Lost in all this credit is Brian Burke. The notion that the Flames have a plan and that the management and coaches are up front about what each player may have in it, is a big deal, and that's the no BS attitude, and plan that Burke brought.
There was a lot of eyerolling at Burke picking his GM, people searing he was paying lip service to the fact that he was not going to stay out of the way.
You know what, he's hired a solid guy, stayed out of the day to day, and is not trying to get in front of the media, and am sure is turning down a lot of media requests.
Yeah, players (and their agents) who have a choice as to where they want to go, look at a variety of factors. Winning is one of them, and the way this team won shows that the organization, is, well, organized and well run, and a plan in the short and long term, to get them to that stage.
Secondary credit to the owners and Ken King for realizing there was an issue and bringing in Burke. The no BS style was a hallmark of the Sutter era which was able to land free agents post 2004 because there was a plan and not some random method to his madness. The owners didn't like the power that Sutter had, and thus took that away from him....and swung way, way, way too far the other way with the next regieme, and the Flames reputation was suffering big time amongst players (and agents) as a result, and the results on the ice reflected that.
Realizing this, they brought in Burke, he's righted the ship with a plan and following through on it, which has had players from the previous regime had career years in his first full year with full control and, had players choose Calgary over other options, as we as Flames fans are seeing the early fruits of those labors and that decision.
Last edited by browna; 07-02-2015 at 06:43 PM.
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Anyone who calls Calgary's winters mild has never traveled much.
Compare them to the other 30 NHL cities and Calgary falls into the bottom 5 or so.
Calgary has the second coldest average low in the NHL at -1.9. Winnipeg is the lowest at -2.7. So statistically, Calgary is bottom 2 (in terms of the cold).
I know it's been said before a bunch of times but everything about this flames team reminds me of the path the Blackhawks took to becoming contenders. Even the fast ascension from lottery team to contender.
Not saying the flames are necessarily there yet (but they might be)... But I remember the hype building around the Blackhawks when the flames faced them in 2009. They made it through a couple rounds but couldn't best the powerhouse red wings who were the class of the league at the time. But the writing was on the wall that the hawks were going to be even more ready to pass that test the next season. They were already considered a favourite to contend in the west in 2010. Could see the same thing happen with the flames with how the team is built and how much momentum they have as an organization.
Calgary has the second coldest average low in the NHL at -1.9. Winnipeg is the lowest at -2.7. So statistically, Calgary is bottom 2 (in terms of the cold).
Edmonton's average low is -1.0.
That's just wrong. Edmonton is colder and has more days of snow etc.
This year and next year I can definitely see Calgary being a top tier location for FA's to come to. After that, roster space may be an issue. I know there's going to be space in say the 3-4 D pairing range, and maybe 2 or 3 spots up for grabs in the bottom 6 of the Forward ranks if they get Hudler loked up to another deal.
Maybe room for one top tier LW next off season to round out the top 6 forwards? After that, most of those guys are going to be locked in long term.
Then it's going to be hard to quantify how much bottom 6 roster space there actually might be with Bouma, Ferland Backlund essentially locking up 3 of the 7 spots. Then there's Klimchuk, Poirier, Jankowski, Arnold, Smith who are going to vie for the other 4 spots along side Stajan whos locked in. Really. Where's the room even if two of the kids I mentioned make it?
Only real spot I can see CGY being a top contender in the next two years is at the goaltending position. What goalie wouldn't want to walk in and backstop that D corps?
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Yeah, I don't see much room for UFAs in the future other than at goalie either. They may want to come here but there isn't room. I think the way we are, we have enough horses to go for it this year while we still have some top players on entry contracts. Often this is how it's done, expensive vets along with rising cheap young players but the window is only open so long. The young players soon become expensive so the pricey vets need to go.
Calgary has the second coldest average low in the NHL at -1.9. Winnipeg is the lowest at -2.7. So statistically, Calgary is bottom 2 (in terms of the cold).
Edmonton's average low is -1.0.
LOL, where in hell did you pull those numbers from?
Calgary is the 3rd warmest in the winter following Vancouver(rain city) and Toronto(only slightly) and because of the high altitude and dry air winters here "feel" far warmer than all cities except Vancouver. And if you really want to experience cold..try a few winter months in Chicago or Minneapolis.
Oh. I was gonna post an "I'll believe it when I see it" type post regarding top free agents coming to Calgary. But we are talking about the weather.
It's really hot. Even for this time of year. Chance of thundershowers tomorrow. It's gonna be hot. Hot enough for top free agents.
And really, even on the worst day of Calgary winter, how bad is it to walk from your house into your car, drive somewhere, and then get out of your car and walk inside the nearest building?
Calgary winters can be dealt with. Especially if you spend less than three minutes a day outside.
it might be interesting if there was a players tribune article outlining the thought process that goes on as a player weighs offers from different teams and how the final offer is selected.
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Oh. I was gonna post an "I'll believe it when I see it" type post regarding top free agents coming to Calgary. But we are talking about the weather.
It's really hot. Even for this time of year. Chance of thundershowers tomorrow. It's gonna be hot. Hot enough for top free agents.
And really, even on the worst day of Calgary winter, how bad is it to walk from your house into your car, drive somewhere, and then get out of your car and walk inside the nearest building?
Calgary winters can be dealt with. Especially if you spend less than three minutes a day outside.
Maybe we need a separate 'Calgary Weather' thread. We had over 540 cm. of snow in PEI this winter and my brother in Calgary kept sending me gloating e-mails about how nice the weather was.
Calgary probably has the best winter weather out of most of traditional NHL markets. Factoring snow fall, temperature, sun, winter driving conditions, etc. Seriously go to NE US, Montreal, etc in the winter it's absolute ####.
Oh. I was gonna post an "I'll believe it when I see it" type post regarding top free agents coming to Calgary. But we are talking about the weather.
It's really hot. Even for this time of year. Chance of thundershowers tomorrow. It's gonna be hot. Hot enough for top free agents.
And really, even on the worst day of Calgary winter, how bad is it to walk from your house into your car, drive somewhere, and then get out of your car and walk inside the nearest building?
Calgary winters can be dealt with. Especially if you spend less than three minutes a day outside.
This is what I do living here in South Florida. From about mid-June to mid-September everyone lives constantly in air conditioning with the only outdoor time for most being early in the morning or after sunset.
However, I will happily take the winters here over winters in Calgary, and I loved living in Calgary.
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"You know, that's kinda why I came here, to show that I don't suck that much" ~ Devin Cooley, Professional Goaltender
