[News Roundup] September 13, 2018

[MissTeeks]

So there is a snag for News Roundups this year. The Herald put a 10 article per month limit on the site this year, so if you don't have a subscription, the links won't work after you read 10 articles.

Dube off to Flames main camp after shining among rookies

https://calgaryherald.com/sports/hoc...5-cff39655341a

There were a few hot topics in Calgary on Thursday.

The 2026 Olympic Games plebiscite, the dipping temperatures, a bobcat which was spotted roaming the streets in a neighbourhood in the city’s southeast.

And Dillon Dube.

After two rookie games against the Edmonton Oilers and four days’ worth of practices, it’s clear that the Calgary Flames centre is just heating up during an ongoing fall audition for his first year of professional hockey.

The progress has been steady for the 20-year-old Cochrane resident, who was easily the best player on the ice in Wednesday’s 6-3 rookie-game win over the Edmonton Oilers at Red Deer’s Enmax Centrium. He had two assists, both great set-ups. In Sunday’s 7-3 rookie-game win over the Oilers at the Saddledome, Dube also had a goal and an assist.


Two different games, playing on two different lines.

Same outcomes.

“He’s a player that when he’s on the ice, you’re comfortable as a fan, as a coach and a member of the organization,” said Flames assistant general manager Brad Pascall, who has been monitoring the rookies while general manager Brad Treliving and assistant general manager Craig Conroy are in China. “I think he just continues to show that. He plays a confident game and can play in every situation. Here against his peer groups, he’s shown that.

“Now, they’ll have a couple days off and turn his focus into main camp.”

Dube, after two games, is on a mission to make that choice difficult for the Flames brass.

“I thought I was a lot better in the first game, to be honest,” said the 5-foot-11, 190-pounder who is a left-shot centre. “I didn’t have as many chances as the last game. My linemates (seventh-round pick from 2018 Dimitry Zavgorodniy and Mike McMurtry), clicked really well … (Wednesday) was a lot faster and more like a mid-season game. I didn’t score any goals, but I felt like I was on my game.”

On Wednesday, he made his linemates better, similar to Sunday’s first game when he skated with Mangiapane and Foo and was able to score and nab an assist.

“I feel like playing that way and playing fast helps the team to win,” said Dube who scored 38 goals and 46 assists in 53 Western Hockey League games last year which was likely his final season with the Kelowna Rockets. “Right now, I just wanted to get my feet under me heading into main camp.”

Flames' first practice in China cancelled due to customs delay

https://calgaryherald.com/sports/hoc...7-f9c01f812524

SHENZHEN, China — Instead of skating, they were waiting.

And waiting.

And waiting.

The Calgary Flames’ training-camp trip to China started with an unexpected twist Thursday — their first practice of the season was cancelled because their equipment had yet to clear customs.

The Boston Bruins, their opponents for a pair of pre-season matchups in this far-off market, were stuck playing the same waiting game. Their skate was also scrapped.

“There are always unforeseen issues you have to deal with,” said Flames general manager Brad Treliving, chatting with reporters in the lobby of the team hotel in Shenzhen. “So we’ll deal with it, and we’ll move on. It’s nobody’s fault, but we’ll be really eager to go (Friday).

“We’ve said, ‘If we want to have a great year this year, you’re going to have to deal with adversity.’ Well, we’re dealing with it on Day 1. It’s how you react to it, and we’re going to be fine.”

The Flames and Bruins will both practice Friday, now their only prep session for Saturday’s exhibition matinee.

“It’s a curveball, obviously,” summed up Flames superstar Johnny Gaudreau. “It’s your first day of camp, you want to get on the ice with your new teammates, your new coaching staff. But that’s the way it goes.

“No big deal. We’ll put it behind us and use this day to get to know some more of the guys. Just try to use it to our advantage, I guess, and get ready for tomorrow.”

“Obviously, it’s a day that we’re missing of skating together, but you’re still doing things with your teammates — walking around the city, getting to know different players and just hanging out,” Gaudreau said. “Which is important, because we do have a lot of new faces. We need to build some chemistry with those guys and to get comfortable with those guys before we start playing with them.

“So we’re not just going to use it as a day-off. We’re going to get together, do some things together and make the most of it.”

Lanny lends star-power to fan-fest event in Shenzhen

https://calgaryherald.com/sports/hoc...6-fe7f79d67d28

So … let’s call it even?

Calgary Flames franchise icon Lanny McDonald made a special appearance at Thursday’s NHL Fan Fest at an outdoor mall in Shenzhen, China, and one man — a self-admitted supporter of the Montreal Canadiens — came prepared.

The autograph-seeker had printed out the famous photo of McDonald with the Stanley Cup hoisted high above his head.

“You broke my heart in 1989,” he told McDonald.

Lanny’s quick reply?

“Well, you broke my heart in 1986,” he said, referencing the Flames’ first meeting with the Habs in the championship series.

Still as popular as ever in Calgary despite being retired for nearly three decades and still a terrific representative for both his sport and city, the 65-year-old McDonald accompanied the Flames to China as an ambassador of sorts.

Flames coach Peters eager to hit the ice as team arrives in China

https://calgaryherald.com/sports/hoc...8-d62ae0b6ab81

Prior to departure, Bill Peters had repeatedly stressed that this is, first and foremost, a business trip.

So it should be no surprise that just moments after the Calgary Flames arrived Wednesday night at their hotel in, Shenzhen, China, their new head coach was keen to fast-forward to the next morning and, finally, put his plan into action.

As it turned out, he would have to wait a wee bit longer.

The Flames’ first practice at Shenzhen Universiade Sports Center was postponed several hours due to a delay in their equipment being cleared through customs.

“We’ve put a lot of time in to prepare for this trip to China, and now it will finally come to fruition,” Peters said upon Wednesday’s arrival, raring to go despite the grind of a 14-hour flight. “It’s our first day on the ice, and the focus is going to be on O-zone forecheck and O-zone entries. Then we’re going to flood, and we’re going to come back out and spend 30 minutes on specialty teams.

“We have a plan in place for all four practice days.”

That plan was finalized long before they filled their suitcases for this once-in-a-lifetime trip to the opposite side of the globe.

Not only do the Flames have an overhauled staff — Peters, ex of the Carolina Hurricanes, was hired in late April — and a bunch of new faces on the roster, but they’re also facing the unique challenge of running three training-camp groups on two separate continents.

From the dynamic forward duo of Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan to the top defence pair of T.J. Brodie and Mark Giordano and starting puck-stopper Mike Smith, all of Calgary’s key contributors are together at the O.R.G. China Games, a two-game exhibition set against the Boston Bruins in Shenzhen and Beijing.

Peters and his big-league staff — associate Geoff Ward, assistants Ryan Huska and Martin Gelinas and goaltending coach Jordan Sigalet — are here, too.

The Flames’ travelling troupe has a pair of practices prior to Saturday’s pre-season opener against the Bruins in Shenzhen, then two more prep sessions before a game Wednesday in Beijing.

Those on-ice workouts will provide the first glimpse into Peters’ approach and the identity he’s hoping to create for a crew that underachieved last winter, costing former head coach Glen Gulutzan his job.

“Out of our staff, they can expect an organized staff. They’re going to see a staff that knows what they want and there’s going to be a certain style of play that will be noticeable once we get through training camp and it’s the regular season,” Peters promised. “The system play will take a little bit. There will be some communication and some conversation from players. They understand there is no such thing as a bad question when you’re changing coaches, so if you’re unsure, make sure you ask.

“And then we want them to play. We don’t want them to have to think a whole bunch. We want them to be able to play and play hard and play fast.”

[MissTeeks]

CHILDHOOD MEMORIES - Hathaway hoping to recreate old family picture at Great Wall of China

https://www.nhl.com/flames/news/chil...es/c-300089924

Nearing two decades on, Garnet Hathaway may have the opportunity to recreate a cameo-keepsake, before-and-after moment from his youth.

"I was seven at the time," the rambunctious winger is reminiscing, standing in the lobby of the Shenzhen Ritz-Carlton on another hot, humid day. "I was just talking with my mom about it, actually. Getting kind of a list of things we saw and did.

"She sent me a photo of me and my siblings on the Great Wall. Great photo.

"I'm going to try and find the place that picture was taken and replicate it 20 years later, when we visit there."

Hathaway and his Flames cohorts are scheduled to tour the Wall on Monday as a touristy sidelight of their O.R.G. NHL China Games after flying into the Chinese capital following Saturday's pre-season opener in Shenzhen against the Boston Bruins.

"I showed OB (Director of Team Services Sean O'Brien) the photo and we're going to try and figure it out,'' says Hathaway. "There are four main spots on the Great Wall for pictures, and I'm hoping we're going to be able to go to the one I'm looking for. Hoping, anyway.

"I am short four people, though.

"Maybe I can convince a few of the guys to act as stand-ins."

"I was really excited to hear I was coming on the trip.

"Now it starts. It's camp, even if we're across the world, and we've got to perform. It's going to be different. We're going to be out of our comfort zone a little bit.

"We knew there were going to be a few curve balls. Not everything's going to go as planned. You just appreciate all the effort OB and the organization put in in setting this up.

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to come somewhere like this, somewhere so far away, somewhere so different, with the guys, to play hockey."

And maybe, fingers crossed, recreate a cameo-keepsake, before-and-after moment two decades removed.

EARNING IT - Rasmus Andersson says he's ready for a full-time job on the blueline

https://www.nhl.com/flames/news/earning-it/c-300094864

Tucked in behind the Flames' headquarters for the next couple of days, the Ritz-Carlton, rising above the neon-soaked skyline like some steel and glass colossus, sits the $1.5-billion Ping An International Finance Centre.

Completed in 2017, it stands as the fourth tallest structure on the planet, a vertigo-triggering 115 stories high.

So should Rasmus Andersson require any additional inspiration on the subject of sheer ambition, or about the quest to reach the top floor of his own profession, well, he need only head out the hotel's front door and … look up.

Straight up.

It's time, he believes.

No more intriguing guest-starring roles or eye-catching cameos.

Been there, done that.

"I have an opportunity here, and it's up to me to take advantage of it,'' says the 21-year-old blueliner from Malmo, Sweden. "I feel like I've done everything it takes to be here.

"I want to play regularly in the NHL.

"But feeling that way or talking about it isn't enough. Now I've got to go and prove it on the ice."

As happens often with talented young players, Andersson's conditioning has taken a bit of time in catching up to his abundant natural abilities.

Trimmed down to 203 pounds, aided and abetted by Allan Selby in Stockton and Flames' strength and conditioning coach Ryan Van Asten, Andersson has given himself every opportunity in this, his third season pro, to crack the Calgary lineup on a day-to-day basis.

"Over the last couple of years, he's made all the changes he's been asked to,'' praises Ryan Huska, elevated to assistant coach on the big club following four seasons in command of the organization's top developmental team. "And this year he looks significantly better than he did even a year ago.

"He's on track for where he should be physically. I think he's matured a lot in that area. That's been the biggest concern about him along the way and I think he's answered all those questions.

"You always saw the player that was there, though. Him understanding how to take better care of himself now and how important that is, he's able to play the game with more pace, which is the style that best suits him.

"Then you can see his talent come out. How he can see the ice and move the puck."

THE TRAVELLING MAN - All Calgary native Jeff Glass ever wanted was an opportunity

https://www.nhl.com/flames/news/the-...an/c-300099128

All he ever wanted was an opportunity.

But here, in his hometown?

Not even he could have imagined this.

"This is really, really neat," said Calgary native Jeff Glass, who tugged at the waist of his new red shirt to better see the Flaming C logo he'd worn only once in his life before.

As a fan.

Glass, a journeyman goaltender that made his NHL debut last year at age 32, has been signed to a pro tryout and will join the Flames to compete with Jon Gillies and David Rittich for the backup job in training camp.

"I think any kid from Calgary would tell you the same thing if they were in my position. We grew up with the privilege of having an NHL team in our own back yard, and we had heroes and role models in our lives because of it.

"I had posters of Theoren Fleury and Trevor Kidd on the walls of my bedroom. Those were my idols. Kidd always had that flashy gear and I went to his goalie camp every summer.

"It's pretty special to be able to skate on the same ice now and see what they saw when they were Flames."

Flames find chance to bond off ice at China Games

https://www.nhl.com/news/calgary-fin...?tid=290456470

Johnny Gaudreau called the unexpected itinerary change on the first full day of the 2018 O.R.G. NHL China Games a curveball thrown the Calgary Flames' way.

The 25-year-old forward and his teammates spent the day swinging together to crush it out of the park.

The Flames and Boston Bruins, here to start training camp and play two preseason games, were forced to cancel their practices Thursday because their equipment was being held in customs at Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport.

"First day of camp you want to get on the ice with your new teammates, your new coaches and staff, but it's the way it goes sometimes," Gaudreau said.

"No big deal. ... Try to use it to our advantage."

The teams are scheduled to practice at Universiade Sports Center on Friday, with Calgary going on at 10 a.m. CST and the Bruins at 12:30 p.m. The first of two preseason games between the Bruins and Flames is at Universiade Sports Center on Saturday (2:30 a.m. ET; NHLN, SN).

"It's a day that we're missing skating together, but you're still doing things with your teammates, walking around the city, getting to know guys, hanging out and doing little things, which is important because we do have a lot of new faces," Gaudreau said. "You need to build some chemistry with those guys and get comfortable with those guys before you start playing with them. We're not using it as just a day off. We're doing some things together to make the most of it."

"There is a lot of newness here with new coaches and a lot of new players," Calgary general manager Brad Treliving said. "So what we want to get out of it is the work, a foundation put in for our team, but also a real good understanding of who everybody is. The players get to know the coach, the coach gets to know the players and the players get to know each other. It's not just holding hands, singing Kumbaya, team-building stuff. It's building a little bit of chemistry, building a team, quite frankly."

They're having fun doing it.

Flames defenseman Michael Stone said the players flocked to the hotel gym after practice was canceled Thursday, shocking other guests who were in for an afternoon workout.

"I think we scared a few people cruising in there because there was a lot of us," he said.

They also ate all three meals together, and some of the players ventured out of the hotel to walk around the city, including a trip to Wongtee Plaza, a mall adjacent to the team's hotel in downtown Shenzhen.

"The way you've got to look at it here is it should be that you're close right off the get-go and you should have a good start off the get-go because of that," Stone said. "Whether that happens or not is still unknown, but that's the whole thinking behind it. … You try to come together as a group and I think we've done a good job of trying to stay positive here with things. I think guys are. I'm not sure what guys expected coming here, but I am very impressed with how things have gone other than the curveballs that we've been thrown."