[CaptainCrunch]

Its funny, because I'm still sitting here watching this game at the end of the 2nd period as the Calgary Flames clearly played by the Washington Generals are being completely outclassed by the Harlem Globe trotters.

How did it get to this point? Why am I still watching this garbage? And what's the purpose.

First and foremost to give some background. I've been a Flames fan since they first moved to town. I still remember going to the first games in the Corral and the Saddledome. I remember cheering the unlikely playoff runs in 2004 and in 1986 and the cup run in 1989. I used to hold seasons tickets and go to every game that I could and I used to love doing it.

But somewhere along the way things have changed. Maybe I'm tired of year after year of terrible with brief moments of hope. Maybe I look at the costs of going to a game versus the entertainment value and it makes sense that I dumped my tickets off and maybe go to 4 or 5 games a year.

In Edmonton terms I'm a tier 2 or 3 fan, I don't know what's what.

But as I'm watching this team thoroughly and completely embarrass themselves tonight with no pushback and very little fire I have to wonder how they got to this point.

The easy person to blame is the coach, you know the shiny new coach that they bought in because he was a good systems guy and a good communicator and probably a lighter touch them Bob Hartley. I mean we all loved Bob, he was funny and had these great quips and man the Flames busted their asses for him, well at least for a year and a half. But we heard that he was let go because of the system that he coached, which was really no system. But we also heard rumors that a lot of players were happy to see Bob leave because screw that guy and man he makes us work to hard in practice.

So we bought in the type of coach that the players wanted. How do they thank the Flames, and help out their new coach? By showing a poor work ethic and unwillingness to either learn or play in a system. I have never seen any other team give up so many odd man rushes or flat out breakaways. This is also one of the worst Flames teams in terms of work ethic in a long time.

And how the hell do we fire a coach after one year? Oh its easy a lot of people will say, we'll just get that uber super duper coach. Yeah cause they'll want to come to a team that's going to fire coach after coach after coach.

Well maybe its the GM, That Brad, man he's been a bust. Except he hasn't, from a moves point of view with the exception of some mistakes that aren't really major he's been very good, he's done well on the trading front, he's done well on the contract extension front and it looks like the drafting front.

Ok, here's one, its your fault, you the fans. Now I can see you all pointing at your chests and mouthing the word "Me? What did I do", but hey I can't see you. Maybe we need to start booing the team off of the ice, stop going to the games, stop buying merchandise. Yeah cause the players care about the fans. I hate to break it to you, but they couldn't care a less, they'd prefer to play in front of an empty building at times, especially when they're mailing in stinkers like tonight. The only thing that they really care about is that their game day paycheck is waiting in their bank account, and that the jet is fueled and ready to go the minute the season ends.

Sounds harsh? Maybe? But we all deep down know its true.

A coach doesn't tell a team to loaf around the ice, not hit anybody, not tack rebounds and not drive to the net. You can certainly blame a coach at times if the players check out. But by following an Edmonton Oilers model of firing a coach because the players don't want to work for him or play his system just creates a system of entitlement. Frankly if the players hated hard ass Bob so much that they were happy he was fired, then they'd better start to produce for GG, because in my mind, it should be the players that are accountable for the lack of effort and execution.

The Flames don't need the coaches to embarrass them, they're doing a fine job of it over the last couple of weeks by embarrassing themselves with their poor efforts and poor execution and acting like they want the season to end right at game 82 because screw you.

I'm also standing there seriously questioning the leadership core of this team, Monohan and Gio and Brodie and the others are completely at fault for the wheels falling off. Maybe its time to rip off a letter or two and give them to a Frolik or Backlund or MT because those are the only guys giving it every shift that they can.

Yes, I'm disgruntled and its a long time coming, the Flames have a problem as the fans that have been tortured since the end of the glory days of the early 90's are starting to look at ticket prices and entertainment value and player efforts and wondering if we shouldn't spend our money elsewhere.

To be down 6-1 at the end of the second period, man it happens. To be down to the Oilers in a must win game, its unforgivable.