Lack of game stories

[Bingo]

hey guys ... a quick apology for the lack of game stories.

combination of

1) not enough writers (I was getting burned out)
2) games became meaningless up to the deadline (Iginla story) and then after the deadline
3) forgot my laptop at home when I went on vacation last week!

Next year we will have to beef up the writing squad again if there is still interest in reading them.

For this year though? Let it go? Keep them the same? Or write a development summary as that's all we really care about at this point no?

Thanks and sorry for the void again!

[StrykerSteve]

No need to apologize, I can barely be bothered to watch the games myself at this point, so I don't blame you. Development summary would work fine for me.

[surferguy]

I like the game stories and would pitch my name in the hat as I like writing but I tend not to be observant enough to see the subtle things that are written about in the articles. Truthfully that is what brought me to CP in the begining, I would use the game stories to compare my notes with what others saw during the game. They have helped me grow into a more intelligent fan vs. a towel waver.

[Joborule]

Development summary I think would be best at this point. Future games don't matter much for readership.

[CaramonLS]

What about a week in review? Basically every Sunday AM, you do a synopsis of the major Flame happenings throughout the week.

[FanIn80]

Development summary, and then some kind of Flames-centric draft guide after the playoffs would be perfect for me.

[ma-skis.com]

Being in Sweden, the game summaries are really appreciated to give me a snapshot of what happened, although I also understand the lack of urgency in recent games.

[SOMBRI2]

Development summary. something about our prospects in the college...if there is ever coverage.

[Regulator75]

Game Story: We are just bad.

[Table 5]

Honestly, I'm not sure they are worth the effort for you guys. Most of what you talk about (gameplay coverage) is covered in the GT and PGT at some point, and by the time you're articles come out, they feel a little bit stale (if you can call being a few hours or next day after, stale).

Doing a weekly thing on the other hand, I think would be pretty great. If you can find more things to talk about that are NOT about the gameplay, I think that makes it all the better.

[JiriHrdina]

Yeah tough to find new ways of telling the same story each game - which is basically that the only thing on the line is draft position. A weekly summary including which players showed some pride v. those who have checked out would be good.

[GreenLantern]

I would be interested in a radio show dedicated to talking about the prospects, what they have accomplished this year and what is forecasted for next year. Then maybe a write up with a small blurb on each player to accompany it?

I think it would help educate a lot of people on the board, myself included, on where this club currently stands.

[BACKCHECK!!!]

I can lend my quill to the writing pool. I'm usually staying up until 4 or 5 am to watch games anyways, so I may as well pretend that I'm destroying my sleep cycle doing something productive.

Also, I think that the game takes are a solid contribution to the site. Most of the GDT and GT are too long to wade through if you missed the game. And I like to correlate what I saw with other people's takes, particularly about a single player's performance in a game.

Maybe a new dedicated section "How the new guys did" (or something similar) could breathe a little bit of new life into the old format as well.

Edit: I just saw your 'new format' game take. Yeah, something like that.

[Northendzone]

Write the summaries in 4 game blocks, nobody really wants to relive the pain of one game ata a time, beside, there will be more positive story lines

Why not write us a game story on the vacation?

[puckluck2]

I think a plus/minus segment would be cool after each game or however long you see fit. Doesn't have to be long, but just 10-20 random plus/minuses.

+: The play of Brodie throughout the night.

-: The inability of Giordano letting Kipper see the puck and not getting out of the way in time.

+: Physical play of Cory Sarich

-: Turnovers by Cory Sarich

-: Kipper's rebound control

Something like that I think would be neat.

[Street Pharmacist]

In my perfect world:

A weekly summary of AHL, Drafts Picks and a "State of the Union" with input from some of the resident experts ( IE PMM for heat and any locals who watch the picks as well as Freeway, CalgARI, Eddy Beers).

The NHL stuff could be in there as well with a who's playing good/bad. I've always read the odds and ends part of the game stories and slimmed the rest. I have maybe read 5 all year and skim the GT and PGT of the games I miss for details

[Galakanokis]

As an out of towner I just want to say thanks. Thanks for the write ups and especially thanks for the site. This if the first website I visit in the morning and the last one I leave at night.

I like the write ups as I often don't get a chance to watch (the people I work for tend to frown upon me watching other hockey teams) and appreciate game summaries. But I would be totally cool with weekly updates now especially if the focus is on the kids coming up to play. I like Backlund's game right now, not enough can be said about Brodie, phenomenal and loved seeing Reinhart out there. Now that Sven is up it should be fun.

We are going to lose, get use to it. This will not turn around in one year. Embrace the youth and be positive about their development.

[LiquidX]

Much like the flames, this would be a great time to audition a few new guys (writers) if people can step up to the plate. It's not like you're going to hit the articles out of the park the first couple go-rounds, so late season practice sessions might not be a bad idea.

That being said, if no one steps up to help write them.. it may not be worthwhile. I would also offer to help out but nothing about it works.. I'm in BC, very few flames broadcasts, no dvr for instant replays, and I work nights. 3 strikes hah.

[Calgary4LIfe]

I don't always read the Game Takes to be honest. So I don't really have that much input.

However, if you are thinking of auditioning more writers, why not make a "Game Takes Audition" thread. In this thread, only write-ups are allowed - no comments - just like the Lockout news and the Trade Rumors only threads were.

People get a chance at writing a game review up, without really committing to it, to get a sense of how it is. The rest of us will read trough them, and give "Thanks" to the ones we feel are the best. The writers having the most consistent 'thanks' become the writers in 'x' number of slots you have open.

I have no idea how many slots are open, and even if there will be enough interest to fill them all in, but might be worth a trial run for a week or two.

[LiquidX]

^ what he said