Flames Looking for Dube to Have a Breakout Season
Source: The Hockey Writers
Date: 2020-11-26
Often times, NHL teams who find themselves near the top of the standings find themselves there in part due to a breakout season by one or multiple players. Having players — especially ones on cheap deals — be able to branch out and have a positive impact on games is huge for teams in the […] The post Flames Looking for Dube to Have a Breakout Season appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
Continue ReadingFlames Best #13 Of All Time: Johnny Gaudreau
Source: Matchsticks and Gasoline
Date: 2020-11-25
Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty ImagesIn a short time Gaudreau is EASILY the best Flames player to ever sport the #13. The Flames aren’t the Montreal Canadiens, but nor are they the Vegas Golden Knights when it comes to how long they’ve been a franchise. But for a team (both Atlanta and Calgary) that’s been in the NHL for 48 years, only six players have worn the #13 in Flames history. That’s a small number of players for a digit in the low teens. When you break them down, there were three candidates for the best player to wear this number, but only one is really good enough to take that title. And that player is Johnn
Continue ReadingFlames Best #12 Of All Time: Jarome Iginla
Source: Matchsticks and Gasoline
Date: 2020-11-25
Duh. I know we’re going to have some die hard Hakan Loob fans in here who will disagree with me selecting Iggy as the best #12 ever and.....well, you’d be wrong. Jarome Iginla is without a doubt, the greatest Flame ever and the greatest #12 in franchise history. And don’t give me that nonsense about wearing #24 for one season. For 16 seasons and 1219 games Jarome Iginla was the face of the Calgary Flames and his career stats and contributions to the franchise can’t be measured on their face value alone. This is the man, who despite playing with inferior talent for most of his time with the Flames, battled night in and night out and was the ultimate professional. A player of his caliber could have easily dema
Continue ReadingFlames Have Great Goalie Tandem in Markstrom and Rittich
Source: The Hockey Writers
Date: 2020-11-25
Back in the day, teams with elite starting goaltenders were often the most dominant in the NHL, given how often they played. It wasn’t uncommon for a starting goalie to start at least 60 games a season, making the backup position one that teams didn’t have to worry much about. Take Hall of Famer Martin […] The post Flames Have Great Goalie Tandem in Markstrom and Rittich appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
Continue ReadingFlames Top 25 Under 25: #7 - Sam Bennett
Source: Matchsticks and Gasoline
Date: 2020-11-25
Sergei Belski-USA TODAY SportsPlayoff Sam Bennett showed up again #7 - Sam Bennett Position: Centre/Left Wing Age: 24 2019-20 Team: Calgary Flames (NHL) Drafted in 2014, Round 1, Pick 4 2019 Ranking: #7 Bennett Votes MGMacGillivray: #6 Flashalytics: #10 MarkParkinson14: #8 Madeline.Campbell: #10 Gordie.Taylor: #7 Readers: #7 If there’s one consistent thing about Sam Bennett, it’s that he’s extremely inconsistent. For the second year in a row, we saw Bennett turn in a mediocre at-best regular season performance but then become an
Continue ReadingCalgary Flames’ ‘Untouchable’ Prospects for 2020-21
Source: The Hockey Writers
Date: 2020-11-25
Fans of every NHL team have a list of prospects who they reckon are ‘untouchable’. They believe that every player on that list will one day become part of the very soul of the club. Woe be to any general manager who dares consider trading them away. Related: Flames’ Worst First-Round Draft Picks Since 2000 […] The post Calgary Flames’ ‘Untouchable’ Prospects for 2020-21 appeared first on The Hockey Writers.
Continue ReadingFlames Best #11 Of All Time: Mikael Backlund
Source: Matchsticks and Gasoline
Date: 2020-11-25
Photo by Gerry Thomas/NHLI via Getty ImagesIt took #11 to get going, but once he did Mikael Backlund became one of Calgary’s most reliable players. Now before all the Colin Patterson fans and family members jump down my throat here, I want you to know that this was one of the harder numbers to decide on. Patterson had a solid career with the Flames and was a member of the 89 Stanley Cup Championship team. His numbers were pretty average, but when it came down to brass tax, Mikael Backlund has had the better career so far and deserves to hold the mantle of “best Flames player to wear the #11.” Go ahead, yell, send me hate tweets. It’s fine. Backlund has been a m
Continue ReadingFlames Best #10 Of All Time: Gary Roberts
Source: Matchsticks and Gasoline
Date: 2020-11-24
Imagine how great Roberts would have been if he stayed healthy towards the end of his time in Calgary. As we leave the single digits and launch into double digit territory, it’s highly appropriate that #10 be an absolute slam dunk as to who is the best to ever wear it in gold and red. And that easy call is Gary Roberts. Roberts was a member of the Flames for 10 seasons and was a fantastic all around player that could score and be physical. He played in 585 career games with Calgary, scored 257 goals and handed out 248 assists. In addition to his scoring prowess, Roberts is the proud owner of 1,736 PIM, including four straight seasons from 1987-1992 where he has well over 200+ minutes a season with his 282 in 1987-88 being a career high.
Continue ReadingFlames Best #9 Of All Time: Lanny McDonald
Source: Matchsticks and Gasoline
Date: 2020-11-24
Photo by Bruce Bennett Studios via Getty Images Studios/Getty ImagesThere’s only one #9 in Flames history. There’s no more endearing image in Flames history than Lanny McDonald and that HoF mustache hoisting the Stanley Cup above his head, in the last game of his storied NHL career. If you thought anyone other than Lanny would be here at #9 please see yourself out. Lanny McDonald was a fixture with the Flames for eight seasons after already having an established and successful NHL career. But Calgary is where that holy grail prize that had eluded him for so long, would finally be captured. The NHL rec
Continue ReadingFlames’ Ward looks to Lightning blueprint to revamp Calgary’s gameplan
Source: Sportsnet
Date: 2020-11-24
Whenever the Calgary Flames are set to reconvene, they’ll be welcomed back by a coach with a slightly different approach to the team’s game plan. Much like he did leading up to the playoffs, he’ll emphasize defence above all else. But it will come with a wrinkle, as he believes an increased focus on preventing goals will lead to scoring even more of them. “We’re going to ask all of our top players to be very responsible away from puck, and that means different things for different guys,” said Geoff Ward, ready to further spread his wings after having the interim tag lifted after the playoffs. “Almost like what Tampa did. They understood they needed to be a harder team to play against. Listening to Coop (coach Jon Cooper) in interviews and through the playoffs, he really challenged his top
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