I hate introductions. There's so much pressure that comes
with them, because really, you only have one chance to grab people in, to make
a good first impression. When I wrote wrestling columns, the intro was always
the most difficult part. What fun is there trying to come up with some long
winded build up when you can just get to the meat and potatoes of what you want
to talk about? Thus, we're going to keep this short and sweet, or at least I
would've if I hadn't rambled on about intros there like a Roman Reigns promo.
If you happen to read a lot of these posts (and if you do, thank you. You're
awesome. The best around even), you're going to be reading a lot about the
following things; movies, basketball, hockey, baseball, wrestling, video games and
the mess that is NFL commissioner Roger Goodell (let's be real, he's going to
mess up again). Most importantly though, you're hopefully going to have fun, the
kind would have with NASCAR if it wasn't run by the most incompetent leaders
since the last team Grady Little managed.
But enough about introductions, let's get to it. Today's
topic; hockey. For those of you who were too busy watching the Brooklyn Nets luck
clinch their way into the NBA playoffs, the NHL playoffs started last night.
And while this may be the overreacting hockey fan in me, it was a doozy. Three
of the four games played last night were tight, with the Chicago Blackhawks and
Nashville Predators going to overtime while the Calgary Flames and Vancouver
Canucks took their game down to the last possible second of regulation. When a
game like Ottawa-Montreal, which featured seven combined goals and was only a
one score game itself, doesn't live up to those other two, you know it's a
special night. Really, the only way NHL commissioner Gary Bettman would've been
happier with how everything went is if Sydney Crosby had played in every game. It
was that good, and tonight promises to be more of the same, with each game
featuring a great story from Crosby's Pittsburgh Penguins facing the New York Rangers
(as high profile a match up as it gets) to the Winnipeg Jets making their first
playoff appearance since 1996.
There will be time to talk about tonight however. What I'd
like to talk about now however is Calgary-Vancouver game, specifically the
Calgary part of the equation. Of all the teams in the playoffs right now, I
would venture to guess the Calgary Flames are the least known, save for the
fact that their alternate home jersey is the greatest thing since Blade Runner.
And it makes sense; teams on the west coast that aren't in Los Angeles don't
get as much play here in the East, a fact especially true in hockey where
Canada is treated like Pierce Hawthorne at the study group table. But there's
another factor involved here that has kept Calgary in the shadows. What is it?
The belief among many that the Flames, simply put, don't belong in these NHL
playoffs. It's what has kept people from looking into them. It's also about to
be the reason that makes the Flames, along with Winnipeg, one of the fan
favorites for a deep run this year.
You see, the fact is that the Calgary Flames, like Dante
Hicks in Clerks, aren't supposed to be here. Everyone making that claim is
absolutely right. The Flames were supposed to be terrible this year, part of a
long rebuild process spearheaded by former Anaheim Ducks and Toronto Maple
Leafs executive Brian Burke that was brought upon after former GM Jay Feaster
treated the team the way Alex Guinness treated the bridge at the end of Bridge
on the River Kwai. According to some advanced stats, the team was in fact bad
this year, ranking third worst in five on five possession and behind the
depressing Maple Leafs in SAT differential. While I don't believe advanced
stats are the be all, end all as some do, those particular categories are
strong indicators of what makes a team good or bad, and Calgary is bad at both..
I don't mean to sound like a broken record, but I think the evidence speaks for
itself; the Calgary Flames don't belong in the NHL playoffs. It's that simple.
And yet it's not, for here the Flames are, up 1-0 against
the favored Canucks in round one, a week removed from stealing a playoff spot
from the defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Los Angeles Kings. There are
great stories all over the roster. Right winger Jiri Hudler, a former Detroit
Red Wing, has gone from a journeyman to a top five NHL scorer. 21 year old Sean
Monahan, a former first round pick, has turned into a phenomenon in only his
second year. Fellow 21 year old Johnny Gaudreau has been such a standout that he's earned the wonderfully cult nickname of Johnny Hockey. Defenceman Kris Russell, who scored last night's game winner and is
lucky to be 5'10 soaking wet, blocked almost 300 shots during the season and
yet played in all, but two games. Goaltender
Jonas Hiller looks like a rejuvenated man after years of playoff disappointment
in Anaheim. And the best player for Calgary last night, Sam Bennett, is an 18
year old rookie who was playing in only his second NHL game. Aaron Sorkin
couldn't write this stuff.
Everything about the Flames is just wonderful, even if it
doesn't make a lick of sense. Except, maybe it does. Crazy, right? For all the
advanced stats that can be thrown out there, there's nothing that accounts for
hard work, will and determination. That's what Calgary possesses, thanks to the
mindset installed into the team by former Stanley Cup winning coach Bob
Hartley. How else could journeymen like Hudler, Russell and Hiller suddenly
blossom into game changing talent? What other reason could there be for kids
like Monahan, Gaudreau and Bennett for playing beyond their years? I'm not knocking
advanced stats here; there's certainly a place for them in the wacky of world
of sports, hockey included. But there's also still a place for the type of
hockey the Calgary Flames are playing, or at least I hope there is. Plus, when
isn't it fun to watch 29 guys come together and succeed, when every bit of
conventional wisdom says otherwise?
Does this mean the Calgary Flames are going to win the
Stanley Cup? Of course not; for all I know, they may not win another game
against Vancouver in this first round series. I'm not sure that matters though;
what matters, if I can quote Emilio Estevez in the first Might Ducks film, is
that they're there. For that alone, I'm rooting for the Calgary Flames, and I
suggest you should as well. If not that, there's always those awesome jerseys.
You're really going to pull against that beautiful combo of Daredevil red,
white and gold?
Best. Jersey. Ever.
Please change disks to continue...
Nicely done! It does seem from reading this that the team has a lot of heart. Hopefully, it takes them far.
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