ESPN Sports Center had a top 10 for Friday night, and Johnny G's goal made it at #8. I just watched hockey on Sports Center... I don't know what to think right now... Maybe Johnny G. will get us back on SC!
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Really liking Ferlands game and attitude. I mean how can you not like this?
Quote:
Ferland, especially, muscled into the picture.
Markus Granlund legged it into Jets territory, snapping a shot on net. Hustling over was Ferland, who, in a single second, showed off his assets — expertly converting the rebound, then meanly decking Jets captain Adam Lowry, six foot five.
“I always hate playing against Lowry,” said Ferland, referring to their Western Hockey League feud — he in Brandon and Saskatoon, Lowry in Swift Current. “He’s a good guy. I’m actually good friends with him, but I hate playing against him.”
Curiously, Ferland downplayed his night’s toil, despite uncorking a number of heavy hits, despite seeking (unsuccessfully) for a willing dance partner, despite authoring the game-winning goal.
“I got a few licks in on guys, but that, too, felt a little late, a little slow,” said the 22-year-old, who played with Granlund and Jooris. “I didn’t feel the way I wanted to feel. I’ve still got a lot of work to do if I want to make this hockey club.”
I liked Wills' call...pretty straightforward and a bit vanilla. Loubo was great though. It was a bit weird listening it on the radio with no real fan noise.
Bryce VanBrabant: Yeah, I'm mentioning him first...wanna fight about it?!
Looked surprisingly fast out there. He must have spent a lot of time in the off-season working on his skating. Still don't see a lot of upside with him, but definitely improved his chances of making the show with that alone. Defensively responsible 4th liners with an edge and descent skating are invaluable.
Johnny Hockey: Got knocked around a bit at the start of the game, but got his footing very quickly. I expect that will be a pattern with him. Expect a lot of razzing in our future from other teams' fans about Gaudreau getting knocked down a lot. Unfortunately for them he always gets back up, and makes them pay where it really hurts. No, not there....on the scoreboard.
Sam Bennett: Not surprisingly he was pretty tentative in his first game as an NHL prospect. He seemed somewhat scared of making mistakes in his first outing. I don't know if that was just nerves with playing against higher caliber players, or trying to impress his old coach, but either way I'll admit I was a bit disappointed. He turned it on a bit in the 3rd, but even then I was a bit underwhelmed with our 4th overall pick.
Markus Granlund: To think this time last year this kid was rated our 12th overall prospect. He is nothing but professional out there. Does all the little things right. Always seems to make the right decision, no matter what section of the ice he's in. I'm not really in agreeance with those that think he's a top-6 or bust player. With how defensively responsible he is he could definitely make it as a 3rd line scoring depth winger.
This and That: Winnepeg was pretty impressive out there. That is an enviable prospect pool in several aspects. They're definitely comparable to us goalie wise (Helleybuyck looks like a goalie you'll never beat clean), and have the edge on us defensively. Ehlers, Petan and Lowry all looked damned good out there.
As far as other Flames' prospects I think Hunter Smith was over his head/intimidated playing on a line with Gaudreau/Arnold. There were more than a few instances where he tried to be too fancy with the play. He needs to play to his strengths more. He was gold diggin the puck out of the corners and wreaking havoc in the offensive zone
Ferland looked pretty good considering how much time he had off. Still a lot of rust to shake off, but coming into camp thinner than ever seemed to work for him. Looked fast on his skates with the same great hands in tight and tenacity we expect from him
Defense looked like they'd never played together before....oh, right...
Ortio: Meh, could've saved some of those...maybe, but really got hung out to dry by poor coverage.
I'm sure more will come to me later, especially after I actually read the rest of this thread
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I have been a huge fan and supporter of Ferland for a long time. It's great to see him coming back fairly strong after the knee injury, and I hope he continues to improve his game.
i just got home and haven't had a chance to go thru all the pics i took... but here a few
more coming in the morning!
^^^i may or may not have squealed like a little girl when that happened!!!
and then ortio getting snowed....
like i said above - i'll post a bunch more in the morning
Love seeing the faces of the people in the stands during that sequence. Their mouths get bigger with every shot.
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Calgary Flames, PLEASE GO TO THE NET! AND SHOOT THE PUCK! GENERATING OFFENSE IS NOT DIFFICULT! SKATE HARD, SHOOT HARD, CRASH THE NET HARD!
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Is Bennett even allowed in the bar? He must've forgot he's in BC. Bad ass.
It was the Kettle Valley Pub associated with the hotel. I just wanted to make sure people didn't get the impression he was out drinking. He was eating with what looked like his parents.
Johnny Hockey scored that skilled goal with such ease.
He just came in off the bench undresses everyone on his way to the net like it was drill skating around cones.
Treliving a 27th place team has no room to not promote this kind of talent no matter the size.
