[TheRealPepman]

What an epic ride this seven-game series was. I didn't expect to get a "revenge series" against these Dallas Stars (I wanted Nashville WITH Saros) but it was nice to play against them with crowds. They were tough seven games for sure but every minute was worth-watching. All said and done, this series win means so much to me.

Ever since I stopped bandwagoning (s/o to the #NEVERQUIT Flames!) and turned into a fan before the 2015-16 season, I saw this post-Iginla Flames go through a period of ups and downs. The more they made the playoffs, the less I became enthusiastic. 2019 killed every legit hope and enthusiasm I had for the team. I still cheered, watched a few games live, and got Flames stuff for free or at a certain price, but deep down I felt there should have been major changes. It came to a point where I felt they should have blown it up and tank to draft either Shane Wright or Connor Bedard. I also looked past the team makeup and found other outlets to blame their mediocrity on like the ownership group or the Flames' constant partying and relaxing off-ice or the lacklustre efforts on things like in-team entertainment or upgrading the Saddledome even in the smallest ways. That’s how pessimistic I became. Ask my Twitter friends. They know how much I yearned for changes during that period.

I also cried inside everytime the Flames failed to acquire guys like Nazem Kadri, Mark Stone, or Jack Eichel. Even when they had that impressive regular season this year and finally trading for big names like Toffoli and Jarnkrok, I still felt nervous that 2019 would happen again. It also didn’t help that the Flames aren’t necessarily a team with a strong winning playoff tradition (C of Red, the atmosphere, is wonderful but winning-wise, we still have a looooooooong way to go. But at least we're building something unlike before.) with first round exits left and right so there wasn’t much hope.

But then I started manifesting that things will eventually go the Flames' way. I guess that’s what I get for trying to have more positive mindset in general. Life got better for me these last few months so I hoped things around me like the Flames would be better as well.

And so they did. I told myself during that tough period that I would be as proud as a peacock when they win a series. Happy to report that I did just that. I also told myself that I’ll enjoy and relish the moment of seeing the Flames in Round 2 for the first time as a fan instead of being a bandwagoner. But we’re playing Edmonton so we’ll see if I’ll still fully enjoy it or cheer as hard as I did in the previous round.

But really? I’m so glad we won a playoff round. This was my Stanley Cup. Truly, I was reaching but I just wanted to see the Flames do well in this specific round. History was never on the Flames' side when it comes to Round 1. Plus I used to think that turning into a fan made the Flames lose their playoff luck. It even came to a point that I considered letting go of my fandom so that they would win a Round 1 series. But that’s history now. I'm honest now because they won something hehe lol.

On to the next and hoping for the best! The ultimate goal is the Stanley Cup but for now, one step at a time.

Glad to have Stanley Cup winners (Including Darryl Sutter! Man I wished for the team to get a legit coach before. I wanted Peter Laviolette in 2019, but that didn’t happen and it made me lose hope that some big name would come to the city. But then he unretired. Boom! Had happy tears of joy when I saw his hiring announcement here on CalgaryPuck. Thank you very much for coming back, Sir Jolly Rancher…) and a sharp goalie on board for sure.

This series is for Flames fans that closely followed the team during the post-Iginla era who went through sooooo many kinds of disappointments (consecutive OT playoff game losses, not winning in Vegas and Anaheim, failing to make the playoffs in years they should've, consecutive series losses to American teams like ANA/COL/DAL, the Bill Peters saga, the failed arena proposals, goalie and coach carousels, etc.).

This series is for the Flames fans who experienced heartbreaks through Flames teams losing overtime Game 7s at home, in 1991, 1994, and 1995. And all those Round 1 losses in general. Too many of them since the 1989 Stanley Cup win (1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2017, 2019, 2020). And would you believe they lost seven times with home ice advantage? That stings. This series was for you, too. You sure loved what happened a while ago, I suppose.

This series is for every Calgarian looking for a source of pride after going through the tough COVID-19 pandemic and the city going through challenging political and economic times.

Most of all, this series is for the ones going through tough times looking for inspiration and hope. I hope it helped you in any way, shape, or form.

What a fun day to be part of the C of Red! Let's have fun.