[sureLoss]

summary:

this game is fun and easy when you are winning - guys are working hard and executing

when teams come together there are crystallizing moments
Gulutzan is a player's coach that threw everyone under the bus (with management's blessing) after the Montreal loss
first time the "player's coach" challenged his players and they responded
did wonders to share a beer with the players on the train ride to Ottawa

if you had to single out one specific player who deserves the credit for the turnaround it would be Brian Elliott

Burke interacts with both Gulutzan and Treliving
tries to say hi to Gulutzan every day, but Treliving usually passes on relevant information from the coach
describes his style as hands off but hands on - not interfering day to day but not out of the picture

Gulutzan is doing a good job so far
Johnson brought us back in it in November
special teams weren't very good - but stuck with it
balanced scoring
all of a sudden you realize this is a pretty good team

back in November did you believe this group could be a post season club?
easy answer is yes but did look back then wondering if they brought in the right people
decided to fix the things the could fix
1st was special teams and all of a sudden the special teams were better
then they simplified the system because the players were having trouble grasping it
it was discouraging, but have to pull yourself out one step at a time

Treliving contract:
the way ownership and managment here have historically approached managment contracts is to address them near the end of the contract
same thing happened to Burke in Vancouver - this is not unique to Calgary
don't owe Tre an offer or an answer on a contract until near June 30th, when his contract expires
in Vancouver, they told Burke they would talk to him in June for a contract that expired on June 30th
this isn't a hardship on Tre
on the suggestion Treliving might make short term moves without a contract: You don't know Brad Treliving if you think he would ever think like that. He bleeds Calgary Flames and will do what is best for the team. With the managment structure in place, someone couldn't do a short term move anyway, there is a process to approve transactions that make it impossible
Treliving is a professional, we have disccused it, it isn't a big deal to him
It isn't a pressing issue around here


only an imbecile would come on this show and say we are in (the playoffs)
no one is in until they have clinched
forget how many points we are behind Anaheim or ahead of LA, just play our game - the way we are playing is allowing us to accumulate points

Backlund is a great lesson in how you have to be patient with some guys and in particular some Europeans
had Stralman and moved him to Calgary - never thought Stralman would be in the top 4 and would be a pp specialist - if he held on to him could have gotten more in trade or he would still be in Toronto
Backs is a good example of a guy you need to wait and see what you have
when Burke came to Calgary, thought Backlund was an expendable guy
beef with him last year was they would get 20 good games then 5 or 6 bad games then the coach would have to yell at him to get him back on the rails
thought he was streaky and inconsistent - gotten rid of that
now he is playing good defensively as he did the last few years and driving a special line

Tkachuk
once Columbus announced they were taking Dubois, they knew they were getting Tkachuk because they knew Vancouver was taking Juolevi
you could see guys at our draft table doing fist bumps
he lacks some power in skating - which will come with time and work effort
while there are a few ahead of him in rookie scoring, not sure if many of them are the complete package - fighting, hitting, net front presence is excellent
works on tipping pucks after practice and he almost gets everyone
we were goint to send him back - 18 years old go back - Kadri sent back, Ryan sent back - but Treliving said he wanted to keep him
it costs money to keep an 18 year old as they get closer to UFA and arbitration
on top teams the top pick goes to the minors or junior but he played his way onto the team

Lazar:
Lazar is a player we all coveted in his draft year
tireless work ethic and he isn't small, 210 lbs, can skate, can fight but it isn't in his nature
have to rebuild his confidence
we aren't touching the lineup until the winning streak ends, so this kid he is going to sit but he gets it
this is going to be a long term exceptional acquisition
we think he was rushed into the NHL, he had mono this year
we think he can be an excellent 3rd line center or wing, he can shut people down, he can bang, and kill penalties
has a positive positive attitude. Selanne always came to the rink with a smile, Frolik does that on this team.

Bennett:
Burke really thinks over the last 5 games, Sam has been the most improved player
things are starting to click for Sam
thought the game the other night was his best as a Flame, and told him that
playing Center in the NHL is hard - playing center is 2-3 times harder than playing wing
thinks he is getting comfortable as center
had really high hopes for when they drafted him and he is not going to dissapoint
he has jam, he has skills, and he is going to get better

Stone:
Stone was a Tre move
Burke doesn't know this player, didn't get to see him play much in the last while, and the last few times he did watch him he didn't do much for Burke
This is Tre knowing the player and believing in the player and getting him
Sometimes the best thing you can do for a defenceman is get him a compatible partner and that is what Stone has done for TJ
He has been good in his own right, but his biggest contribution is that he has made Brodie play better