well last night the Flames finished the season with a solid 4-1 win over the Oilers. McElhinney got his first NHL win and Cammalleri got 2 goals. the Flames lost the division to the Canucks by 2 points, after losing to Edmonton on friday. the Flames were hit hard by injuries, and couldn't get fully back on track since losing Giordano and Bourque in late February. they seem to have been playing better but snakebitten in the past 2 weeks, they will get some much needed rest/repair time before the playoffs start.
finish (predicted team for that position, where they finished) - thoughts (deviation)
1. San Jose (Detroit,2) well I was close, goaltending let them down (1)
2. Detroit (Dallas, 12) no catching san jose, i was way off. goaltending and injuries (10)
3. vancouver (Calgary,5) really, 2 points off. Calgary should have won the division. stupid nucks (2)
4. Chicago (Edmonton, 11) haha, guess i listened to hard to the oil fans/media that said they would win the division, gladly wrong! (7)
5. Calgary (San Jose, 1) underestimated them clearly (4)
6. St. Louis (Anaheim, 8) almost got 6th, 2 points short (2)
7. Columbus (Chicago, 4) young guys impressed, khabibulin back in form unfortunatly (3)
8. Anaheim (Vancouver, 3) stupid division winners, got hot february/march (5)
---------------
9. Minnesota (Columbus, 7) yay columbus, Mason came out of nowhere, first playoff appearance (2)
10. Nashville (...Nashville!, 10) i got this one right! (0)
11. Edmonton(Pheonix, 13) next year should be better for 'yotes (2)
12. Dallas (Minnesota, 9) i underestimated minnesota, meh. (3)
13. Pheonix (Colorado, 15) drive for Tavares, sakic injury put this team out midway (2)
14. Los Angeles (Los Angeles, 14!) i got this one right too (0)
15. Colorado (St. Louis,6) seriously impressed and suprised by st louis, 8-1-1 run to get 6th (9)
in the west, i was 52 off, an average of just about 3 and a half spots off.
EAST:
1. Boston (Montreal, 8) dissapointing season for centennial Canadiens (7)
2. Washington (Pittsburg, 4) coaching troubles had them out of it, got back in (2)
3. New Jersey (Washington, 2) ovy, green, semin and co played well (1)
4. Pittsburg (Philidelphia, 5) wrong because of a tiebreaker...young guys getting better (1)
5. Philidelphia (New York, 7) close, were in danger of missing (2)
6. Carolina (Ottawa, 11) fell apart, out by midseason (5)
7. New York (Tampa Bay, 14) didnt think loss of richards would impact them so much, stamkos needs more time (7)
8. Montreal (New Jersey, 3) even with injuries, NJ keeps getting it done (5)
----------------
9. Florida (Buffalo, 10) i was close. (1)
10. Buffalo (Carolina, 6) getting eric Cole back was huge. and Cam Ward in the net(4)
11. Ottawa (Boston, 1) savard and tim thomas, did not expect this. scary team. (10)
12. Toronto (Florida, 9) good to see florida getting closer, lost bouwmeester though
13. Atlanta (Atlanta, 13) I was right. Kovalchuck is happy just scoring goals. (0)
14. Tampa Bay (Toronto, 12) did better than i thought, but not by much (2)
15. NYI (NYI, 15) no suprise here, still rebuilding (0)
in the west, i was 47 off, an average of just about 3 spots off.
well i didnt too too bad, on my predictions, got 4 right.
all that matters for flames fans is we are in the playoffs again.
the Flames will face off against Chicago on thursday to start round 1 of the 2009 stanley cup playoffs.
matchups:
San Jose vs Anahiem (San Jose in 7)
Detroit vs Columbus (Columbus in 6)
Vancouver vs St Louis (Vancouver in 6)
Chicago vs Calgary (Calgary in 7)
Boston vs Montreal (Boston in 6)
Washington vs New York (Washington in 5)
New Jersey vs Carolina (Carolina in 5)
Pittsburg vs Philidelphia (Pittsburg in 6)
Go Flames go
the Hitmen now await the Brandon Wheat Kings in the WHL east final, but will wait until the west conference series are done. Calgary and Brandon are both 8-0 in the postseason.
the Roughnecks lost to Portland on Friday night in a tight game, but rebouned to beat Edmonton last night ( the same night flames beat oilers) and clinch both the division and first in the league.
they have one game left vs Portland then the playoffs begin in early May.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
quick update
Flames beat the Kings last night 4-1 and play the Canucks tonight and can clinch the northwest division with a win. both teams have 2 games left after tonight. the Flames have the tiebreaker and a 2 point lead.
the Hitmen have won the first 2 games of the east semifinal series vs lethbridge.
a video for football fans missing football season (well stamps fans at least)
http://www.stampeders.com/multimedia/audio_video/?id=428
thats all for now
the Hitmen have won the first 2 games of the east semifinal series vs lethbridge.
a video for football fans missing football season (well stamps fans at least)
http://www.stampeders.com/multimedia/audio_video/?id=428
thats all for now
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
April fools!
FLAMES PULL OFF GREATEST APRIL FOOLS JOKE IN NHL HISTORY
04/01/2009 COMMENTS(12) FLAMES INSIDER
So it appears the Calgary Flames have pulled off one of the most epic April fools jokes ever.
Over the course of the last month the Flames players and coaching staff have fooled the fans and media into thinking they were no longing a good hockey team, and that a first round playoff exit was imminent.
However at practice today it was revealed that the month long display of incompetence was nothing more then an elaborate April Fools joke.
"About a month ago we decided that the typical April Fools jokes that occur just weren’t cutting it, so we sat down as a team to decide what the best way to not only fool the city of Calgary, but the entire NHL would be.” Craig Conroy revealed to our reporters this morning. “We decided, what better joke then to make the entire NHL think we have transformed into the Toronto Maple Leafs over night!!!”
Over the month of March the Flames went 6-9, and managed to loose the division lead to the Vancouver Canucks.
“The hardest part was getting everyone on board. This wasn’t a one or two player effort. It required the collective incompetence of all our top players, goaltender, and coaching staff.”
Despite the almost flawless execution of this joke, there were a few hiccups along the way. “Yeah, that game is Detroit, we had been perfect for two and a half periods, managing to take all those penalties and be trailing by two with a few minutes left. Then, out of no where, Lundmark starts scoring! All of a sudden we were winning! We even let then get a late goal to tie it, but all three of the Wings missed the net in the shootout!”
In fact, Jamie Lundmark only found out this morning about this ploy. “I’ve been busting my ass off every night, trying to help the team win, and today I find out it was all a giant joke.” Others who apparently hadn’t gotten the memo include wingers Eric Nystrom, Warren Peters, and Curtis Glencross.
“I guess since I came from Edmonton they wanted to see me squirm! The amazing part is how they even got the ref to play along in the Minnesota game!” Glencross remarked while sporting a sheepish grin this morning at practice.
Reached for comments this morning, Roberto Loungo had this to say “We always knew we weren’t as good as the Flames, and I suspected something was up. However, I’m glad the Flames let our fans know what it feels like to be in first place, even if it is only going to be for one day!”
04/01/2009 COMMENTS(12) FLAMES INSIDER
So it appears the Calgary Flames have pulled off one of the most epic April fools jokes ever.
Over the course of the last month the Flames players and coaching staff have fooled the fans and media into thinking they were no longing a good hockey team, and that a first round playoff exit was imminent.
However at practice today it was revealed that the month long display of incompetence was nothing more then an elaborate April Fools joke.
"About a month ago we decided that the typical April Fools jokes that occur just weren’t cutting it, so we sat down as a team to decide what the best way to not only fool the city of Calgary, but the entire NHL would be.” Craig Conroy revealed to our reporters this morning. “We decided, what better joke then to make the entire NHL think we have transformed into the Toronto Maple Leafs over night!!!”
Over the month of March the Flames went 6-9, and managed to loose the division lead to the Vancouver Canucks.
“The hardest part was getting everyone on board. This wasn’t a one or two player effort. It required the collective incompetence of all our top players, goaltender, and coaching staff.”
Despite the almost flawless execution of this joke, there were a few hiccups along the way. “Yeah, that game is Detroit, we had been perfect for two and a half periods, managing to take all those penalties and be trailing by two with a few minutes left. Then, out of no where, Lundmark starts scoring! All of a sudden we were winning! We even let then get a late goal to tie it, but all three of the Wings missed the net in the shootout!”
In fact, Jamie Lundmark only found out this morning about this ploy. “I’ve been busting my ass off every night, trying to help the team win, and today I find out it was all a giant joke.” Others who apparently hadn’t gotten the memo include wingers Eric Nystrom, Warren Peters, and Curtis Glencross.
“I guess since I came from Edmonton they wanted to see me squirm! The amazing part is how they even got the ref to play along in the Minnesota game!” Glencross remarked while sporting a sheepish grin this morning at practice.
Reached for comments this morning, Roberto Loungo had this to say “We always knew we weren’t as good as the Flames, and I suspected something was up. However, I’m glad the Flames let our fans know what it feels like to be in first place, even if it is only going to be for one day!”
haha, well that was certainly entertaining. seriously though, the Canucks have passed the Flames in the standings. by one point. thats ok, the division will be decided on tuesday when the Canucks play the Flames. if the Flames win the division, they are likely to play Columbus. Columbus is a tough matchup, as they have gotten better as a team, play well on defence, have a hot rookie goaltender...actually they remind me of the Flames of '04. a little scary, but the flames can beat any team if they play thier game. IF. the Flames should win it this year, but the playoffs are so hard to predict. i still think they will, but its up to the players to play like they need to, and Kipper to play solid in the net. solid team defence will be important, like in the San Jose game the other day. even though the Flames lost, they played like they need to play going into the playoffs.
if the Flames lose the division, they will likely play Chicago. This appears to be a tough matchup as the Flames lost to Chicago all 4 times they played this season. but Chicago is mostly made up of young, smaller players. the Flames can crush them and thier inexperience. reg season means squat when teams play head to head in the playoffs. the only thing that worries me about Chicago is Khabibulin. He always plays rediculously well against the Flames.
no matter what happens, the Flames will play a tough but not elite team in the playoffs. its up to the Flames to win that first series no matter what. then hopefully its a date with Vancouver in the second round.
Go Flames!!
btw, the Hitmen are through to the second round of the playoffs after sweeping Edmonton.
the Roughnecks have clinched a playoff spot again, with a win over minnesota. they move to 9-3.
forgot to add, the Flames clinched a playoff spot tonight!!(its the division we want though)
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Flames, hitmen and Roughnecks
well the Flames have had a rough ride since the trade deadline. the Flames played out a tough roadtrip, and have played better since coming home, but are only 2-2 in the past 4 games. they ahve been playing better though, thats for sure. The Vancouver Canucks have crept to within 3 points of the division lead playing .800 hockey the past 2 months. it will be a close finish with less than 10 games left. the Flames lost tonight to Pittsburg, who are red hot lately, 2-0. Vancouver plays St. Louis tomorrow and the Flames play Columbus.
interesting comment i heard on the post game show, everyone is upset over these simple losses because they are tired of the stupid divison race and want the playoffs to start. the sooner we clinch, the sooner these reg season games are so worrisome. it doesn't really matter if the Flames win the division (it would def help thier chances of getting Stanley's mug tho), it matters if they win in the playoffs.
enough of the regular season, i want playoffs!!!!
speaking of the Playoffs, the Hitmen won again tonight and swept the Edmonton Oil Kings in the first round of WHL playoffs. Go Hitmen. the second round opponent has yet to be decided
the Roughnecks have been playing well lately as well, playing to a 8-2 record, they play the Toronto Rock on friday at the dome
interesting comment i heard on the post game show, everyone is upset over these simple losses because they are tired of the stupid divison race and want the playoffs to start. the sooner we clinch, the sooner these reg season games are so worrisome. it doesn't really matter if the Flames win the division (it would def help thier chances of getting Stanley's mug tho), it matters if they win in the playoffs.
enough of the regular season, i want playoffs!!!!
speaking of the Playoffs, the Hitmen won again tonight and swept the Edmonton Oil Kings in the first round of WHL playoffs. Go Hitmen. the second round opponent has yet to be decided
the Roughnecks have been playing well lately as well, playing to a 8-2 record, they play the Toronto Rock on friday at the dome
Friday, March 6, 2009
post trade deadline thoughts on the Flames
first up, the Flames defeated the Flyers last night 5-1, with goals from Cammallari, Conroy and new comers Leopold and Jokinen(2 goals). the Flames improved to 39-19-6, for 84 points.
well the NHL trade deadline has come and gone, and this year it...was...awesome. an entertaining day of talking about trades and seeing what teams did. actually I mostly found it entertaining because the Flames made some BIG moves to push for the Stanely cup and the moves created some discussion among friends.
here are the Flames deals
- Flames traded D Brett Wilson, D Lawrence Nycholat and Montreal's second round pick to Colorado for D Jordan Leopold.
Adam's take
This is a great deal, Wilson may still play in the NHL, who knows, and Nycholat? well we picked him up off waivers a few days earlier. so we gave up a draft pick and a non-blue chip prospect for an arguably top 4 dman.
Three things I want to point out here...
- with Giordano out for the season with shoulder surgery, the Flames needed a replacement. this allows the Flames to have Pardy as the 7th dman, and a little insurance in case of the inevitable playoff injuries. The Flames also have Anders Eriksson and Matt Pelech on the farm, as well Rhett Warrener may be back.
-Adrian Aucoins contract expires after this season. as much as the Flames would love to keep him, he may require too much salary under the cap. Leopold may be his replacement for next year, depending on how he plays the rest of the way.
- Jordan Leopold has played here before, he helped us get to game 7 of the cup final in '04. he is comfortable here, and that is key to not disrupting team chemistry. it took guys like aucoin and sarich a while to get used to the flames system, the learning curve for Leopold will be much shorter. he scored a goal in his first game back with the flames last night!
the second deal the Flames made was this
the Flames traded C Matt Lombardi, LW Brandon Prust and a first round draft pick (in the 25-30 range) to Pheonix for C Olli Jokinen and Pheonix's 3rd round pick (65-70 range)
I also really like this deal. Sure it sucks to lose Matt Lombardi, but you have to give something up to get something, and Jokinen is a big, big upgrade. Matt Lombardi hasn't lived up to potential, the last 3 seasons were supposed to be break-out 20+ goal seasons, but it hasn't happened. he has 9 goals this year...he is fast, and i have always cheered him on, but if you watch him play, he doesn't have the great hands to go with the speed, when he shows up he plays great. he plays 10 or 15 great games a year, where he is stellar on the penalty kill. that is where the flames will miss him most. Lombardi will have successful career, but nowhere near Jokinen in the end.
Jokinen is a great player who is a scorer and a playmaker, much like iginla, he consistently puts up 30+ goals and 40-50 assists. one knock on him is he has played on non playoff teams...same was said about Luongo when he went to vancouver. Jokinen doesn't have to be the star here, Iggy is THE leader of the team, so Jokinen can just go out and play, and play with Cammalleri and Iginla! and he seems to like the idea of playing in a hockey market for once, this can only be good. just look at last night, Jokinen got two goals in his first game with the Flames, playing on the top line. that top line is scary.
someone i know called it the Rocky Mountain Express, or maybe Flashfire. good names, the national media will probably give them a name anyways though. whatever you call them, they should be a force in the playoffs!
the Flames also traded goalie prospect matt Lalande for a 3rd round draft pick. they would have had to lose one of the guys next season anyways. The Flames made the biggest splash, on trade deadline day there were a total of 22 deals done. for more on the rest of the deals, check tsn.ca or nhl.com.
the Oilers were involved in a 4 team deal to get Osullivan and Kalinin, giving up Cole. the Canucks tried to get Bouwmeester but couldn't, Pronger also wasn't moved. Toronto picked up two goalies and traded a few guys, notably antropov to the Rangers. Morris also went to the Rangers, Recchi and Guerin were also moved.after a busy day, the Flames are in good position going into the playoffs.
Sutter accomplished what he wanted, getting a #1 center and a top 4 dman. Detroit and San Jose didn't do much, but they are the top of the league, so maybe they didn't have to, but the Flames may have moved into being at the same level as these two powerhouses. the Flames are 8 points back and with the injuries (lost the whole second line) needed some reinforcements, now for the playoff stretch.
I feel really confident about the Flames this season. they have gotten better as the season has gone on. after being hit by injuries, they continue to win. Giordano is out for the season, bourque is out til mid april, Bertuzzi is out a month, langkow is still day to day, primeau may be back late in the playoffs, warrener is likely done for the season.
The division is essentially locked up, with a 10 point lead on vancouver with 18 games left. if the Flames go .500(easy, .500 would be dissapointing the rest of the way) the rest of the way they will have 102 ponits, the canucks (10 points back with 1 game in hand) would have to go 14-5. I dont see the Flames playing any worse than .600 the resto of the way. the Flames have the pleasure of watching the mess that is the race for the 7 and 8 spots in the west. the Flames are on a 7 game roadtrip, with 5 left, having won 6 in a row on the road at this point.
will the Flames win the Stanley cup this year? well who knows, there are so many intangibles that go into a long run, but the Flames appear to be in good stead to beat any team in the playoffs in a 7 game series. I would say any team would not want to play this team in the playoffs. so much depth, strength, desire (only 2 cup rings..), leadership and outstanding goaltending. the Flames will likely beat Columbus in the first round, then they may play a tougher opponent in the second round.
I can see a Flames vs wings third round match.possibly San Jose or Vancouver, but San Jose may have goalie injury issues and have a history of choking (reminds me of a similary history of another team tho) and Vancouver is relying solely on luongo, dangerous territory. likely the west winner will play New Jersey, washington or boston. im still holding out hope of a Flames-Canadiens Cup final.
who knows maybe the Flames will get to beat the Oilers, Canucks and Cansdiens in the playoffs this year. bottom line, a first round loss this season will be a huge dissapointment. considering the depth of this team and the moves Sutter made for short term, this team is expected to win. a second round loss would also likely be dissapointing. I think we could live with a west final loss, but I don't see this team losing. they are building a winning culture, where players want to play, they need to take advantage of having guys on career years (breakout years or peaks - cammalleri, boyd, moss, glencross, aucoin) and Iggy is the guy to lead them to Stanley Cup glory.
so maybe that sounds like a Flames fan that is overconfident, but its hard not to be confident with this team. they have learned some lessons over the years (much like the Stampeders had up to last season...) and this team no longer has any glaring weaknesses when healthy. that will be key - health. if the Flames can hold off more major injuries, the Flames will improve when the players get healthy.
for once the Flames have it all, top down scoring depth, solid defencemen, with depth, and the Goaltender the has proven he can win in the playoffs. this is where we sit back as fans and watch our favourite teams. the joy that is the playoffs.
I'm looking forward to watching some playoff hockey. this team is fun to watch, and isn't that all we ask for as sports fans? a hope that the team can win and a good hockey team with skill that works hard. even if they don't win the Stanley cup, itll be a fun run to watch.
Enjoy Flames fans,
and fans of other teams that will also have some success this year.
GO Flames!
oh and as for my trade deadline Stanley Cup prediction - Flames over Devils, 4-2
in other news,
the Hitman have struggled as of late, and need a win over Vancouver to get top spot in the WHL, either way, heading into the playoffs, we may see a Vancouver vs Calgary league final.
in the CFL,
the league is eyeing some rule changes
•Moving back the kick-off following a safety touch, to reduce the number of times a team chooses to take a knee in its own end zone;
•Giving coaches the green light to use so called "wildcat" formations that would move the quarterback around, instead of requiring him to stand behind or under centre;
•Requiring a team that kicks a successful field goal to then kick off to its' opponents, increasing the number of kick returns;
•Awarding a team a third challenge of an official's ruling using instant replay if its' first two challenges are successfull.
All four ideas were approved today by the league's rules committee, and were among those suggested by CFL fans.
the BC Lions have signed Buck Pierce to a deal worth up to(with bonuses) $930,000 for 2 years
well the NHL trade deadline has come and gone, and this year it...was...awesome. an entertaining day of talking about trades and seeing what teams did. actually I mostly found it entertaining because the Flames made some BIG moves to push for the Stanely cup and the moves created some discussion among friends.
here are the Flames deals
- Flames traded D Brett Wilson, D Lawrence Nycholat and Montreal's second round pick to Colorado for D Jordan Leopold.
Adam's take
This is a great deal, Wilson may still play in the NHL, who knows, and Nycholat? well we picked him up off waivers a few days earlier. so we gave up a draft pick and a non-blue chip prospect for an arguably top 4 dman.
Three things I want to point out here...
- with Giordano out for the season with shoulder surgery, the Flames needed a replacement. this allows the Flames to have Pardy as the 7th dman, and a little insurance in case of the inevitable playoff injuries. The Flames also have Anders Eriksson and Matt Pelech on the farm, as well Rhett Warrener may be back.
-Adrian Aucoins contract expires after this season. as much as the Flames would love to keep him, he may require too much salary under the cap. Leopold may be his replacement for next year, depending on how he plays the rest of the way.
- Jordan Leopold has played here before, he helped us get to game 7 of the cup final in '04. he is comfortable here, and that is key to not disrupting team chemistry. it took guys like aucoin and sarich a while to get used to the flames system, the learning curve for Leopold will be much shorter. he scored a goal in his first game back with the flames last night!
the second deal the Flames made was this
the Flames traded C Matt Lombardi, LW Brandon Prust and a first round draft pick (in the 25-30 range) to Pheonix for C Olli Jokinen and Pheonix's 3rd round pick (65-70 range)
I also really like this deal. Sure it sucks to lose Matt Lombardi, but you have to give something up to get something, and Jokinen is a big, big upgrade. Matt Lombardi hasn't lived up to potential, the last 3 seasons were supposed to be break-out 20+ goal seasons, but it hasn't happened. he has 9 goals this year...he is fast, and i have always cheered him on, but if you watch him play, he doesn't have the great hands to go with the speed, when he shows up he plays great. he plays 10 or 15 great games a year, where he is stellar on the penalty kill. that is where the flames will miss him most. Lombardi will have successful career, but nowhere near Jokinen in the end.
Jokinen is a great player who is a scorer and a playmaker, much like iginla, he consistently puts up 30+ goals and 40-50 assists. one knock on him is he has played on non playoff teams...same was said about Luongo when he went to vancouver. Jokinen doesn't have to be the star here, Iggy is THE leader of the team, so Jokinen can just go out and play, and play with Cammalleri and Iginla! and he seems to like the idea of playing in a hockey market for once, this can only be good. just look at last night, Jokinen got two goals in his first game with the Flames, playing on the top line. that top line is scary.
someone i know called it the Rocky Mountain Express, or maybe Flashfire. good names, the national media will probably give them a name anyways though. whatever you call them, they should be a force in the playoffs!
the Flames also traded goalie prospect matt Lalande for a 3rd round draft pick. they would have had to lose one of the guys next season anyways. The Flames made the biggest splash, on trade deadline day there were a total of 22 deals done. for more on the rest of the deals, check tsn.ca or nhl.com.
the Oilers were involved in a 4 team deal to get Osullivan and Kalinin, giving up Cole. the Canucks tried to get Bouwmeester but couldn't, Pronger also wasn't moved. Toronto picked up two goalies and traded a few guys, notably antropov to the Rangers. Morris also went to the Rangers, Recchi and Guerin were also moved.after a busy day, the Flames are in good position going into the playoffs.
Sutter accomplished what he wanted, getting a #1 center and a top 4 dman. Detroit and San Jose didn't do much, but they are the top of the league, so maybe they didn't have to, but the Flames may have moved into being at the same level as these two powerhouses. the Flames are 8 points back and with the injuries (lost the whole second line) needed some reinforcements, now for the playoff stretch.
I feel really confident about the Flames this season. they have gotten better as the season has gone on. after being hit by injuries, they continue to win. Giordano is out for the season, bourque is out til mid april, Bertuzzi is out a month, langkow is still day to day, primeau may be back late in the playoffs, warrener is likely done for the season.
The division is essentially locked up, with a 10 point lead on vancouver with 18 games left. if the Flames go .500(easy, .500 would be dissapointing the rest of the way) the rest of the way they will have 102 ponits, the canucks (10 points back with 1 game in hand) would have to go 14-5. I dont see the Flames playing any worse than .600 the resto of the way. the Flames have the pleasure of watching the mess that is the race for the 7 and 8 spots in the west. the Flames are on a 7 game roadtrip, with 5 left, having won 6 in a row on the road at this point.
will the Flames win the Stanley cup this year? well who knows, there are so many intangibles that go into a long run, but the Flames appear to be in good stead to beat any team in the playoffs in a 7 game series. I would say any team would not want to play this team in the playoffs. so much depth, strength, desire (only 2 cup rings..), leadership and outstanding goaltending. the Flames will likely beat Columbus in the first round, then they may play a tougher opponent in the second round.
I can see a Flames vs wings third round match.possibly San Jose or Vancouver, but San Jose may have goalie injury issues and have a history of choking (reminds me of a similary history of another team tho) and Vancouver is relying solely on luongo, dangerous territory. likely the west winner will play New Jersey, washington or boston. im still holding out hope of a Flames-Canadiens Cup final.
who knows maybe the Flames will get to beat the Oilers, Canucks and Cansdiens in the playoffs this year. bottom line, a first round loss this season will be a huge dissapointment. considering the depth of this team and the moves Sutter made for short term, this team is expected to win. a second round loss would also likely be dissapointing. I think we could live with a west final loss, but I don't see this team losing. they are building a winning culture, where players want to play, they need to take advantage of having guys on career years (breakout years or peaks - cammalleri, boyd, moss, glencross, aucoin) and Iggy is the guy to lead them to Stanley Cup glory.
so maybe that sounds like a Flames fan that is overconfident, but its hard not to be confident with this team. they have learned some lessons over the years (much like the Stampeders had up to last season...) and this team no longer has any glaring weaknesses when healthy. that will be key - health. if the Flames can hold off more major injuries, the Flames will improve when the players get healthy.
for once the Flames have it all, top down scoring depth, solid defencemen, with depth, and the Goaltender the has proven he can win in the playoffs. this is where we sit back as fans and watch our favourite teams. the joy that is the playoffs.
I'm looking forward to watching some playoff hockey. this team is fun to watch, and isn't that all we ask for as sports fans? a hope that the team can win and a good hockey team with skill that works hard. even if they don't win the Stanley cup, itll be a fun run to watch.
Enjoy Flames fans,
and fans of other teams that will also have some success this year.
GO Flames!
oh and as for my trade deadline Stanley Cup prediction - Flames over Devils, 4-2
in other news,
the Hitman have struggled as of late, and need a win over Vancouver to get top spot in the WHL, either way, heading into the playoffs, we may see a Vancouver vs Calgary league final.
in the CFL,
the league is eyeing some rule changes
•Moving back the kick-off following a safety touch, to reduce the number of times a team chooses to take a knee in its own end zone;
•Giving coaches the green light to use so called "wildcat" formations that would move the quarterback around, instead of requiring him to stand behind or under centre;
•Requiring a team that kicks a successful field goal to then kick off to its' opponents, increasing the number of kick returns;
•Awarding a team a third challenge of an official's ruling using instant replay if its' first two challenges are successfull.
All four ideas were approved today by the league's rules committee, and were among those suggested by CFL fans.
the BC Lions have signed Buck Pierce to a deal worth up to(with bonuses) $930,000 for 2 years
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
end of february, flames/hitmen rolling
So we are hitting the end of February, time for the playoff race to heat up in hockey. both Calgary teams are pretty secure where they are. the Hitmen will finish first or second in the WHL and the Flames have opened up a 10 point lead on the Canucks for the division lead, and are 8 points back of Detroit!
the Flames have lost a few key players lately, with Bourque out 2 months with a high ankle sprain and Giordano likely out for the season with shoulder surgery. the good news is Iginla has got his game back, he had a 4 point night vs Columbus on tuesday and has played hard in the past 4 games. the Flames are riding a a streak of 6-0-2 in thier past 8, with 22 games left. the flames play home to Minnesota and Tampa bay this weekend before heading out on a crucial 7 game road trip in the east.
the trade deadline is coming up next wednesday and it should be interesting to see what moves are made in the nhl. Flames GM Darryl Sutter said this week he won't be trading any players off the team, so if he does make a trade, it will be a depth trade, which is good. this team had the parts to go all the way in my opinion. we'll see how it shakes out.
in other sports news, the Edmonton Eskimoes will host the 2010 Grey cup.
Go Flames, Roughnecks and Hitmen
the Flames have lost a few key players lately, with Bourque out 2 months with a high ankle sprain and Giordano likely out for the season with shoulder surgery. the good news is Iginla has got his game back, he had a 4 point night vs Columbus on tuesday and has played hard in the past 4 games. the Flames are riding a a streak of 6-0-2 in thier past 8, with 22 games left. the flames play home to Minnesota and Tampa bay this weekend before heading out on a crucial 7 game road trip in the east.
the trade deadline is coming up next wednesday and it should be interesting to see what moves are made in the nhl. Flames GM Darryl Sutter said this week he won't be trading any players off the team, so if he does make a trade, it will be a depth trade, which is good. this team had the parts to go all the way in my opinion. we'll see how it shakes out.
in other sports news, the Edmonton Eskimoes will host the 2010 Grey cup.
Go Flames, Roughnecks and Hitmen
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
February sports update
Sooo how about an update.
last night the Flames lost 4-3 in a shootout to the Canucks, after the nucks tied it with less than a minute left. The Flames are 3-0-2 in thier last 5 games and still have an 8 point lead on the Canucks for the division lead, good for 3rd in the west. the Flames(33-18-6) have 72 points and the Canucks have 64, with each team having 25 games left in the season. the Canucks are currently in 5th, one point ahead of Dallas. It will be a close race as vancouver is hot right now (6-1 in thier last 7 games) and the Flames have a tough road schedule coming up. the Oilers are in 7th with 62 points, tied with Columbus. in the east Boston is still running away with 1st, while Montreal and NYR have been slumping lately. the Leafs and Senators are still well out of a playoff spot. the Senators have been on fire recently, but they need to play .800 hockey the rest of the way if they hope to make the playoffs.
Calgary will likely play Dallas or Vancouver in the playoffs, both tough matchups. Vancouver would be fun, and whenever Vancouver meets Calgary in the playoffs, the winner goes on to the Stanley cup final...and this years Flames squad certainly has the tools/depth/speed/grit/energy/goaltending/intangibles to claim thier first Stanley cup in 20 years.
The Hitmen are also favourites to become league champions in the WHL. the Hitmen may break a win record, if they can get to 59 wins. the Hitmen are first in the eastern conference and the season ends next week.
The Roughnecks are off to a great start, at 5-1, sitting atop the west division.
The Stampeders have resigned a few guys, most notably Marcus Howell. they also signed QB Matt D'orazio, last years Arena football league most outstanding player and a Canadian punter (Renaud) to replace Dales, who signed with Winnipeg. Sandro Deangelis and Brandon Browner didn't catch on in the NFL and will remain with the team this season! Edmonton has been busy in the free agency period, signing several players, including Jesse Lumsden.
The Stampeders are hosting the Grey cup this season, and have a good chance of repeating at home, with not alot of change on the roster.
A few notes on Championships...
For the Flames, its been 20 years since they won the Stanley cup, and 5 years since they were cup finalists
for the Hitmen, its been 10 years since they won the WHL title and lost in the final game of the memorial cup
for the Roughnecks, its been 5 years since they won the Champions cup
for the Stampeders, last year they won the Grey cup 10 years after beating the ticats in the 98 cup and 10 years ago this year they were cup finalists
lets hope success continues to come in multiples of 5 this year for Calgary teams
GO Flames, Stamps, Hitmen and Roughnecks, and that 5th team that will also be champions this year, possibly our baseball team, the Vipers
oh and on another note, the Pittsburg Steelers beat the Arizona Cardinals in an exciting superbowl finish(Shocking, I know!) to win thier 6th superbowl title.
last night the Flames lost 4-3 in a shootout to the Canucks, after the nucks tied it with less than a minute left. The Flames are 3-0-2 in thier last 5 games and still have an 8 point lead on the Canucks for the division lead, good for 3rd in the west. the Flames(33-18-6) have 72 points and the Canucks have 64, with each team having 25 games left in the season. the Canucks are currently in 5th, one point ahead of Dallas. It will be a close race as vancouver is hot right now (6-1 in thier last 7 games) and the Flames have a tough road schedule coming up. the Oilers are in 7th with 62 points, tied with Columbus. in the east Boston is still running away with 1st, while Montreal and NYR have been slumping lately. the Leafs and Senators are still well out of a playoff spot. the Senators have been on fire recently, but they need to play .800 hockey the rest of the way if they hope to make the playoffs.
Calgary will likely play Dallas or Vancouver in the playoffs, both tough matchups. Vancouver would be fun, and whenever Vancouver meets Calgary in the playoffs, the winner goes on to the Stanley cup final...and this years Flames squad certainly has the tools/depth/speed/grit/energy/goaltending/intangibles to claim thier first Stanley cup in 20 years.
The Hitmen are also favourites to become league champions in the WHL. the Hitmen may break a win record, if they can get to 59 wins. the Hitmen are first in the eastern conference and the season ends next week.
The Roughnecks are off to a great start, at 5-1, sitting atop the west division.
The Stampeders have resigned a few guys, most notably Marcus Howell. they also signed QB Matt D'orazio, last years Arena football league most outstanding player and a Canadian punter (Renaud) to replace Dales, who signed with Winnipeg. Sandro Deangelis and Brandon Browner didn't catch on in the NFL and will remain with the team this season! Edmonton has been busy in the free agency period, signing several players, including Jesse Lumsden.
The Stampeders are hosting the Grey cup this season, and have a good chance of repeating at home, with not alot of change on the roster.
A few notes on Championships...
For the Flames, its been 20 years since they won the Stanley cup, and 5 years since they were cup finalists
for the Hitmen, its been 10 years since they won the WHL title and lost in the final game of the memorial cup
for the Roughnecks, its been 5 years since they won the Champions cup
for the Stampeders, last year they won the Grey cup 10 years after beating the ticats in the 98 cup and 10 years ago this year they were cup finalists
lets hope success continues to come in multiples of 5 this year for Calgary teams
GO Flames, Stamps, Hitmen and Roughnecks, and that 5th team that will also be champions this year, possibly our baseball team, the Vipers
oh and on another note, the Pittsburg Steelers beat the Arizona Cardinals in an exciting superbowl finish(Shocking, I know!) to win thier 6th superbowl title.
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