A little fun…
Imagine if you will a time in the past, the lockout has just ended and since there was no previous season the powers that be have decided that a draw will be held to see who will get the honor of picking up a young phenom named Sidney Crosby. Of course we all know how that played out, but let’s see what might have happened had things been different……
It’s July 30, 2005 and the final results of the lottery are being announced. Drafting first overall will be the Calgary Flames! This will likely give the Flames the #1 centre they have so desperately needed for Jerome Iginla and likely cements a trip back to the Finals for the Flames.
He would take over during preseason, Sid the Kid and Iggy would mesh like nobody’s business. Shades of Gretz and Kurri with extra toughness are dancing in everyone’s heads. With the newfound offense and the Flames already stellar D the Flames rip through the league on their way to a 130 point season. Iggy and Sid both net 50 goals, the Kid leads the league as a rookie with 140 points. With his help on the PP, Dion Phaneuf sets a rookie defenseman record by netting 35 goals, 28 of them power-play markers. It’s pandemonium in Calgary, the city is wild. The Flames finally have a team that they can compare to the Oilers of the mid 80’s. It’s enough to bring a tear to your eye.
But is that really how it would have happened? It’s funny that when people imagine the change of a moment or a decision, every subsequent moment or event works out exactly how they want it to. Who knows, maybe Sid comes to Calgary and feels Stifled by Sutter’s system and goes into a funk and ends up on the third line netting 50 points. Likely? Maybe not, but a whole lot of other talent has failed to score in Calgary. Many Flames fans pine for the return of Craig Conroy, even at his grossly inflated salary because they feel that he IS the answer, while at the same time ignoring the fact that although he was VERY fan friendly and an awesome guy, he was NEVER the #1 the Flames needed. In fact, when one looks at the performance of Daymond Lankow last season, there was only one season that Connie had in Calgary that was better… So he wouldn’t really be that big of a step up in reality, but the mind plays tricks. People remember the things they want to. Everyone remembers the magical run to the Finals with Connie calling the Fan at 1 am to chat with the fans… No one remembers his less than stellar regular season performance of that year when as a #1 centre he netted a whopping 4 goals. Playing with Iggy. Wow… There’s production you just can’t pay too much for.
The point is, we romanticize what might have been or could be, but we are ALWAYS actually in the NOW. Right NOW the Flames are not playing the type of hockey they need to in order to win. Is it the system? Is it the coach? I don’t know, but I’m pretty sure it’s not the talent. It looks more like trepidation and a fear of failure than anything else. When You see Jim Playfair on the bench you can almost imagine Darryl Sutter’s eyes boring holes into the back of his head. Jim looks like he’s afraid to loose instead of being confident he’ll win. The team is currently reflecting that body language on the Ice. Jim Playfair IS a good coach, you don’t get this far and gain the backing of one Mr. Sutter by being incompetent. I think Jim needs to remember that He’s a good coach in his own right. And take the reigns the way HE wants to. Don’t try to be like Darryl, don’t try to play Darryl’s system. Do what you do best. When he coached the Flames farm team they were an offensive team. The Flames have the speed and talent to attack, and the defense and goaltending to make it worth the risk. The Flames were picked to win the West by many experts because on paper they have the talent to be near the top of the league. They need the confidence to know that they are. And wish and dream all we want, this is the team that we have now. Let’s hope they can turn it around.
Tonight the Flames play in Detroit against the Red Wings. They have called up Brandon Prust and Dustin Boyd. Look for both to be inserted to provide some spark.
Have a great day
Imagine if you will a time in the past, the lockout has just ended and since there was no previous season the powers that be have decided that a draw will be held to see who will get the honor of picking up a young phenom named Sidney Crosby. Of course we all know how that played out, but let’s see what might have happened had things been different……
It’s July 30, 2005 and the final results of the lottery are being announced. Drafting first overall will be the Calgary Flames! This will likely give the Flames the #1 centre they have so desperately needed for Jerome Iginla and likely cements a trip back to the Finals for the Flames.
He would take over during preseason, Sid the Kid and Iggy would mesh like nobody’s business. Shades of Gretz and Kurri with extra toughness are dancing in everyone’s heads. With the newfound offense and the Flames already stellar D the Flames rip through the league on their way to a 130 point season. Iggy and Sid both net 50 goals, the Kid leads the league as a rookie with 140 points. With his help on the PP, Dion Phaneuf sets a rookie defenseman record by netting 35 goals, 28 of them power-play markers. It’s pandemonium in Calgary, the city is wild. The Flames finally have a team that they can compare to the Oilers of the mid 80’s. It’s enough to bring a tear to your eye.
But is that really how it would have happened? It’s funny that when people imagine the change of a moment or a decision, every subsequent moment or event works out exactly how they want it to. Who knows, maybe Sid comes to Calgary and feels Stifled by Sutter’s system and goes into a funk and ends up on the third line netting 50 points. Likely? Maybe not, but a whole lot of other talent has failed to score in Calgary. Many Flames fans pine for the return of Craig Conroy, even at his grossly inflated salary because they feel that he IS the answer, while at the same time ignoring the fact that although he was VERY fan friendly and an awesome guy, he was NEVER the #1 the Flames needed. In fact, when one looks at the performance of Daymond Lankow last season, there was only one season that Connie had in Calgary that was better… So he wouldn’t really be that big of a step up in reality, but the mind plays tricks. People remember the things they want to. Everyone remembers the magical run to the Finals with Connie calling the Fan at 1 am to chat with the fans… No one remembers his less than stellar regular season performance of that year when as a #1 centre he netted a whopping 4 goals. Playing with Iggy. Wow… There’s production you just can’t pay too much for.
The point is, we romanticize what might have been or could be, but we are ALWAYS actually in the NOW. Right NOW the Flames are not playing the type of hockey they need to in order to win. Is it the system? Is it the coach? I don’t know, but I’m pretty sure it’s not the talent. It looks more like trepidation and a fear of failure than anything else. When You see Jim Playfair on the bench you can almost imagine Darryl Sutter’s eyes boring holes into the back of his head. Jim looks like he’s afraid to loose instead of being confident he’ll win. The team is currently reflecting that body language on the Ice. Jim Playfair IS a good coach, you don’t get this far and gain the backing of one Mr. Sutter by being incompetent. I think Jim needs to remember that He’s a good coach in his own right. And take the reigns the way HE wants to. Don’t try to be like Darryl, don’t try to play Darryl’s system. Do what you do best. When he coached the Flames farm team they were an offensive team. The Flames have the speed and talent to attack, and the defense and goaltending to make it worth the risk. The Flames were picked to win the West by many experts because on paper they have the talent to be near the top of the league. They need the confidence to know that they are. And wish and dream all we want, this is the team that we have now. Let’s hope they can turn it around.
Tonight the Flames play in Detroit against the Red Wings. They have called up Brandon Prust and Dustin Boyd. Look for both to be inserted to provide some spark.
Have a great day
posted by Vetts at 9:35 AM
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