[MissTeeks]

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If this were the English Premier League, the Calgary Flames according to preseason predictions were slated for relegation after this season.

Luckily it’s the NHL, and no matter how many games you lose, you get to stay with the big boys.

But you better believe every single member of the Flames organization knows what has been said about them heading into this season.

"I told the players, 'If you read what they wrote about us, (1) we’re lucky to be in the league, and (2) if you read every single thing they wrote, you might want to retire,'" Flames head coach Bob Hartley told ESPN.com over the phone from Calgary on Thursday.

But as opposed to focusing on wanting to prove people wrong, Hartley told his players to prove some people right. The right people.

"Jay Feaster and Brian Burke believe in us," he said, referring to the team's GM and president of hockey operations, respectively. "Let’s prove them right. I said to the players, 'In life, I’ve always tried to prove people right those who believe in me. Your detractors, you can prove them wrong, but personally I want this group to be a positive group. I’d rather we go and prove our fans, our families, our sponsors right. We play for ourselves.'"

They’re not going to match up talent-wise with most teams on most nights this season. But what Hartley and his staff are trying to instill early on is the fact they won’t be outhustled. And so far it shows. They’re like a pack of wild dogs who haven’t eaten in two days. And all this without their top offensive threat in the lineup as Mike Cammalleri remains on the shelf.

"Right now, the boys are playing with passion and playing hard," said Hartley. "There aren’t too many secrets to our game."

"The biggest thing going for us is our conditioning," said Hartley. "I told the players at their exit meetings last season that since we were going to have a normal training camp and we were in a rebuilding process, I really believed that our No. 1 priority was our conditioning. There’s no way that we can raise the Baertschis, the Brodies, the Monahans and those young kids in an atmosphere of a country club. We have to teach them the right way. We have to make them good pros. And while we teach them to be good pros, for the veterans, we would give ourselves a chance to bring another gear to our own careers. I have to give all the players credit. They really bought in. You should see our fitness scores at training camp. We had some unbelievable scores."

And it was a hard camp. The tone was set early, Hartley’s staff handing out T-shirts at camp that had a fire-fighter flavor to it -- to underline the blue-collar approach for this season -- with the slogan: "Earn, Never Given." Every player’s job was on the line this season. The players worked out one day at a firefighter academy, there was paintball with the Canadian army ... you get the picture.

And so far they’ve bought in.

"This is a very fun group to worth with. They’re just unbelievable," said Hartley. "They show up to work every day. Our practices are basically [at] game intensity. They’re always in the gym. It’s really fun."

And, yes, Hartley was made aware of his new standing on the betting line.

"I don’t pay any attention to that stuff," said Hartley. "We know in the NHL we’re all on an interim basis to start with. The day you start coaching a team, you know the clock has started. It’s just a matter of when.

"I don’t coach to save my job, I coach to win games. I’ve always been that way, and I will always remain the same. I feel as a coach if you’re not yourself, you have zero chance. I just want to give this team a chance to win. If my team has some success, I don’t have to worry about myself as a person. That’s how I’ve always looked at it. If I would have lived my life by every rumor, I would have coached 40 teams and been fired 60 times."

Then there’s a quick pause, before Hartley finishes his thought.

"My job is to prove Jay Feaster and Brian Burke right. Whatever Mad Dog or Bodog says, I don’t really give a s---."

Hard not to cheer for this guy, right?