Game 6 against Detroit was amazing. 1-0 OT game and the Dome was so loud that I couldn't talk to my buddy beside me the whole game without yelling in his ear. Everyone was standing for most of the game. After winning and advancing 17th avenue was nuts.
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Jacks For This Useful Post:
It was my very first year as a season ticket holder. I'm still in the same seats (blacks) which were only $600 per seat for the whole year. I ended up getting the single beside me for $300! That's how I ended up with 3 seats all these years.
It was always a dream of mine as a kid to be a season ticket holder and it became reality in 2003. There was one reason why I bought season tickets that year... because I fully expected us to make the playoffs. I was very confident with Sutter behind the bench and I wanted to make sure I had seats for the playoffs. Who knew we'd go all the way to game 7 of the finals!
I went to every single home game that year. Preseason, regular season and every playoff game!! I am not even sure how many that is... 4+41+12? Damn, 57 games?
The Following User Says Thank You to Neeper For This Useful Post:
Location: A simple man leading a complicated life....
Exp:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tyler
Yeah. A decade.
Time to get over it. Next thing we know we're going to be looking back at this in 30 years and realize that suddenly we've become our worst fear - living in the past just like Oiler fans.
Does any other NHL fanbase celebrate losing in a Stanley Cup final more than we do? Good lord this is starting to get embarrassing.
__________________
The Following User Says Thank You to Dion For This Useful Post:
I was 29, single, and every epic game, was night capped with smashing Cougars from The Met. Thanks to the Flames epic run, I went on a ridiculous 12/12 run on game nights, and was only shut out 2 times.
I will forever be grateful for the Flames for that 2 1/2 months.
Man it's hard to believe it was that long ago. I remember it like it was yesterday. As bad as it sounds, the thing I remember most is the amount of bandwagon fans that jumped on board during the entire run. Not a single one of my friends cared about the Flames as much as I did during that horrid 7 year drought. Back then I still followed the team as religiously as I do to this day.
I remember when we beat PHX to clinch a playoff spot. I was 19 at the time and before that, I was in grade 6 when we last played CHI in the playoffs. To go the my entire Jr High and High school life without out playoff hockey...wow what a long wait that was. I remember Peter Maher yelling ''yeah baby!!'' for the first time in forever. I remember thinking just how unreal it was that we, the lowly Flames, were finally in the playoffs.
I remember round 1 against VAN. I remember the goal to tie it up in game 7 and go into OT. I stayed late after work that day to watch the game at my work's bar and when Gelinas scored....man I still remember that feeling of ''r u kidding me??''. I drove home and cars were honking like crazy all along Mcleod trail.
I remember round 2 and thinking how we were done...but if we could somehow beat the Wings, we would for sure win the cup. Kipper played the best I've ever seen him play in each and every game. To me, that DET series was what solidified him as king for me. Back to back shutouts to absolutely steal the DET series. Amazing.
I remember rd 3 vs SJ. I used to work front desk at a hotel during this time and I remember someone called in to try and make a reservation over the phone during Game 1 OT. Of all the terrible times to get a call. As Montador streaked down the slot and wristed it in, I had a lady on the other line giving me her fphone number and I just started yelling like a maniac when he scored. She asked me wtf my problem was and all I could say was that the Flames won in OT!
The final was perhaps the most stressful time of all. Game 6, we had a wedding in one of the ballrooms at the hotel and every single guest was outside in the lobby watching it on our TV. The bride actually asked the events manager to shut off the game since not a single person except for her and a couple bridesmaids were in the reception room. I guess that's her own fault for booking a wedding on game 6 saturday night. I still remember the feeling of deflation when we lost in OT.
I won't even talk about game 7, because it's too painful.
That was a great great run. So many heroes on that team, led by a hero coach in Sutter and the king of all goalies. How I wish for those days back. Thinking about that feeling of pride during that run is why I am willing to bear the ugly parts of this rebuild. If this rebuild can come close to replicating that feeling again...it'll be worth it.
Still can't believe it's been 10 years.
The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Huntingwhale For This Useful Post:
Technically, 10 years ago at this point we were still holding down 6th spot in the West, but were on a bit of a skid.
I recall distinctly clinching vs Phoenix in late March (Leopold with the winner) and Bingo, loooob and I and a few others had gone to the game in our various seats, but we all met up at a pub after the game to celebrate. Debate started as to who we wanted the Flames to play in round 1,as there was still a couple Flames games and games for teams at the top to still sorting themselves out for positioning.
I said San Jose, as I figured Sutter's current team had the best shot of winning over the team Sutter had built and had just left. Bingo and loooob said Vancouver. In the end we were all correct.
When April hits, should reminisce game by game. I believe Game 1 was April 7, all the way of course until Monday, June 7th. Shame CP hit the reset button few weeks after the final, so can't look back at GT by GT.
I can't believe it's been 10 years. I was in my senior year of college, my roommate who knew nothing about hockey was hooked as well. Was a great ride, even got some "go flames go" chants as I walked around the OSU campus with my jersey on.
Location: A simple man leading a complicated life....
Exp:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tyler
I'm awesome. Know what I don't do? Keep talking about a great party that ended 10 years ago.
The atmosphere on the Red Mile and how all of Canada was cheering for us to win made it such a great 2 1/2 months. The celebrating that went on was far greater than 1989 and the city seemed more involved because we were that cinderella team on a magical run.
That magical run was the best thing that could have happened to a floundering franchise that was having troubling attracting fans. In the end it probably saved the franchise.
That's what made 2004 so special to me.
__________________
The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to Dion For This Useful Post:
I was twelve and watching them win it all was burned onto my heart forever....oh, wait that was 89...
The time does fly, and yes Sun, I am feeling old!
I had just moved to BC the previous fall and that made the win over the Canucks all the sweeter watching it in bars surrounded by devastated and gutless canuckleheads. Then I went north planting trees and listened to most of the rest of the run on the radio in a work truck with a couple of other guys.
I will never forget those games.
Can't decide on my favourite part, us beating the Canucks while I was on Vancouver Island amongst rival fans/family, waking up on weekends and seeing the awesome newspaper headlines that would come to the house. A couple epic ones that had edited movie posters with Sutter, Kipper and Iginla photoshopped in, or attending games 1 and 2 of the finals at the dome to cheer on the boys with the packed crowd, despite the games being played in Tampa. Just an incredible atmosphere. Our family sadly gave up our 4 season seats we once had behind the attacking net just the season prior.. were definitely kicking ourselves at that.. Took until this year just to get split season seats again with how much sales blew up after that spring.
Those finals were probably the most electric I've ever seen. None since have compared, really. There was so much emotion around the games, (you could tell by each and every goal how much it meant to these players), you just don't see that kind of display of raw feeling anymore. By the Tampa series, the whole country got behind us (even many Oilers fans have admitted so). Ultimate hockey underdog tale for sure. And I love me a good underdog tale.
The Coyotes-Flames game when we officially snapped the post-season drought was also a good one. "Yeah baby! Yeah baby! Yeah babyyy!"
Also, I really like this little vid from that run:
Dat crowd.
Last edited by djsFlames; 03-17-2014 at 11:36 PM.
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to djsFlames For This Useful Post:
Time to get over it. Next thing we know we're going to be looking back at this in 30 years and realize that suddenly we've become our worst fear - living in the past just like Oiler fans.
Does any other NHL fanbase celebrate losing in a Stanley Cup final more than we do? Good lord this is starting to get embarrassing.
I don't think you really get it.
I was 15 when we won the cup in 89, and I understood the game enough then, to realize the Flames were expected to win. That was one of the greatest balanced teams to ever play the game. Every player on that 89 team, was good. Not a lot of superstars, but a whole team of excellent all round players. There were no holes, and anything but a Stanley Cup was disappointment.
In 04, that team shouldn't have even made the playoffs. The ONLY reason we got there was because of the absolute wizardry, ninjaness, sorcery... pick any adjective you like... of Mikka. I remember going in against Vancouver thinking... awesome, we will get to see 4 or 5 playoff games. Then the magic started. It was a true Rocky story start to finish, including the tragic ending unfortunately.
The Electricity in this city was amazing. All that mattered for 10 weeks was the Calgary Flames. Businesses that didn't serve booze were deserted on game nights. We were ignoring the odd customer that wandered into the dealership, right in front of the owner... and he didn't care. The whole sales staff would be huddled around the TV in the customer lounge. After round 2 people started thinking... "Can this bunch of lunch pailers actually pull it off?" And it wasn't just this city, the entire country was behind the Flames that year like they were a National team. Even some Oiler fan friends of mine put down their swords for a couple months and jumped on the band wagon. That team was so bloody likeable. There were so many great characters. The US media was picking up on how insane this city got, and what a spectacle the Red Mile was.
In all my years as a Flames fan I was never more proud to be one than then. It was 10 X more exciting than 89. I will never forget Ville Neiminen known for his goofy, broken english quotes, in the game 7 post game interview choking back tears, "We came in a proud hockey club, we will walk out of here a proud hockey club." And those words summed up that entire playoff run perfectly. It was an amazing story.
Last edited by pylon; 03-17-2014 at 11:56 PM.
The Following 32 Users Say Thank You to pylon For This Useful Post:
Time to get over it. Next thing we know we're going to be looking back at this in 30 years and realize that suddenly we've become our worst fear - living in the past just like Oiler fans.
Does any other NHL fanbase celebrate losing in a Stanley Cup final more than we do? Good lord this is starting to get embarrassing.
The Following User Says Thank You to gilligans_off For This Useful Post:
20 years old at the time, living the dream...
