Quote:
While Calgary boasts a veteran defense anchored by Steve Smith and Phil Housley, its offense is characterized by youth and inexperience. That can translate into an inability to execute: Witness a 12-game stretch last spring in which the Flames scored just 17 goals.
|
I remember that well. It was a brutal stretch, and there were a few just like it.
You know too that half the people demanding a youth movement will be smashing their TVs on the lawn once the inevitable terrible streaks happen. And a good portion of the rest will just disappear until the team is good again like in 2004. Iknow most of them say they won't give up during the 3-5 year rebuild, and I think they really believe that, but it happened last time and I am sure it will happen again.
I love hearing about the old expectations. I came across a bunch of my old magazines from the 1990s when I was moving, but I had to get rid of them. I read a couple beforehand though. One of the season previews had compared Stillman to Sakic. They also talked about how Iginla was in Brian Sutter's doghouse because he was a lazy player and had to apply himself better. I know that describes a lot of young players, but people often forget that Iginla went through his fair share of growing pains as a young player.