Calgary Flames

Flames sign Glencross and name Feaster GM

May 16, 2011

The Calgary Flames signed Curtis Glencross to a four year $10.2 million deal today. Following this signing, the Flames made it official by finally stripping the “Acting” tag off of Jay Feaster’s GM role, and officially giving him the keys to the car. This officially marks the beginning of the Jay Feaster era in Calgary. First off: the Glencross signing. I was on record as saying that anything over $2.3 million a season for Glencross would be a bad signing for two reasons. One: I truly believed he would test he free agent market and receive well over that and I was worried the Flames would try and match some ridiculous offer to keep him and subsequently get trapped in another bad...

Craig Conroy: Common Denominator for Tangs and Glencross

May 2, 2011

Derrick Newman

2 Comments

A couple of notes on the Calgary Flames as the post season chugs on without them. The two players that rank as the highest priority for the Flames are obviously Alex Tanguay and Curtis Glencross. Both are UFA’s on July 1 and both players had very good seasons, albeit in quite different circumstances. Tanguay had a huge bounce back season, while Glencross had a career breakout season. In thinking about these two players, I think there is a player who recently retired who might be able to give these two players some wise counsel. I’m talking about Craig Conroy. Conroy thrived in Calgary upon his arrival in 2001. He put up 75 points in 81 games in his first full season – d...

Jay Feaster: Acting to be or not to be?

April 21, 2011

Derrick Newman

1 Comment

Jay Feaster, or Harry Jay Feaster to his mother, is primed to be the next general manger of the Calgary Flames. Feaster’s history with the game of hockey began in 1988 when he was a lawyer with McNees, Wallace, & Nurrick. He was assigned to deal with Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company who, by chance, owned the Hershey Bears of the AHL. To make a long story short, he joined the team soon after as the assistant to the team president and in 1990 was named the general manager. He was with the Bears for eight years and won AHL Executive of the Year in 1997 after the Bears won the Calder Cup. He joined the Tampa Bay Lightning as the assistant GM in 1998 behind Jacques Demers takin...

Calgary Flames Post Mortem

April 18, 2011

Derrick Newman

5 Comments

The Calgary Flames missed the playoffs. Again. That’s two in a row for people that are keeping track. After spending five straight seasons in the post-season the Flames have now fallen on tough times in the competitive Western Conference. The question on most people’s minds for the better part of the last 2 weeks is, simply put, why? Why did this team not make the playoffs? Why did it take so long for this team to come together? What exactly went wrong, and is the current direction of the team the right one? Well, here are my two cents on the season that was, whether you want to hear them or not. On July 1st, 2010, the Flames signed Olli Jokinen and Alex Tanguay. I appla...

Hope: It's a Horrible Thing

April 5, 2011

Derrick Newman

2 Comments

The general feeling that some desire will be fulfilled. This is the definition of hope and the general sentiment that most Calgary Flames fans have endured for quite some time now. Yes, their mathematical chances are extremely miniscule, but it’s difficult to give up hope even for the biggest cynics like myself if there is still a fighting chance. I find myself checking the standings nightly (not that this is uncommon) and analyzing every nuance of each team wondering if this happens, and then this happens, and then that happens, then the Flames would only have to win out and they would make it. What am I on? Someone must have roofied me. But it’s just that feeling th...

Flames are officially cooked

April 1, 2011

Derrick Newman

1 Comment

And that’s that. A two and a half month stretch of some impressive hockey collapses like a loosely formed house of cards in a matter of two weeks. As a result, the Calgary Flames will miss the playoffs for the second consecutive year. Despite going 16-5-1 from mid January to mid March, the Flames will be hitting the links and not the ice come April 13th. Last nights game just further intensified the disappointing sensation that was emanating through Flames nation over the past week. A disallowed goal that from every conceivable angle was actually in the net was the final straw. The ‘non-goal’ allowed the Ducks an opening and they quickly took a two-goal lead and all but drove...

Guest Writer: Jokinen Extinguishes The Flames

March 29, 2011

Jason Pietroniro

6 Comments

Very pleased to introduce the following guest writer. Kornburg is a memorabilia junkie. I met him through a friend on Twitter last week, and so far I've been impressed with everything he's shown me. Today, he's submitted a piece on the Calgary Flames, more specifically Olli Jokinen. Take a look. You can find Kornburg on Twitter at www.twitter.com/@kornburg _________________________________________________________________________ Greetings hockey fans. This is Kornburg and I am here to share with you my thoughts on why Olli Jokinen has never amounted to the superstar status he achieved in Florida, while also explaining why the Calgary Flames are going to miss the playoffs for ...

Flames have run out of time

March 26, 2011

Derrick Newman

0 Comments

Heading into tonight’s battle of Alberta the Flames have simply run out of options. They either win out, or they start the golf season early, and even then it probably won't be enough. How did it all come to this? On March 9th, after a 4-3 shootout win over the Dallas Stars, the Flames were sitting in a tie for fourth place and everyone in Calgary was talking about possibly getting home ice advantage in the first round, and not missing the dance entirely. The team was playing great. Spirits were high. It was a double-rainbow-across-the-sky kind of moment. Then, it all came crashing down four times faster than it took to begin. In a nutshell: They were shut out by the Coy...

Flames Playoff Hopes Fading

March 17, 2011

Derrick Newman

1 Comment

The Calgary Flames find themselves in a precarious position heading into tonight’s game against the mismanaged Colorado Avalanche. With two handfuls of games remaining on their schedule and 81 points to show for the 72 they have already played, the Flames realistically have to win at least seven of those remaining ten to give them 95 points and make the playoffs. That’ll just maybe squeeze them into 8th – any hope of 7th and higher, I believe, went out the window with their latest three game slide. So, tonight, much like the previous 20 or so games have been is a must win against an Avs team that has little if not zero life left in them after losing 21 of their last 23 games...

Flames beat Stars on back of Kiprusoff

March 10, 2011

Derrick Newman

10 Comments

On the wings of Mikka Kiprusoff the Calgary Flames escape from Dallas with two points. In a game that shouldn’t have even made it to the shootout -- you could argue for both the Flames and Stars on this point – the Flames kept their improbable run towards the playoffs afloat with a breathtaking victory. For the Flames a shorthanded breakaway in the first period by Alex Tanguay, when already leading 3-0, could have put the game out of reach if Tanguay had been able to convert. Instead, the Stars scored one late in the 1st and tied the game up in the middle of the third. The Flames were mightily outplayed in the 2nd (outshot 15-4 in the period) and, if it hadn’t been for Kiprusoff...