They’re rebuilding. They don’t have the prettiest roster on paper and they were cast as bottom feeders before the season started.
And yet the Calgary Flames are sitting 2nd in the Pacific division with a playoff spot.
Who woulda thunk?
Although it may seem that we are all on repeat with respect to blog topics, it’s hard not to admire and discuss this team moving forward and how well they’ve done. In saying that, I often wonder what makes this group different from others who have taken “rebuild… route.
It seems to me that the one thing that the Flames have lots of is determination and character, and this goes a long way when trying to win hockey games, with consistency. Last year we saw it with the number of one goal games the team offered, this year we are seeing it with the number of wins!
The writing was on the wall for these guys – You’re going to suck. You’re going to get a few high draft picks, make some mistakes, but you’ll be good again. Basically – you’ll be the Oilers for a little while because that’s what it takes when you decide to rebuild.
Well, I think by now it’s safe to say that we can confirm that there is truly no one way to rebuild a team. There is simply not a process document that you can download from NHL.com that gives you a step by step guide, with images, on how to successfully rebuild a team.
The Calgary Flames made the decision that build their franchise while remaining competitive and this thought scared a lot of people. I posted on Twitter last night a blog that I wrote about Bob Hartley and how many fans were not so sure that he was the right coach for the team given his teaching style and “vision… of staying competitive and sitting anyone not giving 110% regardless of the name on the back of their jersey.
Fast forward about six months later and I don’t think you’ll find a single fan who is still questioning Hartley and what he can get out of his team. But what’s even more important are the players who are at his disposable, and what has recently put a smile on my face is the belief in their team and system coming from the players.
Are they aware that they should be considered “under-dogs…? You’re damn right they do.
Have they likely read a few articles about them and watched analysts on TV talked about them not being able to sustain this play? Yep, they have. And they disagree.
“Where we are right now, it’s going to be very disappointing if we don’t make the playoffs,… said Glencross.
“We have to keep going forward. It’s unacceptable not to make the playoffs. This is what we all play for — being in a situation like this right now.…
And as things stand, the Flames have an 85% chance of making the playoffs and I feel like this number will actually improve over the next few weeks with the way they are playing.
“When you play a long time and keep falling short, it’s very frustrating. So that’s what we want — we all have the itch to get there,… offered Stajan. “I want nothing more, and I know every guy in this room wants nothing more. We’re doing everything we can to do that, but we can’t look that far ahead.
“This is our playoffs right now, because to get to the playoffs, we have to beat out some teams and stay ahead of some teams.…
It’s a thing of beauty, isn’t it? And to add to the right leadership core, the Flames have been getting the right amount of production out of their rookies and bottom six guys.
The only thing that remains a possible issue or worry for me is whether or not Calgary can stay focused on the long term goal and not get too excited with their current success to the point where they make an uncalculated move.
As I’ve said many times over Twitter – stay the course, wait for teams to come to you, and only pounce if someone seems desperate. Otherwise, you have absolutely zero need to make any changes to this club right now.
None.
Thanks for reading!
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