[MissTeeks]

I'll put this here:

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/c...ing-right-way/

The Calgary Flames are Canada’s most loveable hockey team, the new Pesky Sens. They work their tails off every single night, and though an entire game’s worth of cheering was stuffed into about a 20-minute window for fans at the Saddledome, even at the exorbitant prices that Canadian NHL teams charge, the people got their money’s worth in pure toil and sweat.

When you are in Year 1 of The Great Rebuild, this is a place to start. Or perhaps, as Flames fans look up the highway—and down in the standings—at all those sweethearts in Edmonton, it is THE place to start. “It’s a way of life we’re trying to instill,” Hartley declared after practice the day before. “The Monahans, the Brodies, the Backlunds, the Baertschis, the Colbornes. My job is to make sure they grow straight in this organization. I don’t want to create monsters. Guys who feel because they score 10 goals, there’s an entitlement. Whether you’re the most talented guy on the team, or the least talented guy, hard work is not an option.”

But the question on Calgary radio was, “Doesn’t this run against every tenet of a rebuild?” With No. 1 defenceman Mark Giordano out long-term, why would GM Jay Feaster move 22-year-old Roman Horak and a goalie (Laurent Broissoit) who is fresh out of junior, for a 27-year-old, third-pairing D-man making $3.5 million per season? Why not just play the cards you have, and collect the high draft pick at the end of the season?
Then you watch these players play, and you realize why: Management owes it to this roster to allow them to at least compete. That is why Smid is here. How could Feaster and president of hockey operations Brian Burke possibly look down at this roster and not lend a hand? This team simply will not quit, even though—on paper—the Flames have been a lottery team since Day 1.

Besides, if there’s one thing they’ve learned from watching the Oilers from down here, it is that you should avoid a losing culture at all costs. The Flames aren’t winning a whole lot, but so far, the losses don’t really feel like losses. “We’re giving a lot of teams a tough time,” said Matt Stajan. “I feel like our record should be a little better than it is. It’s something we all talked about in training camp. Everyone is going to buy in. That’s the only way we’re going to be successful. You come to the rink, you put your worker’s hat off, and you work your butt off. That’s how it’s going to be here.”