What is the Flames identity?

[EldrickOnIce]

[Lanny_McDonald]

Based on the arena thread, a bunch of puppets mastered by an egomaniacal billionaire?

[bluejays]

I think they're mediocre grinders who are disheartened to play a grind it out style when they're worth more, skill-wise. In other words, their skills shown in other organizations are not being utilized to their fullest because of the coaches grind-it-out vision. However, they're also not a fast puck moving team, even on paper and that poses a problem against contending teams with speed on their top 3 lines. What a problem this organization has to get out from under these contracts.

[GreenLantern2814]

The identity comes from the foundational players.

This team has no foundational players at the moment.

As such, they possess no defining characteristics other than “good at shot suppression”.

Which always puts bums in seats.

[Spurs]

Originally Posted by Philly06Cup

2021-2022: 111 pts, Pacific Division Champions. Second best goal differential in the league, Best line in hockey (Tkachuk, Lindholm, Gaudreau), elite two way dominance.
Heading into the playoffs, they were the 3rd favorite to win the cup.

2018-2019: 107 pts, Western Coference Champions, 2nd overall. Breakout seasons for Gaudreau/Monahan/Tkachuk/Lindholm/Giordano.
Heading into the playoffs, they were the 2nd favorite to win the cup.


Having an elite, legitimate contender every three seasons is nothing to sneeze at. Strongly disagree with the idea of 'mediocrity' and 'sneaking into the playoffs.' Management has built a legit powerhouse two out of the last five years.

Surely there is more to being an elite, legitimate contender than good regular seasons, especially when those seasons are surrounded by weak regular seasons and nothing play-off performances.

I can't see how anyone can say either team was elite or a contender when they didn't even come close to doing anything in the play-offs. They can't even be competitive in the 2nd round let alone make a Conference Final or god forbid a Cup final. That is not close to elite at all.

[Philly06Cup]

Luck is the biggest factor in who succeeds in the playoffs. Elite contenders get knocked out in Rd 1 or 2 all the time It's the NHL. If the flames sneak in the playoffs and make it to the 3rd Rd or final ala the COVID Canadiens, that doesn't mean much. And then people will complain that they were a pretender who got lucky. All you can do is put yourself in the best position to succeed.



Everyone here wants to have a pity party about how sorry the flames are. Results could be better, but the two teams I mentioned are far from mediocre, and ####ty results do not mean those were bad teams. Sports are so heavily influenced by luck and not a results based science.



The organization has shown they are always trying to make moves and spend money to create a legit contender, and they have achieved that goal on multiple occasions.

[DeluxeMoustache]

Luck can be a factor

In my view, the reality is that the results are in line with statistics

Consider the records of teams in the playoffs facing each other

The best team in the west to qualify won 51 of 82 games. The worst team won 46.

Not like there is a huge gap between a lot of these teams *

To win a 7 game series, you have to win 4 of 7. That’s .571. That’s pretty much what all the teams who make the playoffs did all year (at minimum… there were a couple of teams in the .56x))

And then 7 games is a small sample size

* (Except Boston and Florida)

[Spurs]

Originally Posted by Philly06Cup

Luck is the biggest factor in who succeeds in the playoffs. Elite contenders get knocked out in Rd 1 or 2 all the time It's the NHL. If the flames sneak in the playoffs and make it to the 3rd Rd or final ala the COVID Canadiens, that doesn't mean much. And then people will complain that they were a pretender who got lucky. All you can do is put yourself in the best position to succeed.



Everyone here wants to have a pity party about how sorry the flames are. Results could be better, but the two teams I mentioned are far from mediocre, and ####ty results do not mean those were bad teams. Sports are so heavily influenced by luck and not a results based science.



The organization has shown they are always trying to make moves and spend money to create a legit contender, and they have achieved that goal on multiple occasions.

But they didn't get beat out by bad luck, they were clearly outplayed. They weren't elite at any point. Elite teams that get beat out earlier usually do something before or after to justify that elite title the Flames haven't. The regular seasons you mention aren't elite.

Look at the roster of the teams we have had not once have they been a top 5 roster and even top 10 probably isn't the case. Elite teams don't miss the play-offs half the time, that isn't elite that shows they had a few lucky seasons, backed up by terrible play-offs.

People aren't having a pity party about how bad the Flames are they are being honest that the team is not good, the results and players show this is a very mediocre team.

There hasn't been a single season in the past 20 years they have been a legit contender. The last time was the 2004 team and that was a team that was much more than their parts not really what you would consider an elite team.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Originally Posted by Reggie Dunlop

Hard work and the rugged, Western Way!

This is the most honest answer given in this thread. This has always been the attempted identity of the entire franchise and at one time it was a great one to try and build around, but not in the modern NHL.

I prey that the new management of the Flames pulls hard away from this and modernises; right down to the anthem signer and everything else on and off the ice.

[Poe969]

Vanilla. Once in a while, it's amazing and just seems to be exactly what is needed. A good option for the most part but never really the best when it comes down to it.

This team is vanilla to the core. We like it, we just know it's not the best.

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by kirant

You know when you watch those fictional sports shows and there's the main characters near the bottom, some "elite" team near the top, and maybe a starter rival team to get the main characters motivated to play well?

And you remember how there's generally a montage sequence where everything comes together for the main characters and they start steamrolling the league?

The Flames are one of the teams that get rolled over without so much as an introduction or meaningful impact on the story. They're league space filler.

The Flames are the Trinidad & Tobago of the NHL, but without the good vibes

[SutterBrother]

Post apex.

[CSharp]

Flames = Mediocre, North-South, high shots style team that can be hard to play against but keep losing a lot of battles in their own zones.

[Reggie Dunlop]

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

This is the most honest answer given in this thread. This has always been the attempted identity of the entire franchise and at one time it was a great one to try and build around, but not in the modern NHL.

I prey that the new management of the Flames pulls hard away from this and modernises; right down to the anthem signer and everything else on and off the ice.

Big, robust local fellers a-willin' to do chores. Heapin' helpings of hockey hospitality.