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Thoughts

November 14, 2008, 12:28 PM ET [ Comments]
Shaune Vetter
Calgary Flames Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
All good points. Complacency, or maybe a better description is a lack of urgency, has been an issue for this team ever since the '04 cup run. I often hear people say that Sutter is needed back behind the bench but let's keep in mind that Sutter was behind the bench when we bowed out in '06. Let's not kid ourselves about that year either. When the Flames finished first that season they had home ice advantage for the first round but couldn't beat the Duck's back-up (Bryzgalov after he replaced an ineffective Giguere).

They then decided they needed more offense in the "new" NHL, so they went out and traded for Alex Tanguay and Sutter stepped down to allow Jim Playfair to be promoted to head coach.

Sure the team scored more, 40 goals more to be exact. Sure they also gave up more, but it was only 26 more than the previous season which amounts to .32 per game against and .49 for per game. The bad news was that this was a team that struggled mightily on the road and was seen as lacking in veteran leadership and maybe a true experienced helmsman as their coach. As they struggled through the season with their Jeckle and Hyde routine between home and the road, the Flames re-aquired Craig Conroy who was a fan favorite of the '04 run. At the time Matthew Lombardi was in the process of having a fairly decent season and was one of the better penalty-killers in the league and was also near the top of the league in short-handed goals. As soon as the Flames reacquired Conroy, his role was reduced and his play fell off and he took a step back in development that I don't think he has ever recovered from. As the season closed the Flames stumbled into eighth place in the standings and faced the Detroit Red Wings in a series that finished 4-2 but in reality wasn't even close.

What to do now? Well the team clearly needed a new coach as Playfair was obviously too soft on his players and allowed them too much freedom... In my opinion I think he took WAY too much of the blame for this and was used as a fall-guy so that the fans and media had someone to point their fingers at. So... Out with Playfair (kind of, he still stayed on the coaching staff which I think supports my scapegoat theory) in with Keenan. Interesting move considering that since the '94 Rangers Keenen had won... well... Nothing. It was thought by pundits that the game had passed him by, it was judged by supporters that maybe Iron Mike was the coach who had the same basic mentality as Sutter and would bring the same expectations and accountability that Darryl brought as coach. In keeping with the new "hard-line" approach, the Flames brought in Cory Sarich, Owen Nolan, and Keenan favorite Adrian Aucoin. Nothing like bringing in a bunch of slow guys to compete in the "new NHL", but I digress. So what did the new guard with the hard-line approach accomplish? Well... they dropped 29 goals... for... But the defense was much improved, right? Well, with the renewed commitment to their own end, the Flames were able to bring their goals against in at just 227. Or, in comparison, 1 more than the previous season. The difference between this season and the 06-07 one however, was that in 07-08 the Flames actually had a legitimate chance in round one despite the fact that the Sharks enjoyed home ice advantage. Things were looking very positive for the Flames with just over five minutes remaining in the third period of game 4. It looked like the Flames were about to take a 3-1 stranglehold on the series (in a game where admittedly they only had 10 shots and really didn't deserve a win) but the Sharks tallied twice in the last 5 minutes to win the game and go back home knotted at two. Now, not only did they score two in the last five minutes, but Joe Thornton actually scored the winner with a mere 9.4 seconds left. That's a deflating goal to say the least but the Flames came out gangbusters in game 5 and Iggy put them up 1-0 as the Flames peppered the Sharks net with 26 shots in the first two periods after their anemic effort in the previous game. After the Flames went ahead, however, the Sharks scored four... That's right FOUR unanswered goals to lead 4-1. The Flames came back with two goals in the last eleven minutes of the third to make the score close at 4-3, but when the buzzer sounded it added up to a game that looked like the Flames had a chance to get a death grip on the Sharks but were unable to finish their opponent. Yes the Flames won game six at home on the strength of a Miikka Kiprusoff shut-out 2-0, but the Sharks used their home ice advantage to finish the Flames in game seven. Sure it was a close, hard-fought series against a team that was the favorite, but when the curtain closed on last season many thought the team could have taken the Sharks if not for the inconsistent play for pockets of the series that had been their bane all season long.

On to this season. Since coaching CLEARLY wasn't the issue last season (why do our special teams struggle every year, but no one is accountable for it???) it was decided that the Flames needed to be faster and grittier to compete now. Don't get me wrong, I don't think anyone is happier than me that Anders Eriksson is no longer a Flame, and I agree that Kristian Huselius was a little too soft and disappeared in games where the other team went out of their way to pressure him. I think Stephane Yelle was expendable with the number of centre's the Flames had and I'll even admit that I didn't mind Conroy being resigned to be a #3 centre. THAT'S #3 centre... I know it's confusing because he sure gets a lot of ice time but trust me when I say we were all told he was signed to be a #3 centre...

Anyway... I thought the Bertuzzi signing made sense, not because he's a great guy but because the ability to have two power forwards with the talent of Iggy and Bert can't be over-stated, especially when Bertuzzi showed up in the shape he did. Yes his defensive game is deficient, and he does have a habit to take selfish penalties when frustrated, but when you tally up the positives and negatives I still see him as a good signing. I also like the additions of Curtis Glencross and Rene Bourque, and getting Mike Cammalleri was a steal. Despite what people may say, I think Tanguay had a great season last year and really improved defensively, that being said, I still see Cammalleri as an upgrade overall. Even Wayne Primeau, Brandon Prust, and Eric Nystrom have come in faster an more determined then they ever looked previously with the team.

The defense has issues. Outside of Regehr the defensive ability falls off sharply. He's still an elite shut-down player. You wouldn't know it on this team since he's constantly covering for deficiencies in his various partner's games, but trust me when I say he's still one of the top guys in the game in his role. Which brings me to Warrener. I know. he's slow... Slower than Aucoin? Less hockey sense than Sarich? He's a leader and a smart player who will do anything to win... I don't care if Mike Keenan doesn't like him and I'm not saying there isn't a better answer out there, but I do know that Regehr matched up better with Rhett than he does with anyone currently on the roster, and that doesn't even take into account the leadership the warrior provides on and off the ice. I like Jim Vandermeer and as a 5-6 I think he works. He's a player that does what needs to be done and will do anything that is asked of him and I respect that. Getting Gio back is a positive. He's a great skater, anticipates well, and is adjusting well to getting back to North American hockey after a year in Russia. Speaking of which, I think it could be argued that whomever argued that signing Andres Eriksson instead on giving Giordano a one-way contract should be at the very least forced to give the fans a public apology. I just can't envision any scenario whereby Gio doesn't at least play to the level (or down to the level) that Andres did. Not to mention the fact that he likely would have progressed better playing in the NHL then in Russia. Oh well, at least he's back. Dion Phaneuf isn't over-rated, he needs help. He needs a partner he can trust who can bail him out at times I will admit, but it's all part of the process. Paul Coffey had his Lee Fogolin to protect his back and for his first two seasons, Dion had Hamrlik. Now I know Hamr had his detractors, but I still argue that Dion was at his best when they played together, and Dion has improved since they were together, imagine the threat they would be now? Aucoin ate up big minutes pre-lockout. He now has a great shot. I don't think we need to expand on that. I hate to do this because as a general rule I don't like to "pile" on players. Especially players that I may need to talk to at some point, but Cory Sarich was a bad signing. He's slow. He doesn't appear to have any hockey sense or anticipation skills, and I honestly hurt for Regehr when he's paired with this guy. Yes he hits hard, and he's big. He's the perfect 2004 defenseman. Problem is, it isn't 2004 anymore and it really shows on this guy. Seriously, watch a game closely and count how many times Robyn has to cover for this guy. He did a great job for the Lightning in 2004... I was excited when we signed him. I'm no longer excited.

Kipper takes the bulk of the blame for the defensive issues of this team. I will argue that it's not his fault. Not that he's been the shut-down puck-stopper he was in previous seasons, but it's a product of the team in front of him more than it being a fall-off in his ability.

I first noticed it in the Anaheim series in '06. Selanne kept out-waiting him and seeming to score almost at will in the latter part of that series. He was overplaying the shooters, and over-challenging them. But why? Much like a player who has lost confidence in himself he may try to do too much. With Kiprusoff, it seems that as the team's ability to play defense has deteriorated over the past few seasons, he has tried to overcompensate by taking more risks and challenging more which has, to be blunt, not worked. Kipper is a first stop kind of goalie who concentrates on the shooter an NEEDS to be able to trust his team-mates to clear the possible pass recipients and not leave uncontested shooters in prime spots for juicy rebounds. That doesn't mesh well with the Flames strategy of playing passive defense and trying to react after the opposing player already has the puck. I think he was given too much credit for what was a great defensive team in '04 and I also think that he's given way too much blame for the bad defensive team he's currently behind. I would also make an amendment to that statement by saying that I think this COULD be a better defensive team if it played the high pressure attacking style that the team played in '04. The question is: Can/Will this coaching staff implement a high pressure system?

The simple fact is, this team has been inconsistent and lacking a true identity since the cup run and something needs to change. The question is: How?

This started out as a reply to the comments to the Sharks game last night, but bloomed into a state of affairs for the team. Oh well... consider it my version of their quarter-pole report card...

What are your thoughts about the team so far and the direction?

Have a great day!
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