The Unconditional Positivity Thread

[robrob74]

2 hours ago, 420since1974 said:

I think that we need a play making winger for the third line (preferably RW).

Someone to feed Monahan.

Or a playmaking LW if we want to move Dube to the RW where he has played his best hockey. Dube looks like a fish out of water. And maybe it’s lack of chemistry with Monahan and Ritchie, or he’s just not an NHLer. He looks like it when he has guys he can skate and make passes to. But a lot of his plays die after gaining the blue line. So maybe that’s line mates. But past that, he sometimes gets into the corners, but loses it. 
 

maybe he’s better than he’s showing. What I feel about him is how 50% of the posters felt about Bennett. I don’t even feel like Dube has enough to stay in the NHL or the IQ…  but then again, that’s how others felt about Bennett.

[robrob74]

5 minutes ago, robrob74 said:

Or a playmaking LW if we want to move Dube to the RW where he has played his best hockey. Dube looks like a fish out of water. And maybe it’s lack of chemistry with Monahan and Ritchie, or he’s just not an NHLer. He looks like it when he has guys he can skate and make passes to. But a lot of his plays die after gaining the blue line. So maybe that’s line mates. But past that, he sometimes gets into the corners, but loses it. 
 

maybe he’s better than he’s showing. What I feel about him is how 50% of the posters felt about Bennett. I don’t even feel like Dube has enough to stay in the NHL or the IQ…  but then again, that’s how others felt about Bennett.

 

whhhoooooops! 
 

Dube is awesome and the best player ever!!! 
 

just saw this was the unconditional  positive thread. 
 

he is a good skater! Needs better line mates! Will be awesome and I hope other teams see that because he’ll be a great trade piece for us.

[travel_dude]

10 hours ago, robrob74 said:

 

whhhoooooops! 
 

Dube is awesome and the best player ever!!! 
 

just saw this was the unconditional  positive thread. 
 

he is a good skater! Needs better line mates! Will be awesome and I hope other teams see that because he’ll be a great trade piece for us.

 

There are obviously some similarities between Bennett and Dube.  Both have another gear we have not seen in CGY.  Both avoided lengthy (or any) AHL time.  Dube spent part of last year on the top line.  I suspect we might regret trading him.  But maybe not so soon.  He's never really solidified his position as a C and doesn't stand out like Mangiapane.  I can't put my finger on it.

 

To your point, this is team positivity, not individual player stuff.  I know Conum backed off Ritchie a bit, but his intentions are fine.  This team has done what none of really expected to see in less than a full year of Sutter.  We found an identity that never existed.  We are playing above the level of competition, not down to it.  We are a ways from being a contender, but only from overall talent, not give.

[robrob74]

26 minutes ago, travel_dude said:

 

There are obviously some similarities between Bennett and Dube.  Both have another gear we have not seen in CGY.  Both avoided lengthy (or any) AHL time.  Dube spent part of last year on the top line.  I suspect we might regret trading him.  But maybe not so soon.  He's never really solidified his position as a C and doesn't stand out like Mangiapane.  I can't put my finger on it.

 

To your point, this is team positivity, not individual player stuff.  I know Conum backed off Ritchie a bit, but his intentions are fine.  This team has done what none of really expected to see in less than a full year of Sutter.  We found an identity that never existed.  We are playing above the level of competition, not down to it.  We are a ways from being a contender, but only from overall talent, not give.

 

this is the kind of hockey I always wanted the team to play. They’ve shown glimpses, and while glimpses could be blips in the other teams’ play, I feel the lack of consistency has always prevented them from being “a good team.” So I never thought they could be because their norm was always to fall back into bad habits and I wondered whether that was iq or effort/motivation. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why it was such a problem and I thought we didn’t need these players because they didn’t play consistent hockey. 
 

a lot would say, “no they’re playing good they’re playing good!” But I didn’t see the engagement in the same way I am seeing it now. As hockey fans, we want the cup! But underneath it all, I think what we really want is our guys to do is play hard, compete and make it a game.
 

The Flames make it a game every night and are engaged within the game. I’m excited as the next Flames fan when the team is playing like this. This is fun to watch. Some games they get away from it. Lately they have found ways to get through it when they have. 
 

When I was calling for a different coach and a coach that can motivate, i think being a tad “old school,” this was what I was calling for. 
 

could Sutter hockey work in Today’s NHL? Heck ya it can!!!! Using some old school hockey in a faster pace. It’s great! I love seeing them care about back checking, about their assignments. In the previous game when the draws were in the Flames end, the islanders win the draw and the Flames forwards were hauling Hash Rate to the blue line and the puck was out right away. It’s not going to happen like that all the time, but I remembered not seeing that kind of determination on D in previous years. It was not the moment I became sold on this year, but it might have been what sealed the deal for me. 
 

Sutter is a good coach. He better win Coach of the Year! I doubt he cares but… we do.

[travel_dude]

1 hour ago, robrob74 said:

could Sutter hockey work in Today’s NHL? Heck ya it can!!!! Using some old school hockey in a faster pace. It’s great! I love seeing them care about back checking, about their assignments. In the previous game when the draws were in the Flames end, the islanders win the draw and the Flames forwards were hauling Hash Rate to the blue line and the puck was out right away. It’s not going to happen like that all the time, but I remembered not seeing that kind of determination on D in previous years. It was not the moment I became sold on this year, but it might have been what sealed the deal for me. 
 

Sutter is a good coach. He better win Coach of the Year! I doubt he cares but… we do.

 

It always comes down to winning the division or conference or whatever.  He's not even in the conversation, which I could really care less about.  He deserves praise and most fans seem to be giving it.  That is awesome in itself.

 

I do think Sutter has changed a bit with the times.  Most of what he preaches is old school, but has never been in dispute.  Possession wins games.  You don't have it?  Get it back.  Limit the time the other team plays in your zone.  The difference is that it's not just a big man's game.  There is room for Johnny.  He gets buy in because what he says makes sense.

[phoenix66]

2 minutes ago, travel_dude said:

 

It always comes down to winning the division or conference or whatever.  He's not even in the conversation, which I could really care less about.  He deserves praise and most fans seem to be giving it.  That is awesome in itself.

 

I do think Sutter has changed a bit with the times.  Most of what he preaches is old school, but has never been in dispute.  Possession wins games.  You don't have it?  Get it back.  Limit the time the other team plays in your zone.  The difference is that it's not just a big man's game.  There is room for Johnny.  He gets buy in because what he says makes sense.

I loved his statement the other day in regards to hitting... That if you're getting a lot of hits, you don't have the puck..had never thought of that until he said it lol

[JTech780]

This team has a Hart candidate in Gaudreau, a Selke in Lindholm, a Vezina candidate in Markstrom, a Jack Adams candidate in Sutter. 

 

If you think this team doesn't have the talent or the pieces to compete for a Cup, then you aren't paying attention.

[JTech780]

Just to advocate for Monahan a bit, he has been a proven playoff performer through his career. He has 21 points in 30 playoff games. I think he will be fine through the rest of the season and into the playoffs. Just to add, he played injured for a lot of those games as well.

[conundrumed]

4 minutes ago, JTech780 said:

This team has a Hart candidate in Gaudreau, a Selke in Lindholm, a Vezina candidate in Markstrom, a Jack Adams candidate in Sutter. 

 

If you think this team doesn't have the talent or the pieces to compete for a Cup, then you aren't paying attention.

Good call. 4 guys to hit 25-30 goals, getting scoring from the D. Still physical. So much to like.

[conundrumed]

1 minute ago, JTech780 said:

Just to advocate for Monahan a bit, he has been a proven playoff performer through his career. He has 21 points in 30 playoff games. I think he will be fine through the rest of the season and into the playoffs. Just to add, he played injured for a lot of those games as well.

And Toffoli helps take all of the D focus off of him. Hopefully gets some cleaner looks.

[travel_dude]

What is not to love about this version of the Flames?

Can't remember a D core that has played with the same mindset.

4 lines now with little to complain about.

A starter leading the league in shutouts, by a wide margin.

We gave up nobody playing in the NHL to improve a potent 2 way team.

Cheers.

[conundrumed]

On 2/13/2022 at 2:39 PM, conundrumed said:

Darn it, I've been telling myself to stop ragging on Ritchie.

Positivity. Ritchie is going to score some massive goals for us, let's stick with him:)

Hate quoting myself, but I throw love at Ritchie, we trade for Toffoli.

This is just one of the many compelling ways that positivity works.

[travel_dude]

8 hours ago, conundrumed said:

Hate quoting myself, but I throw love at Ritchie, we trade for Toffoli.

This is just one of the many compelling ways that positivity works.

 

That's okay.  You can keep heeping praise for th team.

It's something we are seeing that we aren't used to.

Many still have some nagging doubts, since they think they are being fooled again.

This team seems different.

Not really propped up by any one position or player.

Goalie pitches a shutout, but it's a 6-0 win.

Johnny has a good game, but so do a bunch of others.

We get a PP goal, but don't win solely due to having one late in the game.

A rookie comes in and impresses.

The D seems to make far more good plays than little mistakes.

 

[robrob74]

2 hours ago, travel_dude said:

 

That's okay.  You can keep heeping praise for th team.

It's something we are seeing that we aren't used to.

Many still have some nagging doubts, since they think they are being fooled again.

This team seems different.

Not really propped up by any one position or player.

Goalie pitches a shutout, but it's a 6-0 win.

Johnny has a good game, but so do a bunch of others.

We get a PP goal, but don't win solely due to having one late in the game.

A rookie comes in and impresses.

The D seems to make far more good plays than little mistakes.

 

 

 

I think it's awesome! And I love that we are getting wins in all kinds of ways. I just don't want to blow smoke up the team's butt when they have played a mediocre game but win. For me, my goal is winning the division and getting out of the first and second round, and possibly shoot for the cup. Winning streaks in February are amazing and fun. So I just point out some of the things they can work on. If bad habits creep in, then it can lead to very bad losing streaks. Winning streaks are bad for coaches because that's when the team's game can go off the rails because even when they lose their structure and win, players then think they can win despite the structure. Not saying this team is going to go on a huge one. We did see a losing streak before this winning streak so.... 

 

It is great that the D are starting to feel comfortable within the system to start jumping in and helping the offence. It's great to see Ruzie get going, and the things Kylington continues to do. Tanev is awesome! Johnny is unreal! It's great that he can play with some mobility and has options. I like that it's not just him carrying the puck in like in years past. I like that Coleman has come to play in the middle part of the season and looks like the player everyone advocating his trade said. 

[robrob74]

I also like the size we have. It seems like the right amount of skill for the right amount of size. I think size is ultimately harder to play against.

[travel_dude]

1 hour ago, robrob74 said:

 

 

I think it's awesome! And I love that we are getting wins in all kinds of ways. I just don't want to blow smoke up the team's butt when they have played a mediocre game but win. For me, my goal is winning the division and getting out of the first and second round, and possibly shoot for the cup. Winning streaks in February are amazing and fun. So I just point out some of the things they can work on. If bad habits creep in, then it can lead to very bad losing streaks. Winning streaks are bad for coaches because that's when the team's game can go off the rails because even when they lose their structure and win, players then think they can win despite the structure. Not saying this team is going to go on a huge one. We did see a losing streak before this winning streak so.... 

 

It is great that the D are starting to feel comfortable within the system to start jumping in and helping the offence. It's great to see Ruzie get going, and the things Kylington continues to do. Tanev is awesome! Johnny is unreal! It's great that he can play with some mobility and has options. I like that it's not just him carrying the puck in like in years past. I like that Coleman has come to play in the middle part of the season and looks like the player everyone advocating his trade said. 

 

Mid season funk after winning games is bad.  Sutter seems to be more critical after a win than a loss.  I think he sees where the losses come from.  I don't see the issues creeping in for any prolonged time.  The worst we played was early on and after a team outbreak.  

 

We should not be worried about the team starting to coast or fall back into bad habits.  There really isn't any sign we are headed down this path.  We have lost games.  That happens.  We can look back to the reasons, but I don't think it was a trend or something beyond a single game.  

[conundrumed]

I'll give this team a 10. Oh wait, they took the 10 anyways. I wanna give them an 11 soon.

[rocketdoctor]

Where's JJ when we're winning?  😛😜

 

 

[sak22]

18 minutes ago, rocketdoctor said:

Where's JJ when we're winning?  😛😜

 

 

 

[conundrumed]

Am I the only one afraid of no one?

Avs, Fla, TBay, Carolina.

I'm not the slightest bit afraid of those teams. Let's get on with it.

[travel_dude]

40 minutes ago, conundrumed said:

Am I the only one afraid of no one?

Avs, Fla, TBay, Carolina.

I'm not the slightest bit afraid of those teams. Let's get on with it.

 

I think Sutter uses Jedi mind tricks on the players.

Tell them they aren't elite like FLA or AVS.

Tell them they need to work as a group.

Yet, we are seeing an elite group.

Not top 10 scoring (even though Gaudreau is #4), but elite in results almost every game.

[CheersMan]

49 minutes ago, conundrumed said:

Am I the only one afraid of no one?

Avs, Fla, TBay, Carolina.

I'm not the slightest bit afraid of those teams. Let's get on with it.

 

As you know, if we get to the finals, we will only need face 1 of the 3 bolded teams, what’s remaining of them that is.

We play TB once more regular season, doesn’t matter how that game goes, give them the 2 pts for all it matters, let them build up some false hope.

Won’t see FLA or CAR again regular season. The 2 remaining games vs COL are going to be interesting, not sure why both are in COL?

No guarantee we see COL in the playoffs either, you know how those first round upsets go.

We will need to play at least 2 teams not on your list. Maybe 2 of EDM, LV, MIN, STL? Non which are terrifying.

[conundrumed]

18 minutes ago, CheersMan said:

 

As you know, if we get to the finals, we will only need face 1 of the 3 bolded teams, what’s remaining of them that is.

We play TB once more regular season, doesn’t matter how that game goes, give them the 2 pts for all it matters, let them build up some false hope.

Won’t see FLA or CAR again regular season. The 2 remaining games vs COL are going to be interesting, not sure why both are in COL?

No guarantee we see COL in the playoffs either, you know how those first round upsets go.

We will need to play at least 2 teams not on your list. Maybe 2 of EDM, LV, MIN, STL? Non which are terrifying.

Can't help but agree. We aren't afraid of anyone. Let's go, set of 7, we're not intimidated. You might want to be, we're not. This should be a lot of fun.

[conundrumed]

Oh. And I still tip my hat to Torts. He's the guy that believed in what this will be right up front.

Here we are.

[robrob74]

A friend sent this to me on FB Messamger! Fitting for our streak. I wasn’t a Flames fan yet, in ‘86…