It was the climax of a season turned into a nightmare.
So much optimism at the start of that year. Finally a #1C in Jokinen, finally Brent Sutter coaching this team, arguably the best defense in the league. This was coming off a year where we should have won the division if injuries and the salary cap didn't totally destroy us down the stretch.
The start that season was incredible I think we were 24-12-5 at the halfway point. We won a huge game against Vancouver in the shootout and then went on to lose 9 or 10 in row trade rumors rampant. Then wake up hung over Sunday after watching the Flames beat the Oilers and hear the news. Instantly I started thinking this was part of a plan that Sutter couldn't be that crazy. The day/night wore on and finally when i stopped checking CP and listening to the FAN my buddy texted me saying Dregger is reporting Jokinen and Prust have been traded for Higgins and Kotalik (who was scratched for 9 straight games). I simply couldn't beleive it. I was convinced Sutter was going to turn these assets into a number 1 center of something. It was the beginning of the end for that Flames playoff team and they have never recovered.
On the other side of the coin Dion did not improve in Toronto and has completely plateaued as a player. He was paid on potential and never lived up to it. He is better than Matt Stajan but that is not saying much.
Toronto can love Gilmour and Dion as much as they want but at the end of the day Gilmour won his only Cup in Calgary and Phaneuf got his only Norris nomination in Calgary.
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