Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post - Negativity safe space! let it out here ONLY

FusionX · 11-04-2021, 01:52 PM

I actually love this thread haha, I had all these thoughts ruminating in my head and now a place to vent (hopefully safely lol). This may be a bit long...

For me, it's not just a miss on Eichel because a rational person would say it's a bit of a gamble no matter how you slice it. But, this inability to make change or to do anything with a semblance of purpose or direction is what bothers me. Now, I'm not saying that there is no purpose (that's obviously to win), but that the way this organization has gone about it over decades is either too late, too lateral, too patchwork and the result is what we've seen over 30 years: mediocrity.

I moved to Calgary in 1990 (just missing the cup the previous year or so - even if I was very young then) and fell in love with hockey and the Flames were and have been my team since. It has not been a kind 3 decades as a fan.

From our good teams in the 90s but never making it past the 1st round (I still remember hearing Bure's OT goal that one year on my battery powered radio) to the "Young Guns" era, to having the pleasure at seeing Iggy play (and ultimately getting to be at his retirement ceremony) but not have much team success, to the Treliving era, mediocre, "ho-hum," same old, hopeless would be some words to describe how I think looking back. There were certainly bright spots interspersed but they were never truly planned in any sense of the word. It almost feels like we "luck" into any success we have.

I was a bit too young in the 90s to truly know what needed to change for more success, but looking back at the other times, the Young guns era was awful. Bad hockey, lack of playoff hockey, it was not a good time... and yet, even then we seemed to have no identity or plan moving forward. We were never good enough to make the playoffs, but never bad enough to pick high. When we did pick, it wasn't great. We kept icing this semi-competitive team and all those years just seemed to be a big waste. We did trade away Savard and St. Louis which certainly didn't come back to bite us.

Then, came 2004. What a run, what a time, first playoff hockey in forever, game 7 of the finals (we won in 6!). I'm not ashamed to say I shed some tears after losing that one, I was in the dome and felt numb walking out. But, looking back at it, it was a fluke run, a cinderella run and clearly one we have not been able to replicate since then. From there it was more years of mediocre, not being able to get Iggy a true center, relying on Kipper to be competitive and nothing to show for it. Then Dion gets traded (in hindsight, not a bad move as this was perhaps one of the only times I remember trading high) for spare parts (though Stajan did give us one of the most memorable moments when he scored that goal after he lost his child), Kipper retires and Iggy gets traded.

Now we're into the Treliving era, one where there has been movement all the time and yet, we're still mediocre in every way. The bright spots mainly have been through drafting and I give credit to our scouts for finding gems, but the overall vision just seems to be lacking, or at least, a few steps behind. We had a window, Johnny coming in, Monahan playing the way he did, Lindholm and Hanifin and before that Hamilton... squandered on patchwork goaltending. Highest pick ever in Bennett! Markstrom! Squandered on mediocre coaching.

Now, the identity seems to rest squarely with Sutter and his brand of hockey. But again, this feels 2 years too late. He has a 3 year contract in the midst of mediocre hockey and complicated contract negotiations. Maybe it would have been a good time to rebuild or retool but that's not going to happen with Sutter, he wants to win, but can we?

Throughout all this, it just feels to me like the vision or direction is either unclear, or too late, or just lacking completely. I think it just felt like a whole vision/direction was resting on this potential trade. Eichel meant going for it, gunning to keep Gaudreau, perhaps keeping Tkachuk or trading him for assets that can help now and later, all while Sutter is here and Markstrom is in net. Now? Not only is the team basically the same, the overall vision/direction seems to be as well.

The sad part is, I'm not sure how/when this changes but certainly having a true star player to build a team around, build a vision around is one way, and it feels like we missed that.

Man, it feels good to get that off my chest. I doubt anyone will read the whole thing or any of it but I needed that. Cathartic. Thanks for this thread!

11-04-2021, 01:52 PM	#18
FusionX Powerplay Quarterback Join Date: Sep 2009 Exp:	I actually love this thread haha, I had all these thoughts ruminating in my head and now a place to vent (hopefully safely lol). This may be a bit long... For me, it's not just a miss on Eichel because a rational person would say it's a bit of a gamble no matter how you slice it. But, this inability to make change or to do anything with a semblance of purpose or direction is what bothers me. Now, I'm not saying that there is no purpose (that's obviously to win), but that the way this organization has gone about it over decades is either too late, too lateral, too patchwork and the result is what we've seen over 30 years: mediocrity. I moved to Calgary in 1990 (just missing the cup the previous year or so - even if I was very young then) and fell in love with hockey and the Flames were and have been my team since. It has not been a kind 3 decades as a fan. From our good teams in the 90s but never making it past the 1st round (I still remember hearing Bure's OT goal that one year on my battery powered radio) to the "Young Guns" era, to having the pleasure at seeing Iggy play (and ultimately getting to be at his retirement ceremony) but not have much team success, to the Treliving era, mediocre, "ho-hum," same old, hopeless would be some words to describe how I think looking back. There were certainly bright spots interspersed but they were never truly planned in any sense of the word. It almost feels like we "luck" into any success we have. I was a bit too young in the 90s to truly know what needed to change for more success, but looking back at the other times, the Young guns era was awful. Bad hockey, lack of playoff hockey, it was not a good time... and yet, even then we seemed to have no identity or plan moving forward. We were never good enough to make the playoffs, but never bad enough to pick high. When we did pick, it wasn't great. We kept icing this semi-competitive team and all those years just seemed to be a big waste. We did trade away Savard and St. Louis which certainly didn't come back to bite us. Then, came 2004. What a run, what a time, first playoff hockey in forever, game 7 of the finals (we won in 6!). I'm not ashamed to say I shed some tears after losing that one, I was in the dome and felt numb walking out. But, looking back at it, it was a fluke run, a cinderella run and clearly one we have not been able to replicate since then. From there it was more years of mediocre, not being able to get Iggy a true center, relying on Kipper to be competitive and nothing to show for it. Then Dion gets traded (in hindsight, not a bad move as this was perhaps one of the only times I remember trading high) for spare parts (though Stajan did give us one of the most memorable moments when he scored that goal after he lost his child), Kipper retires and Iggy gets traded. Now we're into the Treliving era, one where there has been movement all the time and yet, we're still mediocre in every way. The bright spots mainly have been through drafting and I give credit to our scouts for finding gems, but the overall vision just seems to be lacking, or at least, a few steps behind. We had a window, Johnny coming in, Monahan playing the way he did, Lindholm and Hanifin and before that Hamilton... squandered on patchwork goaltending. Highest pick ever in Bennett! Markstrom! Squandered on mediocre coaching. Now, the identity seems to rest squarely with Sutter and his brand of hockey. But again, this feels 2 years too late. He has a 3 year contract in the midst of mediocre hockey and complicated contract negotiations. Maybe it would have been a good time to rebuild or retool but that's not going to happen with Sutter, he wants to win, but can we? Throughout all this, it just feels to me like the vision or direction is either unclear, or too late, or just lacking completely. I think it just felt like a whole vision/direction was resting on this potential trade. Eichel meant going for it, gunning to keep Gaudreau, perhaps keeping Tkachuk or trading him for assets that can help now and later, all while Sutter is here and Markstrom is in net. Now? Not only is the team basically the same, the overall vision/direction seems to be as well. The sad part is, I'm not sure how/when this changes but certainly having a true star player to build a team around, build a vision around is one way, and it feels like we missed that. Man, it feels good to get that off my chest. I doubt anyone will read the whole thing or any of it but I needed that. Cathartic. Thanks for this thread!