Quote:
Originally Posted by SofaProfessor
I hate the term "cup contender." We've seen it over many seasons where every team in the playoffs has a pretty legitimate chance of going all the way. I mean, if we were having this conversation generally about all teams back in November it would have been hard to call Pittsburgh a cup contender with the way they were playing and sitting in the standings.
As far as I see it, any team that makes the playoffs is a cup contender because anything can happen in a playoff series that completely changes your perspective of teams and their place in the picture. The Flames should be right on the edge of becoming a regular playoff team. The goalie situation has improved. Hopefully we see some improvement on special teams and a little more consistency on defence. If all of that happens I don't see how the Flames miss the playoffs and by my thinking, that makes you a cup contender. If you want to group them with teams like the Hawks then I think you need several seasons of sustained playoff appearances and success but that's a very narrow definition of cup contender that doesn't take into account the unpredictability we know and love in playoff series.
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I hate the attitude that you should just make the playoffs and anything can happen. That's the sort of attitude that only allows you to win three playoff series series in ten years with the best forward and best goalie the franchise has ever seen.