale in net, kids! Or Warren Peters...

Doesn't that warm the cockles of your soul?

(Ok, what the hell does that phrase mean, anyways?)

From the rest of the league: There seemed to be a rash of SHG all over tonight. Don't get it... Also, everybody should find a pop tart to buy expensive cars for, if Mike Comrie can keep this up. I mean, everybody. Let's empty out the Disney Channel.

Next game: myomy. Road game. In Detroit. This could be very good, or very ugly, take your pick. Take my advice and focus on the goaltending drama.... I guess we'll see Keetley come up, if McElhinney turns out to have a bona fide knee issue.

Pre-Season: Pre-Game: Pre-Caring: Post-Ambivalence: Calgary vs Vancouver

Will this be a real game? Or another AHL scrimmage?

I want to see a real line up soon. I want to see chemistry forming. I don't want to start another season unprepared like the last seasons in recent memory. Maybe it's time to stop playing players like Chucko and let the real pros lace up for a game.

What better time to do that than against Vancouver?

Vancouver Post-Game

Suck it, McGeough!

(Please fire him, or let him retire. Maybe Leanne can post a postgame, I am too infuriated that this clown can still blow his whistle. Also, Bob Cole was terrible. He sounds like my senile grandfather.)

Hey, is there a Flames game tonight?

And, here's a great idea for a drinking game when watching a Canucks game with colour by Drew Remenda: Every time he says "slap pass", take a drink. Everyone would be smashed by the end of the 1st. God, I hate him. I hate him.

I hate him, almost as much as I hate Minnesota.

I'm not sure I like these trade dealies anymore

I just found out via TSN that Vancouver got Brent Sopel for a couple measly draft picks (via tsn):

The Vancouver Canucks jumped the deadline in acquiring former Canuck Brent Sopel from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a 2nd and 4th round draft pick. In addition Vancouver added veteran centre Bryan Smolinski from the Chicago blackhawks for a conditional 2nd round pick.

That's peanuts for a guy like Sopel. Amazingly, he's a plus player on frickin' Los Angeles. He's got a lot of points for a d-man. He's only 30. I think with additions like this, an already solid team like Vancouver is that more dangerous.

It's amazing how much Luongo has improved that team. Now that they're starting to build up a competent defense, it's starting to worry me -- especially against Calgary. I've always been a big defensive hockey fan, so I'm naturally a bit apprehensive about the Flames' defensive play this year, or lack thereof. Playfair has almost turned the Flames into a run n' gun team, and I'm certain that's not what Sutter had in mind when he built this team. While some people blame Kiprusoff not being unreal for the reason we're letting in more goals, I think that's a small part of it. Sure, there have been an unusual amount of softies he's let in, but he's also still making unreal saves.

The problem is he's seeing too much rubber. Calgary is #19 league-wide in shots against per game (30.4) this season, while last season Calgary was #6 with 27.6 and in 03-04 we were #5 with 25.5. That is not a positive trend.

So I am definitely more worried about Vancouver now than I have been before. Their glaring weakspot is their offense -- namely, if you shut down the Sedin Sisters you win the game, but Calgary historically has had some problems with that.

Buck up, it's going to be a wild ride...

On the even brighter side...

Dave seems unwilling to talk about last night's game so I guess I better step up.

It was a pretty good game! It was a bit demoralizing to see Vancouver up by two goals after the first period, when I thought Calgary had at least held their own (and after having hit the goalpost twice). But we came on strong.

It probably didn't hurt that the Canucks admittedly had what they thought was one of their worst periods of the season in the second. I'm not gonna complain.

This game helped to illustrate why the Conroy trade was so important. It jolted Lundmark out of his offensive funk, and he contributed a goal to the Kings' 7-0 win...kidding. What the trade did was make Calgary's forward corps far deeper, meaning that they can't just shut down Iggy.

Suddenly, it doesn't matter whether Willie Mitchell can contain Iginla. The Canucks also have to find somebody to look after Huselius on the second line, and to keep Lombardi corked up on the third. (And was it just me, or did Lombardi not get a lot of question time on After Hours? Instead, we were treated to a clip of Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis ummm, demonstrating how close teammates can be).

I'm hoping this bodes well for the road. Conroy might give us that extra bit that lets us win more faceoffs and not turtle under. But we have a few more games on the homestand - they better take those games and make some room in the NW.

Final parting shot: Drew Remenda, you suck. Jim Hughson was producing more informative colour commentary than you were (though that's not saying much).