Quote:
Originally Posted by Erick Estrada
It's a real shame Flames fans have had to put up with such mediocrity over the last 34 years. There are so many devoted fans on this forum and around the province that deserve better. I'm sure more than a few longtime fans have come to grips with the fact that they may never see this team win another cup. The one thing that concerns me is the erosion of the fanbase as generations of new fans in Alberta that are growing up Oilers fans. My wife tells me on jersey days they have more kids in Oilers jerseys than Flames jerseys and that's kind of sad. The organization badly needs a face of the franchise star that they can market and sell to younger generations. I simply don't think trying to plug the leaks to stay competitive for an 8th playoff spot is doing this organization any good in the long term.
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These thoughts reflect my feelings as well. I'm a little concerned as some of us get older these Flames will still be trying to figure it out. The Flames need to find a way to grab a franchise player otherwise I doubt things will change. Winning a few games at the end of the season for moral victories gets a little frustrating. Huberdeau is not a guy you build a franchise around and he certainly isn't the guy who puts fans in the seats.
I guess some of us just have to be really happy that we did have some really good Flames teams in the past. I used to enjoy watching guys like Sergei Makarov, Kent Nilson, Gary Roberts, Al McGinnis, Gary Sutter. Joe Nieuwendyk. The Flames were one of the power houses in the NHL for a long time. If they want to get back to winning they need to find a way to get a franchise player, maybe stop winning meaningless games at the end of the season when a season is over. Hopefully we win the draft lottery.