An epic clusterfuck

A nine to one loss to the San Jose Sharks. A five-game losing streak. What now?

The motherfucking Blackhawks, that's what.

I don't know how to respond to this; really, it's surreal to me that a team, only four points out of first place in its division, could play so poorly against a team that they are supposed to be competing with for one of the top spots in the Western conference. How a team, mere pennies away from the cap ceiling and stacked to the gills with supposed top-tier talent, can concede nine goals in a game, allowing fourty-six shots on goal, while answering with only one? How any group of NHL-calibre players can finish a single game with a combined rating of -18?

After losing a close one last night in Anaheim, not one single player on this team showed up focused and ready to play. It showed, as the Sharks exploited the Flames' barely-there defence and went all Harlem Globetrotters on their asses within minutes of the opening faceoff. This seems to be an ongoing problem with this team, no matter the coach, no matter the assortment of players. I'm not going to make accusations of character flaws, complacency, lack of commitment to winning, or off-ice distractions. All of those things are certainly possible, but petty nonetheless.

Brent Sutter offered up the same old diatribe as he does after each and every unflattering loss; they're embarrassed, he's speechless, there are "issues" that need to be resolved. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that if these "issues" haven't been resolved by the 50-game mark, they're not damn well getting resolved. And that's not Brent's fault; regardless of the "systems" he is preaching, these players know what they have to do, how they have to play, not only to be successful, but to win on a consistent basis. These guys are NHL players. They know what it takes to win, at any level. The problem is, they're not willing to do it nearly often enough.

The Flames have been "embarrassed" far too often for a team contending for a division title and a playoff spot, in my opinion. They blew a five to nothing lead to Blackhawks in October. Lost seven to one on home ice to the very same team in November. Turned in a listless effort at home in a five to one loss to the Canucks just last month. Hell, I found getting shutout one to nothing at home against the Predators embarrassing. This is beyond embarrassment; this is an epic clusterfuck.

How many "wake-up calls" does this team need? At this point, it appears they've OD'd on sleeping pills and the front desk at the hotel is closed. It's up to the players, the leaders, and management to see if they can be revived or not.

It's frustrating because Brent Sutter is not a bad coach, Darryl Sutter is not a bad general manager, and these are not bad players. So how do you explain this team's nosedive into mediocrity, unless they were simply overachieving until now?

I commend Darryl Sutter and Flames management for their ongoing commitment to building the best team possible. He's done almost everything in his power to build a winning franchise, and hasn't gotten the desired results. It must be discouraging to watch the team you thought could compete with the league's best flounder. Cap management issues and failure to address the team's scoring needs aside, he has dragged this organization back to respectability, and it appears that he's done all he can do. I think it might be time for him to move on.

Is a trade really going to fix things, or just act as a band-aid solution? A hasty deal can't be done in order to appease impatient fans. If a trade is going to be made, it has to make sense for the team going forward, beyond the end of this season, and will likely occur at the deadline or the draft. Do we trust the management team's judgement after the way the Jokinen deal turned out? If this losing streak has taught us anything, it's that this team's problems aren't going to fix themselves, that the bounces maybe aren't going to even out over time like people were saying mere days ago, and that even consistent good play can't be counted on to produce results.

We are in a world of hurt here and don't have a glorified history to fall back on. In a small, Canadian market with a hockey-crazed fan base that wants a winning team, what is there to lose? The Flames built on the momentum of one successful season and dragged it on for as long as humanly possible. Clearly, that is no way to build a team that is going to be consistently competitive in the future.

Am I suggesting that the Flames hire a new general manager, scrap everything, and rebuild? No, there are some very good players on this team and others that they could probably do without, but when you're not getting results, changes have to be made, and not just to the coaching staff. Maybe tanking the remainder of the season in hopes for a shot at Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin isn't such a bad idea after all. Then again, the Flames would probably use their pick to draft some unheard-of centreman with hands of stone because of his "size."

I am envious of Oilers, Senators, and Leafs fans. You know what you're getting, straight up: a shitty team that probably isn't going to make the playoffs. What do we get? A team that parades around like a big tease, looking all shiny and promising and talented, only to prove year after year that it's nothing but a facade. False advertising. And every year we fall for it, buy into the hype, ignore the warning signs, only to have our hearts broken yet again. The Flames are the man-eaters of the NHL.

You'd think we'd know better by now, but alas, our vision is clouded by unconditional love for a franchise with little indication of long-term improvement and/or gratification. Such is the plight of a sports fan, I suppose.

I don't know what the solution to the Flames' problems are. I don't really know anything apart from the fact that, for some reason unbeknownst to me, I love this team and want them to do well. Any decision that somehow facilitates that is alright with me.

Somehow, this post has transitioned from unadulterated anger to quiet acceptance. Funny how that happens.

Chicago on Thursday.

Cheer when they're up, cheer harder when they're down. And boy, are they ever down.

Go Flames Go.

3/6 Canadian coaches and John Tortorella are really f--ing pissed

Brent Sutter joined Pat Quinn and Ron Wilson in a trifecta of angry bench bosses North of the border in his post-game tirade after the Flames' 3-2 loss to the cellar-dwelling Blue Jackets. It wasn't quite on par with a John Tortorella-esque profanity-laced meltdown, but it ranked pretty high on the Brent Sutter Surliness Meter. Watch the video, since I can't be bothered to type it out verbatim:

Everyone wants a consistent, predictable hockey team. We want to know that they are going to come out and play a specific style of game every night, and when they don't, they'll do it the next night. Coming from New Jersey, one of the most consistent franchises of all time, this situation is obviously new to Sutter. Sure, there was an adjustment period when he took over coaching duties and the team learnt his "systems," but they still earned a 46-29-7 record, good for ninety-nine points, in 2007-08. The season after that? Even better; the Devils went 51-27-4 with 106 points in a year where Martin Brodeur missed a good chunk of the season due to injury.

The New Jersey franchise has long been the picture of success and consistency. The players within the organization know what is expected of them night in and night out: to be responsible defensively and still score enough goals to beat the opposition. This is not an uncommon philosophy, and one that the Sutter brothers clearly share. Players that have been in Calgary long enough--Iginla, Conroy, Langkow, Regehr--know that this is what is expected of them. What else can a coach or a general manager do or say to reinforce this? The onus really is on the players.

The fact of the matter is, this team simply isn't talented enough to live up to the lofty expectations placed upon it. They are not built to excel in the regular season, nevermind the playoffs. From the crease to the blueline, sure, but even then I have my doubts, namely about Robyn Regehr's health and Dion Phaneuf's career potential. Up front is where the real problems begin. Anything more than the production we are currently seeing from the forwards is simply overachievement, as we learnt at the beginning of the season. Sure, the defence could chip in a little more, but that's not what they're there for. Your top-six guys are supposed to carry the team, and the bottom six guys are meant to provide supplementary scoring when the big guns can't get it done. As of now, not a single forward on this team is fulfilling their role. The fact that the Flames don't really have much of a distinction between top-six and bottom-six on their roster outside of three, maybe four forwards is where the situation gets even more convoluted.

I am well aware that the Flames aren't the only team in the league with this problem. If they had a real first line that didn't rely on offensive production from AHL call-ups, they might be able to mask the problem a little better. While a trade for a top-six forward still seems like the most viable solution to this team's problems, there is still the matter of said forward finding chemistry with teammates and fitting into the lineup at his desired position. Sometimes, that doesn't happen (ie: Tanguay, Jokinen). The Flames seem to have bad luck in trading for the aforementioned coveted first-liner, and Cammalleri was really the only one that had success in that position, but Darryl screwed that one up royally when he acquired Jokinen at last year's trade deadline.

I don't want to perpetuate any rumours circulating out there on the web, but if there is any truth to the claims that scouts from several teams have been in attendance at some of the Flames' recent games, a deal could be more imminent than anyone in the organization is willing to let on. The Flames' well documented surplus in defencemen fuels speculation that a blueliner could be on the move, in return for some scoring help. Then again, Hockey Buzz has Olli Jokinen on the move to Nashville, which I would truly love to believe.

As for tonight's game, the Flames had some bad puck luck and the stats weren't all that bad (I think), but their effort wasn't near good enough in all zones. Too many turnovers, odd-man rushes, lax defensive coverage, not enough shots on goal, and bad decisions with the puck all added up to a Flames loss; their second in a row and second to a non-playoff team. These are invaluable points, up for grabs against a team that shouldn't be beating the Flames at all, never mind in their own building.

If this was all they could muster against the Blue Jackets, I hate to imagine what the end result of tomorrow's game in Vancouver (8PM, CBC) will be. Playing a rested Canucks team that has gone 11-1-2 in their past fourteen games, boasting the league's hottest line, on the second night of back-to-backs on the road undoubtably equals one massive failure. I'm considering taking bets on the over/under for how many goals the Sedin-Sedin-Burrows line will score in the first period alone. I'm past the point where I hope for miracles against good teams, or hope to be pleasantly surprised by this team's performance. I usually know when to expect a win, and when to expect a loss. The Flames' upcoming schedule will not be kind to them in terms of results, and as hard as I'm trying to accept that, I know I'll still be disappointed when they lose; and that's the worst part of it all.

Being a fan is not an easy job. Trying to put it into words is even harder.

Go Flames Go.

Sutter hints at character deficiencies in another loss to the Avs

If there was a shouting match after the game the last time the Flames played the Avs, the walls of the visitor's dressing room at the Pepsi Centre must have been shaking violently following this one. At least Adrian Dater thinks it's funny.

Another half-hearted effort by most involved (with the exception of #34 and #17) culminated in another frustrating loss to a division opponent tonight, when the Flames had yet another opportunity to take over sole possession of first place in the Northwest.

I turned the game off after the first period when I realized that it was likely going to be an exact replica of their 2-1 overtime loss to the Wild on Friday night, so there's not much I can say about it. After two games at home against the Avs in which the Flames probably deserved better fates, they got exactly what they deserved tonight in Denver. Once again, defensive breakdowns and offensive ineptitude sunk this team. On the last two Colorado goals, Stewart and Tucker were allowed to stand uncontested at the side of the Flames net, getting two or three clear chances before scoring.

The Flames defenders seem to think that it's illegal to tie up an opposing forward in front of the net, block a shot, or do anything that might possibly help out their poor goaltender, who is only playing the best hockey of his career and allowed more than two goals in a game for the first time in nearly a month. Jay Bouwmeester was -2 and all other d-men except Regehr (-1) were even, which essentially speaks to how bad the defensive situation was.

This game actually started off well, and the Flames had a few good scoring chances on which they failed to capitalize before the parade to the penalty box began. Undisciplined play resulted in five straight trips to the sin bin, including a double minor awarded to Curtis Glencross for high-sticking, and managed to kill off all but one two-man advantage, on which Wojtek Wolski scored. The penalty killing, now second in the league on the road, remains a high point for the Flames, but it hasn't exactly been successful in limiting its opponents shots on goal lately, as the Flames surrendered twenty to the Avalanche in the first period alone, most of which they spent short-handed.

After the first period, the Flames and Avs registered an even fifteen shots a piece, but Colorado made the most of their opportunities. Mark Giordano scored on a powerplay (!) with six minutes left to make the score 3-2, and the Flames were left to scramble for the tying goal. In the dying seconds of the game, Jarome Iginla, who is once again feeling the heat after a six-game scoring drought, broke his stick in an attempt to fire home what appeared to be a perfect pass from Bouwmeester.

Bad luck? Perhaps, but this game was over long before the final five minutes of the third period, and the Flames now find themselves in an 0-3 hole against a team they are competing with for the division lead. This team has to make their own luck by playing their style of game, which seems to have run off the rails recently. They started to get back to it in the third, but as we all know, twenty minutes of hockey just doesn't cut it most nights.

After the game, Sutter said he felt that the Flames' play from their last game against Minnesota carried over into tonight's contest; when asked why he thought that was, he replied "I don't want to get into it." Sutter seemed to be at somewhat of a loss for words during the post-game media scrum, clearly disappointed in the effort level of his club in what he believed was a very important game. Cryptic character critiques from the Bench Boss are nothing new; we heard it after the last loss to Colorado, and after that blowout loss to the Hawks on home ice. It remains to be seen if this one will have the desired effect.

The Flames stumble into St. Louis for Brett Hull Night on Tuesday sporting a less than impressive 2-3-1 record in the month of December. The Blues have lost four straight games at home, so naturally something's gotta give. The good news is that the Flames still have three games in hand on the Avs and sit only two points behind them in the standings; let's hope they make the most of it.

Words of wisdom

In one interview, Brent Sutter hit the nail on the head, taking the first step in addressing an issue that has been dogging the Calgary Flames and their fans for years.

“This isn’t just something that just happened tonight. We just happened to play a very talented team tonight. This has been something that has been addressed with this group since Day 1, that there’s too much inconsistency in their game. The reason why there’s too much inconsistency in their game is because there’s too much inconsistency with individuals wanting to stay with it for 60 minutes."

“When it’s a consistent thing and you have to continue to do it to get them through it, and continue to push — is it something you like to do at this level as a head coach? No, it isn’t, but something has to be done, obviously, with this group. And as a staff we’re prepared to do that and we’ve been focused in on doing that."

“But at some point as individuals they’ve got to want to take it. They gotta want to take it and say, let’s start holding ourselves accountable, let’s start being accountable to one another. Let’s start getting a little upset with each other when guys aren’t playing well. Let’s start pushing them."

“But everything is, personally I don’t like that it’s too casual. I’m not used to it to be quite honest. I’m not used to a casual atmosphere. There needs to be a lot more emotion throughout, on a consistent basis, to want to succeed. And get upset about stuff. Don’t just take it in stride like there’s another day tomorrow.”

--Brent Sutter after the Flames' 7-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, Flames Insider

This comes only a day after reports of a heated argument between Coach Sutter and Dion Phaneuf surfaced after the Flames' 3-2 loss to the Avalanche, and less than day after Brent Sutter reassured the media that lack of passion and emotion was not an issue in the Flames' dressing room.

Before this article was even written, Olli Jokinen illustrated his coach's point perfectly after the morning skate by saying this:

"I think I have seven or eight times I hit the post so far this year, if half of those would’ve gone in, nobody would be questioning anything."

Instead of acknowledging that he has to play better, work harder, make a conscious effort to get more involved in the game, Olli Jokinen blames the innocent red metal goal post for his failings.

This was supposed to change.

Mike Keenan was hired to fix this.

Brent Sutter was hired to fix this.

It's about time this stops being the coach's problem to fix.

It seems unfair to generalize, to say that the players on this team don't care; obviously they want to play well and they want to win, but this team has played with a causal, almost lazy indifference for years now that should be reserved for consistently successful franchises like the Detroit Red Wings. Wins should come easy and often, and losses should be accepted by fans, no matter how bad, because we're lucky to have a winning team that makes the playoffs regularly. But even they don't stoop to this level. This team is a facade that has been parading around the league with a sense of entitlement and a sparkling 12-6-2 record that they arguably don't deserve, and the Blackhawks exposed that tonight.

The fact that this Flames team has not beaten a team above them in the standings speaks volumes, and the 7-1 blowout loss they suffered at the hands of the Chicago Blackhawks should be considered flattering.

The Blackhawks are a team that is perhaps the polar opposite of the Flames, despite the fact that they sit only two points above them in the Western Conference standings. The Hawks are an original six franchise with a history of success. After years of losing and slipping attendance figures, this team has worked its way back to the top by building a culture of hard-working, youthful enthusiasm composed of energetic players willing to do whatever it takes to win.

The Blackhawks are young and simply excited to be playing in the NHL, in front of a rejuvinated fan base, and they don't take anything for granted. They will punish you for being lazy and indifferent with their speed, strength, and sheer determination, just like they have done to the Flames. In 2004, a Flames team lacking talent and star power made it to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final on a foundation of consistent effort and team work. I shudder to think what this far younger, more talented Chicago team is capable of.

So what can we do to change this? Is it going to take years of being Western Conference cellar-dwellers for a Blackhawks-esque Flames team to emerge? What will it possibly take to make these players, supposedly the best of the best, understand? To motivate them to be better night in and night out, to want to play and win for each other?

An NHL head coach shouldn't have to drill these basic elements of the game into the heads of his players before and after every game. Until this is no longer necessary, the Flames cannot be considered a contending team, no matter their position in the standings.

Hockey is a team game, and sometimes you can escape with the "W" even when some players didn't chip in, but the success won't be real and it won't last long; this seems to be what the Flames are currently experiencing.

At the end of the interview, Brent Sutter delivered this cryptic blow to Flames fans that finally answered that nagging question in the back of all our minds:

(A reporter then asked if there was a problem with leadership in the dressing room.)

“There’s things that I don’t want to discuss, but I know. I know what they are. But we are trying to deal with it.
“It starts with your top players and works on down.”

It goes without saying that a loss of this magnitude is unacceptable. Players will go through the motions in the media; they'll say they're embarrassed and that they have to play better and stick to their game plan. If things improve, this game will be considered a wake-up call and a pivotal turning point in the Flames' season; if things go South, it will be considered a turning point for different reasons. The real effects of this loss will be seen in the response of the players on this team in upcoming games, specifically the "core" group.

Jarome Iginla, Robyn Regehr, Miikka Kiprusoff, Daymond Langkow, Craig Conroy--your leadership has been challenged. Your character has been challenged. It's up to you to respond. You either rise to the challenge or shrink away, and if the latter occurs, changes have to be made.

To top off this crap-tastic evening, Rene Bourque, one of the team's lone consistent contributors, left the game in the second period after taking a hit in the chest/shoulder area.

I don't think Blingees can bust this slump.

Why do I feel like this is only the beginning of the Flames' problems?

R.I.P. defence, among other things

The Calgary Flames have given me little to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, apart from the fact that I managed to keep my turkey dinner down after learning the result of tonight's game.

The Flames came charging out of the gate on Thanksgiving/Columbus Day at the United Centre and scored five goals in just 5:29 in the first period. They entered the first intermission with a healthy four-goal lead, despite being outshot 16-10. The Flames, under the impression that the game was over, then packed up and went back to their hotel for a nice turkey dinner. The End. Little did they know, there was still two periods of hockey left to be played. The Blackhawks made the most of their opponents' disappearing act, scoring four unanswered goals to tie the game up at five, outshooting the visitors 40-20 in the process. They then went on to score the winner just 0:26 into overtime, on only their second shot of the short sudden-death period.

I return from a lovely weekend in Victoria and this is how Calgary decides to welcome me home? Frigid weather and news of the Flames blowing a huge lead and losing in overtime to the Blackhawks, one of the only teams outside of the Northwest Division that I hold such a high level of disdain for? What a shitty day to be a Calgary sports fan. Should we have been expecting this after a 4-0 start lulled us into a false sense of security? Yes, we probably should have seen the signs, heeded Coach Sutter's warnings. Shouldn't this team be improving every game, on their way to becoming the hard-nosed, defensive-minded squad that plays tough at both ends of the ice, the one that the GM and the new coaching staff promised we would see this off-season?

Instead, they are getting wildly outshot almost every game, giving up far too many good quality scoring chances, and are not playing anything that remotely resembles the physical, puck-possession game emphasized by the Sutters. I don't know what the hell is wrong with this team. I don't know why they become completely submissive when holding any sort of lead or why they can't play "Flames hockey" for sixty minutes, I don't know why they can't win a faceoff, I don't know what is wrong with Robyn Regehr, and I certainly don't know why the first line isn't clicking; but I do know that any team hoping to contend for a division title, a playoff spot, let alone a Stanley Cup Championship cannot blow a five goal lead and go on to lose the game in overtime. I don't want to come off as a drama queen, overreacting to every loss and every setback, but with the results of the last two games combined, I'm unnerved to say the least.

I don't really know how to treat this loss...a lesson to be learned, a fluke, a sign of things to come? Right now I still can't really believe it happened, even though scoring five quick goals seemed too good to be true, especially against a team like the Blackhawks, I hoped, however foolishly, that the good guys would emerge unscathed and victorious. I would like to have hope that the Flames will use this game as motivation, that they will come out flying and turn in a convincing effort against Steve Mason and the Blue Jackets tomorrow night (5 PM MT), but I can't seem to find any reason to at the moment.

I suppose we will see what this team is really made of tomorrow night. Will they come out kicking ass and taking names to avenge this embarrassing loss, or will they give up and fold like a broken lawn chair? I would very much like to believe the former.

The fact that two of the Flames' top-six forwards (Moss and Dawes) are now injured and Curtis McElhinney will likely get the start tomorrow night after Kiprusoff's 34-save performance does little to ease the feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach. The only positive I can extract from this steaming mess is that it happened in October and not April, which means there is still plenty of time for Brent Sutter to open up a can of whoop-ass forceful enough to ensure that this NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to pop a few Advil and go to bed.

A shit-kicking from the Oilers always stings

Whether it occurs during the pre-season, regular season, or playoffs, it just plain sucks.

As you all know by now, the Flames prospect squad got their asses handed to them in their first pre-season test against a more experienced and better prepared Oilers team. I was unable to watch/listen to the game as I was partaking in a lovely dinner date/catch-up sesh with my girlfriends and fellow bloggers Sanja and Brittany, so I don't have first-hand knowledge of what went down last night, but I did my best to stay updated via Twitter. I was perusing Matchsticks and Gasoline, Calgary Puck, and the Flames game blog on the team website for post-game reports and here are my findings:

- Boyd looked good, as per usual in pre-season play. Moss was above average, Dawes was completely invisible. Overall disappointing outing for three players hoping to crack the top-six

- PP was terrible (surprised?) and went 1-8 on the night. According to Sutter Jr., they haven't really practiced the powerplay yet. Good.

- Stralman was solid and impressed viewers with his smooth-skating, until an errant pass led to an empty net goal and sealed the victory for the Oil. Played big minutes with fellow Swede Kronwall

- Colin Stuart is fast, but not much else

- Matt Keetley will likely be an AHLer for life

- Differing perspectives on Chucko, Greentree, and Lundmark, who set up the Flames' only goal

- Jason Jaffray scored the Flames' only goal

- As predicted, there were two fights in this game, one involving Prust and Stortini hoping to impress with a display of goonery

- The Flames took bad penalties at inopportune times and couldn't capitalize on their chances

- Adam Pardy didn't handle the pressure of being one of the lone "veterans" in the lineup all that well, and ended the game a -2. Pelech was also -2

- Negrin and Palin weren't especially noticeable on defence

- Eric Nystrom is all talk and no action

Yes, it is pre-season. Yes, it was good to get a feel for what these prospects are capable of at the NHL level. Yes, the result was to be expected. I just hate losing to Edmonton under any circumstances.

Up Next: John Tavares and the Islanders hit the 'Dome tomorrow night for their second game in as many days. I think it's safe to say we'll see a few more regulars sprinkled into the lineup on Thursday; expect Theo Fleury to draw big crowds as he tries to earn a job with the team that drafted him twenty-two years ago.

The Tweet heard around the World

ESPN's John Buccigross has become an internet sensation in a matter of hours, all thanks to an innocent twitter update pertaining to a pending trade involving Dany Heatley (who else?) He wouldn't be the first to set blogger's tongues wagging on the topic, and certainly won't be the last. Mere hours after the news broke, the general managers of all three teams involved were in full-fledged damage control, with responses ranging from Dean Lombardi's eloquent and well-versed "complete bull," to Murray's quick-and-to-the-point "it's simply not true," to Wilson's highly dramatic "it's an absolute fabrication."

While it is unlikely this deal will actually come to fruition, the Senators later added fuel to the fire by announcing that Heatley will not be attending a team golf tournament on Friday, encouraging speculation that the much maligned winger will indeed be dealt by tomorrow. Another evening spent chasing details on a rumour that turned out to be false...such is the life of a hockey blogger. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. When will we learn not to trust ESPN's "sources" for hockey news and rumours?

Lost amidst all the Heatley trade talk, former Flame Theoren Fleury was reinstated by the NHL today after a meeting with Gary Bettman and Bill Daly. Six years after Fleury was forced into retirement due to violation of the league's substance abuse policy, the NHL has opened its doors to the fiesty 41-year-old, who has now been sober for four years. While this is a great feel-good story and certainly a welcome distraction from the Bettman vs. Balsille courtroom drama, the fragile state of the NHLPA, and Heatley's next possible trade destination, the question remains: will any GM actually take a chance on the pint-sized pest?

Fleury says he has received interest from teams, but "doesn't want to name the cities without their consent." With only a few days remaining until training camp opens for most teams, there is still a chance Fleury could receive an invitation. Who knows, he just may be the Bill Guerin to your Penguins, the Joe Nieuwendyk to your Dallas Stars or...I don't really know where I'm going with this, but what I mean to say is he could turn out to be that missing piece that pushes the team that signs him over the hump.

Unlikely, but possible. Then again, hasn't that been the story of Fleury's NHL career to this day?

Trouble brewing in the Windy City

I am not going to pretend for a second that I understand the internal workings of the NHLPA or exactly what motivated Eric Lindros and his cronies to kick Paul Kelly's caboose out onto the cold Chicago pavement early this morning, but I do know that these are two images I never want to see again:

 

That's enough to instill fear in the heart of any hockey fan. 

The NHL, especially in the United States, is only just recovering from the-year-that-shall-not-be-named, and teams that were previously on the brink like Chicago, Pittsburgh, Washington, and St. Louis are now able to compete again. The current CBA expires after the 2011-2012 season, and another work stoppage would not only reverse the progress this league has made, but would surely compromise its already fragile state down south. 

Two lockouts less than a decade apart does not look good on any league's resume, especially one that relies on such a small number of teams for the majority of its revenue. Surely the reconstructed version of the NHL, barely 5 years old, can't be in need of an overhaul already? I sure hope the PA finds the headstrong-take-no-prisoners leader they're looking for, because if they don't, it may be back to drawing board yet again. 

And you thought the off-season was boring.  

NHL Countdown: 31 days