[PGT] Abottsford Flames Crush the Wild 4-1!

[HamptonIce]

I am traveling on business and have a layover in Minneapolis. I went to the game tonight and wanted to share my experience:

- Emailed Ken King on Thursday evening stating I was a STH and would be in town for the game and was looking for and inexpensive, decent seat.
- First thing Friday morning Peter Hanlon sent me an email to give him a call today (before the game). Spoke with Peter, and he said a ticket would be waiting for me at will call compliments of the Flames.
- Fantasctic seat, 14 rows up, in the corner of the lower bowl (flames attack 2X) and on the aisle (that was great because I am 6'4). As well, I was sitting next to an entire row of Tim Jackman's family.
- Sent Peter a thank you note when I arrived in my seats for the great gesture, and then he came to meet me in the first intermission. We had quick chat and he was a pleasure to speak with.
- The Xcel Energy Centre is absolutely gorgeous and well planned. I hope we take some pointers from them when we eventually build our new arena.
- The Wild fans were fantastic, enthusiastic, loyal and respectful of myself and other Flames fans.

I know we are all passionate, and have our opinions about the management of the team.

From my experience today, however we may feel the team is managed, the originization truly values their fans.

[neo45]

I take it as a point of pride that the Flames have never drafted top 5, and probably won't this year

[Flame Of Liberty]

Originally Posted by VladtheImpaler

Don't get me wrong - I don't want the team to do anything else. Feaster has called up all the scrubs, so what else can he do? The young players will try hard - good for them. I am not mad at them or the GM (not for this anyhow).
I am just mad/frustrated, given the historical context. For a franchise that (almost) always finds a way to lose a must-win game, it is incredibly frustrating to win when winning can only hurt. This would be a lot easier to take if we didn't choke in all those playoff series, and must-win stretch-drive games...

Look at it this way, on draft day would you prefer them go off the board with a top 4 pick or top 8 pick?

[Meelapo]

At least we get to see a number of players that are actually trying and not mailing it in like some previous and current veterans sometimes did. While I'd really like the Flames to have a higher draft pick I am really enjoying these games. I was at the game on Friday and to see these guys play the way they do was great. Backlund even fought!

Also, that game was the first time I've sat in the lower bowl at the Dome. Considering how expensive the tickets for that area are they sure give you an incredibly small amount of leg room. My knees were actually pushing the chair in front of me an inch past it's normal position. The kid in that seat didn't seem to mind.

[JiriHrdina]

I think the lesson learned this season is just how bad you have to be to get the first overall pick. You really have to just be atrocious. And consistently horrible.

[FanIn80]

Since our arrival to Calgary from Atlanta in 1980, we are the ONLY team in the NHL to not have a single, solitary top-five pick. In other words, we are the only team in NHL history to not draft in the top five in the first round. In fact, we've only drafted in the top-ten SIX times in thirty-two seasons.

Let's take a look at some numbers, since our Cup win in 1989:

Number of seasons: 22
Number of times in the playoffs: 10
Number of times past Round One in the playoffs: 1
Number of times not qualifying for the playoffs: 12

Number of drafts: 22
Number of times drafting in the top-five: 0
Number of times drafting in the top-ten: 6

So, essentially, I guess what I'm saying is that all you "let's keep winning all these meaningless games down the stretch" people need to keep on preaching. Clearly, you folks are more in-the-know than everyone else. In fact, you guys are so dialed-in on what's right for this organization, that this organization has followed your advice to a tee. This advice-following has, as evidenced by the numbers listed above, not only been a demonstration in absolute sports-management brilliance, but has even lead us to such heights of mediocrity that I'm willing to bet every single organization out there uses us as a franchise to learn from.

Mind you, "franchise to learn from," in this case, means "franchise to look at when wondering what a franchise should never do"... but hey, who cares about semantics when you can close out the season on a six-game winning streak, and go all the way from a decent shot at a top-three pick, to having to rely on other teams losing in order to even draft inside the top ten?

[Miniac]

Jay Boumeester 10 GP for Blues 1G 3A for 4 Points
Mark Cundari 1GP 1G 1A for 2 Points

Not so bad

[FBI]

F it lets just win out now.. Also, Brodie for captain?

[Ashasx]

Eh... the latest we'll pick is 7th. One of, if not two of Lindholm, Monahan, and Nichushkin will still be there.

They are good players. Top 5 in any other draft.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

I think the lesson learned this season is just how bad you have to be to get the first overall pick. You really have to just be atrocious. And consistently horrible.

Is it any wonder that nobody goes to Panthers and Avalanche games? They consistently play to depths the Flames cant even sink in a terrible season. Oilers fans were drunk on Kool-aid but that's seriously some bad hockey a team has to play all season to finish 30th.

[Jacks]

Oops, nm.

[Blaster86]

Well done!

[Nuckleduster]

Go Heat!

[djsFlames]

I second that, Brodie for captain!

[drPepper1]

We've what got a grand total of 12 players called up from the Heat? And the Flames are still winning is amazing. I get why people are mad that Flames aren't tanking, but as a coach Hartley would rather create a winning atmosphere rather than asking his players to go out there and lose.

Lucky for us it's a deep draft and we have 3 firsts, so we could still land some solid prospects. Just not nhl ready picks, who can step in next year.


+we're going to finish ahead of the oilers hahaha

[djsFlames]

I doubt we'll take either of the St Louis or Chicago games.
(though would love to see Cundari notch some points vs Jbo's line)

And I fully expect Nashville to just lay over like a carpet for our kids to walk on, because they have no pride. I'd really like us to draft 5th or 6th though. I'm nervous about going any later than that. I'd feel better if management got their pick of Barkov/Linholm/Monahan/Nichuskin, and not have 2nd tier leftovers, not to say that's bad, but it would be nice for the scouts/weisbrod to have their ranking choice of the bunch after likely having watched all these kids enough to know some things that we don't.

Let's pray Tampa, Carolina, and Deadmonton win a couple games.

[Enoch Root]

For those people busy whining that the team won, you missed one hell of a game from a young 22 year old defenseman who was the best player on the ice (either team). He is emerging as a top pairing defenseman right in front of our eyes.

While these wins won't translate to next year, the development of some of these players will.

I encourage you to take some time out form your pathetic, childish misery and actually watch this kid play -he's pretty good.

[$ven27]

Originally Posted by djsFlames

I doubt we'll take either of the St Louis or Chicago games.

And I fully expect Nashville to just lay over like a carpet for our kids to walk on, because they have no pride. I'd really like us to draft 5th or 6th though. I'm nervous about going any later than that. I'd feel better if management got their pick of Barkov/Linholm/Monahan/Nichuskin, and not have 2nd tier leftovers, not to say that's bad, but it would be nice for the scouts/weisbrod to have their ranking choice of the bunch after likely having watched all these kids enough to know some things that we don't.

Let's pray Tampa, Carolina, and Deadmonton win a couple games.

I thought that same thing about tonights game, and Anaheim, and Detroit. I wouldn't be surprised to see us win the STL game.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by JayP

The... posters... who need to get off their high horse about how they can't cheer for a loser should engage in a little so-called "intellectual honesty" of their own. This current team is nowhere near as good as their recent results indicate. You're getting your hopes up for no reason when the team went a on a winning streak that nobody should expect to continue and you should know best - since you're the posters who were ragging on Oilers fans for getting cocky when guys like Gagner/Nilson/Cogliano played great in March/April.

Anyway, I'll now leave the floor to those who ruin every thread with their reminders that 1st overall pick Alexandre Daigle busted and how the Oilers rebuild didn't work and other assorted cherry-picked small sample size data points.

Talk about being a Debbie Downer! Posters are happy to see our prospects get a chance to show coaches and management what they can do. It might be debatable as to wether they are nearly as good but one thing is for sure, the energy, enthusiam and no quit attitide is a refreshing change from what we've seen over the past few seasons.

I'll now leave the floor to the Debbie Downers who wish to down grade the efforts our prospects have shown and the hope they have given us fans.

[schteve_d]

Originally Posted by $ven27

I wouldn't be surprised to see us win the STL game.

...and play double-whammy spoiler. Just imagine if we knocked St. Lou out of the playoffs!