Out of the gate

Strong starts?

So I was thinking about how we're always hearing about how strong the Flames have been in the first period this season, and I figured I'd take a quick look at the numbers. Not all the numbers mind you, just the shots and goals for the first five games of the season, by period. Just to get an idea as to how strong their first periods are, compared to later in the game...

Game 1: 6-0 loss to Vancouver

Period		1		2		3
Shots		9-5		10-7		6-11
Goals		0-1		0-2		0-3

Game 2: 5-4 OT loss to Vancouver

Period		1		2		3		OT
Shots		11-7		9-18		7-6		2-3
Goals		3-1		1-2		0-1		0-1

Game 3: 5-4 win over Colorado

Period	1	2	3
Shots	12-10	15-5	8-14
Goals	3-2	0-1	2-1

Game 4: 4-3 loss to Edmonton

Period	1	2	3
Shots	8-15	9-12	12-8
Goals	1-1	1-3	1-0

Game 5: 3-2 loss to Edmonton

Period	1	2	3
Shots	17-3	6-14	10-10
Goals	2-0	0-3	0-0

Total after 5 games: 1-3-1

Period	1	2	3	OT
Shots	57-40	49-59	43-49	2-3
Goals	9-5	2-11	3-5	0-1

Its too bad we couldn't just call the games after the first 20 minutes, since then the Flames record would be a very respectable 3-1-1...

As has been stated in numerous posts (but not in any of mine), Keenan can't seem to leave well enough alone and appears to like to switch things up between periods. I know you have to be able to make in game adjustments, but when what you are doing is working, it should be the other team that makes the changes. Keenan's attempts at pre-emptive line changes isn't throwing the other teams off, it looks like its just making it easier for them...

Back to back battle! Again!

Once more unto the breach!

Canucks last week, and now the greasers in a back to back this weekend? I guess they want to get the divisional races heated up a little early in the season. It can't really get any worse than what happened last weekend, can it?

My hate-on for the Oilers has grown again these last couple of years, what with them becoming somewhat respectable again... Wait, that's not the right word... I can't bring myself to actually respect them... How about the Oilers have become somewhat competent again... much better...

Anyway, the Flames host the kids from up North at the Saddledome tonight, and then take Highway 2 to the Rexall Centre tomorrow for the second game...

At least I'm assuming they'll take Highway 2. But it might be a nice time of year to take the long road through the parks... Which reminds me... The Tim Horton's in Hinton doesn't offer hot chocolate... Which I find kind of weird, since its just outside Jasper and you would think that if some parents were taking their kids through the parks in the colder months, they would like to have a hot liquid option for them to drink... Because I'm assuming kids in Alberta don't drink coffee, do they? Maybe that's why prairie kids are such gritty hockey players... And they probably drink it black, straight up... I'm sure that the Tim Horton's in Vulcan probably only serves black coffee, no double doubles allowed (do they have a Timmy's in Vulcan?)... Or maybe I'm just overthinking this...

Regardless, I will not be around to catch either game, as I'll be Oktoberfesting it up in Kitchener-Waterloo... In fact, I'll probably be three sheets to the wind (five or six actually), by the time the puck even drops on either night...

I would think of recording the games on my PVR (which was so lucky a couple of years ago), but I'm sure my brother would be more than a little skeptical of me taping an early season hockey game, regardless of who is playing in it... Although he did record the start of the Habs-Bruins game a couple nights ago, while muttering something about 100 years and Patrick Roy's jersey... I don't know, I wasn't really paying attention...

I know I should probably go to a bar and watch the game instead of a big fest-hall, but Oktoberfest only happens once a year! Its not like its a date that I can put off for a day or two...

Here's hoping the boys win tonight at least, as otherwise there is apparently a decent chance that Mike Keenan could be fired just four games into the season...

Don't worry about it... yet...

Where is Sean Connery when you need him?

It seems that at the beginning of every season lately the Flames are floundering around looking like they are still playing preseason games. I've gotten so used to the boys losing for a good section of the first month of the season, that I thought I'd look and see just how bad they have been in the previous five seasons...

Now most of you have probably realized by now that stats based articles are not my forte (which is kind of funny to me when I think of how many stats courses I took in university). So I kept this one simple...

I just took the October records for the Flames and compared it to the rest of the season for the years 2002 to 2007. I also did a quick check to see how they started out the month in each year by showing the first four games...

October 2002: 3-3-2-0
Rest of 2002/03: 26-33-11-4

October 2003: 4-4-0-1
Rest of 2003/04: 38-26-7-2

October 2005: 4-7-0-2
Rest of 2005/06: 42-18-0-2

October 2006: 3-6-0-1
Rest of 2006/07: 40-23-0-4

October 2007: 6-3-0-3
Rest of 2007/08: 36-27-0-4

As you can see, last year was the first time that the Flames had a positive record in the month of October since Sutter and Kiprusoff came to town. But if a loss was a loss regardless, they only broke even. And obviously the 2002 season doesn't really fit in since it was when the Flames were still horrible, but I threw it in anyway...

But even last year's anomaly fits in when you only look at the first four games, you can see that they usually start very poorly (with a loss, in fact)...

2002: L, L, W, T
2003: L, W, W, L
2005: L, W, L, L
2006: L, W, L, W
2007: L, L, L, W
2008: L, L, W, ?

I fully realize that I am selecting my data to corroberate my hypothesis (since they won 3 of the previous 5 fifth games and tied another), but that wouldn't change where I'm going with this anyway...

At least I think I'm going somewhere with it...

Basically, relax, cause its only October. Not much of a revelation, I realize, but I was curious about the numbers, and I'm sure that some of you may have been too...

Yeah, it'd be nice to get a good jump out of the gate, but that wouldn't be the Calgary Flames' style...

And you have no idea how much of a pain in the ass it was to create that mock movie poster...

Update: it looks like the boys picked up their first W of the season tonight over the Avalanche...

Update 2: it also looks like Leanne beat me to the punch... which is probably one reason why I shouldn't have spent the better part of last night working on that damn poster...

Hockey's Back! (And so am I)...

Easing my way back into it...

Hey, do I have any readers left?

Yeah, I apparently took the summer off, as well as a good portion of the spring and the first few weeks of fall...

Been kinda busy and I just wasn't feeling it, you know? But with the start of the first Calgary game of the season, I'm refreshed and back on the boat (in the chair, whichever)...

I had a few posts all drafted up and ready to go, one on guys that I can't stand, which I will probably edit and post later on. I had a post on the Festival Cup here in Toronto at the beginning of September that I only had to add my photographs to. There was a significant Flames presence there, so I may just post it with its backdate and if you are really bored at some point you can read through it (I may post it tomorrow, if I remember)...

Actually, as I type this the Flames are down 5-0 with only 7:30 left in the third period. The boys are not looking sharp tonight. They had a pretty good first, but couldn't solve Luongo and the F@%^ing Canucks built on a couple of quick goals to start the second. Have I mentioned how much I can't stand the Canucks? I have? Oh, nevermind then...

There are a bunch of things I should really get around to voicing my opinion on, which I probably will, when the topic comes up again...

But in the meantime, welcome back! And let's just hope the Saturday night game in Calgary goes a lot better...

Update: 6-0 final... ugh...

Postgame - 2008 Festival Cup

Hockey's Back! kinda...

Yeah, I know I've been gone for a while (well, the whole summer and a good portion of the spring actually), but now that I've been to a hockey game at an NHL rink I can officially say that the hockey season has started...

Last night my brother and I attended the Festival Cup at the ACC. I know it wasn't an NHL game, but there were NHLers playing in it, so that's good enough for me (especially since there were some Calgary Flames, current and former, on the rosters). Besides, the game was set up to raise money for Right to Play, and there were even some NHL caliber plays...

As an added bonus, the teams were also decked out in the old Flames jersey template...

Team #1 (White Jerseys)

Coach: Karen Percy-Lowe

Captain: Doug Gilmour (Toronto Maple Leafs)

Players: Sean Avery (Dallas Stars), Jim Balsillie (Blackberry), Cameron Bancroft (Hockeyville, Little House), Tom Bernard (President, Sony Pictures Classics), Mike Cammalleri (Calgary Flames), Andrew Cogliano (Edmonton Oilers), Jim Cuddy (Blue Rodeo), Mike Green (Washington Capitals), Curtis Joseph (Toronto Maple Leafs), Jason Reitman (Thank You For Smoking, Juno), Robyn Regehr (Calgary Flames), Tim Robbins (Mystic River, The Shawshank Redemption), Graeme Roustan (Bauer), Craig Simpson (Edmonton Oilers, Hockey Night in Canada), Jason Spezza (Ottawa Senators), Jason Thompson (General Hospital), Scott Thornton (NHL Free Agent), Wojtek Wolski (Colorado Avalanche)

Team #2 (Red Jerseys)

Coach: Kevin Lowe

Captain: Mats Sundin

Players: Luc Robitaille (Los Angles Kings), Jennifer Botterill (Canadian Women’ National Team), Tim Connolly (Buffalo Sabres), Mark DeCarlo (Raising Helen), Kris Draper (Detroit Red Wings), Andrew Ference (Boston Bruins), Oren Koules (Saw, Two and A Half Men), Nick Kypreos (New York Rangers, Rogers Sportsnet), Lochlyn Munro (Smallville, CSI, Dead Man on Campus), Gary Roberts (Tampa Bay Lightning), Derek Roy (Buffalo Sabres), Joey Scoleri (Hollywood Records), Sami Jo Small (Canadian Women’s National Team), Matt Stajan (Toronto Maple Leafs), D.B. Sweeney (The Cutting Edge, Jericho), Joe Thornton (San Jose Sharks), Jeremy Williams (Toronto Maple Leafs)

Just from a quick glance at the rosters I knew I'd be cheering for the white team, especially given the presence of Lowe behind the red bench...

Now obviously this is a charity game, so there was plenty of hijinx (including Tim Robbins wearing an Obama 08 jersey for the second period), but some of the celebrities actually had some skills. Now some of the Canadian ones you would naturally expect to be competent, like Cameron Bancroft and Lochlyn Munro, who both had dreams of playing in the NHL until they got injured in their teens, but other guys like Tim Robbins I would have never expected to be as good as he is. Of course, there were also a few guys out there that really shouldn't have been, like Scoleri and Reitman. I think my mom can skate better than they can...

This wasn't really a game so much as it was an organized scrimmage. Sure there were referees and they were keeping score and all, but there was a serious lacking when it came to defensive zone play, not to mention actually following the rules...

During a Tim Robbins penalty shot, the refs moved the net from behind Sami Jo Small and he just shot the puck in the dead centre of the net, as it was in the corner of the rink...

You could actually tell the Tim Robbins was really the centre of attention for the night, as he also beat the crap out of Nick Kypreos...

And Sean Avery was being Sean Avery, which is probably why he switched jerseys with Jason Reitman for the third period, since he felt that he was being unfairly tragetted by the officials...

Obviously with this game being at the ACC, they had to find a way to make fun of the Senators and get the crowd into it. Which they succeeded in doing by using the 'kiss cam' and a guy in a Sens jersey, with a girlfriend that obviously had no interest in being seen with him...

But perhaps the funniest and most notable occurence of the evening involved new Flame Mike Cammalleri. Throughout the third period the crowd was repeatedly reminded that in the event of a tie, the game would go to a shootout. With the scored tied 8-8 with less than a minute left, that seemed to be inevitable. Then Cammalleri came down the ice and potted one with about 13 seconds left, and as the spotlight shone on him, you could tell he knew he wasn't supposed to do that. Which was even more obvious when Bill McCreary waved the goal off, even though everyone KNEW it went it. But the best part of it all was the Cheshire Cat Grin on Cammalleri's face...

Oh, and not that it really matters, but the White team won...

San Jose at Calgary: Game 4 preview

Very Superstitious

This is a common thing in sports, especially in the playoffs, and most especially in the Stanley Cup playoffs...

 

I'm a little bit superstitious myself, as I stopped shaving after the series began last Wednesday night, and I don't plan on shaving my beard off until the Flames are out (of course, I'm not sure how that will go over at the weddings I'm to attend in late May and early June, but I'll take that risk)...

 

Of course, I can't let it run roughshod, as a beard should be maintained on occassion, so I figure that everytime the Flames lose a game, I'll give it a little trim so as not to turn into Jake Plummer. Yes, I realize that a number of hockey fans won't recognize this reference because he is the former quarterback of the Denver Broncos but he was reknowned for bringing the neckbeard back in vogue. Actually, that's not true, as a neck beard hasn't been considered stylish since the Dark Ages (probably because they couldn't see them?)...

 

Which brought to mind a number of other things that Flames bloggers have done over the last year or two that have absolutely no effect on the actual game itself (but somehow give us a little piece of mind). From me recording all of last years games on my PVR and watching them later, to WIs various jersey issues, to HGs pizza, and so on and so on, we just can't seem to stop...

 

But then it stops working (not that it really worked in the first place), so do we stop? No, we just start doing something else, which is the funny part. Since I watched the first game and have absolutely no recollection of the second game (I was really drunk downtown and didn't get home until after 3:00, so I assume that I watched the game, but I don't remember the game even starting, let alone finishing), I figure that I need to watch the game live for the boys to win (which is ironic when you think of last year), so I watched the third game and we won. Looking for a repeat tonight...

 

I was actually reading an article about player superstitions earlier, but you can't compare a fan's superstition to that of a player, as the player's might actually do something to affect the game. If talking to his goalposts calmed Patrick Roy down, and relacing his skates before every game helped Ray Bourque clear his head, then who am I to argue...

 

And I don't expect to stop doing it anytime soon, especially since I need to keep my beard in case I get called up for game 5...

First round preview

Better late than never...

Everybody else has put their playoff picks for the first round already (and many for the eventual Stanley Cup champions), so I figured I had better post mine before its waaaay too late (but don't worry, even though the playoffs actually started last night, the results do not affect my original picks)...



Western Conference


(1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (8) Nashville Predators


This is probably the easiest matchup to predict of them all, although it does contain a few question marks. Do the Predators start Mason or Ellis in net? Is Hasek healthy enough to make it through a round without giving over the net to Osgoode? Will Nashville still be in the playoffs when David Legwand is ready to return to the ice? Can you imagine how many more people would be excited right now if the team was in Hamilton or Kitchener-Waterloo?


With the way that the Red Wings dominated the NHL this season, you can't help but pick them to run rough shod all over the Predators...


Detroit Red Wings over the Nashville Prey in 5 games (I'm thinking that Nashville will steal one somehow)...



(2) San Jose Sharks vs. (7) Calgary Flames

As Matt over at the Battle of Alberta has pointed out, the Flames are a pretty decent team when they aren't down a man or two (or up one in some cases). Since the playoffs tend to make the refs put their whistle away a little more (as they should), I think this actually bodes well for their chances. Sure they aren't exactly a high scoring powerhouse and for the most part may have played above their talent level for a few stretches this season, but there are a few players who still haven't turned it up to 11, and seem to be heading that way (I'm looking at you Kipper and Lombardi). They started the season off poorly, but have been looking ready as of late. Not to mention that the young guns of Nystrom, Hale, and Boyd look like they are finally getting the NHL game speed figured out (to my eyes anyway), so they shouldn't be nearly as easy to play against as they were to start the season (or even a few months ago)...

Everyone is talking about how the Sharks are a shoe-in to win the Western Conference since they dominated the last quarter of the season to pull within throwing distance of the Red Wings, but I'm not convinced of that in the least. Sure they played well, but who were they playing? They had an 18-0-2 stretch (they lost their last two games away after they'd clinched their playoff seeding), where they only won 2 games by more than 2 goals (4-1 over the Blues and 5-2 over the Kings), and 10 of those 18 wins were only by one goal. Their two overtime losses were to non-playoff teams, and 4 of those wins were against Eastern Conference teams who play a style that they won't see until the finals, if they can get there. I think these guys are more over-rated going into the playoffs than Brad Richards (he's making that much money because of what exactly?)...

I'd also take Mike Keenans playoff experience (I don't care how long ago it was) and general hockey knowledge over Ron Wilson's any day...

Calgary Flames over the San Jose Guppies in 6 games...

(3) Minnesota Wild vs. (6) Colorado Avalanche

I don't suppose that both of these teams could lose this one, eh? No? Well, I had to ask...

I can honestly say that I'm not cheering for either team in this one, as I steered pretty much clear of it in the playoff pools that I am in, mostly due to how close the series will be (which can most easily be seen by last night's game going to overtime). Colorado has more flash and star power, but no backend. Theodore has been almost lights out for the last month or so, but Backstrom has been consistently good all season. The Wild play a game that would bore a turtle, but they know how to control the game when they have the lead. Which is why I have to pick the Avalanche, as they seem to get all the bounces and I don't really see where Minnesota can protect a lead it can't get in the first place. But it'll be down to the wire...

Colorado Avalanche win over the Minnesota Tame in 7 games (come on, you knew it was coming)...

(4) Anaheim Ducks vs. (5) Dallas Stars

Gee, Todd Bertuzzi versus Mike Ribiero... I wonder which guy I'd rather cheer for...

Each of these teams actually has a special place in my hockey memories, the Ducks for screwing over the Oilers in the whole Chris Pronger debacle, and the Stars for owning the greasers for so many playoff series in the late 90's and early 00's (I don't what else to refer to that time frame as)...

This year though, I have no particularly warm feelings for either team, as one annoys the hell out of me and the other one bores the hell out of me. But a simple look at the team stats points out the glaring difficulty that Dallas has for scoring goals and J-S Giguere isn't going to make that any easier...

Anaheim MIGHTY Ducks send the Dallas Twinkles packing in 5 games (the name may have changed, but it just doesn't sound right)...

Eastern Conference


(1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (8) Boston Bruins

Alright, so apparently Boston has had a major problem with Les Habitants for the last year and and a half, which obviously leads me to think that that 'performance' will continue...

When I look at the Bruins lineup, regardless of all of the ex-Flames on it, I just don't see anything to make me think that Boston has what it takes to beat a powerful Montreal team that has been lighting it up for the last half of the season. They just don't have any fire power...

Montreal wins in 6

(2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (7) Ottawa Senators

As much as I respect what the Senators have done in the last five years (the series against the Leafs excepted), they just don't have the same team that made it to the Stanley Cup finals last season. They seem to have lost a fair bit of grit, which means that I don't think they have what it takes to beat a young, spirited team in the first round...

Pittsburgh in 6

(3) Washington Capitals vs. (6) Philadelphia Flyers

As much as I'm still not a believer in Ovechkin just yet, Huet has played phenomenally since he was acquired from the Habs, and the rise of Mike Green has been a huge boost to this young roster as well. As gritty as the Flyers are, I just think that the Capitals are destined to make it to the second round at the least...

Washington in 7

(4) New Jersey Devils vs. (5) New York Rangers

I'm not sure exactly what to say about this series, other than that the Rangers got 15 out of a possible 16 points in the series this season, so as much as I love Brodeur, I just know that the team from Manhattan seems to own the boys from across the Hudson...

Rangers in 6