[Leeman4Gilmour]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Confession: I don’t find regular-season hockey entertaining to watch. Full-stop. Haven’t for many years. I follow hockey during the regular season by reading articles and analysis, following stats, etc., and watching maybe 10 or 12 full games in the regular season (some of which don’t involve the Flames).

I follow hockey because of the playoffs. The pace, intensity, emotion, and stakes are so, so much higher that it’s almost a different sport. I watch 1-2 games a night almost every night of the playoffs, including lots of games that the Flames aren’t participating in. That’s the juice.

So from my POV, a regular season finish just outside the playoffs is no better than a regular season finishing at the bottom of the league. It’s worse, in fact, because of how it impacts the draft. At this point as a fan, my primary wish is for the team to draft an elite core than can contend for the Cup and go on deep playoff runs for 5-10 years. To that end, regular season results only matter insofar as they impact draft position.

That’s probably not how most fans approach the team. But I expect I’m not alone, either.

I watch pretty much every game. This year is a tough watch though. Really tough. I know the team not being able to score is a big factor, but I also wonder if I still have 'muscle' memory from the Jays run. Their playoff run was so intense and exciting to watch. Everything else just seems meh now.