Flames in review: Brent Sutter
Robert Cleave
April 12 2011 05:46PM
I wasn't particularly impressed with Brent Sutter's work last season, to be frank. The Flames took a significant step backwards in terms of their play, relying on shot suppression and Miikka Kiprusoff entirely too often on route to a 90 point season and 10th place in the Conference. Given that the Flames have just finished 10th yet again, it might be sensible to think that he wasn't much better this year, but there a few items of interest that suggest that he might have learned a few things over the course of the last two seasons.
April 10 News and Notes
Robert Cleave
April 10 2011 09:50PM
The regular season reached its conclusion this evening, with the playoff matchups now set for next week's hostilities. Before that gets underway, it's a good time to have one last look at the news from Calgary and around the league. This time around, the Flames play out the string, the Ducks get home ice, and the 'Canes fall at the last hurdle.
April 2 News and Notes
Robert Cleave
April 02 2011 12:50PM
The NHL has reached the penultimate weekend of what's been an very interesting season. The on-ice product has been competitive for most of the games that didn't include the Oilers, and the off-ice events have had their moments as well. It's made the round-up a pretty easy feature to find material for, when my own sloth hasn't gotten in the way, and this week is no different.
This week's installment looks at an historic night for the Captain, a return of a well-regarded figure to Calgary's lineup, the triumph of the Dys, and the first glimmers of hope for the league's best player.
March 25 News and notes
Robert Cleave
March 25 2011 08:31AM
I had wished that as with my Arizona sojourn, another trip to the Southern U.S. would signal a Flames' winning streak. We've seen how that's worked out, unfortunately, so any hope that spending all my time during the winter months in a more hospitable climate would act as a talisman for the team has foundered. I was all ready to pitch that idea to Murray Edwards for a few bucks, too. Drat.
At any rate, life does go on, and the round-up is back for a perusal of a few items of interest around the patch. This week, the Flames hit the rocks, the Pens carry on quite swimmingly, and the endless bickering over the Coyotes' fate is, well, endless.
Backlund, Berglund, and what progress looks like
Robert Cleave
March 16 2011 01:10PM
One subject that's never been far from the surface for Flames' fans has been the utilization of Mikael Backlund. Calgary's one NHL-ready youngster has spent most of the year playing 4th liners to good effect, even as a segment of the fan base advocated he be moved up the scale ahead of Stajan, Jokinen or Morrison at varying junctures of the year.
