[PGT] Ducks 3 @ Flames 4 - Yeaaaaaahhhhhh Baby!!!

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by Rick M.

Is Bennett on the 3rd line?

Maybe, probably? If it's good enough for 19 year old Sean Monahan it'll do for 19 year old Sam Bennett. Hoping Backlund stays healthy next season (yeah I know) and perhaps Bennett plays on his wing. Give him a season in the NHL on the side as he adapts to the high level.

[BigBrodieFan]

Originally Posted by Cali Flames Fan

He's (Kesler) one helluva player, objectively speaking, but I hate him with the fire of a thousand suns.

I refuse to even give him props for being a good player. He makes me nauseous, he's such a jackass.. - My grandmother would have called him a 'pilgarlic.' The thought of him enrages me- so glad to see him put in his place.

[dying4acup]

Originally Posted by MissTeeks

Well now I'm excited for tomorrow:

“@NHLFlames: Hey @calstampeders, we shot a video for you this morning! Watch for it tomorrow ... #WhateverItTakes #YearOfTheHorse http://twitter.com/NHLFlames/status/...430912/photo/1




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Johnny hockey or Johnny Football

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by dying4acup

Johnny hockey or Johnny Football

Johnny Both.

[Soliak]

Originally Posted by MissTeeks

Well now I'm excited for tomorrow:

“@NHLFlames: Hey @calstampeders, we shot a video for you this morning! Watch for it tomorrow ... #WhateverItTakes #YearOfTheHorse http://twitter.com/NHLFlames/status/...430912/photo/1




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

LOL @ the size of those helmets on the kids. The double forecheck by our midget bash brothers yesterday was bloody brilliant. Flames are great

[Calgary4LIfe]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

First of all, I am firmly in the camp that you can't have a soft team - size and physicality matter. But this argument that the west is big and physical and you have to play like ANA and LAK is way overdone.

In the last 7 years, 5 of the cup finalists from the west were skill teams: Detroit 2, Chicago 2, and Van. The only physical team to make it has been LA and they were lucky to get by CHI last year (or it would be 6 of the last 7).

IMO, the Flames are modelled more like CHI than any of the Pacific teams. CHI beats you with speed and mobility at the backend. Yes, they can handle the rough stuff, and that is important. But it is not who they are.

Same can be said about Detroit.

The Flames have to get bigger, no question. But some of the guys coming - Bennett, Poirier, Ferland, Wotherspoon and (hopefully) Sieloff - add a lot of grit, along with tons of speed and skill.

They showed last night that they won't be intimidated - that's the most important thing. Once some of the bigger and grittier kids come up, that will be fine.

Not completely disagreeing with you - I do think a skilled team can win against a big team in the playoffs, but I do think it is harder. Remember that LA had a very unlucky amount of injuries (both with players being out, and players limping through the playoffs) one of those years.

I would lump Chicago as one of the bigger teams in the NHL - especially in their cup. Their 2010 roster had Kane, Madden and Versteeg as the only under-sized guys up front. Campbell was the only undersized guy on D at 5'10".

As per HockeyDB:
Forwards:
Sharp - 6'1"
Toews - 6'2"
Hossa - 6'1"
Versteeg - 5'11"
Brouwer - 6'3"
Ladd - 6'3"
Madden - 5'10" (smaller)
Kopecky - 6'3"
Fraser - 6'3" (though fairly irrelevant, only playing 3 games and not getting on the scoresheet in any way)
Eager - 6'2" (and 235lbs)
Bolland - 6'0"
Bickell - 6'4"
Burish - 6'0"

Defence
Buf - 6'5"
Campbell - 5'10"
Keith - 6'1"
Seabrook - 6'3"
Hjalmarsson - 6'3"
Hendry - 6'0"
Sopel - 6'1"
Boynton - 6'2"

That is definitely a big team, but also a skilled team. They only had 3 guys under 6' on forward, and one on defence. You also had their 'smaller big men' play very tough and agitating like Burrish and Bolland. Without looking, I am betting they were one of the larger teams in the NHL that year. I also only counted the players that played in the playoffs.

With that being said, Chicago is who I think the Flames are modeled after as well, just not quite this year. There is a lot of size coming up yet organizationally. I am sure that by the time this rebuild is over with, the Flames will end up being a similar team who can beat you everywhere on the ice and in any type of game. Skilled game, fast game, rough game - they will be able to play any type of game and play it well.

Gaudreau, Baertschi and maybe Klimchuk (5'11" - maybe he is 6 by now?) will be the only under-sized forwards unless Hudler is still here (and he may be). Bennett is 6'1" and just needs time to put on the size I think, but he epitomizes the game I think the Flames are intent on playing - Fast, Skilled and Physical. Poirier adds exactly that as well. You have some good 'towers' coming up (or already playing) in Colborne 6'5", Jankowski 6'4", Smith 6'7". Ferland who is only 6'1", but who is known for beating up guys way bigger. You still have guys like Harrison, Van Brabant, Agostino, etc., who probably won't be top 6 players, but are good enough skaters and should make life miserable for opposing players in the playoffs.

I don't want to go and start going through the entire organization, or be an 'Oiler fan' and start counting any chickens before they hatch, but I will just say that I am more than confident organizationally that this team has a lot of speed, skill and size coming along nicely. I do think the 'target' will be a team not like the '04 team, but rather more like that '89 team that played with a tonne of skill, good speed (for those days) and who would beat you physically as well. If the Flames get to that point (which I am comfortable they will) then that is the point where they become contenders (and no, I am not saying "Stanley cup winners". You build as best of a team as you can to contend for it, and I will never go 'Oiler' proclaiming cups and dynasties).

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

I would NOT send Bennet back to junior.

In some ways, that shoulder injury may have been the best thing to happen to him at this point.

He's been up all season with Calgary, watching practices, in the room, doing his rehab and exercises alongside the other guys.

I think he's been folded into the roster and participates day to day with team functions etc.

Based on what we saw in Pre-Season, he's NHL ready in the same way Monahan was. When he is healthy, completely healthy, he should be put into the lineup and given an opportunity to play.

I think to some degree that too much time in a lower league can instill bad habits or tendencies into a player's game. I think Bennett is above Junior now and shouldn't go back. He may not be an every day player on the flames Roster, but he should stay up to soak in the mentality of the locker room and to see first hand what it takes to make it as a full-time NHL'er.

I see how things are progressing with Baertschi and Gaudreau and I think of what a tremendous learning experience this must be for Bennett to be right along there with them but without the added pressure of being forced to play.

Keep him up for the whole year.

Totally agree. He has had the unique opportunity of learning how to be a pro prior to actually starting his career. It's reasonable to assume that he will have matured substantially through this period.

And there's another benefit: even though he won't have been able to do much with his upper body, he is spending months with the Flames trainers and it's safe to assume that they are working the **** out of his lower body.

I fully expect that, once healthy, he will be significantly more mature both mentally and physically.

Obviously he will be way behind with respect to game shape. But they can send him to Adirondack for a conditioning stint. That should tell them whether or not he's ready to stay.

I still think he gets that conditioning stint and his 9 games. And by the end of those 9 games it will be clear that there's no way he's going back to junior.

My opinions.

[djsFlames]

How cool would it be if Bennett came into the fold to help the team in the playoffs?

Fully healthy and rarin to go out and prove himself.

[stone hands]

i hope he gets 9 games, at least see what he's got. monahan was only supposed to get a look before being sent down, but he ended up being one of our best players last year

he was really something special in the preseason, but we all know preseason doesnt really mean a lot, especially if hes going to be jumping into the lineup mid season

that said monahan was a lot bigger than he was, and he also plays a lot less physically then bennet

[trublmaker]

wow missed the game and just saw Johnny's SO goal, so subtle and sick and he reacted like a pro not an oiler. Gaud I love this team

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by trublmaker

wow missed the game and just saw Johnny's SO goal, so subtle and sick and he reacted like a pro not an oiler. Gaud I love this team

What was cool about that goal was that it initially looked a lot like his first SO attempt, where he finished by trying to go backhand upstairs. If Anderson had seen that, he would have thought Johnny would go for the same shot, since it was so close to working. So Johnny fakes the same move, gets Anderson moving, then goes low.

I'd like to think Johnny planned it that way.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

What was cool about that goal was that it initially looked a lot like his first SO attempt, where he finished by trying to go backhand upstairs. If Anderson had seen that, he would have thought Johnny would go for the same shot, since it was so close to working. So Johnny fakes the same move, gets Anderson moving, then goes low.

I'd like to think Johnny planned it that way.

Two things I noticed in his move:

a) His shot fake looked like it was going to be a real shot top blocker, he's even looking there. You can really see it on the cam behind the net. Most fake shots are half-hearted pumps, his looked like an actual shot.

b) His pull back to slide it thorugh the pads seems like it's almost in slow motion. So smooth and slick like he was waiting to see if the legs opened, otherwise he was going upstairs. Someone mentioned the Sherlock Holmes-esque slo-mo I don't think is too far off. To be able to think the game the way he does at full speed is what separates him. He's like hockey Rainman.

[getbak]

Another thing of note about Gaudreau's shootouts is that the NCAA doesn't use the shootout as a tiebreaker (a couple of Conferences do, but Hockey East isn't one of them), so he doesn't have a lot of previous experience in shootouts (he probably took a few in the USHL, but that was 4 seasons ago).

[Bandwagon In Flames]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Totally agree. He has had the unique opportunity of learning how to be a pro prior to actually starting his career. It's reasonable to assume that he will have matured substantially through this period.

And there's another benefit: even though he won't have been able to do much with his upper body, he is spending months with the Flames trainers and it's safe to assume that they are working the **** out of his lower body.

I fully expect that, once healthy, he will be significantly more mature both mentally and physically.

Obviously he will be way behind with respect to game shape. But they can send him to Adirondack for a conditioning stint. That should tell them whether or not he's ready to stay.

I still think he gets that conditioning stint and his 9 games. And by the end of those 9 games it will be clear that there's no way he's going back to junior.

My opinions.

I feel like Bennett is not eligible for the AHL this year.

If there's injuries at center and we're in playoff contention at that time then of course they will slot Bennett right into the line-up when he's healthy.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Bandwagon In Flames

I feel like Bennett is not eligible for the AHL this year.

If there's injuries at center and we're in playoff contention at that time then of course they will slot Bennett right into the line-up when he's healthy.

He would be eligible for a conditioning stint in the AHL once he is cleared for health.

[Gaskal]

Johnny only has two SO attempts and already mind####ing goalies. No matter how much goalies study him, he has 3 options while pulling that move off:

1.) If the goalie is well back in the blue paint, take the shot high stick side.
2.) If the goalie bites for the forehand fake, roof it backhand.
3.) If the goalie doesn't bite for either one, 5 hole once the pads open up.

By just this one series of options and at the speed at which Johnny makes decisions, he's going to be very tough to read in the SO.