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Originally Posted by Ro
Excellent points. The more discussion this gets, not only among us relative die-hards but, and probably more importantly, among the everyday fan, the more likely it is things will eventually change around here.
I want them talking about this on The Fan, on Overtime, in the Sun, podcasts, HNIC hot stove, etc. From there it moves to casual conversation between STH's to people who attend games here and there to even casual fans. At that point ownership shouldn't be able to ignore the problem any further.
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There is only so much that can be done by fans, and the management are still not obligated to do anything no matter how loud the fans get, but the worst things fans can do is be apathetic and say "we'll care when the team starts to win again, until then we'll just complain that they're not winning".
However, as most fans still get their news and opinions from those in the media at least as a starting point for them to form their opinion, and as you said, word of mouth once something is out there, starts the discussion and then it multiplies, rightly or wrongly.
Hopefully this trade deadline the next 3 days continues the spotlight being shone on the Flames from the local and national media. Further, ideally, someone out there with a national audience takes it as a bigger project over the next while to figure out what's going on for this franchise to hit the skids so quickly. (hint, it started with Sutter pulling the Phaneuf trade, in part to fill the owners mandate of playoff making, and things deteriorated in many aspects of the organization, on the ice and off the ice, since that point).
Why would the media bother? With all the rumor mongering and the race to break a major story, there is that competitive edge to a journalist exposing something that seems to stink (as Friedman alluded to in his last blog).
The one other thing that gives hope that this exposure may happen in this situation, is with Murray Edwards trying to make his way up the NHL ladder. With his success as a ruthless business man in most everything else he's touched, this is his next challenge. Many eyes in the business and hockey community are likely on him to see if he can do the same as he's done in the oilpatch, with the NHL, and see if he can fill the huge shoes from the extremely well respected Harley Hotchkiss for Calgary NHL representation.
He's not going to gain the respect he's looking for in the NHL circles by having an organization in total disarray which can't perform already-risky transactions without an almost major gaffe. Offer sheets themselves are a stick the neck out thing in the first place, and to mess that up is flat out embarrassing.
Then, have a messier-than-necessary breakup/transaction with the franchise player who is respected across the league, and the larger issue that seems to be percolating as to who is actually running the ship, and its a pretty slippery slope down from there, which the Flames are starting to slip down.
But yeah, this notion of where the buck stops for why this proud organization has taken the steps back it does, has to get to the front of Flames fans minds. There are certainly other people and other decisions that contribute to on ice issues over the past 4, but it all comes down from the top, for hiring those people as pawns, or letting others that have been with the organization for a while do more than they should be allowed to do and contribute to the dysfunctional dynamic which seems to have spread all over the organization.
IMO.
