Nieuwendyk hopes McDavid wins a Cup, promises to hate Oilers after that

[btimbit]

I too hope McDavid wins a cup.

After he signs with LA next summer

[Matty81]

Tells you everything you need to know about how much of a flame he is at heart. Nothing wrong with that, it's his choice, but makes me real glad his number isn't retired.

[Bingo]

Good to see no one is over reacting to an off the cuff comment (likely fed by an Edmonton journalist) in a social setting!

[Bubba17]

Why do people think certain players deserve to win a cup? McDavid is a scorer, he adds nothing else to the team, no grit or defense. To me is the latest version of Marcel Dionne, great offense no defense.

Teams deserve to win cups, not individual players.

[topfiverecords]

The players that deserve to win a cup are the players that have won a cup.

[Reggie Dunlop]

Did they ask Ryan Smyth? If so, why was his response not published?

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Reggie Dunlop

Did they ask Ryan Smyth? If so, why was his response not published?

Its difficult to take a pull-quote between perpetual and uncontrollable sobbing.

[redmile04]

Originally Posted by Matty81

Tells you everything you need to know about how much of a flame he is at heart.

Have to remember he is not a diehard fan, flames were his employer and he played on other teams more than he did on the flames.

Leads me to a question for some of the older fans.. why was not keeping him, Macinnis, Suter, Gilmour, etc not an option. I understand the salaries were expensive but not worth keeping for extended playoff runs? Or is that too simple and i am missing something... seems like with the oilers demise in the 90s, we had a chance to become something- had we kept everyone and added a bit more?

[Bourque's Twin]

Originally Posted by getbak

Hating the Oilers isn't something you can turn off and on like a switch. Someone who is Forever a Flame should know that.

Someone said this during the playoffs, and I think it’s what separates the real Flames fans from the non.

[dino7c]

Like half this place picked the Panthers to beat the Oilers lol.

[Scroopy Noopers]

Originally Posted by topfiverecords

The players that deserve to win a cup are the players that have won a cup.

It’s so simple, I don’t understand why anyone thinks otherwise. If you mean it like “I wish they would win one”, then say that.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Originally Posted by topfiverecords

The players that deserve to win a cup are the players that have won a cup.

* and the 2004 Flames

[Geeoff]

I'd root for McDavid against the Oilers but not otherwise

[Gaskal]

Originally Posted by Tbull8

Don’t really want the oilers getting back to the finals

Indeed, I'm trying to manifest that he signs with Calgary and helps them sweep the Oilers in the saddest 1st round exit of all time

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

Originally Posted by CsInMyBlood

Nieuwendyk can eat a burlap sack of dicks.

After being pummeled with it.

[midniteowl]

Personally, I don't want McDiver winning the Cup, not with the Oilers and not with anyone. EVER!

[dirk diggler]

i can see why he said this, McDavid employs Gary Roberts company for off season training. Joe is good friends with Roberts, dont want to risk upsetting the golden boy

[Matty81]

Originally Posted by redmile04

Have to remember he is not a diehard fan, flames were his employer and he played on other teams more than he did on the flames.

Leads me to a question for some of the older fans.. why was not keeping him, Macinnis, Suter, Gilmour, etc not an option. I understand the salaries were expensive but not worth keeping for extended playoff runs? Or is that too simple and i am missing something... seems like with the oilers demise in the 90s, we had a chance to become something- had we kept everyone and added a bit more?

Yeah there's nothing wrong with it at all, he definitely spent a lot of time elsewhere and these are pros, a lot of them are mercenaries... just tells you whether or not he's a diehard flame at heart. I'd guess that guys like Tim Hunter, Loob, Fleury and co aren't cheering for the Oilers under any circumstances. I don't know about overreacting, I think in most other sports one of your best ever players saying they want their biggest rival to win a cup would be torches and pitchfork territory. I do understand why he wouldn't care that much but I also ####ing hate fairweather people and value loyalty immensely.

In the 90s NHL salaries were starting to rise rapidly and the Canadian dollar, and attendance for CDN teams were both declining. The smaller Canadian teams were really struggling to keep top talent and not hemorrhage too much money, just desperate not to go out of business and looking to cut costs. Relocation was a very real threat because of how bad the financial losses were getting, the Jets moved, the Nords moved and then the Oilers came within a hair of moving. Calgary was a fairly veteran team when they won the cup and half the roster was gone within a year or so just due to turnover - the two top scorers the cup year leaving quickly after, Loob going home and retiring pretty young, Mullen asking to go back to the states for family reasons if I recall correctly. So you lost almost 200 pts a season for almost nothing. Ramage and McCrimmon get traded for mid round picks within a year, I'm guessing due to wages as I don't remember a lot of drama, but those were two excellent dmen. Pepper, Lanny retire. A lot of depth guys quickly got turned over for little to no return like Berezan, Mark Hunter and Patterson.

All that said the 89-90 team was still really good... 2nd in the league and 2 pts off the Presidents Trophy. If the flames hadn't choked so hard against the Kings in the first round I think they would have at least gone to the finals that year, they were better than the Oilers all season. That series loss was still probably one of the hardest to take in my flames fandom, and lord knows there have been a lot of disappointments. Choked up two third period leads against a much weaker team and get thrashed 12-4 in another game. With how loaded that team was that has to be the worst underperformance in flames playoff history in a 7 game series. The Kings were well under .500 and got into the playoffs in the final spot with 75 points. The Oilers crushed the kings in 4 straight in the next round they were so bad.

MacInnis, Gilmour and Nieuwendyk all got dealt later and those were financial for the reasons I mentioned above - bottom line was because they wanted more money than Calgary could pay. Macoun Nattress and Walmsley get thrown in the Gilmour deal and that's most of your cup roster gone. I don't remember why Suter got dealt. Flames GMs in that era seemed to lose every trade, the only semi respectable return was obviously the Iginla-Nieuwy trade which was a big gamble that worked out well.

14 long years after 89 before they won another playoff series. Which felt like a crazy amount of time then and such a long dark ages... but it's been 21 years since the last decent playoff run now where the flames have won just 2 series the whole time (and that random play in during covid) so this stretch has been just as tough I'd say looking back at it, it just feels like the fanbase have very low expectations now in comparison and in the young guns era most of us still remembered them being consistently good for a long stretch. Now half the people on here get angry when anyone criticizes mgmt in any capacity, makes excuses and seems happy just to have a team because other than the occasional season during the Gaudreau era where the flames had a decent regular season they are used to the Flames being mediocre.

[jeffman]

Originally Posted by Snuffleupagus

I wouldn't mind seeing McDavid win a cup but with a condition.

Against the Oilers

Impossible. The oilers won’t make the playoffs without mcdavid

[The Yen Man]

I'll be actively rooting for McDavid to win a cup if he ever left the Oilers. I wouldn't even mind if he won a cup with the Leafs. The salt from Oiler fan tears would be totally worth it.