[azzarish]

Absolute rubbish.

How the Leafs performed last year has absolutely no bearing whatsoever on how the Flames are going to perform for the rest of the season. There could have been many reasons in Toronto's downturn last year that don’t have to equate to this Flames team. It seems like some of the media think this start is a fluke. What they seem to forget is that we're missing 4 or 5 key players and still performing at this level. I have been watching the Flames since 2000 when I first moved here and this season for the first time in about 5 or 6 years they look like a team who is going to compete on a nightly basis, and one that could sustain some semblance of this form for the rest of the season. This is also the best defensive core that I think I've seen over that time. The most noticeable aspect this season is that there are more key pieces in the team to cope with other key pieces either; 1) getting injured or 2) losing form. There are more players that stand out to me that have done in a good few years. Which means there are more difference makers, and if you have difference makers you are more than likely going to win more games. There a quite a few more players that seem to stand out every game than we had last year, or the year before.

Yes, we've fallen away before and been left disappointed but I think there is a different mentality in the team now. We've finally seemed to have eradicated all elements that were rotten to the core that were left overs from the Sutters/Iginla period. We've moved on from that era now, and this is a new team, and the new version of the Calgary Flames. We've built a new identity and the signs from the play last year, coupled with the start this year are very promising indeed. I suspect we're not going to fade away as easily as some of these so called experts are expecting.