[sureLoss]

Transcript from TSN 1050

http://www.nicholsonhockey.com/worth...amic-of-flames

“You know what? Full credit to what they’ve done here.

“The thing I think that’s kinda jumping out at me here that makes them a little bit different than in the past, is that they are more skilled now. The addition of Johnny Gaudreau has made a huge difference here.

“It’s funny how it works out because a couple of weeks ago he looked like he was ticketed for the minors. He had that healthy scratch and there was all sorts of stuff written in Calgary: ‘Okay, it’s pretty clear Johnny Hockey has to go play in Glens Falls and he’s too small and he’s not ready and he’s not good without the puck’ and everything else.

“Ever since then, he’s been on an unbelievable tear, and so have the Flames. He just changes the dynamic of a hockey team that’s not loaded with gifted offensive players.

“And in fairness, Sean Monahan got off to a bit of a slow start. He’s really picked it up and he’s another guy – he’s an elite player. He’s going to be an elite player of this game and you saw it last year as a rookie and he’s getting better and better all the time.

“So suddenly, the Calgary Flames, whose knock on them is they don’t have enough elite-level, high-end skill players to go with what Bob Hartley has been preaching in terms of real structured game, everybody is buying in to how to play without the puck, playing a hard game, be that hard team to play against – but it’s funny. You’ve got Monahan on the ice, you’ve got a guy who can really make plays.

“And the same thing is true when you’ve got Giordano and Brodie on the ice. They’ve been marvelous. That’s been the best pair of defensemen in the National Hockey League this season. Bar none right now. And Brodie is tremendously skilled. That’s helping to elevate the skill level of the team.

“So when you say, ‘Are they for real? Are they going to make the playoffs?’ I think it’s still way too early to tell. There’s a lot of racetrack here to run. But boy oh boy, you’ve got to be impressed with how hard they’ve worked, and now, how timely it is that guys like Gaudreau, Brodie, Giordano, and Monahan are stepping up in certain situations and creating offence where they maybe weren’t going to get that in the past.”