Life Support

The Flames beat the Avalanche 2-1 tonight and I had the pleasure to watch this game. Flames had a pretty solid third period, but they didn't show much desperation throughout the night as if they have already given up hope. If it wasn't for Kipper holding the fort in the 2nd period, the Flames surely would have lost. He probably made half a dozen great saves and scrambles and kept them in the game. On another note, Erik Johnson is a bum. He had three MAJOR turnovers in his own end trying to clear the puck. If I was Joe Sacco I'd sac him right in the nads. Chicago also lost so the Flames still have the life support, although their heart rate is dropping fast and are in comatose and their IV drip is running out and the nurses and doctors are understaffed and overworked and they got struck with antibiotic resistance bacteria. GO FLAMES GO -Hal

Iggy joins the 1000 point club

Congrats Iggy on getting 1000 points last night on April 1, 2011!

He is now only 1 goal away from hitting the 40 goal mark after an absolutely dreadful start to the season. As great as Iggy has been playing, I think that playing with Alex Tanguay all year long as really helped him. Hopefully he can continue pushing on if Tangs decides to leave in the offseason.

On a purely selfish note, I wanted him to get his 1000th point in Denver when I am there on Sunday so I could have seen it live and chanted IGGY IGGY IGGY. Oh well, beggars can't be choosers.

The Flames have increased their playoff chances to 0.8% according to NHLclubstats

http://www.sportsclubstats.com/NHL/Western/Northwest/Flames.html

What a roller coaster ride of a season.

So with the Flames pretty much out, I call upon FLAMES NATION to jointly take all your anger, sorrow, despair, hatred, and all negative emotions you feel after this season and direct it upon the Vancouver Canucks. Those little bitches can't win a Cup. If they do, the Vancouverites who have infested our great city will never let us hear the end of it.

"Oh, but I want Canada to get the cup" you say. Well I say "50% of all players are Canadian so it doesn't even matter, and we just won the most important Gold Medal Olympic game in the history of the entire universe. Vancouver probably has the LEAST amount of Canadians on their active roster anyways, so if you are truly patriotic, you will cheer AGAINST them.

Seriously, they can't. They got to lose. I don't care what round, I don't care against who, but I will be cheering like a mahf on Barry Bonds' steroids for the opposing team.

I'm not disrespecting Canucks are a team, since they are clearly very good. #1 goals scored, goals against, PP, top goaltender, already locked down presidents trophy when nobody in the west has even locked down a playoff spot; they have had a superb season.

Which makes it all the more fun if they get bounced in the first round.

Maybe I'm on crack like Theo though.

-Hal

Kotalik? More like, Kotareek

Ales Kotalik is a pretty terrible player. When he is on his game, he is known by the media and peers as Kotadeke. This occurs less than a blue moon. When he is his usual self, he is known as Kotareek.

So how bad is he?

1)He got sent down to the minors again after six games even though we have Morrison, Moss, and Hagman on IR

2) He's so bad that Daymond Langkow, who has been out for over a year and just got back from a broken spine, may be inserted in the lineup over him

3) He is almost 50% on the Shootout but Coach Sutter is still too unconfident to use him as a shootout specialist

4) We wish he could score more so we could hear the song "Call on Me" played in the Dome

5) He's so bad he makes Moss look like a real NHLer

6) Remember when he knocked Vinny Lecalvier on his ass in his 2nd game then got ejected? How come he doesn't do that anymore. He also never uses his boomer of a slap shot

7) You would have to trade someone with value just to get rid of him

8) WE STILL HAVE HIM ON THE BOOKS FOR ANOTHER YEAR FOR 3 MILLION DOLLARS.

9) He has one of the highest dollar per point ratio in the league. A whopping 500,000 per point.

10) He has 7 goals in 1.5 seasons with the Flames

-Hal

Flames Offseason Moves

If the Flames fail to make the 2011 playoffs, there will probably be a major overhaul in the organization. For one thing, two of our key members : Tanguay and Glencross, are UFAs and one can expect them to a) Ask for a pay increase and b) Decent contract extension 3-4 years. I'm not sure we have the money to do that.

Assuming we don't re-sign these two players;
In the 2011/2012 Season our top Forwards will be

1) Iginla
2) Jokinen
3) Bourque
4) Langkow
5) Giordano

Giordano isn't even a forward but our team would be so pathetic that he would still be the 5th best forward.

At least we will have Steve "Pylon" Staois off the books. However, I don't think Flames should go out for any A-list free agents this summer. Keep it simple, stupid and grab some decent cheap plugs for the time being.

The 2012/2013 season is when Langkow, Sarich, Jokinen, Kotareek, Fagman all come off the books. We will have so much room that summer to go and splurge/splooge on free agents and help build a contender.

Wow actually have you seen the 2011 UFA List? As predicted by BoWC two years ago - the free agent crop has withered because of long contracts and is actually the most depressing thing I have ever seen. The only major star is Brad Richards, but we all know he will suck next year anyways.

I say the Flames sign David Backes. He'd be a good fit on our team : 3 years at 3 million. Do it.
Chuck Kobasew is a UFA. I will be routing for him to resign to become the superstar he was projected to be in NHL 2005.

http://www.mynhltraderumors.com/2010/06/01/2011-unrestricted-nhl-free-agents/

-Hal