I'm old enough to remember Nilsson but I never really thought of him as a dedicated "bleed for the team" icon type player. There was never any doubt that Fleury left it all on the ice, shortest guy on the ice with the biggest attitude and the skill to back it up. He didn't leave under the best terms, and he's had his issues over the years, but he is most certainly the only #14 in my mind. I wouldn't retire the number but would be bothered if anyone else wore it.
Last edited by Jacks; 08-23-2019 at 08:25 PM.
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I'd love to hear the story behind how Lydman ended up with 14 in his first training camp with the team. I don't think he asked for it as it wasn't a number he had worn before if I'm not mistaken.
It was no surprise that he switched to 32 after he made the team.
Sort of related (sort of not): When Brodie was given 66, I heard that he asked the equipment guys every day if he could change it but they wouldn't. He'd get chirped on the ice all the time. He was finally able to when he established himself a little more.
Last edited by Sidney Crosby's Hat; 08-23-2019 at 09:18 PM.
Sort of related (sort of not): When Brodie was given 66, I heard that he asked the equipment guys every day if he could change it but they wouldn't. He'd get chirped on the ice all the time. He was finally able to when he established himself a little more.
See, this is what I don't understand, if 66 is so precious, retire the number league wide like 99. I mean, Brodie is a defense man, not forward. I'd understand if he is playing as a forward. Bobby Orr's number was worn by Lowe, who the hell is Kevin Lowe, and he has the nerve to wear Orr, the greatest of defense man's number.
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Quote:
Finishing third in league scoring behind the inevitable Wayne Gretzky (164 points) and Marcel Dionne (135), the aptly-dubbed Magic Man outpaced the second most prolific Flame, Guy Chouinard, by a gobsmacking 48 points.
Nilsson's assist total trailed Chouinard's point total that season by one.
"Yeah,'' recalls Chouinard, "I finished a ways behind, didn't I?
"I can still remember Kent's hands, like a surgeon's, the way he handled the puck. The way he moved. Most of us had to slow down before we made a play, looking to the left or to the right, but Kent he could do everything full (steam). At that time, it wasn't as common as it is now.
Quote:
Pre-Mario, Wayne Gretzky called him the greatest talent he'd seen in the game, which is sort of like Mozart calling you a prodigy or Tennessee Williams saying you had an ear for dialogue.
One unforgettable winter, though, the Magic Man scaled the heights.
Leave the final word to Al MacNeil, a first-hand witness.
"You were never sure how much of Kent Nilsson you were getting,'' he said once, looking back on '80-81.
"That year, I think we saw as much as he was willing to let any of us in on."
Fleury, because I wasn't alive for Nilsson, but I can understand why it would go the other way if you were. There are plenty of reasons to call Nilsson one of the most underrated players in history. Hell, the guy held the record for most points in a season in the SHL by a teenager for 40 years, until a couple years ago. He could have just stayed over there and been considered the best in his country's history.
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Last edited by CorsiHockeyLeague; 08-24-2019 at 08:34 AM.
I saw both players. The first game I went to a game, Nilsson had 2 points and was two crossbars away from 4 points. When he had the puck the Oilers weren't getting it. Unfortunately he couldn't always have the puck and the Flames lost 9-2 or something similar.
Kenta's efforts were inconsistent. I'm not sure he ever tried his hardest. He was truly gifted but his compete level held him and the team back.
Fleury. He was all hustle. Also very talented but he worked hard on the ice and you always noticed him because he was out there to make things happen. There was always excitement when Fleury was around. Sometimes his antics would cause penalties and short handed goals against but you knew he was doing whatever he could to help the team win.
I voted Fleury. He may not have the record for most points by a Flame but he had a larger impact for the Flames.
I am old enough to remember Nilsson and that amazing season and I also think Fleury was terribly flawed, but it is still Fleury all the way. Much longer Flames career and more impactful to the team as a whole.
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O.K. there has been a lot of talk on whether or not MacTavish has actually done a good job for us, most fans on this board are very basic in their analysis and I feel would change their opinion entirely if the team was successful.
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