Originally Posted by PepsiFree
Since I thanked this post, and the conversation evolved since that point, I wanted to highlight this part and add my two cents.
I agree whole heartedly with this, and honestly, I think almost every fan of the Calgary Flames probably agrees. When you think of our identity over most of our history, it resonated best when we’ve been a tough team to play against. Where the disagreement over this is comes down to what “tough” means.
I want Calgary to be tough, I want us to have the reputation of Philly-west. I want us to finish our checks. I want us to make life miserable for the other team. I want teams to come into the Saddledome knowing that getting a win is going to hurt.
What I don’t want, and where I agree with Jiri, is that fighting (and especially the staged stuff, or the “storyline” revenge stuff) is and should be on its way out. My favourite player right now? Tkachuk. The guys who I like the cut of? Smith, Lindholm, Rittich, Bennett, Neal.
These aren’t fighters (hell, two are goalies), but they’ve got an attitude. They play hard. They use their body. They’re bulldogs. Some more than others (Lindholm is mostly just great at using his body to create turnovers, Bennett plays like a bulldog when he’s on which has admittedly been rare).
These are the guys you want. If you’re looking at an extra forward, I want the Hathaways, Lombergs, etc, not the Pelusos and Prouts. I liked Engelland, I liked Bouma for the one season. It’s guys who play tough, and that doesn’t mean dropping the gloves and doing nothing else. It means blocking shots, finishing checks, getting in the other team’s face.
That’s why Tkachuk is going to inspire the new identity of this team the better he gets. He’s going to make the other team mad, finish his checks, and make them take bad penalties, and to rub it in he’s going to score. That’s toughness that makes sense in this era and going forward. That’s the toughness that gets me out of my seat.
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