The loss of Gaudreau and Tkachuck was almost a historic situation, I've never seen any sports franchise unexpectedly lose its two superstars within a couple of weeks. Realistically, how was the franchise going to recover quickly from that. It was a complete sea change in the quality of the team. There was no way to effectively patch that up, try as they might.
The key now is for the Flames to recognize what and where they are -- this is a team on the decline. So put the plans in motion for the right strategy to build it up again. The insanity of pretending everything is going to be fine by staying the current course is infuriating.
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A few weeks after crashing head-first into the boards (denting his helmet and being unable to move for a little while) following a hit from behind by Bob Errey, the Calgary Flames player explains:
"I was like Christ, lying on my back, with my arms outstretched, crucified"
-- Frank Musil - Early January 1994
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