Fortune favoured me this week and I was able to attend the Calgary vs. Colorado game. It is always a pleasure to take in the sight and sounds of the Saddledome and overhear the earnest conversations fans are having with each other. Let’s listen to a few perspectives:

Calgary Flames fans & Saddledome patrons, this is your 15 Minutes of Flame.

It is always interesting to see which teams bring numbers with them to the Saddledome. If you watched the Leafs’ broadcast a few nights earlier you saw how much blue was there to muddy the red.

The Avalanche fans weren’t overwhelming but there were enough to add to the sting of every goal that was scored. I found it interesting how many jerseys were for newer players like Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, and Mikko Rantanen (oops). You saw a few older fans wearing Sakic or other Avs’ legends but the majority of the jerseys in my section were from more current iterations of the team. It’s amazing what a few years of superstars, success, and a Stanley Cup will do.

The Avalanche fans came away with their win and I have to admit they were (fairly) gracious in their victory. The last Battle of Alberta game I attended the Oilers fans were not quite as courteous. It was almost like they took the win personally.

We had an Avalanche fan sitting behind us that was going absolutely ballistic over everything. Face-off. Hit. Shot. The noises I heard after the Avs scored their first goal led me to believe that fan might need medical attention. They were shrieking more than cheering and it was commented on by many of the people within earshot including many other Avalanche fans. They did get removed when the tone of their language changed but I think most of the fans just wanted them to leave because they were annoying. When the usher and security came to remove them I felt conflicted. Okay, everyone is there to have a good time but is there a limit on how loud you are allowed to cheer? The Saddledome does get the occasional “Is this a library?” accusation and I am torn if it was incumbent upon our section to out-cheer the fan rather than complain about them. Ultimately, they started replacing every second word with a familiar four letter word and the problem solved itself.

I  cannot confirm if they will be four times wider but I anticipate less log-jams in the new arena… isn’t there something to be said about being in the throng and literally feeling the heartbeat of the stadium? No? Okay.

This patron happened to be seated next to me and we also share the same parents so his betrayal felt doubly cruel. Harvey is a municipal treasure. Is he a polished comedy act like Gritty? No. Does he have the cartoonish, life-filled eyes of the other new mascots? Also, no. But remind me which team’s mascot has a personal feud with Craig MacTavish? Checkmate.

A Wolf discussion broke out behind me and I listened as the two friends discussed whether or not this season was a fluke or the beginning of a new reality. It is an interesting concept to hold Dustin Wolf to 50 wins before believing the hype. 50 games to maintain roughly the same save percentage and goals against average. He’s at 27 wins all-time right now and keeping with this year’s pace he would be just under the 50 mark by the end of the year. So, is that the sample size that proves it? Are we not bracing ourselves for a sophomore slump? The problem with goal-tender expectations are that they never end. 50 games or 500 he is going to have to maintain those stellar stats or the doubt will creep back in.

“Calgary can’t score unless it’s 5-on-3 apparently.”

For the second game in a row the Flames were two-man-advantage merchants. For the second game in the row the Flames supremely struggled with finishing when they were even-strength. It is difficult to place the blame anywhere particular but the energy did seem absolutely sapped from the forward group especially as they moved down the line-up.

As we head into the 4 Nations break it will nice for the players to take some time to reset, however, they do have a gauntlet before them when they return. A marginal playoff team with a great goalie is only as good as that goalie and he can’t save every problem. What are the options to manufacture some scoring? Give the new guys a chance for one. Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee have barely met the team let alone meshed with anyone and being as the Flames don’t have consistent forward lines they haven’t found a home or a partner to help them generate offence.

Now, Craig Conroy seems to be very active in the trade market so there is always the chance that new scoring options come to the team via trade. However, he isn’t going to bring in anyone as a rental. He wants younger players that fit the vision of a team that can grow into a contender. Flames fans will keep their eyes on Casey Middlestadt and Dylan Cozens over these next few weeks but it isn’t too surprising that young players with a scoring touch will be hard to find (or to pay for) before the deadline.

I saved the most important comment for last.

This connoisseur of fine meats only needed to take a little tour around the concourse to see that some of the little jumbotron PocketDawg stands do still exist and jumbotron or not we are going to continue enjoying the perfect arena food at Scotia Place. What do you love about the energy of the Saddledome? Is there anything you’ll miss when the new arena opens?

We are at the 4 Nations break and will have more 15 Minutes of Flame when they tackle the Sharks on February 23rd.