This season was for the next generation.

[metal_geek]

This was the best season of hockey I can remember watching in a long time. Lots of great memories but for me it's the same gravy as most of you. I'm already a flames fan and was gonna be next year regardless if they hadn't won a game after christmas. For anyone who lived through the young guns days this season was like a breath of fresh air.

The real winners here are the kids who are pretending to be "Johnny Hockey" on the street. Kids who know who Kris Russell is. 12 year olds who have no idea what they just witnessed but thought "hey, this flames hockey thing is pretty fun". This team with relatable young players like sam bennett who are not that far removed from pee wee give young fans more then just exciting hockey, they give them hope, and a common bond.

There are kids all over now who think you really can win hockey games when when you're losing in the third. A whole generation of fans who believe. Even if the flames miss the playoffs next year, there are young kids who are gonna say, "Next year". Just like all of us have been doing for years. 04 brought in a lot of young fans who are still around now. The lockout soured some of that good will. This team is different, the group is so young there is a continuity with this group that young fans can connect with.

Personally I'm watching this happen with my 11 year old. He's a huge boston fan, has been since watching their cup run. That was his first hockey he was able to stay awake through the second intermission. I've always watched the flames and this season has been no different. What I have noticed different during this season is, him being Calgary on NHL 15, I've noticed him telling me "flames won" on the way out to the school bus. He wrote a public speech on why the flames should make the playoffs. He's developed into a real hockey fan and this flames team has a lot to do with it. I dunno who he's gonna cheer for next season, but I'm pretty sure if it is boston, the NHL 16 bruins are gonna have a lot of flames players on their roster. I'm guessing there are lot of kids out there now in the same boat and thats good news for the next generation. The new milestone is now post 14, not post 04...

[Huntingwhale]

It was nice to see a lot of my buddies who didn't watch Flames hockey the last bunch of year finally come back on the bandwagon. Hopefully the fans don't turn away again if the Flames somehow take a small step back. I know all of us here on CP are loyal to the end. But it was really cool finally seeing some jersey's downtown and buses/trains with GFG written on the front.

[tvp2003]

Great points -- the rebirth of the C of Red should not be overlooked. Little kids with Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan t-shirts and jerseys filling the Saddledome. The return of the car flags. The experience of 19,000 fans, all clad in red, all chanting in unison.

This is a team that this City -- with a whole new generation of fans -- has embraced and has literally fallen in love with. Like 2004, those memories and feelings endure over time...

[flamesfan55]

This really was the perfect season for the Flames.

[calgarygeologist]

My kid has the Bennett poster from round 1 - game 3 on his wall. He is still young and hasn't shown an interest in learning who the players are but hopefully he can grow up watching exciting players like Monahan, Gaudreau and Bennett.

[btimbit]

Hardest part of elimination was trying to explain to my 4 year old that we can't watch the Flames for a few months. He's absolutely devasted. He keeps asking to "go to the Flames and have popcorn and see them beat the bad guys"

He loves his Giordano shirt (calls him Marky mark, no idea where he got that.)

[polak]

Good point.

'04 turned me into a huge Flames fan as a kid, 10 years later here we are introducing a new young group to the team.

Pretty awesome.

[Split98]

Flames 'fan' since '95 when I was super young, and liked hockey cards.

Die hard since '04.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by btimbit

Hardest part of elimination was trying to explain to my 4 year old that we can't watch the Flames for a few months. He's absolutely devasted. He keeps asking to "go to the Flames and have popcorn and see them beat the bad guys"

He loves his Giordano shirt (calls him Marky mark, no idea where he got that.)

suuuure you don't

[Stud_McCool]

There were nights when I would watch a Flames game and my kids (6 and 3 years old) would come sit beside me and change the channel to Treehouse. That's when I get upset and tell their mom to go and entertain them. They're just not into hockey.

[Bandwagon In Flames]

Agreed, but this season was for more than just the next generation.

It was equally beneficial for gaining immigrant fans who weren't around in 2004. A couple British friends of mine became big hockey fans half way through the season. One of them is heading back home with a Wideman jersey. He loved the name and had a knack for calling Wideman goals. Neither of them were Soccer fans or sports fans in general, but the Flames showed them the way.

Also have a 3 year old nephew that can sit through an entire flames game on TV without fidgeting or anything. It's amazing.

[CaptainCrunch]

Get off of my lawn

[Robbob]

Anything to make it so there are less homegrown opposition fans is fine by me.

[Vinny01]

2004 was a year that turned me from the casual fan to the diehard. I was on the red mile after nearly every game. I was only 20 at the time and still in school but was lucky enough to get sport cheek zone seats for a couple games in round 1.

I remember in 2006 feeling like the Cup was ours and we would get our revenge. That game 7 loss was one of the most devastating I experienced. Even more so than the finals in 04. I realized it was going to be so much harder to get the Cup than I thought. 07-09 I had varying degrees of optimism feeling the Flames could do some damage (especially 09). Watching them lose in the first round did sting pretty bad.

10-13 up until the California road trip of 2013 (my bachelor party) I had some degree of hope the Flames could sneak in and had the horses to go on a magical run.

When they got blown out in California I knew it was over. Like Phaneuf, and Regehr before them I watched the Flames get what I thought was pennies on the dollar for Iggy and Bouw. Kipper retiring became obvious and the team that I fell in love with and made me a diehard fan was no more.

Like many though I was excited for the new start. I was very happy when Brian Burke was added to the organization. Prior to that I was extremely pleased with drafting Sean Monahan, and was excited about Johnny Gaudreau and Sven Baertschi. I still thought we were 3-5 years out from being a playoff team.

Last years team was a treat to watch. The effort was there, they battled in every game and beat some pretty good teams along the way. I was happy when they finished just inside that bottom 4 which secured the Flames a pick in a draft that appeared 4 deep at the top. Ekblad was my top choice and I went back and forth on Bennett and Reinhart but Drasaitl was going to be a let down for me. I was so happy when the Flames landed Bennett and was extremely pleased late in the season when Gaudreau chose to forgo his last year of college and join the flames

I anticipated a step back this year. Replacing Cammmalleri with Raymond and adding Hiller and Engellend gave me no indication this team was better. I was prepared to watch a bottom 5 team again hopefully win the lottery and get McDavid. What happened shocked me this year. I posted in a thread earlier in the year saying if the flames were to make playoffs Monahan would have to become a first line C, Johnny would have to be in the Calder mix, Gio would have to build on his previous season and others would have to step up. It was quoted several times in the thread because everything happened.

This flames team made all the right rebuilding moves this year by trading their 32 year old vet for picks and bringing up a 22 year old to replace him. They moved a failed prospect for a pick to not lose him for nothing this summer. They held off replacing the injured captain and won still made the playoffs and won a round against our most hated rivals of the last 10 years.

We enter the summer with 4 picks in the top 60 and plenty of cap space in a league where many teams are up against it. We had 6 rookies play playoff games for us this year and many played key roles. 2/3 of our top line will be 22 and 21 next year. We have another young player turning 19 that could be in the running fornthe Calder. Our soon to be 25 year old top pairing D is locked up for 5 years at a great price. Outside of that no one is signed more than 3 years beyond this season.

This is a team for the next generation. We got 5 years of playoffs, 3 failed attempts to qualify and 2 rebuilding years since 2004. This fails to mention we have had 5 coaches in that time.

The build to being a true contender is not over but hopefully thinks a team with a core that will be consistently in the playoffs and will have what it takes to go all the way. This year certainly made me believe that we are on that path 2-4 years sooner than I hoped. This is a team for the next generation that should last a generation

[Stay Golden]

Agreed this is the next gen Flames.
New heros, 23, 13, 79, 63 ( depending on what # Ferland and Bennett settle on) these will be the most sought after numbers for younger fans.

[hockey.modern]

Bennett for number 39 please

[H2SO4(aq)]

I have seldom missed a game since 04. But this season was the first time I've felt similar to that run. 14 can never quite duplicate 04 for me. That was the most emotional playoff run I've ever seen, but this year has been an amazing ride and I'm glad to know there will be a continued and growing fan base in Calgary, and the dome will be loud again.

[tvp2003]

[Eagle Eye]

So my 8 year old daughter came home from school today and asked me "did you see that duck totally fake an injury?", this comes from the person who pretty much doesn't even know what a hockey puck is. LOL. I was shocked and in awe all at the same time.

Love that they have been talking about this at school, she was even a little sad that there isn't anymore games to talk about (now watching thats a different story).

This is also the run that finally got my 12 year old boy to be excited to actually sit and watch games with me. He was 1 in 2004, so he hasn't really seen the city so excited before.

[Geeoff]

Hopefully this generation gets even better seasons than this to reminisce about.