well we made it through the summer months and here we are, on the eve of a new season !!! we're officially celebrating our one-year anniversary with duncan on board, so happy birthday to the current era of hitthepost !!!!
as it happens, my buddy jason (who designed my skull-and-cross-hockeysticks logo) is superamazing and reminds me every year around this time that it would be ultra rad to re-vamp the look of this here blog.... so HUGE kudos to him for the re-worked banner up top there.... i look forward to seeing him in early november to watch the flames kick some blues ass out east at scottrade center...
(btw: mum --if you're reading this: i'm going to st.louis !!!)
;)
i'm seriously excited about the potential of this year's squad, but still skeptical that they'll be able to notch Ws.... i like all of the offseason moves by darryl (save for the mcgrattan signing, which seems utterly suspect) and i'm hoping that his cap management skills have improved...
my main concerns are putting pucks in the net and keeping them out. seems kindof obvious, yes, but i'm not convinced that jokinen is the real deal, or that dawes/bourque/glencross have the skills to score enough.... on the flipside, it's clear that kipper has some issues and cumac is an unproven backup. could be scary, could be awesome.... i guess we'll know starting tomorrow !!!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
heat going broke
okay, i'm sure they're not ACTUALLY sans cash, but they can't even afford to make their cheesy logo look good on their webpage.... is there not a larger/better version of the insignia kickin' around SOMEWHERE so they don't need to have this 3"x 2" pixellated monstrosity adorning their site ???? i grabbed the above image straight off of abbotsfordheat.com.
note: the opposition teams' logos look pretty fantastic, if you don't mind me sayin'....
slow news day.
;)
Monday, September 28, 2009
sutter makes a bad deal
anton strålman to the blue jackets for a 3rd round pick in 2010 ?
hm.
i guess when you get something for nothing, it's fair to get nothing in return.
hm.
i guess when you get something for nothing, it's fair to get nothing in return.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Live Blog: Flames are on TV, so I'm back
It's been, uh, some time since I made a proper contribution in these parts. And it seems that, as a result, I can't decide where to start. So, what better way to get it all out than in the form of a liveblog during my first opportunity to actually WATCH the Flames play this year.
I realize this may be me talking to myself for three hours but, hey, I've never let that stop me from saying things before. Good times, see you tonight at 7 p.m. Mountain, 9 p.m. Eastern.
I realize this may be me talking to myself for three hours but, hey, I've never let that stop me from saying things before. Good times, see you tonight at 7 p.m. Mountain, 9 p.m. Eastern.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
freddie's looking prreettyy HAWT
thanks to shep for the heads up on freddie sjöström's new look.... image from freddie's blog (written in swedish, which is why we need shep to keep us updated). ;)
(ouch!!)
Thursday, September 17, 2009
gio jersey record for 09/10: 1/1
okay, so THAT happened....
:)
i'm not gonna lie, that was pretty much the most fun game i've been to since.... well, since the olympic camp tryout a couple of weeks ago.... a lot of stuff to talk about and i'll go point form (in no particular order).
1. theoren fleury
let's be honest: flames fans still love the tiny mite something FIERCE.... and with good reason: when he's on his game, he's pretty awesome. the problem being, of course, that he is 41 years old (bless'im) and definitely cannot keep up to the north/south mobility that current NHLers are accustomed to. #14 came out flying in his first few shifts, had a couple of seriously decent plays but was mostly flat-footed, slow, and largely motionless in the way that bertuzzi was (only probably worse). in the later minutes, he was clearly exhausted and if pierre maguire was calling the game, i'm certain that "sucking dirty pondwater" would have been the term describing fleury's final shifts.... nigel dawes got three points during this game, but i found myself thinking that he could probably have gotten more if he and langkow were playing with a more mobile hockey player.... there was really no doubt that theo would score in the shootout, and what a goal it was..... ooooooohhhhhh it sounded like a playoff game in the dome when he notched the winner.
thing. of. beauty....
2. mark giordano
yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah i love the guy blah blah blah... i was asked yesterday what it was about gio that i liked so much and my answer was demonstrated to perfection tonight: "he's SO smart both on and off the puck, he's got an AMAZING outlet pass, and he can hold the zone no problems." what i DIDN'T say is that he's got an incredibly amount of heart and stands up for his teammates.... the dude fought tonight, and also jumped in on morency as he was coming after dion ----honestly ? watch this clip of the okposo hit (click "hockey" at left, then click on the bar that translates to "dion phaneuf crushes kyle okposo"). at about 7:09 he sees morency hop over the boards and skates about twenty feet in two seconds to intercept the retaliatory beating of phaneuf.... he's such an unsung hero on this team, i can only presume he'll continue to be as strong..... in classic gio style, he took a phantom penalty for hooking and a coincidental roughing minor, neither of which show up on the game log, and gio ain't on the player summary.... just another example that the powers-that-be don't seem to realize that mark giordano exists...
***UPDATE*** i guess someone else noticed that gio didn't make the gamesheet, and it has since been resolved.... good work by my boy with 18 mins of ice.... :)
3. miikka vs. david shantz
this point will be short. the 8-million dollar goaltender stunk up the joint. the journeyman AHLer was strong and steady, and will definitely give master dynamite a run for his money out in abbotsford.... and let's not forget it was david shantz's shootout shutout that allowed fleury to claim the gamewinner, unsung-hero-style....
4. nigel dawes
also a short one, here: dawes was ho-hum against the grease on tuesday. dawes will most definitely challenge for a top-six role in the real season. dawes showed some chemistry with both langkow and jokinen. dawes will heretofore be referred to as dawesome. ;)
5. olli jokinen
i hated the lombo/1st rounder for jokinen trade when it happened last march and even though his first two or three games in a flaming C were amazing, i was hugely disappointed in his skills towards the end of last year.... if olli can play the rest of this season like he did tonight, then sign me up to the fanclub... not only was he good on-ice with iggy and backlund, but he nailed the PP with moss and dawes as well.... and any player gets big points for sticking up for their teammates and it seriously warmed my heart to see olli drop the gloves after watching mikael backlund get railroaded against the boards in the first period. it's only game 1 but i've got a lot of hope....
6. other notes
- dvdg didn't get much ice (the least of anyone) but i gotta say i noticed him when he was out there.
- as the only non-nhl calibre blueliner for the flames, keith aulie made the most of his minutes.
- brendan witt has really, really, really bad hair.
- reggie joined the rush much more than i ever remember him doing.
- the guys had some new moves on the powerplay. it looked like they knew what they were doing.... :)
- dion phaneuf is a dirty player moonlighting as a clean player. also ? he needs to hold the zone better.... like, ALOT better.... like, y'know... once or twice a game.
that's about it for now, i guess.
:)
:)
i'm not gonna lie, that was pretty much the most fun game i've been to since.... well, since the olympic camp tryout a couple of weeks ago.... a lot of stuff to talk about and i'll go point form (in no particular order).
1. theoren fleury
let's be honest: flames fans still love the tiny mite something FIERCE.... and with good reason: when he's on his game, he's pretty awesome. the problem being, of course, that he is 41 years old (bless'im) and definitely cannot keep up to the north/south mobility that current NHLers are accustomed to. #14 came out flying in his first few shifts, had a couple of seriously decent plays but was mostly flat-footed, slow, and largely motionless in the way that bertuzzi was (only probably worse). in the later minutes, he was clearly exhausted and if pierre maguire was calling the game, i'm certain that "sucking dirty pondwater" would have been the term describing fleury's final shifts.... nigel dawes got three points during this game, but i found myself thinking that he could probably have gotten more if he and langkow were playing with a more mobile hockey player.... there was really no doubt that theo would score in the shootout, and what a goal it was..... ooooooohhhhhh it sounded like a playoff game in the dome when he notched the winner.
thing. of. beauty....
2. mark giordano
yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah i love the guy blah blah blah... i was asked yesterday what it was about gio that i liked so much and my answer was demonstrated to perfection tonight: "he's SO smart both on and off the puck, he's got an AMAZING outlet pass, and he can hold the zone no problems." what i DIDN'T say is that he's got an incredibly amount of heart and stands up for his teammates.... the dude fought tonight, and also jumped in on morency as he was coming after dion ----honestly ? watch this clip of the okposo hit (click "hockey" at left, then click on the bar that translates to "dion phaneuf crushes kyle okposo"). at about 7:09 he sees morency hop over the boards and skates about twenty feet in two seconds to intercept the retaliatory beating of phaneuf.... he's such an unsung hero on this team, i can only presume he'll continue to be as strong..... in classic gio style, he took a phantom penalty for hooking and a coincidental roughing minor, neither of which show up on the game log, and gio ain't on the player summary.... just another example that the powers-that-be don't seem to realize that mark giordano exists...
***UPDATE*** i guess someone else noticed that gio didn't make the gamesheet, and it has since been resolved.... good work by my boy with 18 mins of ice.... :)
3. miikka vs. david shantz
this point will be short. the 8-million dollar goaltender stunk up the joint. the journeyman AHLer was strong and steady, and will definitely give master dynamite a run for his money out in abbotsford.... and let's not forget it was david shantz's shootout shutout that allowed fleury to claim the gamewinner, unsung-hero-style....
4. nigel dawes
also a short one, here: dawes was ho-hum against the grease on tuesday. dawes will most definitely challenge for a top-six role in the real season. dawes showed some chemistry with both langkow and jokinen. dawes will heretofore be referred to as dawesome. ;)
5. olli jokinen
i hated the lombo/1st rounder for jokinen trade when it happened last march and even though his first two or three games in a flaming C were amazing, i was hugely disappointed in his skills towards the end of last year.... if olli can play the rest of this season like he did tonight, then sign me up to the fanclub... not only was he good on-ice with iggy and backlund, but he nailed the PP with moss and dawes as well.... and any player gets big points for sticking up for their teammates and it seriously warmed my heart to see olli drop the gloves after watching mikael backlund get railroaded against the boards in the first period. it's only game 1 but i've got a lot of hope....
6. other notes
- dvdg didn't get much ice (the least of anyone) but i gotta say i noticed him when he was out there.
- as the only non-nhl calibre blueliner for the flames, keith aulie made the most of his minutes.
- brendan witt has really, really, really bad hair.
- reggie joined the rush much more than i ever remember him doing.
- the guys had some new moves on the powerplay. it looked like they knew what they were doing.... :)
- dion phaneuf is a dirty player moonlighting as a clean player. also ? he needs to hold the zone better.... like, ALOT better.... like, y'know... once or twice a game.
that's about it for now, i guess.
:)
NEWSFLASH: minny adds sykora & starts to really worry me
minnesota and their new GM have quietly built a pretty scary-looking squad during the summer months: havlat, sykora, and brodziak will join the ranks of minny's reliable playmakers like mikko koivu & PMB, and young role-players like james sheppard and cal clutterbuck.... and who knows what grey-haired owen nolan will add if he can stay healthy ??!?
on the back-end, the wild have a solid (if not fearsome) top six D, and boast one of the steadiest goalies in the league (backstrom), and have two capable nhl-calibre backups in josh harding and wade dubielewicz...
where once the games at the xcel center were notched in the win column before the flames even landed in the MSP, i look forward to this season's battles --i'm sure they will be bloody and well-fought.
:)
on the back-end, the wild have a solid (if not fearsome) top six D, and boast one of the steadiest goalies in the league (backstrom), and have two capable nhl-calibre backups in josh harding and wade dubielewicz...
where once the games at the xcel center were notched in the win column before the flames even landed in the MSP, i look forward to this season's battles --i'm sure they will be bloody and well-fought.
:)
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
what scares me the most about theoren fleury:
this.(photo from the globe & mail)
while it's DEFINITELY possible that the flames sent absolutely everybody at training camp through the greenscreen setup, it's entirely likely some CG nerd has already dropped in this year's game opening-video theme into the background [akin to last year's "sin city"-esque streetscape]. who knows whether or not theo's vignette makes the final cut, but since i haven't made up my mind if his joining the team would be a good thing or a bad thing, it makes me nervous to see how far he's already come in weaving himself in this season's fabric....
SO excited for thursday...
so i'm gonna hit the 'dome with my pops on thursday for the flames second pre-season tilt; this time against the islanders...
will tavares suit up ?
will gio ?
according to the scoop on the flames, put your money on #14 taking the ice along with pretty much everyone i could hope to see for the flambés (including backlund with iggy and olli, and freddy sjöström)....
last night's game against the oil was a good test of our young guns; a lot of vets suited up for the grease (staios, horcoff, gilbert) while calgary's most seasoned players were boyd and moss --both of whom looked really good wearing the A... it was also boyd and moss who stood out, to me, as actual nhl-calibre players. dawes, i'm afraid to say, did not (he was mostly invisible for the majority of the game, which reminds me that he may not be the second coming of rene bourque and might have been placed on waivers for a reason).... still, "invisible" also means he didn't screw up much (if at all), so i guess that's positive.... anton strålman had a very steady game and showed his skill ---right up until the end where an ill-advised pass ended up in the empty net... guys like negrin, pelech, greentree & chucko still get the ol' "meh" and keetley demonstrated in a period and a half that his skills/confidence are trailing off and he's likely destined for the echl...
in REALLY unfortunate news, john armstrong is back on the injured list which means come october his salary is counting against the cap once again.... i honestly think he's got some skills but injured in training camp two years in a row is kinda devastating....
it seems that four of calgary's future stars have been returned to their junior teams: wahl, brodie, nemisz & bouma. i have high hopes for all four of those guys but they'd be in way over their heads with so many older players vying for the pro clubs' roster spots.... i wish them the best of seasons and hope for a breakout by any or all....
darryl sutter watch: so far so good, buddy.
:)
will tavares suit up ?
will gio ?
according to the scoop on the flames, put your money on #14 taking the ice along with pretty much everyone i could hope to see for the flambés (including backlund with iggy and olli, and freddy sjöström)....
last night's game against the oil was a good test of our young guns; a lot of vets suited up for the grease (staios, horcoff, gilbert) while calgary's most seasoned players were boyd and moss --both of whom looked really good wearing the A... it was also boyd and moss who stood out, to me, as actual nhl-calibre players. dawes, i'm afraid to say, did not (he was mostly invisible for the majority of the game, which reminds me that he may not be the second coming of rene bourque and might have been placed on waivers for a reason).... still, "invisible" also means he didn't screw up much (if at all), so i guess that's positive.... anton strålman had a very steady game and showed his skill ---right up until the end where an ill-advised pass ended up in the empty net... guys like negrin, pelech, greentree & chucko still get the ol' "meh" and keetley demonstrated in a period and a half that his skills/confidence are trailing off and he's likely destined for the echl...
in REALLY unfortunate news, john armstrong is back on the injured list which means come october his salary is counting against the cap once again.... i honestly think he's got some skills but injured in training camp two years in a row is kinda devastating....
it seems that four of calgary's future stars have been returned to their junior teams: wahl, brodie, nemisz & bouma. i have high hopes for all four of those guys but they'd be in way over their heads with so many older players vying for the pro clubs' roster spots.... i wish them the best of seasons and hope for a breakout by any or all....
darryl sutter watch: so far so good, buddy.
:)
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
we made it thru the summer....
....and now hockey's back !!!!!!
i didn't make it out to any of the training camp practices (aside from spending a day and a half in the saddledome events loading dock for the aforementioned bit of work, and hitting the rookie scrimmage last friday) but apparently the flames are gonna play tonight regardless.
;)
the best things i've read in ages: this, and especially THIS; a new article that brings up the fact that mike keenan was a bit of a jerk to my boy gio (which i definitely made a point of talking about way back in april, but i'm glad i'm not the only one who remembers what a raw deal gio got from his coach).
anyhow. flames v. oil tonight at the 'dome.... i'll be watching it streamed on flames.nhl.com (which could be a fiasco, i'll let you know).
i didn't make it out to any of the training camp practices (aside from spending a day and a half in the saddledome events loading dock for the aforementioned bit of work, and hitting the rookie scrimmage last friday) but apparently the flames are gonna play tonight regardless.
;)
the best things i've read in ages: this, and especially THIS; a new article that brings up the fact that mike keenan was a bit of a jerk to my boy gio (which i definitely made a point of talking about way back in april, but i'm glad i'm not the only one who remembers what a raw deal gio got from his coach).
anyhow. flames v. oil tonight at the 'dome.... i'll be watching it streamed on flames.nhl.com (which could be a fiasco, i'll let you know).
Friday, September 11, 2009
well, now i know what gord baldwin looks like.... ;)
fyi: i had to be there for work.... i turned around and those dudes were just standing there.... ;)
ps: could i look happier ?
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
things i know... just because i do.
to be updated if anything further of note comes to mind:
1. rene bourque is definitely 100% off of the crutches.
2. matt pelech has given up the daniel alfredsson circa 2006 haircut (aka: krusty the clown) and gone for a full-on buzz.
3. noodles drives a porsche.... i never really pictured him as the porsche type.
:)
1. rene bourque is definitely 100% off of the crutches.
2. matt pelech has given up the daniel alfredsson circa 2006 haircut (aka: krusty the clown) and gone for a full-on buzz.
3. noodles drives a porsche.... i never really pictured him as the porsche type.
:)
Saturday, September 5, 2009
interesting, but only to a flames nerd like myself part II
from nhl.com a few weeks back.
of course it's not at all surprising that mikael backlund features first by a longshot, but i find it absurdly fascinating that keith seabrook rates second by a mile....
speaking of the baby flames, media day starts on monday with the boys and tuesday is their fitness training day. i know this becauuusse.......
:)
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
third jersey unveiled: buuummmmerrr....
UPDATE: i will, heretofore, be referring to this as the IGINLOOB jersey (obviously). my brother reminds me that i have always thought it would be funny to get a #12 with that name crest on the back, and clearly this would be the perfect time to do it..... ;)
well i guess i won't be getting a sjöström jersey this season (and therefore, probably never).
the calgary sun has revealed this season's vintage throwback jersey, which is essentially '89 era with some added stupid NHL logo around the neck and (to my eye) larger/fatter/more cumbersome numbering.
well i guess i won't be getting a sjöström jersey this season (and therefore, probably never).
the calgary sun has revealed this season's vintage throwback jersey, which is essentially '89 era with some added stupid NHL logo around the neck and (to my eye) larger/fatter/more cumbersome numbering.
....thoughts ?
i dunno. i see a 3rd jersey as an opportunity to do something fresh and new. something that will make your fans want to go out and immediately purchase the thing to wear proudly... this one screams "i've already got it" to me, and i think we'll see a hell of a lot more black flaming Cs at the dome this year than these ones.
they'll look cool on the ice, yes. but what a waste of time and effort (if you ask me).
sortof heartbroken, but at least i know the dudes at the nhl store / icethetics are accurate in their predictions....
*sigh*
also peaking me in the annoying category is that they never really altered the 30th anniversary logo (the font's a bit different and the tower's red ---which i like). glaringly absent is the saddledome. what a bunch of idiots they are at calgary flames design hq....
also peaking me in the annoying category is that they never really altered the 30th anniversary logo (the font's a bit different and the tower's red ---which i like). glaringly absent is the saddledome. what a bunch of idiots they are at calgary flames design hq....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
