Great video, thanks AC. The Flames have pulled down all their old videos, which included top 10 08/09 goals and Bertuzzi made up half the list with the ones on here.
Outside of Iginla, and Kiprusoff, my favourite Flame that year.
Unbelievable skill and hands, passing ability and footwork. People here bitched about him all year blindly, but he was fantastic. He had a slow start and was a minus player the first month and a half, and then a plus player throughout the rest of the year, and one of the better players in the playoffs vs Chicago too. People also said he was a slow skater, but people forget he's 6'4, and his style was smooth skating; watching this video, two of his strides covered the same distance and Nystrom or even Langkow taking 3 to 4 or more strides.
-That goal against ANA where he lifts his skate to knock the saucer pass down, then fight through stick checks and go around Giguere may be the best of that bunch.
-Him and Langkow were deadly. Subtle kick ups from his skate, and quick hands like the behind the back with Kopitar on his is pure skill.
-The breakaway vs Chicago, where the subtle flinch with one skate froze Khabibhulin is unteachable.
-Of course the Minnesota goal - not too many players would trust the backhand, while skating so fast on a breakaway like that.
-The intentional chip around Lydman to poke it a second before he normally would to get it in the air and thus around Lydman, then picking it up on the forehand as it hits the ground, without losing stride. Also unteachable.
-The night before that Edmonton great shootout goal, he did a spin-o-rama against I think VAN, and hit the post in the shootout. He pulled the move off a couple years later when he was in Detroit.
Shame he didn't get brought back, he liked it here and wanted to come back, but Flames went with Nolan the next year instead.
|