Roman Turek will be out of action for the next few weeks due to a sprained knee. He had already missed two earlier games in this new season due to an unrelated injury. Back-up goalie Jamie McLennan has looked good so far; all three of the Flames' wins have been with McLennan as netminder; both losses were with Turek.

No truth to the rumour that CuJo will be playing here soon!

[ May 23, 2004, 12:50 PM: Message edited by: Marc ]

Well, what a strange coincidence...there IS another Flames fan out there and we even share the same name! I'm surprised the moderators allow such duplication. Anyway Marc, I know how lonely it is when those American boys take over the hockey threads to talk about their Flyers, Rangers, Kings (and, gasp! even the Capitals). Yet another example of how the US has come to dominate every facet of Canadian culture wink Us small-market teams just can't compete with these high-profile teams from the big US cities! Dammit, even those Spokane Chiefs in the Outback Hockey League get more attention than the Flames wink And yet our lads are 4-3, a better winning percentage than any of the NHL teams named above, thanks to the big win over Edmonchuk last night, which consoled me after the Yankees' loss in the World Series. Hey, we even scored on a power play! Jamie McLennan has been great since he took over from Turek; he currently has one of the best GAA's in the league. Anyway, nice talkin' to ya dude...this could be OUR year! Dare to dream!


(Hey guys, I hope you know I'm just having a little fun here )

At the risk of intruding on the personal conversation between Marc & Marc (don't at least one of you have a curling tournament to attend? wink ) I've heard the Flames may enter the Sean Burke sweepstakes, since it's fairly certain he won't end his season on his current team & wonder if this rumor has made its way north of the border?

~Adam

[ October 26, 2003, 12:31 PM: Message edited by: Adam ]

Hey bub. whaddaya mean outback hockey league??? wink
Too bad my Chiefs lost in o.t. last night to our (hated) Tri-City Americans, yeah right. frown

Adam wrote:

We'll forgive the intrusion, Adam. Curling? You just gave me a great inspiration for another thread! That ought to generate 500-plus posts in the first week! I'll check with the other Marc to see if we can jointly host The Curling Forum to keep up with the questions and comments, since at any given time one of us will be out and about at the bonspiels. Nothing breaks the monotony of our ten-month winters like beating a broom against the ice (some die-hards keep playing into June, by then it's called puddle-sweeping, but it gets kinda messy). Ump better watch out, his baseball threads are soon to be rivalled by The Curling Forum!

Getting back to reality...no I haven't heard anything locally about Sean Burke coming to the Flames. He's still in Phoenix, as far as I know. Flames play the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday; one of our players (Steve Reiprecht) played for them last year. Apparently Patrick Roy will be honoured at tomorrow night's game.

Marc and Adam, check "Other Sports". There has been a whopping 26 posts since the beginning of the curling thread! Americans know about as much about curling as the Calgary Flames know about fiscal management!

I'm rooting for your Flames too, Marc & Marc! I hope they can get back into the playoffs this season, along with all the other Canadian teams (except the dreaded Leaves, of course wink ). TSN's carrying tonight's Flames @ Stars game. I hope they fare better tonight than they did last night on "St-Patrick Night" in Colorado. And what was Jarome doing instigating a fight in the first period?? Keep those sweet hands on your stick, Jarome! Btw, Marc(s), how's Roman's knee doing?

Thanks for the support, Seph! I didn't see last night's Calgary-Dallas game due to a class. Apparently the Flames blew a 3-1 lead in the third, and eventually lost in OT; at least they get a point for that. I saw part of the Avalanche-Flames game on Tues...I don't know what got into Iggy! He spent 19 minutes in the penalty box, boosting his season to date total to 32 minutes! In all of last season, he had only 49 PIMs. Haven't heard anything further about our six-million dollar goalie. Dany Sabourin got his first chance in the net last night. Meanwhile Jamie McLennan seems to be doing just fine.

As for making the playoffs, I sure hope you're right! Calgary has missed the post-season seven years in a row now, a league record. Most hockey experts predict some improvement from the Flames, but yet another early trip to the golf course. I'm cautiously optimistic, but they are simply going to have to score more goals. Who knows, maybe we will see an all-Canadian Stanley Cup like in 1989, Calgary vs Montreal (but I'll settle for Vancouver vs my old hometown Ottawa, a more realistic scenario). I haven't seen Les Canadiens yet this season, but I notice they have 10 points...tied for last in their division, but that would be good enough for second place in any of the Western Conference divisions!

[ October 30, 2003, 04:47 PM: Message edited by: Marc ]

Hey Marc, my "outback" league Chiefs beat your Hitmen from Calgary last night in the W.H.L. wink

While Toronto and Montreal were being humiliated by Philadelphia and New York Rangers (!) respectively, the only Canadian-based team to win last night was Calgary. Jamie McLennan had a shut-out against the Columbus Blue Jackets, although he faced only 15 shots on goal. In the 3-0 win, the Flames defence finally scored for the first time this season (twice in fact by the same player, Jordan Leopold).

[ November 02, 2003, 10:01 AM: Message edited by: Marc ]

The Flames seem to be playing better hockey all the time now Marc, them and the Rangers and the Flyers as well. Good job Flames!

But the new title of this thread is still highly inaccurate. wink

from Joe in Philly:

But the new title of this thread is still highly inaccurate.

Yeah...everyone know the Stanley Cup will go to either the Sharks or Capitals!!

~Adam

Highly inaccurate?! I'm incensed! :mad: But I'm glad some of you guys noticed the change in the title thread; I was trying to be subtle, by not drawing attention to it in my post this morning. Depending how the season progresses, the thread title may change again to any of the following:

--2004 Western Conference Champions
--2004 Northwest Division Champions
--2004 Playoff Contender (maybe? please?)
--Well we DID win it all back in '89!

Don't worry about it, Marc. How much crap did I have to take for my "Yankees Appear Back on Track" title? Funny, the Florida Marlins fans didn't seem to mind!

Indeed you did take a lot of crap, Cattledog, and not just concerning the title of that thread! But it did generate a lot of interest, to be sure (288 posts over the season). The guys here on the hockey threads seem to be more easy-going and not as high-strung as some of those baseball fans.

Flames host the Red Wings' veteran talent tomorrow night. The two teams are tied in terms of points, but Detroit has scored 13 more goals.

[ November 03, 2003, 07:45 PM: Message edited by: Marc ]

The Flames lost 3-0 to the Red Wings last night; a lacklustre performance to be sure, but Detroit wasn't exactly playing with a lot of passion either. Twelve minutes went by in the first period before there was even a shot on goal. Oh well, if they had to lose a game, I'm glad it was to Detroit.

Curtis Joseph was back, for only his second game this season. The TV announcer commented about the tense relationship between Cujo and Dominik Hasek; apparently the two goalies don't even acknowledge each other. Can't be good for team chemistry!

With today's acquisition of Steve Thomas from Anaheim, the Red Wings' roster, if I've counted correctly, now has seven players over the age of 35, compared to zero for the Flames. Wish some of those veterans were here.

Don't worry, I'm sure you could find some veterans by the end of the season.

Trevor

Sandwiched among the better entertainment offered by various CFL and NFL games this afternoon, the Flames-Blue Jackets game was televised, but Calgary lost for the third straight time. At least they actually scored in this one, but the Flames still have fewer goals than any other NHL team at the moment. If this doesn't improve, I may have to revise the thread title sooner than I had hoped.

Interesting factoid: As of last Friday, NHL teams who are first to score in a game have won 68% of games played this season; apparently this is significantly higher than normal.

Marc, don't feel bad about the Flames, okay? The Spokane Chiefs have now lost 4 straight!!!!! frown

Misery loves company, Puckman! wink

puckman and marc: you both know that in a long season, every team is going to have its rough patches. Even the high-flying Canucks (whom I predicted will be in the Stanley Cup finals with the Senators) will have a up-and-down period. As long as the fundamentals are solid, the team will right itself and the Flames seem to have a solid base (sorry, puckman--don't know enough about Chiefs to make the same claim) so it'll work itself out.

By the way, Marc--thanks for the "private message;" I only check once a fortnight....I'm looking forward to the battle on 1/20/04 when my boys are in your neck of the woods & then it'll be game on, boyfriend! And on 4/20, Calgary comes to Staples & it's Fan Appreciation Night--if you can make it to town with your team we'll appreciate you! wink

~Adam

You're right Adam, every team does have its ups and downs, but for the Flames it's definitely been more of the latter. They have missed the playoffs seven straight years, and have not even broken through the 80-point barrier for at least the last five years. They can't rely on one star player (Jarome Iginla) to carry the team, and even he hasn't been outstanding so far this year. Centre Craig Conroy has been disappointing too. Oh well, it's still early in the season, and anything can happen, I suppose.

Actually the Jan 20 game is in Los Angeles, according to my schedule. Your Kings play here on Feb 3 and March 27, then the Flames go back to L.A. on April 2 (not April 20, unless you're an optimistic psychic and have fore-seen a playoff game? ) These matches ought to be marketed with something catchy like 'Iggy vs Ziggy'.

Glad you got the PM, boyfriend! wink

from Marc:

,,Actually, the Jan 20 game is in Los Angeles....then the Flames go back to LA on April 2 (not April 20, unless you're an optomistic psychic and have fore-seen a playoff game?)

Mea culpa, sort of. The small Kings calendar I keep at my desk features home games shaded black with white lettering and away games shaded gray with black lettering. In past seasons, home has been gray with the black lettering and away games had been black with the white lettering. I guess when home sweaters changed to dark, so did the scedules--and I hadn't paid attention! And as for me being an optomistic psychic--didn't you know?

~Adam

I just read today that the captain of the Calgary Flames, Jarome Iginla, is actually from Edmonton. Even worse, the captain of the Edmonton Oilers, Jason Smith, is actually from Calgary.

Isn't there some sort of Alberta law against such a thing? Marc? :confused:

No such law, Cattledog, but there should be, considering the rivalry between the two cities, which extends beyond hockey to include football, industry, arts, politics, universities, etc. It does seem almost an act of treason for a Calgarian to be captain of an Edmonton team and vice-versa! In fact, besides Iggy, there are several other Flames who were born in the self-proclaimed City of Champions, including goalie Jamie McLennan, and of course there are numerous Albertans spread across the NHL. But actually, the Calgary-Edmonton hockey rivalry isn't quite as intense as it was in the good old days of McDonald/MacInnis/Mullen and Gretzky/Messier/Kurri, when the two teams routinely met in the playoffs...something which hasn't happened for many years now

The Flames player with the most exotic and unlikely birthplace is defenceman Robyn Regehr. The young defenceman was born in Brazil, that hotbed of hockey talent and frequent medal winner at the Winter Olympics.

Darryl and Brian Sutter's teams faced each other last night in Chicago, and fortunately it was Brother Darryl's side who got the impressive 6-2 win...finally some offensive production from the Flames, although not from the first line. Rookie Matthew Lombardi scored a hat trick (including a short-handed goal) and Dean McAmmond scored two more. The Flames have now crept up to 30 goals on the season, three more than the lowly Penguins!

[ November 13, 2003, 09:25 AM: Message edited by: Marc ]

Marc, your friends here in Los Angeles are leading the cheers your Flames victory over the Maple Leafs. Overtime wins are the very best!

A round of Labatt Blue all around!

~Adam

[ November 19, 2003, 09:10 AM: Message edited by: Adam ]

Thanks, Adam! I think the win over Toronto was a great emotional boost for the team, winning at home, after a less-than-stellar road trip. I cheered to myself when I saw Joe Nieuwendyk skating down the ice, forgetting for a moment that he hasn't played for the Flames in years. Iggy played better than he has of late. And Calgary was 50% on the power play (2 for 4); if only they could achieve that percentage in every game! The Flames have apparently played fewer home games than any other team this season, but for the next month play the majority of their games at the Saddledome, so hopefully that will translate into some much-needed wins (the upcoming game against Vancouver should be a real test).

Labatts Blue? Great beer, but isn't that the colour of the Leafs? A Rickard's Red would be more fitting, I think!

[ January 07, 2004, 03:47 PM: Message edited by: Marc ]

from Marc:

.....a Rickard's Red would be more fitting, I think!

I've never had a Rickard's Red; don't know if it's available here in LA....a road trip to Canada seems to be in order! Maybe I'll stop in Spokane and pick up puckman!

~Adam

Adam wrote:

Any time, lads!

In their last six games (all on home ice), the Flames earned ten of a possible twelve points (wins over Toronto, Montreal, Chicago, San Jose; a tie with Vancouver; an OTL to Colorado). Last night's 3-1 win over the Sharks featured a successful penalty shot (always great to watch) by Shean Donovan, and Jarome Iginla finally ended his scoring drought. Mikka Kiprusoff, Calgary's newest goalie, had his first game against his former team. Overall, the Flames' goals-against total has been impressive this season, allowing only 55 to date, second only to St Louis in the Western Conference. Things are looking up! In fact, the Flames are now in third place in their division, having slipped ahead of Edmonton in points and with two games in hand. They are off to the coast for a re-match with the Canucks on Thursday.

Marc, I've noticed the recent streak by your Flames--and thought of how happy you must be about it. Howeverm is it true that Iginla scored only one goal in November??? Seems totally unthinkable to me.

~Adam

Way to go Flames! wink

Thanks, guys Adam, yes it's true that Iggy scored only once in November (against Columbus). And last night's goal against San Jose was only his fifth of the season and in fact his first on home ice. In spite of this, he still leads the Flames in points, thanks to his 12 assists, a fact overlooked by some of Jarome's critics in the media here.

The Flames are now 6-1-1-2 in their last ten games, making them among the NHL's hottest teams at the moment, right up there with Toronto, Philadelphia, Detroit and...Nashville? (that last one surprised me when I looked at the standings). Calgary has had back-to-back wins over division rivals Vancouver and Minnesota; the win over the Canucks on Thursday was especially impressive. Jarome Iginla has been making up for his scoring slump, having scored three times in the past two games, including the winning goal against the Wild last night, with 22 seconds remaining. On the downside, forwards Steve Reinprecht and Craig Conroy (my cutie) are out with injuries. Next up, the mighty Penguins of Pittsburgh, which ought to be an easy win for the Flames.

The Penguins are playing tough. It might not be as easy as you expect.

Joe, your support for Pennsylvania's hockey teams is understandable, but Calgary's win over Pittsburgh tonight turned out to be the most lop-sided victory of the season thus far for the Flames; final score was 6-1. Shean Donovan, a former Penguin, scored a hat trick! Flames play your Flyers next week in Philadelphia; I'm not as confident about that game, but am sure enjoying this current winning streak.

The Flames are proving they can play competitively with at least some of the elite teams of the league. Last night they tied the Avalanche in OT (1-1), whom they lost to in OT 6-5 just two weeks ago. I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever see former Duck Paul Kariya in his new uniform!

Calgary's #1 goalie Miika Kiprusoff (acquired from San Jose a few weeks ago) currently has the best GAA in the NHL, at 1.49. With that kind of record, and a reliable back-up in Jamie McLennan (although he hasn't had much work lately), who needs Roman Turek!

Flames play in Philadelphia, Boston and Columbus this week, and the Philly game is televised here. I doubt if they will be a big draw in those cities; but if you happen to be at the Flyers game Joe, I know you'll be cheering on the Flames for me

I'm not going to be at the game. And I would think that after the disappointing results of the home-and-home against the Devils this weekend, the Flyers are going to come out angry tomorrow night.

from marc:

....wonder if I'll ever see former Duck Paul Kariya in his new uniform!

The Avs and Ducks face each other this coming Friday and, in today's LA Daily News, Kariya is quoted as saying he hopes to play in that game and that he "feels great, except for my arm & hand." Oh, is that all??

~Adam

I know Marc is happy now...Flames 3, Flyers 2 in OT. Hitchcock is in the post-game meeting with the media, saying the Flames were "dead" in the 3rd period, said "their best play in the 3rd period was icing the puck" but the Flyers didn't take advantage.

Yes Joe, indeed I am happy with the Flames' rather surprising OT win over the Flyers, coming back from a 2-1 deficit in the third period with two goals by Dean McAmmond. The game ended more than 24 hours ago (ancient history now, I guess) but I had to record the game due to work, quickly replay it due to the late hour I got home, work again this morning, attend a social function and only now had a chance to log on to Outsports to comment! The game was nasty at times, with dumb fights breaking out between Jeremy Roenick and Chris Clark, and later between Robin Regehr and Keith Primeau. It was the only meeting this season between the two teams, and I believe it was only the second loss for the Flyers' on home ice. Speaking of home ice, the puck went astray several times, hitting players on both teams. The announcer attributed this to ice conditions which (apparently) are a frequent problem at Wachovia Centre.

These Flames are HOT (pun intended, of course )

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MARC!

I saw your Flames gave you an early birthday present by humiliating the Bruins in their own building 5-0! :cool:

Cattledog, is today Marc's birthday????

Yes, sir! So everybody wish Marc their best!

Thank you, Cattledog!

Yes Puckman, it's true...as youthful and ageless as I seem the biological clock has advanced another year. But I take comfort in recalling that Gordie Howe was several years older than me and still playing in the NHL!

Needless to say, I'm ecstatic about the Flames' 5-0 win over the Bruins last night, especially after beating the current version of the 'Broad Street Bullies' on Tues! As luck would have it, the Boston game was only available on 'Pay Per View', but I was at work anyway. However, I did catch part of the game on radio, and couldn't believe my ears when I heard the final score. And those 5 goals were achieved with just 14 SOGs, as compared to zero-for-30 by Boston against our back-up puck-stopper Jamie McLennan. Miika and Jamie are now ranked #1 and #6 respectively in league GAA. I heard that the Fleet Centre in Boston was only half-full; I guess that's an indication of the Flames being a poor draw in some eastern cities. They play in the 'western' city of Columbus tonight; the Blue Jackets won the last match-up. If Calgary wins tonight, and if Colorado loses to Anaheim, the Flames will at least temporarily be in second place in their division, just behind Vancouver.

There aren't many real rivalries between Eastern and Western conference teams. Unless there's some major incident that causes hate between them, or unless they've met in the finals, it's a one-or-two game per year thing so there's less interest.

Happy birthday, Marc!

Thanks, Joe! I think you're right about the (generally) lower interest by fans in games against most teams in the other conference. And it's probably safe to assume that week-night games draw smaller crowds than on weekends, although there are some notable exceptions...I just read this morning that all games played thus far in Colorado, Detroit, Vancouver, Minnesota and Toronto have been sold out (not really surprising, although it's interesting that only one of those teams plays in the Eastern Conference).

Well, it wasn't pretty, but the Flames did it again last night, and thanks to the Avs loss, have moved into second place in the Northwest division. The questionable, inconsistent officiating favoured the Blue Jackets, but Columbus came up empty in their umpteen power plays (including several 5-on-3 opportunities). It took a lot of stamina for the Flames to win this one since they were short-handed so often. Great goaltending by Kiprusoff, as usual.

First and foremost, a belated happy birthday to you, Marc.

On the subject of western/eastern rivalries, oddly, one of the few teams that seems to rile up the Staples Center crowd is the Devils; it seems some real animosity (the first step in a good rivalry) has developed between them and the Kings. Other than that, the team gets fired up for the western teams--Avs, Red Wings, Sharks, and (to a lesser extent) the Ducks, whom the Kings call "that team down the road." The Canadian teams--even the Canucks and your beloved Flames--don't inspire the passion here in the lower part of the US.

~Adam

On the late Sportscenter last night the hosts were having fun with all the Flames penalties (calling them "bad boys" and such). wink Columbus' power play was 0 for thirteen! Unreal.