First off, I'd like to thank all of those who read my prose and appreciate it. To you I apologize for the last month. Regretfully, the circumstances were unfortunate, and unavoidable. What were the circumstances you ask? Those that need to know, already know. It's time to move on.
Obviously Jarome Iginla reaching 500 goals was a HUGE story that I recently missed. I remember the day that the Flames traded for him as a prospect from the Dallas stars while unloading fan favorite Joe Nieuwendyk. I remember watching him at his coming out party at the 1996 World Junior tournament, and I remember predicting then that he would once be one of the top players in the NHL. Hey, an infinite number of monkeys, on an infinite number of typewriters...
Congratulations to the face of the franchise and one of the classiest players ever to play the game. I remember being one of the last people who had the pleasure to interview him after the Heritage classic and despite the long line of questions he had endured, he was as gracious to me as he had been to the first interviewer long before. He's a credit to his profession, to his team, and to his city, and being the 15th player to post 500 goals with the same organization in the history of the NHL is an accomplishment that will not soon be forgotten. Jarome Iginla is the model for what all hockey players, and people in general should aspire to be.
Speaking of Jarome. Much has been made about whether or not he should be traded, and for that matter, whether or not he's even available. The thing is, there's more than the on-ice performance to worry about when it comes to a player with the stature of Jarome. Keep in mind, the organization still needs to sell corporate seats, corporate advertising, and corporate support. Regardless of where the team is in the standings, having a marketable face and persona such as Jarome Iginla has a value that simply can't be measured in wins and losses in the standings. Breaking it down to si8mple dollars and cents, Jarome is far more valuable to the Flames in sheer marketing alone then he is as a tradable asset. Unless Jarome decides he wants wants out, he WILL remain a Flame, and Calgary fans will be lucky to have him.
On to last night.
With the 11th choice in the 1990 NHL draft, the Calgary Flames selected the goaltender many considered was the prize puck-stopper available in Trevor Kidd of the Brandon Wheat Kings. The large, athletic goaltender was a specimen who at the time was a rare combination of size and athletic ability who had scouts drooling over his potential and the Flames excited to have an heir-apparent for their current star, Mike Vernon. 9 picks later, the New Jersey Devils selected the second goalie on most people's draft boards by taking Martin Brodeur. The rest, as they say, is history.
We all know about Martin Brodeur's prowess and success. We know about the Stanley Cups, Gold Medals, and personal accolades. He is arguably the best player ever to play at his position and will be the standard others are compared to for decades to come.
Thankfully, he wasn't in pristine form last night.
After just 5 shots, and only making 3 saves, the first-ballot Hall of Famer was lifted for Johan Hedberg after the Flames were quickly up 2-0. Unfortunately for the visitors, Hedberg didn't fare any better and was beaten on 2 of the 3 shots he faced in the first, and an underwhelming 4 of the 9 overall shots that made it to his crease as the usually stingy devils gave up an astonishing 6 goals on just 14 shots to fall to the Flames 6-3 in what looked like a blow-out after a single period, but got pretty hairy for Flames fans as the game went along.
In fact, if Miikka Kiprusoff hadn't been on top of his game, there's a good chance the Flames would have been looking at an unfortunate loss as opposed to a lopsided win as the Flames back-stop stopped 35 of the 38 shots he faced as Calgary fans were able to enjoy a little role-reversal as, for once, they weren't the team carrying the play but being stone-walled by a hot goalie.
It's also worth noting that the Flames powerplay, which has struggled mightily at home, was able to produce last night via a TJ Brodie goal that gives him 2 on the season. Brodie looked a little over-confident during the prospects camp and was eventually assigned to Abbotsford during the pre-season, but since being recalled has been one of the Flames most consistent blue-liners as he seems to have really focused on being a better all around defenseman. His offensive talent has never been in question, but his defensive awareness has certainly improved, and although it isn't the ideal scenario, the Flames injuries have given TJ a trial by fire as he's adapted to the NHL game. They say that becoming a quality NHL defenseman is a long process, but TJ certainly seems to be on his way.
The win once again moves the Flames over the .500 mark for the season and gets them within 4 points of a playoff spot. That being said, they still sit in 12th place in the conference and would have to jump 4 teams in order to earn that spot, a tall order indeed. If the Flames can somehow find a way to transfer their home success to the road, they could still have a chance at post-season play. Of course, if they could have carried over the success that the ended last season with, this wouldn't even be a discussion. Some fans are hoping for an invitation, most are hoping Jay Feaster blows it up. What do you think?
Have a great day!
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