Weekend Open Thread: Most Valuable Flames/Heat Players
By Ryan Pike
9 years agoAs we continue to poke and prod at the 2013-14 season, now it’s time to look back at the players deemed the most valuable on a game-to-game basis. We have three measurements to look over – two for the Flames, one for the Abbotsford Heat.
RED WARRIOR
Red Warrior is awarded by the FlamesNation writing staff on a game-by-game basis.
- Mikael Backlund – 13 times
- Karri Ramo – 9 times
- Mark Giordano, Mike Cammalleri, Paul Byron, Sean Monahan – 6 times each
- Lee Stempniak – 5 times
- Dennis Wideman, Jiri Hudler – 4 times each
- Lance Bouma, Reto Berra, Joe Colborne – 3 times each
- T.J. Brodie, Kris Russell, Curtis Glencross, Matt Stajan – 2 times each
- Joni Ortio, Markus Granlund, Shane O’Brien, Sven Baertschi, T.J. Galiardi, Kenny Agostino, Johnny Gaudreau, Brian McGrattan, Tyler Wotherspoon, equipment manager Corey Osmak, Flames dads – once each
Notable: Paul Byron played significantly fewer games than the other guys, so being Red Warrior that often is quite impressive.
THREE STARS (NHL)
The Three Stars are awarded by various media after each game (most frequently for Flames games, they were chosen by either Charlie Simmer or Peter Loubardias). Using a 3-2-1 points system for the post-game Three Stars, the top five shake down like this:
- Karri Ramo – 10 firsts, 2 seconds, 2 thirds
- Mark Giordano – 2 firsts, 6 seconds, 7 thirds
- Mike Cammalleri – 3 firsts, 6 seconds, 4 thirds
- Mikael Backlund – 2 firsts, 5 seconds, 1 third
- Matt Stajan – 2 firsts, 4 seconds, 2 thirds
Notably, Mark Giordano was the Flame most frequently in the Three Stars (15 times), followed closely by Ramo (14) and Cammalleri (13).
THREE STARS (AHL)
The AHL score-sheets don’t say who selects the Three Stars, but they’re fundamentally the same as the NHL version. Same system as before (3-2-1), playoffs exempted:
- Ben Street – 8 firsts, 3 seconds, 5 thirds
- Joni Ortio – 8 firsts, 4 seconds, 2 thirds
- Max Reinhart – 7 firsts, 2 seconds, 2 thirds
- Markus Granlund – 1 first, 6 seconds, 7 thirds
- Corban Knight – 5 firsts, 1 second, 2 thirds
Four out of the five are genuine Flames prospects, while Street was a good veteran for the team this year. Of note: Sven Baertschi made the Three Stars three times, compared to nine appearances for Brett Olson (who was on an AHL deal). Michael Ferland was First Star twice and only played 25 games, so that’s not a bad start, and Emile Poirier earned First and Third Star marks in his two AHL games.
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