Boy, that felt like a long vacation from hockey – or was it just me?
The NHL ALLStar break is always nice for players as they are given a break in the middle of the season; even those who take part in the event.
For those who didn’t play, the couple of days off allows them to unwind, see their families, and get ready for the brutal second half of the year as teams look to heat up for the playoffs. And fortunately, the Calgary Flames are among both conversations!
Undrafted into the NHL, captain Mark Giordano was quite ecstatic to be a part of the ALLStar game/competition. This is an elite group/event to be a part of and while players like Crosby may have downplayed it’s importance, the fact remains that most of these guys enjoy the time with their colleagues and giving back to the fans (the free booze and pretty ladies wasn’t bad either, just ask Ovechkin and Kessel).
Anyways, while the break was fun for some and needed for others, hockey is back and there has been a lot of activity of late with respect to the Flames. I know not all of you follow me on the Twitter, but if you’re on there, I do get media related releases earlier than the public so I do update things like when certain players are sent down/called up that I don’t necessarily have time to blog about.
That said, three players were recalled in Tyler Wotherspoon, Sven Baertschi, and David Wolf. Fans are really excited to see Wolf and Baertschi hit the ice given that neither has played in quite some time. They have both been playing some better hockey in the AHL, and Wolf is looking to bring energy with a strong forechecking game to the lineup.
In terms of Wotherspoon, the Flames have some injuries that they are still working around, so he may slip into the lineup for a few games. This will certainly be a good chance for the coaching staff to get a feel for how this player’s development is coming along. He and Baertschi, I feel, will have the most pressure place on them to show that they are about ready to take their games to the professional level.
Outside of this news, the Flames were rumoured by Bob MacKenzie to have been involved in discussions around Mike Richards who was placed on waivers yesterday by the Los Angeles Kings. Again for those who don’t follow me on Twitter, I spoke about how I felt that Richards would not be a strong move for this team given that their motto is “work hard, and we’ll reward you….
By bringing in a guy like Richards who has been losing respect around the league, doesn’t exactly send the right message to your players who have been busting their butt to get into the big show. Richards could very well be a strong asset for someone if he were to be re-energized, but this should not be a task that the Flames are considering embarking upon because what they have built in that locker room could very well be lost.
Tonight the Flames will take to the ice against the Buffalo Sabres, and I will have a pregame write up posted shortly to cover said game.