Am I the only one cheering against the Pens now?

[Beatle17]

I hope Iginla signs with the Flyers next year and gets his cup then. Hate the Penquins with a passion. And it really bugs me when people hold them up as a great franchise. They were in bankruptcy not that long ago and won the lottery, real great franchise for sure. Did I already say I hate them (my Flyers blood wouldn't be showing would it?)

[FlamesFanStrandedInEDM]

I'm mainly upset with the return we got. Following the return Dallas got for Morrow, I thought Iginla would get a great return.

We might as well kept him for the remainder of the season, make our annual last minute push for the playoffs and let him sign wherever he choose in the off-season.

That said, I've always been fond of the Penguins, and hope that a Cup would maybe help the flames re-acquire him later?

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by FlamesFanStrandedInEDM

I'm mainly upset with the return we got. Following the return Dallas got for Morrow, I thought Iginla would get a great return.

We might as well kept him for the remainder of the season, make our annual last minute push for the playoffs and let him sign wherever he choose in the off-season.

That said, I've always been fond of the Penguins, and hope that a Cup would maybe help the flames re-acquire him later?

you would rather keep him 16 games and not get the 1st

[Yrebmi]

I hope Iginla does win a cup with the Pens this year.
I don't see Iginla re-signing with the Pens. Having already won the Stanley Cup, I hold out hope that he just might decide to come "home" and become a Flame again.

[zamler]

Even though in an interview Crosby downplayed the issue of their being more pressure on the Pens, I really think there is now. They've loaded up with players including Iggy with the full intention of winning the Cup. Anything less this year for Pittsburgh will be a failure, no greater pressure than that. Plus teams playing the Pens in the playoffs are going to be highly motivated to be that team that takes out the favourite.

The 1st round will be the hardest for Pittsburgh I think.

[Flames Fan, Ph.D.]

I don't care much either way.

The draft pick position doesn't motivate me much since 25th - 30th are all basically the same. Also if Iggy doesn't win the cup, he won't be the first or the last nice guy / great hockey player that retires ring-less. Plus, I find my non-Flames playoff cheering is motivated mostly by hate against specific teams rather than love for another team (which is verboten!)

But what's always been interesting to me is what sense of fulfillment players get from renting themselves to a contender? The Pens are a great team and strong cup contenders without Iggy, could have conceivably won this year without Iggy, and have won a cup in the past with much of this same line-up (minus Iggy)... so if he wins with them this year, will he have really *earned it* in a fulfilling way?

I realize that there are many ways of looking at it, but it's always been an interesting question for me.

[dammage79]

A lot of people would say Iggy and Kipper carried the Flames to within one game of a championship. Guy knows what it takes to get there in a full season. If he never made the cup finals before, I guess you could say he wouldn't be earning a cup in PITT. But the fact is he has been there and was the driver of the bus to get there.

Its not like he is going to be napping on the bench while the rest of the team does the work. He's going to put up good points with two of the best centers in the game feeding him the puck. I don't understand where people get this sense that Iginla is riding on the coat tails of the team to get a cup.

Truth is, his talents put that team over the top even though Crosby and Malkin are the best players.

[MolsonInBothHands]

I hope he gets 30 goals on the season, tears it up in the playoffs, wins a Stanley Cup, and wins the Conn Smythe. He deserves it.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by Buster

I think maybe I'm getting old and crusty.

But I'm a Flames fan, and fewer Pens wins, means a few more percentage points on our chance at a higher pick.

Iggy is a great guy, and I loved him here, but he's not a Flame.

Then again, I'm not prone to be sentimental...and I just see hockey players as people who have made millions, so I rarely feel sorry for them if the don't win Cups, etc.

Absolutely NOT!

Jarome did everything he could for the Flames. He never gave up on the team, even when it looked hopeless and every analyst was saying what a bad team they were. He left it all on the ice here in Calgary when he easily could have pouted.

We all got a trade that we were asking for. He was aging, so the return on his rental wasn't as great as we thought it could be, but it was still pretty dang good. Now we want to crap all over him and his playoff run just so we can get a better draft position?

Talk about selfish.

If we as fans can't muster up the support for one stinking playoff run...one last chance for Iggy to hoist the cup that we were never able to give him here (and SHOULD have done for multiple years), then I don't think I want to be associated with this fanbase anymore.

We owe him our support and it should be unconditional...PERIOD!

[Daradon]

Pittsburgh has been one of my 'like' teams for a while. This makes them my second favorite.

No team even approaches what I feel for Calgary. But there are a few that I like.

To be honest, I'm not sure there would be a big difference between drafting 30th and 20th. A smart pick will win and a dumb one will lose, I'm not sure there is a consensus pick that low. More importantly how you develop the youngester will be the most important.

This isn't a no-brainer top three pick we're talking about. We may get one of those anyway.

[Alberta_Beef]

I could never bring myself to cheer for the Penguins. Never. They are the NHL team I despise most after Vancouver.

[DeluxeMoustache]

Originally Posted by Flames Fan, Ph.D.

I don't care much either way.

The draft pick position doesn't motivate me much since 25th - 30th are all basically the same. Also if Iggy doesn't win the cup, he won't be the first or the last nice guy / great hockey player that retires ring-less. Plus, I find my non-Flames playoff cheering is motivated mostly by hate against specific teams rather than love for another team (which is verboten!)

But what's always been interesting to me is what sense of fulfillment players get from renting themselves to a contender? The Pens are a great team and strong cup contenders without Iggy, could have conceivably won this year without Iggy, and have won a cup in the past with much of this same line-up (minus Iggy)... so if he wins with them this year, will he have really *earned it* in a fulfilling way?

I realize that there are many ways of looking at it, but it's always been an interesting question for me.

The slate is cleared on the first day of the playoffs. (Trade deadline rosters are fixed, playoff day 1 it is m game on. Head to head)

It is simple. However you got on the team, it is the team in its current incarnation that is put forth to win. And looking historically at the success of deadline deals, the success rate is hardly in slam dunk territor.

It is still meaningful to be part of a winner.

[SebC]

A few things at play here:
- Pens losing improves our draft position.
- Iggy winning would be nice.
- If Iggy wins, we might get him back.

Solution: trade PIT 1st (+) for VAN 1st. Then we can all go back to ABC.

[Flame Of Liberty]

simply cannot cheer for a team led by Cindy Crosby, Iginla or not.

[edn88]

am I the only one still cheering for the Flames to make the playoffs?

[RogerWilco]

I must say that although I will not cheer against the Pens, I am disturbed by how many people have said they are buying Iginla Pens jerseys. That is just totaly ####ed up to me.

[edn88]

Iginla is a fantastic player and human being, and worth cheering for despite your team allegiance.

[RogerWilco]

Originally Posted by Cali Flames Fan

Absolutely NOT!

Jarome did everything he could for the Flames. He never gave up on the team, even when it looked hopeless and every analyst was saying what a bad team they were. He left it all on the ice here in Calgary when he easily could have pouted.

We all got a trade that we were asking for. He was aging, so the return on his rental wasn't as great as we thought it could be, but it was still pretty dang good. Now we want to crap all over him and his playoff run just so we can get a better draft position?

Talk about selfish.

If we as fans can't muster up the support for one stinking playoff run...one last chance for Iggy to hoist the cup that we were never able to give him here (and SHOULD have done for multiple years), then I don't think I want to be associated with this fanbase anymore.

We owe him our support and it should be unconditional...PERIOD!

How do fans have any control over the Flames getting a cup?

Iggy made tens of millions of dollars playing here, you are talking like he played for free or something.

[RogerWilco]

Originally Posted by edn88

Iginla is a fantastic player and human being, and worth cheering for despite your team allegiance.

I agree with you, but buying an Iginla Pens jersey? Good God.

[FlamesAddiction]

I hope Pittsburgh fails hard. Only Vancouver or Edmonton would be a worse scenario than Iginla being on the Oilers east.

I feel sick to my stomach.