Quote:
Originally Posted by calgarywinning
I just got to thinking about Kiprusoff's decision to retire.
If he had kept playing it would have been a waste of time, regardless of his ability at this point. Toronto wanted him at some point.
Then I think of how great he would have been in Toronto, capable, willing and able. Even in the number 2 position. He could be playing and making a real difference today. Not cheering for Toronto by any means.
So the only difference I can see is that he was either truly ready to retire, or a Calgary Flames loyalist and wanted to retire with the jersey because he still had the skill set to compete as a top goaltender or backup in the league.
His entire tenure, stats be damned, has has thrilled me with his athletic competitiveness but the point of this post is maybe Kipper was really loyal to the team.
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It doesn't matter where Kipper could've been great. He is the best goalie in the league for the past 10 years the league has seen aside from Brodeur out east. I'm just happy that he is a Flames forever. Sad that he retired and not have a Cup ring to go along with the glorious years as a Flames. I still believe he made the right decision to not go to Toronto or anywhere else, whether he is a loyalist or whether he really wants to retire. I think his skills are good enough that he can go another 3 years.
Thing is with Calgary this year and the next few years is that the team is gonna be really bad. If he continues to play, he'll be criticized for being too old to play or he let's in too many soft goals or whatever. On the other hand, if Kipper does play well and the team is within a few positions below the playoff bound teams, the draft picks would suck. Then people would complain about that and suggest Kipper to be traded. So, it's a no win situation either way, even with a first or second round pick in return for him.