flames for life

I'm feeling sorry for Vladar; it's hard to play against t 2 teams at the same time! Seriously though, Calgary appears to have gone home one game too soon. Aside from Mangie, Backlund and Kadri, no one else seems to want to play today!

Good game overall. Hubie played well! Mangie with a 3 point night! Guess he is enjoying the line change!

I find that Lind Holm does not look happy. He plays a solid game, but more often than not, he seems to be the only one on that line giving any effort. I am also not happy with Mangepane's play. If he heads to the slot he can be dangerous but he is spending way too much time running along the boards and getting squeezed out or dumped. Dube needs to go.

He is already a representative of the club, as an alumnus, so the acknowledgment of his achievements in the club is just that, and little more. I think he needs to be noted for the time with the club, which was mostly before he went downhill. As one who has worked with survivors of trauma, his story and turnaround are a story of courage and success. That, to me is hall of fame credentials for perseverance under extremely trying times, but that’s another debate.

I tend to agree with this statement. Backlund has been nothing if not loyal to the team. Knowing his age and the normal strategy of drawing in youth to the game, he may have chosen to “fall on his sword” for the team. He has probably been one of the best players for accepting win-win contracts, debatably leaving money on the table in order to play here. I think that Backlund is giving Calgary the opportunity to benefit from his past year’s success in order to promote growth and progression within the team. If it does happen that he is not traded, he will still be a valuable commodity as that good mentor -possibly a player-coach concept. Backlund has always been a class act and dedicated to this team, so I could totally see this type of scenario.

Totally agree.

I get the rhetoric, but it still doesn’t answer the unanswerable. Was BT instructed to pursue Sutter no matter what, or did he choose to go on his own to get Sutter? Of course the motivation to work in Alberta would be there because of family and farm, so on his part, pretty much a no-brainer. The question remains, were there other options BT was looking at but roadblocks were put in place to narrow or eliminate coaches until no one but Sutter remained.

Who said BT hired Sutter. One forgets that BT has people pulling his strings as well. I find it interesting that Sutter was hired both times when the team was showing a level of progress and skill that could push into the playoffs. In both cases, the next year showed significant regression. The only difference was that Sutter was given the GM reins the first time, which gave him the power to design the team to his liking. History showed it as a failure. This time he was not given that power, but imo, had enough influence to cause turmoil up the management chain and down into the player’s psyche and eventually into their play. I seriously wonder, given Sutter’s reputation and history with the Flames, if BT was directed to hire Sutter in spite of his opinion or concerns.

I think that’s a bit of a shortsighted statement. We can’t continue to proclaim proper asset management, decrying the smart play of trading for younger and higher draft picks; only to turn around and claim the trade is the fault of a bad coaching hire. Lindholm may want to stay, but with his trade value, is that the best result? Backlund may want to stay, but again the same question arises. From all accounts, Huska’s area of responsibility in coaching the defensive side of the game was successful. Our defence and penalty kills were very good. Imo, that tells me the players were invested in what he was doing. But that won’t stop Calgary from making trades or movements to improve the team, and not because the player isn’t happy with the coaching hire. Conroe was also very direct in stating he wants players that want to play with the Flames. If Lindholm wants to stay, great. If he doesn’t, just as great. It still is more related to team management as to whether he stays or not.

I’m interested to see how Sergeev does at the professional level. While I haven’t seen his play in the University’s, his stats and performance comments I’ve read seem to suggest a positive trend. Play him in the Ahl to get a good assessment of what his transition time, if any, would look like. Has anyone been following him much?

My point exactly! Love was able to take the cards he was dealt, adjust the team and not only succeed, but have players excel! Given the circumstances that project for the foreseeable future, Mitch Love may very well be the exact type of coach this team will need!

Muller is what he is. A good Assistant Coach, but not more. Where I disagree with you is with Love. I think he is exactly what the team needs right now. I think he was much more than “Sutter hockey”, because he spent a good portion of the season having to adapt his team to succeed when the Flames would draw players from the farm club. His team did not miss a beat, and continued to win or play competitively. If there are changes to the Flames team by player movement, Love may very well be the coach to keep stability in the team and maintain a solid level of competitiveness while the team adjusts and adapts; something that Sutter could not, or would not do. That ability to adapt is a strength that Love has shown both years in the farm team, whether it was adjusting to the move of the farm team, or the transition of players.

While I concur with most of your statements, I have to disagree with your last sentence. Everything you described about Backlund is the very definition of an asset! This past year was another step for his stats, but more so, his continual demonstration to mentor and lead the younger players. Many times one describes a great player as “one who makes others better”. Backlund has done this for many years, by stabilizing the rookies play, and by allowing some leeway for creativity. IMO, if he was willing to remain in Calgary with a reasonable contract, I would keep him in a heartbeat.

Great second period! Totally credit to Pelletier and Gilbert! First goals totally lifted the team! Dube was a beast! Markstrom played really good after the bad first period. Made some good third period saves, although he’s still fighting his glove hand.

Yup. Markstrom, bad. Forwards, scattered and ineffective. Defence, fairly good but often appears disinterested or complacent! All of these concerns very well displays a disconnect from the coaching staff.