[News Roundup] Hockey's back!

[MissTeeks]

Scott Cruickshank: Johnny Gaudreau's return to Calgary Flames part of jam-packed day

http://calgaryherald.com/sports/hock...jam-packed-day

Frantic roster re-vamping aside, the day belonged Gaudreau.
To a team that could rustle up only 10 goals in seven pre-season dates, his presence is critical.
“We went to the power-play (drills) early, trying to get him up to speed,” said Gulutzan. “To be quite honest, it was the best our power-play’s looked and he’s had one little tour at it.”
Pause.
“I guess that’s all coaching.”
Which was good for a laugh.
Suddenly, with No. 13 in harness, everything is a little lighter, a little brighter, around Flames headquarters.
Getting kid in line, though, had not been easy.
“It was extremely difficult,” said Gaudreau. “I’m happy it’s over.”

Everyone else around the Saddledome is relieved.
Treliving had been contemplating contingency plans – “You start looking at alternatives … what are the scenarios of bridging it till he gets here?” – and the dressing room was beginning to get stirred up.
“Obviously, it was getting close to the season, so you’ve got to move forward and think that he’s not going to be here,” said Monahan. “But in my mind, I thought something was going to get done. I talked to John almost every day throughout the whole process and, obviously, I was on him, making sure he was going to be back here.”
Added Troy Brouwer: “No more distraction, so that’s good. It took a little bit longer than some of the players would have liked.”

Calgary Flames hope upgrades between the pipes pay off

http://calgaryherald.com/sports/hock...-pipes-pay-off

Blame the backstops!
Get rid of the goalies!
The problem is between the pipes!
That seemed to be the consensus last winter among followers of the Calgary Flames, with many anxious to run the masked men — every one of ’em — out of Cowtown after a miserable campaign for the local hockey heroes.
The crease crew at the Saddledome has been completely overhauled since then.
All four goalies from last season are goners. Brian Elliott and local lad Chad Johnson are now partners in pads for the Flames.
“I don’t think (the goalies) were bad last year, but it’s just a situation where the storm kind of comes in and it’s hard for everybody to weather it,” Elliott said. “It’s just something you have to deal with. I just think of it as another opportunity. I’m not thinking of pressure or that I’ve gotta be the solution or something like that. Everybody in this locker-room is going to be a solution. It’s not one guy, it’s not two guys … It’s all the guys in the locker-room.”

“During the free-agent period, all my buddies were like, ‘We need you. We want you here. Sign here. We need goaltending,’ ” said Johnson, a graduate of the Bow Valley minor hockey association and coming off a career-high 45 appearances last winter with the Buffalo Sabres. “There was a lot of family and friends that were pushing for me to come here, just to make that difference.
“I believe in my abilities and I know Brian in his, as well. We’re going to bring good value to this team and be a backbone for this team. Obviously we know that coming in here, there’s an opportunity for us to be a difference compared to last year, where I think there were some issues there or some uneasiness for people.
“I’m very confident in both me and Brian as goaltenders. So I could care less about last year.”

Calgary Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan puts player responsibilities in the cards

http://calgaryherald.com/sports/hock...s-in-the-cards

They’ll be passing out player cards in the Calgary Flames’ locker-room.
Not Upper Decks or O-Pee-Chees. And not the kind of collectibles you can buy with your coffee at Tim Hortons or your burger at McDonald’s.
These will come custom-made from the office of head coach Glen Gulutzan, with input from the owner of each of these one-of-a-kind items.
“They’re pretty simple,” Gulutzan said during training camp at the Saddledome, sharing the details of one of the teaching tools he has planned for his first season as bench boss for the Flames. “It’s basically an NHL card, so when you walk through those doors every day, whether it’s Bolls or Johnny or Mony, they hand in their NHL card — ‘This what I do. This is why I go in there.’
“We’ll have those meetings with the players. Really, going through that process, it’s not about me telling them what they do.
“It’s their words — what they are, what they bring to the team, what makes them successful every given night, what they have to improve on. In their words.
“Then, when we’re having skates or a guy is not in (the lineup) or it’s after practice and Mony says to me, ‘You know what? I’m not great at picking the puck up off the wall,’ or whatever it may be, at least we have that stuff.
“It’s their NHL card — here’s what I do on a nightly basis. ‘I’m great when I’m physical or I play with emotion.’ And then when a guy is not, you can say, ‘Hey, this is what you said to me that you are, and it’s not happening.’ So it’s an accountability card for me, but it’s also a guide card for the guys. It’s more for them to go, ‘OK, this is what I am and this is my role,’ and then they have to play to that.
“It’s something for us to help them and for them to help themselves.”

He doesn’t even blink before offering an honest assessment.
“My strengths are I’m a positive guy, I bring energy every day and I’m a good teacher. I asked the players in their strengths to be bold, so I’ll try to be bold with you,” Gulutzan said. “What I have to work on is I have to continue to grow myself in this role and I have to continue to make sure that I push the players to where I want them to go. We have a great group, and these athletes need to be pushed. Those are just kind of daily reminders.
“But for me, the biggest thing is just continue to grow as a coach and develop and then rely on my strengths. And one of the things I’ll remind myself is to delegate, because I’ve been an assistant before and that gave me a new perspective. So make sure I delegate responsibility and stay out of the way of guys that I trust can do a really good job.”

Calgary Flames' Mark Giordano a captain who leads by example

http://calgaryherald.com/sports/hock...ads-by-example

About 300 kilometres north of the Scotiabank Saddledome, a teenager is set to embark on a new era as the captain of the Edmonton Oilers.
At 19, he still can’t enjoy an alcoholic beverage in the United States. But future bright and star power obvious, Connor McDavid — ready or not — is in charge.
Straight down the QEII Highway, another scene is playing out.
It’s nearing the end of training camp and Mark Giordano, one of the last to leave the ice by his own choice, is dripping with sweat.
There are a million things on his plate. Off-ice workouts, meetings, appearances, not to mention a wife and a young son to take care of. But, because it’s part of his job as captain of the Calgary Flames to talk to the media, he politely obliges.
Veteran savvy — with the slightest touch of grey in his dark beard — the 33-year-old offers some perspective from his professional experience.
“You know what?” he was saying. “I think he’s one of those guys that will lead that team on the ice. You can just see it by watching him last year and in the World Cup tournament. He’s just a special player.
“I find when you can lead by example, it makes it a lot easier to talk and speak up and say things when you’re going out there and doing the right thing yourself.”

But in Calgary, it’s business as usual for Giordano.
“You always spend a lot of time thinking (about the upcoming year) before the season starts,” he said. “We have a new coaching staff, a lot of new faces. You’re optimistic, always, at the start. It’s been a good camp, the systems suit the way we play. Our style. It’s been all positive.
“But the bottom line is, we’re disappointed about last year. It was a frustrating year and we have to find a way to get back into the playoffs.”
He went onto talk about puck possession.
Being more aggressive in their defensive game.
About Flames’ fans supportiveness, but understandable frustration.
No nonsense.
No small-talk.
No tip-toeing around the facts — last year was, straight up, a bad year.
“He’s a competitive, competitive guy on the ice,” Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan was saying. “You can see that in every game. He leads by example. He is not afraid to put the team in front of himself. He’s a great human being.
“I just think we’re very fortunate here — and I’m very fortunate — to have such a good leader.”

Calgary Flames teammates relieved to have Johnny Gaudreau back in the lineup

http://calgaryherald.com/sports/hock...-in-the-lineup

You might have had your doubts.
But Sean Monahan didn’t.
“You guys know Johnny,” his linemate said following Tuesday’s first practice since Johnny Gaudreau inked a new deal with the Calgary Flames. “He loves to play hockey. The way he plays out there, it’s exciting. He just wanted to play. And it’s the business side of things.
“I was sure something was going to get done, and obviously, it did.”

It was a dark cloud hanging over the Scotiabank Saddledome and everyone knew it.
Thankfully, right in time for the start of the 2016-17 National Hockey League season, Gaudreau and the Flames were able to come to a six-year, $40.5-million pact.
“No more distraction,” said newcomer Troy Brouwer. “So, that’s good. To have one of your best players back is always a relief. I know business is business, and we’re happy he’s here.
“I think he really calms our team down now that he’s here.”

On Tuesday, Flames head coach Glen Gulutzan worked with Gaudreau prior to the start of their 11 a.m. practice and got him up to speed on their power-play which, throughout training camp (and likely throughout the course of the regular season), has been a major focus.
And, in case you were wondering, it improved massively on Tuesday.
“To be quite honest, that’s the best our power-play has looked all season, and he’s had one little tour at it,” Gulutzan said with a grin. “I guess that’s all coaching.”
According to Brouwer, who met Gaudreau for the first time on Tuesday, he is exactly as he expected.
Five-foot-eight and 157 pounds.
“I saw his stick when I was here in July, so it kind of gives you an idea of how small he is,” said Brouwer with a chuckle. “I think I was almost as tall as him when I was on one knee.
“He’s a little guy, but he moves well.”
Giordano can second that notion.
“Thankfully (the contract) got done — perfect timing, right before the season,” he said. “He’s been skating and looks ready to go.”

Eric Francis: Calgary Flames need to make the playoffs — or this season will be a bust

http://www.calgarysun.com/2016/10/12...will-be-a-bust

There are, officially, no more excuses for the Calgary Flames.
Johnny Gaudreau is back alongside Sean Monahan to lead an offence packed with emerging depth.
The goaltending has been revamped with a Brian Elliott/Chad Johnson duo that excels at everything last year’s trio couldn’t, namely stopping the puck.
The leadership group has been augmented with veteran Troy Brouwer who will not only add more experience and accountability to the young bunch but he comes with an offensive upside that could help second-line centre Sam Bennett flourish.
None of this is to diminish the added excitement in the dressing room that came with the introduction of a new coach who was hired on the strength of being a more player-friendly coach than Bob Hartley.
A new system based on speed, pressure and possession has been implemented to better suit the youthful exuberance and quickness of the bunch.

Management has done its part. Done it brilliantly.
We’ll now see if the leadership in the room is indeed capable of helping the youngsters through whatever turbulence arises throughout the season.
The focus now is entirely on having the type of solid start that gives a club a chance to build momentum, gain confidence and, ultimately, make the playoffs.
“At the end of the day there should never be any excuses — you’ve got to execute and do it with what you have,” said Sean Monahan, who could very well start the season between two lads he hadn’t seen all camp, Gaudreau and Tuesday’s signing, Kris Versteeg.
“Obviously these additions are going to help our team and we’re looking forward to getting started … especially with Johnny.”

[FanIn80]

I literally just came here looking for this! Woooo!

[MissTeeks]

Youth rekindling 'Battle of Alberta' rivalry

https://www.nhl.com/flames/news/yout...ry/c-282576566

Gretzky and Kurri and Messier and Coffey, draped in blue and orange. Nieuwendyk and Fleury and
Roberts and MacInnis, racing in red and yellow.
Hunter versus Semenko.
McSorley versus Peplinski.
The glory days.
The height of the Battle of Alberta.
When Lord Stanley's Cup resided in the province for six of seven straight seasons.
When the buzz was at its loudest.
Before it softened.
Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan and Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk representing the Calgary Flames.
Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Leon Draisaitl and Jesse Puljujarvi defending the Edmonton Oilers.
The rivalry is building back. The young guns will attest.

"It could for sure," Monahan said. "There's a lot of skill and there's a lot of skilled guys at a young age that want to make a difference. That's what makes teams grow. You play them so many times, and there's that history behind these two teams. I think that's going to pick up, for sure.
"I think this is going to be a pretty long time where these teams are going to be good, and battling against each other for a while."

Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse can attest, too. At 21 and entering his second season in Edmonton, Nurse is among the group expected to help push the neighbors to the north.
One of the ones, from both sides, tasked with returning the rivalry to what it once was. "You look at the rosters, there's a lot of young players on each team that are going to play against each other for a long time," Nurse said. "It's definitely going to be a rivalry that picks up steam and is going to be a great battle for a lot of years to come.
"You play the team so much. They're in the same division, and we play each other so often over the course of a year. You're going to build up a dislike for each other. Towards the end of the year (last season) it was starting to get there. "As the years go on and each team gets better, it's going to be a rivalry that really takes shape."

"The one thing you want for the Battle of Alberta to get back to where it was is you need the teams to get back into the playoffs," Calgary captain Mark Giordano said. "I think both teams are optimistic with their young players. "It'll be exciting." The lore isn't lost on the next wave.
"We know the history of the Battle of Alberta," Bennett, 20, said. "As soon as you put on the Flaming C, you're naturally going to despise the Oilers. I think that's just part of the territory.
"Both teams seem to be trending in the right direction with the young guys. You definitely look through the lineups. It's a lot of young guys…guys I've played against before. "I think definitely we're anticipating playing these guys for a long time."

Tkachuk ready for NHL debut on Wednesday

https://www.nhl.com/flames/news/exci...ay/c-282575636

The difference? Imagine flooring the family mid-size four-door down Deerfoot, then hanging on for dear life on a Nevada straightaway inside a Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, which can go from 0-60 MPH in 2.4 seconds.
"Oh, it'll seem faster,'' cautions Calgary Flames' assistant GM Craig Conroy, from experience.
"Because it is faster.
"Wayfaster.
"This'll be a big jump for him. An eye-opener, for sure. But at least the first few days, it's going to be such an adrenalin high. Opening night of the season in Edmonton, then opening night here and then the next night in Vancouver.
"That's why those nine games are great because they are kind of an audition but the first few, as I've said, you're kind of being swept up in the emotion, the newness, all that.
"It's as you hit four, five, six, seven that you can really start to judge a young guy's NHL readiness. But even, say, from the first game to Christmas there's a huge difference in the games.
"The level just keeps elevating."

Now, opening up against those nefarious Edmonton Oilers, can he raise the ante, push the envelope?
"We're playing against a good young hockey team,'' said Tkachuk, afforded a refreshing bit of nearly-alone time Tuesday post-practice with the furor surrounding Gaudreau's return. "Everything gets amped up. They're going to have their guys going, the building's going to be jumping.
"So we've got to be ready."
He'sgot to be ready.

"When you go through this process,'' said GM Brad Treliving, "you're trying to determine what's right for him and what's right for us. And he's proven to this point that he deserves to be here.
"So far, it's been right for him and it's been right for us.
"But we'll be asking that question every day.
"As I've told him, the questions get harder, the competition's going to get harder. It's night and day, from the games he's played in the last few weeks to what he'll experience Wednesday.
"We're going to go have patience with him."

Gaudreau not concerned about heightened expectations

https://www.nhl.com/flames/news/gaud...ns/c-282571824

Tuesday after flying all night to get here, Johnny Gaudreau got a better Welcome Back than Kotter. The throng around him post-practice reminded you of trying to spot the Mona Lisa over the cascade of gawkers in the Louvre; he looked like Merry or Pippin hidden behind a forest of Ents.
Small man. Huge upside.
"To whom much is given, much is expected,'' acknowledged the general manager of the current era, Brad Treliving, penned in by the obligatory media horde awaiting a Johnny sighting.
"So there are certainly things that go along with that in terms of responsibility. He's ready for that.
"But the contract cannot be a noose."

"(Gaudreau's) contract,'' said Monahan on Tuesday, "means one thing: It shows the organization has that confidence in you and commitment to you.
"You have an opportunity to sign a long-term like that, it's pretty special. You're going to have pressure on you but I think if you don't feel pressure on you on a daily basis, you're not going to be at your best.
"He's in a good spot. I think I'm in a good spot."

For Gaudreau's part, the focus of all the fuss doesn't sound overly concerned by inflated projections.
"The team believes in me and believes in me for the next six years," said Gaudreau. "I'm going to have to perform the way I always have. I'm not worried about it too much. If I just play my game like always I think the results will happen."

Which is why his GM and others in the organization are advising him to think of this as business as usual, despite the big bump in tax bracket.
"We don't,'' said assistant GM Conroy, "need him to be Mony or Brouwer or Backs."
Or Ovie or Sid or Stammer for that matter.
"My expectations," Conroy went on, "are no different for him today than they were last season or the year before that: Creativity. Points. Being an offensive threat that other teams have to game-plan for.
"He's someone who creates so many chances for so many guys, on the power play, 5-on-5, and in my opinion he's the best 3-on-3 player in the league.
"And he's super competitive. Bob (Hartley) used to tell me: 'When the game's on the line, Johnny's ready. He's looking at you like 'Put me out there. NOW.'
"That's what you need. That's his mindset. That's part of what makes him special."

[polak]

I'm all for Johnny being short jokes but 5'8 or 5'9 is hardly that short re: Brouwers comments. So do we think 5'8 is generous?

[FBI]

Woot! Thanks Misteeks

[Leeman4Gilmour]

Originally Posted by polak

I'm all for Johnny being short jokes but 5'8 or 5'9 is hardly that short re: Brouwers comments. So do we think 5'8 is generous?

Yah, it would be nice to lose mentions of Gaudreau's size in almost every conversation/article. He's below average in height and weight, yes. And, I'm sure if I ran into him on the street, I'd be all " yah, he's not your typical NHL player in stature". But, when he's out there, you really don't notice it.

Is Hudler's size mentioned constantly?;

Spoiler!

Anyway, just an annoyance for me as it's old. Maybe I just read too many Flames articles....

[rohara66]

“i’m very confident in both me and brian as goaltenders. So i could care less about last year.”- chad johnson

lol

[Roof-Daddy]

Did they ask him how much less he could care about last year?

[MolsonInBothHands]

It reminds me of every time Scott Nichol was mentioned in a Sun article: diminuitive forward. Every time.

[AcGold]

Originally Posted by Leeman4Gilmour

Yah, it would be nice to lose mentions of Gaudreau's size in almost every conversation/article. He's below average in height and weight, yes. And, I'm sure if I ran into him on the street, I'd be all " yah, he's not your typical NHL player in stature". But, when he's out there, you really don't notice it.

Is Hudler's size mentioned constantly?;

Spoiler!

Anyway, just an annoyance for me as it's old. Maybe I just read too many Flames articles....

Disagree, his size is noticeable as is his posture and skating style. His size is a massive advantage, Johnny is built in such a way that if you try to hit him he will draw people out of position on purpose. He has to be one of if not the hardest player to hit ever. His size is an advantage because of how agile he is with lateral movement.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

I love Gulutzan's tool of using player's self-evaluation to hold them accountable to their own ideas of themselves. It's indisputable if the player wrote it themselves. Great idea from an innovative coach.

I just hope he calls a guy out when they present an inaccurate self-assessment.