Fleury Comeback With A Fury - Realistic, Fantasy or Ploy?

Fleury Comeback With A Fury - Realistic, Fantasy or Ploy?

My article on Theoren Fleury at The Hockey Writers (THW). Check out the great new makeover at THW. The site is growing exponentially as a destination hockey website, with an impressive array of hockey journalists covering all teams and all aspects of the hockey world.

Fleury's comeback attempt has since abruptly come to a halt, but even at that it was a success for the guy formerly referred to as the Little Rat Ba$t@rd. Fleury was more than respectable in the Flames preseason, averaging a PPG and was a plus 4. Couple that with an outstanding game-winning shootout goal in his first preseason game, and Fleury had a storybook finish - appropriate with his new tell-all book being released later this month.

He will now officially retire as a Flames and is now going out on his terms. Well done by Theo!

http://thehockeywriters.com/fleury-comeback-with-a-fury/ 

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Attack After The Hit - Hockey's Next Epidemic

My latest article at The Hockey Writers tackling the controversial subject after a player having to answer the bell after dishing out bone-jarring, but clean hits. Phaneuf's preseason hit on Okposo spawned me to finally write about a subject I am passionate about.

http://thehockeywriters.com/attack-after-the-hit-%e2%80%93-hockey%e2%80%99s-next-epidemic/

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Flames Prospect Development Camp Impressions: Part II

Sunday I posted Part I of my impressions from the Calgary Flames Summer Prospect Development Camp. I was at the Saddledome on Saturday and got a good viewing of what the future of the Calgary Flames might resemble.

Here is Part II, taking a look at the forwards at camp:

http://thehockeywriters.com/flames-prospect-development-camp-impressions-part-ii/

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Flames Prospect Development Camp Impressions: Part I

Here is my latest article at The Hockey Writers, written after I attended the last day of the Flames Summer Prospect Development Camp.

It was great to get down at the Saddledome again and get a glimpse into the Flames future.

http://thehockeywriters.com/flames-prospect-development-camp-impressions-part-i/ 

Tim Erixon (pictured right) looks mighty happy to be hauling on that Flames jersey! Click here for his detailed prospect profile I completed for my Draft Preview:
http://thehockeywriters.com/31-tim-erixon-%E2%80%93-the-hockey-spy%E2%80%99s-2009-nhl-entry-draft-rankings/

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Flames Vs Blackhawks: The "Real" Numbers Game

There's a number of web destinations out there that break down the hockey stats in ways you can't even fathom!

Hockey Numbers displays and breaks down goals scored for all teams at even strength, on the PP and on the PK.

NHL shift charts at http://www.timeonice.com does a great job of tracking just what it says.

Puck Prospectus looks at stats and numbers from angles you've never even thought of!

Puck Daddy has a superb analysis of the Flames-Blackhawks matchup.

Now that we're all mesmerized by those numbers, let's take a look at the "real" number that Flames fans care about!

"55" times the luck (Pardy - hey, everyone needs a token Newfie on their team - see Cleary on the Wings last season!)

"34" Saves! (Kipper)

"33" Wooden Slapshots (Aucoin still opts for a $30 wooden stick rather than the composite alternative and possesses the Flames hardest shot.)

"25" Bricks taken from the Bulin Wall (David Moss will hopefully be planting his behind in front of Khabibulin all series long)

"24" quotes! (Conroy is always up for an interview!)

"23" Unsung hero #1 (Nystrom: can he bring his Dad's Cup winning magic? Click here for video 1980 Cup-winning GOal!)

"22" times the heart and soul! (Langkow: hopefully his wrist injury is closer to 100%)

"21" "He shoots, He Scores!" (Jokinen gotta be pumped for his first playoff showing ever)

"20" times the speed! (Glencross: the fastest Flame will need his top gear against the speedy Hawks!)

"17" is back baby {in the words of George Costanza}!!! (Rene Bourque: It's no coincidence the Flames down-slide coincided with this even strength and PK specialist)

"16" Unsung hero #2 (Dustin Boyd - I just have a feeling Boyd is going to break through in a big way)

"13" One-timers! (Cammalleri! - 39 tallies in the regular season!)

"12" times the domination (Iginla will step it up the way only Iggy can and terrorize the Blackhawks "D"!)

"7" times the size and skill! (Bertuzzi: This is the time of year Sutter signed Big Bert for. He has been at times lackadaisical, but if he can play at the level he is capable of, the Flames will be extra dangerous!)

"3" Hits everything that moves! (Phaneuf: the Flames do need him to take his game to the next level, especially as long as Regehr and Sarich are out with injuries. This year has been a major disappointment, but he has the tools - if he can only locate the toolbox!) 

*Okay - admittedly, this is all borderline hallucinogenic optimism, but you have to believe in the "C" of Red!

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Top 10 Keys For The Flames If They Hope To Burn The Blackhawks

Behind Enemy Lines: My colleague Jim Neveau - Blackhawks Correspondent at The Hockey Writers (THW) states his case, listing his 5 Keys For Success For The Blackhawks.

Flames fans and hockey fans alike by now already know how futile the Flames attack has been against the Blackhawks. Amassing a paltry one point in four contests against Chicago this season, as Michael Cammaleri summed it up, (courtesy of Randy Sportak at calgarysun.com) "We're due!" Calgary lost by a combined score of 19-7 in the four games against Chi-town.

So...should the Flames even show up in the Windy City for game one? Is it a foregone conclusion the young gun Hawks will extinguish the already flickering Flames?

It's an old cliché - but that's why they play the games. As Herb Edwards (click for video clip) emphatically stated a few years back, "You play - to win the game!" Indeed, the Flames will show up, but if they have any chance of succeeding against a talented Blackhawk squad, here are 10 keys for Flames victory they will likely have to accomplish.

1. Tear down the Bulin Wall! Khabibulin has been a Flames killer throughout his career, posting a 22-5-2 record against Calgary. Toss in his win in the 7 game series Cup final in 2004 and you have a major psychological hurdle for Flames shooters to overcome.

2. Kipper to regain 2004 form. He has been good this year, but not as consistent as he will need to be if the Red Mile will be in fine form going well into the playoffs. At times, Kiprusoff has been outstanding, but with a depleted defense due to trips to the infirmary, the outstanding play will have to be more of a constant rather than sporadic.

3. Keenan et al have to find the best solution to have Iggy and Olli coexist. It's not a personality conflict, but rather an on-ice mismatch. Both are shooters and have not found the chemistry everyone thought would develop when Sutter brought in the big Finn center on trade deadline day. We know how important Iggy is to the Flames {time to check out the Youtube hit video "Hey There Iginla" by a Calgary ophthalmologist} and his play seemed to pick up at the end of the season, even if the results were not there in terms of Flames victories.

4. The Blueline has to step up in the absence of Regehr and possibly Sarich. The two best defensive d-men are likely out of the Flames lineup. Phaneuf (reportedly a back injury) is also banged up. If the Flames have any hope of shutting down the likes of Kane, Toews and Havlat, the remaining blueliners will have to play out of their minds. The Flames have recalled Anders Ericsson, but that might just have the Hawks forwards licking their lips. Phaneuf, Leopold, Aucoin and Pardy will be key performers on the back end.

5. Intensified physical play! The veteran Flames must step up and play an aggressive, but disciplined physical game and show the young Blackhawks what playoff hockey is all about.

6. Flames forwards will have to try and solve the highly effective duo of Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook patrolling the Hawks back end, and/or take advantage of other defensive pairings. The afore mentioned duo is quickly becoming one of the best shutdown pairs in the league. Keenan will have to work diligently to find ways to break through these guys. There might be holes back there to be found, however, as you think back to Brian Campbell's poor series against Calgary in last year's playoffs, when he was with San Jose.

7. Rene Bourque recovery from high ankle sprain and for him to regain his mid-season form. I'm sure he'd love to show his former club what they gave up on. Amazingly, only one of his 40 points (a PP assist) was not scored at even strength in his 58 games played. The valuable PK and 2nd line forward's absence was certainly felt when he went down. It wasn't a coincidence that Calgary's downward spiral coincided with Bourque's absence.

8. Solve the powerless PP. With the weapons the Flames have offensively, it's hard to fathom the Flames went the last 10 games without a PP marker (0-43 streak). Mix it up! Put some big bodies in front of the opposing netminder - Bertuzzi, Moss, Jokinen, even Phaneuf! The Flames need to be less predictable, but keep it simpler at the same time. I don't have to acknowledge how important special teams are in the post-season.

9. Keenan must unlock the optimum line combinations for his club. He's not likely to start now, but his juggling of the lines drives me insane. Although some of the best ever constantly did it, such as Scotty Bowman, I'd rather see some of the linemates be more constant. I think that added edge of anticipating where your teammate is going to be, not just where he is at the moment, makes a tremendous difference.

10. Without home ice advantage, the Flames must find the remedy for their road woes. They finished the season less than .500 away from the friendly confines of the Saddledome, but they'll have to take the Blackhawk Faithful in attendance in Chicago out of the game. As Scotty Bowman once said, "Every boo on the road is a cheer!"

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Light My Fire: Flames Fail To Burn Penguins

The Hockey Spy has been out of commision for a couple days and just now starting to recover from a nasty flu. I just finished watching the Flames-Pens game and this 2-0 game is full of highlights that are definitely worth 4 minutes and 22 seconds of your time if you have yet to see them.

With this loss, The Flames give the Canucks even more life in their quest to overtake the once thought untouchable NorthWest Division title. The 'Nucks are now behind the Flames by just 3 points with a game in hand.

The Flames, in this one, I thought played fairly well against the red hot Penguins, but after Calgary defeated the Red Wings Monday night, I was looking for a feast of "Roasted Penguins with Frank's Red Hot Sauce". No such luck!

Here are the key points in the above video highlights:

• At the 1:25 mark, Marc-Andre Fleury made an amazing save on Curtis Glencross, who thought he had a wide open net after a nifty pass from David Moss, who was easily the best Flame on the night. This save will go down as one of the better ones all year.
• At the 2:15 mark, Malkin takes the puck behind his own blue-line and decides to take control - he weaves and winds his way through several Flames only to be denied by Kipper. Amazingly, Malkin ends up with a double-minor penalty as he took Vandermeer's helmet off with a high stick and cut him. He actually could've been also called with a high stick to Kipper at the end of the play.
• At the 4:00 mark, Matt "I Ain't Gordon Ramsey" Cooke must've thought he was in 'Hell's Kitchen' as he could not convert on sure-shot empty-netter. The video only shows one chance by him, but he actually had a few chances to finish it off.

Next up for the Flames: The finally playoff-bound Rick Nash and his Columbus Blue Jackets.

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Up In Flames: Don't Engrave The Names In Lord Stanley Just Yet

So...of course, unless you're busy scouting out the leading contestants for the Vancouver 2010 Men's Figure Skating medal round, you're probably aware the Calgary Flames landed Olli Jokinen and Jordan Leopold at the trade deadline. Now you know the honeymoon is officially over!

So...we don't have to start engraving the names of the Flames on the Stanley Cup just yet, but Flames faithful need not jump off the bandwagon either!

After a promising start to this 7 game road trip with 2 wins against Ottawa and Phili, the Flames have dropped 3 in a row. Last night they happened to lose to a netminder who just happens to be now only 3 wins away from surpassing St. Patrick Roy as the NHL's all-time win leader. You might've heard of him - one Marty Brodeur! Yeah - admittedly Miikka hasn't been that impressive in 2 of those losses (McElhinney getting the smackdown in the other loss), but he's been unbelievable for the past 3 to 4 months.
Of course, the Canucks are chasing the Flames for 1st in the NW division - now 8 points behind with 2 games in hand. Still...I'm not worried.

The Flames arn't the only top-performing team with 3rd quarter troubles.
- Devils lost to the lowly Islanders 7-3 this past Saturday.
- Red Wings lost Blue Jackets 8-2 the same day.
- Black Hawks lost the Avs 5-1 on Sunday.
- Bruins are 3-6-1 in their last 10 and have lost 2 in a row.
- Capitals are 4-5-1 in their last 10
*The Flames are still 6-4 in their last 10.

David Moss is back after the passing away of his grand-mother. Langer (Daymond Langkow) is back, albeit not yet 100%. Unfortunately, his other linemates, Rene Bourque (and his 20 even-strength goals!) and Bertuzzi are still out for extended periods. The injuries have finally caught up with the Flames, but they do have to fight through it and other guys have to step up. Langkow getting completely healthy will be a huge boost.

Jokinen and Leopold still have to acclimatize to their new surroundings and linemates. By the time this road trip is over, or even sooner, the Flames will be over this bump in the road. As many have said before, "the season is a marathon, not a sprint". It's definitely better to have a hiccup now, then during the playoffs!

Up In Flames will be another regular column for coverage of the Calgary Flames by The Hockey Spy. The Hockey Spy is MVN's correspondent covering the Flames in addition to the NHL in general.

The Hockey Spy

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The Flame is Finally Out: Gary Roberts' Career Has Come to an end

My fondest memories of Roberts were, of course, as a valuable power forward for the Flames. He was an integral part of the team that went to the Cup finals in 1986 only to lose to the Habs, as well as the 1989 Cup winning dominant Flames team. Roberts is known as one of the fittest guys to lace up the skates and as Bob McKenzie mentions (see below), he actually retired previously in 1996 due to back problems, but after undertaking an extremely intense conditioning program he was actually able to return the next season.

Bob McKenzie had the following report courtesy TSN: "Roberts' retirement is expected from the Lightning.

Gary Roberts' NHL career is over.

Unclaimed on waivers on trade deadline day, the 42-year-old veteran will not play another game with the Tampa Bay Lightning this season. He had already announced that he would retire at the end of this season. 

A formal announcement of

Roberts' contract worked against him being picked up on waivers. His cap hit was more than $2 million and he has a bonus package that pays him $10,000 for each game he plays.

Roberts was Selected by the Calgary Flames 12th overall (1st round) in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft.

He went on to win a Stanley Cup with the Flames in 1988-89.

In 1996, at the age of 30, Roberts announced his retirement from hockey due to injuries, but he underwent an intense re-conditioning program and returned to the NHL after the following season.

In 1224 career NHL games with Calgary, Carolina, Toronto, Florida, Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay, Roberts had 438 goals and 471 assists for 909 points, adding 2560 PIM."

 

A fearless leader, I've got to believe coaching or training is in Gary's future.

All the best, "Scary" Gary!

The Hockey Spy

 

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