World Cup practices begin: who are the Flames playing with?
By Ryan Pike
7 years agoIt’s Labour Day, the traditional end of the summer and surefire sign that the hockey season will soon be upon us. Since everyone will soon be glued to the television (or camped out at McMahon Stadium) for the Labour Day Classic, here’s a brief news update to keep you informed.
WORLD CUP LINES
Today is the first day on the ice for the eight teams vying for the World Cup of Hockey, with practices taking place all over the world. As such, we are seeing lines trickle out all over the Twitter machine.
So far, Backlund looks to be Sweden’s 13th forward. (We’re as excited about it as you are.)
PROSPECTS IN EUROPE
Four players I wouldn’t expect to see in training camp later this month are Linus Lindstrom, Pavel Karnaukhov, Adam Ollas Mattsson and Rushan Rafikov.
- A 2016 pick, Lindstrom has made the roster for Skelleftea AIK’s pro team after spending time with the big club and their junior club last season.
- A 2015 pick, Karnaukhov left the Calgary Hitmen for the CSKA Moscow organization and while he hasn’t made their roster, he’s somewhere in their organization.
- A 2014 pick, Ollas Mattsson is back with Djurgardens IF, the Swedish club that he’s played with for a couple seasons.
- A 2013 pick, Rafikov has seemingly actually made the roster of Yaroslavl Lokomotiv this year after bouncing around the KHL last year due to not quite cementing a spot with Lokomotiv.
NORMAN KWONG
Finally, original Calgary Flames owner Norman Kwong passed away on Saturday at the age of 86. Part of the group of six owners (along with Darryl Seaman, Byron Seaman, Harley Hotchkiss, Ralph Scurfield and Norman Green) that teamed up with Nelson Skalbania to bring the Flames to Calgary, he also served as general manager of the Calgary Stampeders and gained prominence playing on both sides of the CFL’s Battle of Alberta.
A former Lieutenant Governor of Alberta and recipient of the Alberta Order of Excellence and Member of the Order of Canada, Kwong’s impact in Alberta and Canada will be felt for a long time.
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