flames v. 'nucks: postgame

a few things about tonight's game:

- i hate sedins
- iggy was a goal away from a gordie howe hattrick
- phaneuf ? who needs him ;) [kiddin', HG !!]
- best save of the night was made by andrei zyuzin
- tangs looked roouuuugh. tough night for the 5 million dollar winger
- some seriously debatable calls (against both teams). the last penalty on lombardi looked awfully questionable to me...
- if i have to watch one more dodge "book of truck" commercial, i will scream
- i love matt cooke. i wish he wore a flaming C (totally off-the-cuff note: he is the most fun player in NHL06... he's got such an active stick)
- my friend merrie went to the game [and i'm envious in a colour far deeper than green]
- friesen looked sharp
- regehr looked sharp for a change
- PLAYFAIR looked sharp for a change (nice suit, buddy)
- most of our guys TOI were around 18 mins. nobody over 24 mins, which is a total anomaly ('specially for iggs)

bedtime.
:)

flames v. 'nucks: pregame

so i've been working my butt off for the past week, on a crazy busy (but fun !) job. so today i slept till noon and am gonna laze out the rest of the afternoon on the couch watchin' the teev. i feel kinda shattered, but i think it's largely because the studio yesterday was so dry, and i was so flat out busy...

[cool stuff, though --like a serval , a kickass skateboarder , a bmx trickster , and a really nice (and talented) kid named zeb . watch for it in a panasonic commercial in may...]

BUT back to the flames, which is why we're all here. i didn't get much of a chance to keep up with my team's actions this week, but i did enjoy listening to peter maher call the shootout whilst drinking beers with the dudes on tuesday. and i got awesome text updates from jason thru both games in minny. giggles with a hattrick ? DANG ! i think he's statistically more likely, on any given night, to get a gordie howe hat trick --and thus the 'true' one was a bit of a gift...

as far as the game tonight, leanne pointed out that there was a lot of negativity where the bloggers are concerned, and while i am actually quite optimistic that this latest flames team can feasibly stick it to the canucks, i'm thinking that my pessimism is helping the boys win...

this game won't be an easy W, though. sedins are still looking strong, luongo is playing some of the best hockey of his career (with a fairly solid team in front of him), the naslund/morrison line [which i believe is still a line, but i'm too lazy to check] has started producing and what the hell (???), jeff cowan ?

i call a tight match, with the flames losing in OT. but a big part of me thinks we can win thru shock and awe. i might catch the last two periods at the wheat sheaf, if anyone (that means you, ST) is interested in meeting up. lemme know & i'll make some decisions...

terrible post, i know. i'm all over the place.
:)

flames v. wild pre-game again

here are my current thoughts on tonight's game in real time:

12:22: really undecided on who's gonna win this one
12:31: still undecided after 9 minutes of actual work during work hours
12:32: decide to flip a coin
12:33: choose heads for flames, tails for wild
12:34: check pockets for coins
12:38: check wallet for coins, after another solid 5 minutes of work
12:39: borrow quarter from co-worker
12:40: typing with quarter (tails side up) on the back of my hand

FLAMES LOSE !!!
:)

flames v. wild pre-game

i hate jason cause he's going to the game tonight.
with so much flames exposure, i'm not even sure who he'll be cheerin' for up there in the bleeders... but we DO know that he loves kipper as much as our boy numms , who will hopefully be allowed to lace up for the match.

i'll be honest. i don't like the flames' chances in this one, even though we're riding a 3-game winning streak (and have taken down two of the league's best in that time). things might be comin' together down in the flames lockerroom (it's gotta be mccarty's presence), but will it be enough ??? the wild have been unbeatable as of late, with 9 straight wins, albeit mostly against non-playoff teams, but with a couple of huge W's vs. the slugs & the flames at the 'dome.

the wild are not a one-trick pony. sure, gaborik and demitra have been outstanding, but tonight when the flames throw their best D at the duo, rolston/white/bouchard will take the ice and make us cry... and i haven't even mentioned how good the parrish/koivu/veilleux line is... warrener and hale are gonna look like they should be wearing spongey red noses and multicoloured afro wigs. and i've got odds on regehr looking old and slow again.

psst... calgary flames : prove me wrong. dare ya.

a love letter to *ahem* the vancouver canucks

[my mum taught me if i didn't have anything nice to say, not to say anything at all... so, this one's gonna be tough..]

to the team who wear the nicest-looking oldschool jerseys in the league:

i know that i haven't been very fond of you in the past, that i've ridiculed you in recent years, and that i've openly cursed your current winning record... but i'm hoping you'll be able to see past all that tonight and put one in the win column anyway. i really don't think it's much to ask, i mean, it's for your own good --what, with minnesota clawing their way up the ranks and challenging you for first in the NW. clearly you're gonna go to the post season, with your pesky redheaded swedish twins and your superhot (in record, if not looks) québecois goalie... so i was just thinking if you were to lose some games this week, it would be very considerate to do it on a night other than tonight (though it would be nice if you could beat the avs again on tuesday...). a blowout would be sweet, but i'll be perfectly happy with a nice, tight, one-goal regulation win.

sincerely,
walkinvisible

ps: tell luongo to win a couple for noodles:




****UPDATE: i truly hate vancouver, they don't even know how to win right******

flames v. preds: postgame

well, there's something to be said about me & my flames blogmates, and that is that we are consistant in attempted superstition. or maybe it's just me... six weeks ago, when we were winning, all of us were posting numerous times a day. when we started losing, we were still all posting like mad (but with more venom). now that we've started winning again [at HOME, kids... we're stoked to have won a couple AT HOME], none of us seem to want to jinx it...

that, or we're just all too busy to write much :) ...

NOTES ON THE GAME

1. THE WINNING GOAL
The idea of placing the hulking blueliner in front of the net was the brainchild of assistant coach Rich Preston, Warrener revealed. "It’s great coaching by Preston," Warrener said. "He made the call. He said go in front. I didn’t know what I was doing." calgaryflames.com

ummm....soooo..... my questions are twofold: why is rich preston the man with the plan ? but mostly, why are rhettro and david hale on the ice in OT ??? i understand that it worked out for a goal, yes. but if hamrlik & phaneuf had just come off the ice, wouldn't brad stuart ---paired with anyone--- seem a more likely defenseman to put on the next shift ???

2. RICH PEVERLEY
this guy had a sweet pass over to arnott, who put it on net to a textbook miikka stretchy save, which came up as "the save of the game" on calgaryflames.com. he's also my toronto roommate's cousin... and that's the only reason i brought it up, here.

3. FORSBERG
my boy got wallpapered by regehr, but looked good on two beautiful passes that ended in goals. if we play the preds first round, someone besides me will have to watch this guy...

4. ICETIME
the "official superstats" show an interesting developement, which is that phaneuf/hamrlik clocked in well under 20 mins, while brad stuart put up a massive 27:56. additionally, primeau's TOI has been whittled down to a mccarty-like 5 mins, and amonte is back where he should be at around 10 mins.

nice win, boys.
hopefully the harvey suit (if not the guy in it) can make it into someone's suitcase. two games in minny are gonna be tough. not to say the chicago game'll be a cinch...

:)

GRAOW GRAMES GROAW

i'm out tonight again (social life returns when i don't feel like watching my boys get destroyed). i have decided that the REAL reason the flames suck on the road is not due to last change, bad ice, hotel rooms, or feng shui (this is my own theory, that the rink's geographical location and the dressing room's door direction etc. is just not right in other cities). the reason the flames suck on the road: no harvey.

not to say they'll win tonight. cause it's a longshot. the preds are gettin' healthier and are looking to hang onto first in the WC after a big loss on the coast last night. on the flipside, they DID play last night, so maybe they're tired... ?

we shall see.
all bets are off, harvey's in the house....

ohyeah... another thing....

just before i head out the door to catch my friend's band, followed by the last period or two of the flames getting annhialated by the wings, i thought i'd add the following note:

my biggest beef with playfair, thusfar, has been his line combination juggling act. i totally understand the need to make changes during a game in order to maximize offensive potential and minimize defensive breakdowns, sure. but i also believe in, and put a huge value in, line chemistry. ie: if iggy's been practising with lombardi and tanguay, then let's let him play with lombardi and tanguay for more than a couple of shifts. if it's not working out by, say, the start of the third, then sure --let's split up a working line (huselius/langkow/moss) to see if iggy's gonna work better with langks and tanguay (okay, it doesn't REALLY make sense but you just can't double-shift everyone....). i thought to myself, "at least playfair has a good enough mind on him to keep his defensive pairings together"...

but on saturday v. the wild, he dressed seven defensemen. which, to me, meant that between zyuzin, giordano & hale SOMETHING's gonna click. but, to playfair, it meant "let's see if hale looks useless when he's on the ice with regehr, or if it's just when he's with zyuzin," or "maybe giordano should get a shot with hamrlik." it was truly outrageous. towards the end of the game (y'know... when we looked like an atom team) it was really anybody's bet which two Dmen would end up on the blueline for the next shift...

it really makes me hopeful for warrener's return, which leads us to the post below...

livin' the hockey life, dyin' the hockey death

If I was an oilers fan, I would’ve been assured weeks ago that there would be no post season for my team. The loss of ryan smyth was a gunshot wound to the heart, and the greasers keeled over on the spot. The boys from up north died instantly, with no suffering… able to finish out the season like a ghost of their former self.

Unfortunately for me, I’m a flames fan, which essentially means that I get to watch a once formidable team crumble and weaken in an agonizingly slow & painful death. It’s as though the've been diagnosed with some god-awful disease, and are struggling and fighting to overcome it… but I’m afraid the prognosis is bad, my friends. And it is nearly time to start preparing for a funeral…

To state the obvious, what was once a push to win the NW is now do-or-die every single night, just to continue past the 82nd game. With Colorado lurking in the shadows like the reaper, ready and able to deliver the final blow, it seems that Calgary may have already turned towards the light. And I’ll be honest: I’m not sure I want them to heal. A huge part of me just wants the pain to stop, and allow a euthanized group to stumble into heaven (aka: the fairways).

Tomorrow we will see the boys go up against one of the best in the league. And while Detroit may be so lucky to face the flames in the first round (I would imagine the avs to be a much more frightening nemesis), they will not easily give up the two points. It is much more likely that the flaming C’s will just roll over and die.

Depressing ?
Kindof....

Premature ?
sure....

let's just say i'm not getting my hopes up... but a non-playoff season, for this group, will surely lead to both player and coaching changes. it's not over yet, but i must admit i like the prospect of the impending 07/08 season with a new-look team. though i really thought this was the year to make a good run...

rest in peace, amonte/noodles/playfair era…

flames v. wild postgame

my immediate reactions on tonight's affair:

the flippant reaction:
playfair came out from the lockerroom in a canary yellow shirt, burgundy striped tie & pinstriped suit jacket (god only knows what his pants looked like). i sighed a sigh of the doomed. yep...

the despondent reaction
with about a minute and a half left, the calgary bench called a time out. playfair didn't seem to take part in this activity, aside from standing nearby and looking sullen and deeply concerned [no doubt for the future of his career].

the optimistic reaction
if the flames don't make the playoffs, we won't have to sit through four additional excrutiating games [and i say four because, let's face it --if the boys make it into the post-season, they sure ain't gonna be winning any games...]. other postitives include amonte only playing 13 mins...

flames v. wild pre-game

since i don't feel like pretending we're gonna skate circles around the wild tonight, and i don't feel like writing a super pessimistic post,jason has kindly offered to write my pre-game from the wild's perspective...

It's like this: tonight's game is the second to last road game for the Wild this season. They drew the lucky stick this year and have 8 of their final 10 games at the X here in Minnesota. Though with the way they've been playing on the road recently, they may just wish they had a few of those away from home.

In these final 10 games, the Wild face the Flames three more times: Tonight in the Saddledome, then twice back-to-back at the X in a couple of weeks. The other games look to be from mild to mildly difficult for the Wild. We've got Gretzky present once (Coyotes), Gretzky past twice (Blues, yes, he was a Blue for a couple of months), Gretzky past past once (Kings), Gretzky past past past twice (Oilers), and the nowhere near Gretzky once (Nordiques...I mean Avs).

So the Wild have six more games to take a possible 12 points from division rivals for all the marbles. The Oilers are in a tailspin since trading their franchise player (we all saw what happened when the Blues traded Pronger), so they shouldn't be much of a threat at this point, even with the Wild's former number one in goal. The Avs will be a bit of a threat as it will be in their house for the last road game. The Kings could be a little dangerous as they fight to stay off the bottom (which Philly seems to want to keep for a long time). The Blues can be a mixed bag. They can either keep it close, or fall apart in the third (ala the last two games v. the Flames). The Coyotes have Gretzky behind the bench, so that's something, right?

And then we come to the Flames. One away and two at home. The easiest way to put it would be a loss at the Dome and two wins at the X. But as we've seen of late, the Flames are looking fairly dismal down the home stretch, while the Wild have been picking up the pace. The Flames have dropped four of their last seven, while the Wild have won six of their last eight. Course, five of those games were decided by one goal, so that's not saying a whole lot.

Who do the Wild have these days? Well, the most lethal line consists of the Slovaks - Gabby and Demitra plus whoever else Lemaire decides to put on the line with them, probably Parrish. Their on-ice chemistry has been nothing short of amazing this season. They can make plays without even looking for each other. It's a sight to behold. Watch out for Demitra if he gets behind the net. More than a few pucks have been bounced off the back of goalies and into the net this season.

If the game goes into OT, keep an eye out for Burns to slam the final goal home. He's done it back-to-back in the last week or so. The Canucks didn't take too kindly to him, as they clotheslined him after he scored. He took it stride of course, as he did win the game. I still don't like him all that much, but he seems to finally be fitting into the Wild's system.

Backstrom stepped up and has been pretty amazing in net since Manny's injury. Look for him to get the start and Manny to be backup.

Rolston has rediscovered his wicked slapper, so watch yourself for a bullet coming from the blue line.

With the way both teams have been playing, I'd say the Wild have a good chance to take this game, even if it is in the dome. As evidenced in the last few games there, it's not as much of a stronghold as it was earlier in the season. And if Playfair is wearing anything but the best, this should be an even easier win for the State of Hockey (cue the anthem).


[the anthem]

a love letter to tony amonte

dearest tony:

i know i've been outrageously hard on both you and your bestie, jim, these last few weeks --but i hope you know it's my version of "tough love." i also hope you know that when i asked my friend darren, during your game against the avs, "is it wrong for me to kinda want amonte to get a puck in the face ?" i didn't ACTUALLY want you to get a puck in the face... and when i saw the highlights this morning of the stars game, i felt a lot of guilt. dude, that must've hurt... and you're pretty tough to forego stitches in order to get back to your regular shift...

i wanted to let you know that my new spin (since i, apparently, have the ability to make things happen) is that i now kinda want you to get a couple of goals on saturday against those pesky boys in xmas colours. and if not a couple of goals, then a couple of assists. and if not a couple of assists, then a couple of big hits or annoying moves that draw some penalties. or at the very least an even +/- rating...

tony, i have decided to love and support you for the rest of 06/07, even though we all know that realistically it'll only be a few more weeks... but then i'll support you in your quest for a hole-in-one...

sincerely,
walkinvisible

flames v. stars postgame

not much to say, here, other than there are 66 comments on leanne's liveblog.... and good for us... :)

regehr appears to be out, which may be a blessing in disguise as he's been horrendous lately (but horrendous in a way that i fear we'll be worse without him). playfair chose to dress godard but then gave him mccarty-like minutes, which i don't understand [but i only just discovered that yelle is out with an undisclosed injury] . same with lord byron, who i hear is a defensive liability but have yet to see it in person... i say let's try putting him back in a position where he doesn't feel utterly useless and maybe he'll get back to form (ie: give him some of amonte's minutes).

and i'm all-but-decided that i'm getting #10 AMONTE on my jersey, cause if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

can't wait till saturday --more saddledome heroin beers & pocketdawgs for me, as i watch my 2nd favorite team in the west try to push my favorite team out of the playoffs.

i'm starting to think maybe harvey the hound should hit the road with the boys...

flames v. southstars: pre-game (aka: the benefit of the doubt)

i have had a very mellow day and have given myself a little time to reflect on the flames' absolute incapability to slam dunk a win outside the 'dome. this reflection is also known as "resigning oneself to suckage," and i have thus come to the realization that perhaps i've been too harsh... i've come up with some options in minutely plausable explanations for the things jim playfair has a propensity to do with extreme regularity (much to my agony):

AMONTE PLAYING TOO OFTEN & IN CLUTCH TIMES
-kyle presumes tony's got photos that jimmy wants him to bury. the ol' "give me ice time or i go public with the pics" ploy.
-amonte has "family" in the boston mob and jim's got gambling debts
-tony wants to play, and jimmy (the ol' softie) thinks he looks like a sad, homeless puppydog when he gets benched
-sutter bet playfair $100 bucks that amonte wouldn't score again this year. jimmy needs the dough for a new tie

IRREGULAR AND CONSTANT LINE SHUFFLING
-"henhen" is the punchline of lombo's joke about playfair's wife, and jimmy found out about it after matty's second shift last night
-iggy threw a hissy fit, after conroy went out injured, and proclaimed that he would not play back-to-back shifts with anyone else (to honour the fallen centreman)
-sutter bet playfair $100 bucks he couldn't get iggy to score without tanguay, langkow, huselius or lombardi on the ice

i was gonna go on and on with my imaginings but i have a dinner date. which, for those of you following along on the shift chart, means i will not be watching, listening or otherwise paying attention to the flames play the stars. even though i would totally love to listen to the star-spangled banner, as it makes my heart warm to hear those dallas folks yell "STARS" the two times the word appears in the anthem... gooood bless 'em...

good luck, boys.

flames v. 'lanche: postgame (aka: amonte's got pictures)

okay.
enough.
i am sick and fucking tired of seeing amonte on the ice during the final minute of must-win games.
the end.

flames v. 'lanche pre-game (aka: solutions)

in the past few years, my dad and i have really found a nice bond through hockey --specifically the flames-- and often spend tuesday nights over dinner, yapping about the strengths and faults of "our" boys. even if i don't talk to my dad for weeks (ie: when i'm in toronto), he keeps up-to-date (more or less) by reading this here blog. dinner last night was spent largely discussing my playfair-bashing, and how to fix it.

i hold playfair largely at fault for the underachieving (too eagerly shuffling line combinations, bad line changes, bad lineups & on-ice player decisions --just to name a few issues), but i definitely think what's currently happening in edmonton is also happening, to a lesser extent, in cowtown. when the grease shipped off ryan smyth, they lost their 'heart,' their cohesion, their innocence, and their sense of good times... and while it's becoming clear (slowly... eeever soooo sloooowlllyyy) that brad stuart IS more effective than andrew ference, there seems to be a different mentality in our locker room, post-trade. it wasn't a knockout blow, in the flames' case, but it seems to me that the team has been swinging wildly with no direction for weeks...

so back to solutions.
if you presume that this team has all the components, player-wise, to win the cup, then it's coaching that's the problem. with only 13 games to go, sutter is probably thinking it's too late to make a change... but i don't think it is... i think that ship will have sailed a week from now, sure. but today ?

if we can't beat the avs tonight, i wanna see ol' jimmy on the guillotine tomorrow. i realize it won't happen, but sutter's got to know the team will look a lot different (possibly weaker) next year. he, himself, has stated "this is the year" but has also proclaimed that he will not head back behind the bench [and i wouldn't want anyone else to take the job]...

so back to reality, i think jimbo's got to come up with some stability for the boys, a proper 'game plan' [and, no... "switch everything around to try to make something happen" is not a proper game plan] and a hellz nice suit/tie/shirt combo.

so... uh.... we're screwed.

flames will probably squeak out a win tonight, just to make everyone think we're back on track.

flames v. blues: postgame (aka: i blame playfair)

this was not a good game.
the flames dominated in the first but left the ice after twenty down a goal.
we went up two in the third and allowed an AHL team (essentially.... sorry, jason) claw back for a tie.

and speaking of ties ?
i blame this one on playfair...
did you SEE that outfit ? if there is any merit to the "flames lose when playfair looks like he shops at the sally ann" theory, i predicted a loss the moment he stepped out into the bright saddledome lights... holy crap. what the hell was THAT ?? hideous. i'm seriously considering taking up a "playfair needs a new suit" fund.
who's in ?

aside from his attire, ol'jimmy made me squirm in frustration numerous times during last night's game from his coaching. iggy started the game with lombo and tangs. ten minutes into the second period, he's playing with yelle and friesen. a few minutes later he's back on with tanguay, but now langkow is at centre (can't we leave the second line well enough alone ???). i'm all for double shifting our captain when he's having a good night (which he wasn't), but can we not try setting some lines and let them play together for more than a period ??

and maybe it's just me but zyuzin [who went off with injury, btw, after blocking a shot] should not be playing big boy PP or PK minutes, and tony amonte has no business being on the ice with one minute to go in a tie game. NONE. i don't care how tired Juice is, if the guy's got four points on the night, he's skating in the final seconds... and if you examine the shift chart, he was defnitely due for some ice... but playfair chose amonte...

this guy has GOT to go. too bad sutter likes him. or doesn't feel like coaching anymore. cause now is the time and there is no other coach that can come in this late in the game. get rid of 'im or we're SUNK in the playoffs...

that should not have been such a tight game.

Flames v. blues: pregame/hitmen v. blades post-game

yesterday, jason and i attended the hitmen game, and i must say it was nice to be back in the 'dome (pocketdawgs and all). the hitmen absolutely schooled the blades, and it was truly nice to see a home team win without any sort of struggle. the game was hugely entertaining: there was a killer sweet goal scored by steve covington, as he undressed a defenseman and then made a really nice deke move on the goalie, putting it top shelf. also: the goalies fought. sure, dan spence got his ass handed to him, but i still appreciate his efforts to get pummeled at exactly centre ice... [additional highlights include what i just found out: a weird play-stoppage & subsequent ice tidying was a result of spence puking on his way to the bench. nice one.]

so, with any luck, this good vibe and work ethic juju will stay in the dome for the calgary-based team, and the flames can come out huge against the blues tonight. the ducks held the 'nucks at bay last night, so a win tonight would be perfect to gain some ground and avoid playing my boy forsberg in the first round (wait...)...

blues have been solid in their past few starts, a couple of wins & a couple of losses, sure. but we are all aware that sanford has the ability to shut down teams (often the good teams) and there's a bunch of young guys who have the ability to put it in the net. i wonder if kipper will play, and think if mclennan's gonna start any game in the next 8, it'll be tonight. this game could easily go either way...

being that i'll be seated next to a dude in a blues jersey, i'm really hoping the flames can put two points under the W tonight.
(please ?).

:)

flames v. bolts: post-game (aka: pure sadness)

it's like this.

i think that playfair should've gotten the hook months ago (in retrospect), and now i think it's too late for the flames to salvage the year. which makes me sad, mostly because the team will have a lot of rebuilding to do in the summer. i'm sad that friesen took so long to find his groove, and that he won't get re-signed. i'm sad that conroy's gonna be injured for the rest of the year. i'm sad that amonte sees more ice than ritchie (mmmmm, actually, that's more frustration than sadness).

we looked bad against the preds. we looked good against tampa, but not good enough. and this does not bode well for imaginings of hockey into june...

the good news is that monday is flames v. blues --a game that we COULD win (and still, a game we can definitely lose in the right conditions)... i presume mclennan will get the start, giving kipper a much-needed break. [did anyone see kipps mis-play the icing during a PP in the 3rd, putting his arm up --as he's apt to do-- before realizing not only were the bolts on the PK, but forechecking their way to the puck ??? SOMETHING has GOT to be wrong with kipper...]

oh. and mostly i'm sad for the poor clubbed baby lombo...

:(

uhhhh.... i'm too busy for you guys....

:)
back in cowtown. can't wait for live games in the next week. jason 's here so we're doin' all the good calgary/canada shit. y'know... goin' to banff today but won't have time to post till just before/after the game.

so i just went from the fastest pre-game in the east to the slowest pre-game in the west...

and as harvey the hound said in a bulletin on myspace:

GROAW GRAMES GROAW !!!

flames v. preds: pregame

here's what i know.

up until a few months ago, nashville was kinda underrated & flying under the proverbial radar. they were good, but with no "superstars," they were largely forgotten when discussing "elite" teams. sure, their jerseys are horrific, but you never really get a good look at 'em anyways, since they seem to be always blowin' past everyone. i'm not kidding, that is one heinously fast team. and who woulda thought a bunch of rejects (sullivan, tootoo, kariya) would turn into such a formidable foe...? and i haven't even STARTED on how good vokoun can be....

enter my main man peter forsberg. the yet unmarried (?????) swedish "royal". this guy brings finesse, creativity & style (not to mention the prettiest blue eyes). i'm not sure of the chemistry, yet, but i think they're lookin' pretty good. if he can stay healthy, this team might be unstoppable. [though that has nothing to do with the eyes at all, it was still worth mentionning]...

ultimately, i just like it when the flames play the preds cause it gives me an excuse to post pics. :)

foppa modelling for EQ in sweden [i tried to get me one of these in poster size when i was in örebro]

peter forsberg (and peter forsberg's tummy)

...

...

...


sorry, what ? there's a game tonight ?
oh, whoops.

i'm not makin' any calls on this one. and i won't be able to watch or listen, since it's CMW here in toronto, and i'm making the most of it before i head back to cowtown tomorrow... brad stuart sounded AWESOME in st.lou, and the team was pressing hard for 60. if the flames keep playing the way they have in the last few outings, they might actually win this one. if they turn up "evil twin," we're fucked.

they don't call 'em the predators for nothin'...

old news

i posted this on my personal blog a few months back, but it deserves to be put up here. and since it's an off day (and i'm never pre-gaming that early again) and duncan reminded me of it the other day, i thought i'd post it here. my first publish in the hockey news...



pink jerseys ? BOOOOO !!!

:)

a love letter to the san jose sharks

dear northern californian fishies:

thank you, san jose, for not letting the wild win today. i'm sure it must have been hard on you to crush the dreams of that sweet little blueliner, nummelin, but i honestly appreciate the gesture. i'm also kindof hoping that the bolts might owe you a favour, cause i would really love it if they killed the canucks tonight, as well... maybe you could call'em ?? i mean, i was just thinking that you should show vancouver who's the real king of the sea.

just a suggestion...

sincerely,
walkinvisible

Flames v. blues: pregame

[i gotta do this tonight, cause i won't have time tomorrow...]

imagine, if you will, that someone actually paid attention to all the flames drivel you babble about every day. y’know: who’s playing well, who’s playing like shit, who needs a stern talking to, who needs a good ol’fashioned benching, who needs to get promoted, who needs to get fired ? well, jason likes the blues the way I like the flames. And so I’ve learned some stuff vicariously…

I should really leave the pre-game to him, but here’s what I (think i) know. his team would probably have been a playoff contender if they’d sacked mike kitchen earlier. on paper, I think they look pretty decent, with steady guys all over the place, like brewer,cajanek & weight. sure, legace’s still injured but sanford’s definitely holding his own (demonstrated by their 6-2-2 record in the last ten). as for the newbies, boyes scored a goal in his first outing as a blue (and I’m sure it will be the first of many), metropolit has an assist & is +1 after 3 games and niemenen is averaging 10 minutes out of 60. They look decent up front, they look tough on the blueline… clearly the system is working... and watch out for backes, I hear he’ll make us swear…

These guys have learned how to win, to be sure. They have shown themselves to be resilient, they can hold a lead, and can come back from a defecit. They’re tricky and talented. And while everyone’s been talking about how Edmonton was a contender up until about a week and a half ago, nobody seems to notice that the early-season laughing stock that were the blues, are currently tied with the greasers with 15 games to go… or that they’ve picked up at least a point in every outing save for 4 since the end of January…

This will be the first of two games against the boys from the "show me" state over the next week (the second one will be attended with much fanfare by both Jason and myself back home in mootown). I would imagine the home team will take each matchup, meaning duncan will once again be rightly reminding us that things are not OK.

which, simply put, means tonight the flames are gonna look like a bunch of hacks again. we lose 3-1: goals by weight, stempniak, dvorak & langkow.

flames win on the road !!!

has anyone else noticed that when the flames win on the road, there is really not that much to bitch about ? hence none of my blogmates posting today. nothing. nada. squat. zero. zilch.... okay, well nothing more than everyone simply noting that we won. and good for us... :)

congrats to ST's PVR going 7-0, to leanne noticing that HNIC is good luck (and being right again), and to hockeygirl's new superstition.

FYI my jersey is now 6-2.

see ya'z on tuesday with a well-informed pre-game post on the blues. since one of my besties is a st.lou fan...

flames v. grease pregame (aka:newbies)

first thing's first. it's decidedly possible i'll hit the wheatsheaf for a bit tonight --maybe for the end of the kaber-less leafs game and the start of the battle of alberta. my hockey-watching mate lives directly across the street, so i'm sure there will be some watching done from the comfort of his couch... maybe all, i dunno... so drop a comment if you're gonna show and i'll make sure to make an appearance...

with that out of the way, tonight's game will be interesting if nothing else. we flames fans get our first peek at the new look greasers --albeit less greasy and mulletted than before. i'm actually a big fan of robert nilsson (as i was a fan of kent nilsson) but like lupul, i wonder if he'll stagnate up north.

the oilers have been blown out twice since trading away their "heart-and-soul" guy, which i see as a more drastic version of the flames meltdown after losing ference. but let's not kid ourselves. the oil will score another goal at some point before the end of the year... probably tonight...

it looks like david gale might suit up tonight in place of god knows who. zyuzin's been remarkably decent lately, and playfair (read: sutter) is a huge fan of the always-a-bridesmaid warrener --so neither of them will likely get the bench. which means gio's ridin' pine tonight. which seems cool --let's see what the newbie can do. by slipping into the flaming C's #21, he technically becomes my favorite player.

make perry berezan proud, dude.

flames win 6-1 (juice, preems, tangs with 2, phaneuf, giggles & nilsson with his first as a westerner).

random musings & amusements

ha. nice one.
:)


should the toronto-based flames blogmates hang out for beers and a good ol' fashioned battle of alberta on HNIC ? i'm not 100% sure of my saturday plans yet but i'd love to hear if anyone else is even interested... my suggestion would probably be the wheatsheaf @ king & bathurst. but i'm just throwin it out there for debate...

flames v. wild postgame (aka reaction)

i couldn't watch or listen to this game live, cause i was out entertaining some bigwigs from work [which sounds like a chore, i know, but really it means drinking too much beer with a bunch of dudes i quite enjoy]. jason, who lives in minneapolis, kindly offered to text me updates. but my phone was annoyingly quiet...

10:50pmET "0-0 after first. wild outshot flames. flames took more penalties. both forechecks look pretty good. big chess match period."
[i sigh and wish i was watching, go back to tapas]

11:05pmET "backs didn't come back. hardings in goal now 4 wild"
[i ponder the huge opportunity presented, order another beer]

11:41pmET "0-0 after 2. harding looks solid. wild start 3rd on PP"
[i wonder which line combos playfair's got going, and if nummelin is simply shutting them down singlehandedly]

11:59pmET "gabby scores on a 5 on 3. 1-0 wild"
[i vocalize profanities, directed at both gaborik and the flames (for taking too many penalties). the work guys inquire, with faux-concern]

12:24amET "regehr scores from the blue line. 1-1, 3:10 left"
[i literally thrust my fist in the air and profess my love for reggie and his adorably humungous ears]

12:31amET "OT comin'. this is no fun without you"
[which i don't get till later due to alcohol consumption and obliviousness to the buzzing]

12:37amET "shootouts"
[see above]

12:44amET "flames win in SO. iggy gets only goal"
[in a half-cut burst of pure joy, i exlaim "FLAMES WIN." the work dudes offer disinterested congratulations and return to talking about whatever it was they were talking about].


that was MY reaction. did you see KIPPER'S ??? i always love watching kipper's nonchalance after a win. i love watching him chat with mclennan, who skates out to the net to congratulate him, and seeing his grin through his mask... but while most goalies, following a shootout win, react as though they've just won the cup, last night kipper just casually started off towards the bench... and then clearly let out a violent celebratory "YEAHHHH !!!!"

soo sweet...