With 3 pre-season wins under their belt, a slimmed down roster and some new faces on the ice, the Calgary Flames appear to be headed in the right direction – winning, that is…
But there is still the nagging question that all Flames fans seem to have: Will this team be any better than last year’s… or the one from the season prior?
The Flames still have the same core of Jarome Iginla, Dion Phaneuf, Miikka Kiprusoff and Daymond Langkow, and this year they’ve gotten rid of some lemons (Tanguay and Huselius) and added some other players that they hope will put some pucks in the opponents net.
Joining the Calgary Flames this season are Mike Cammalleri, Rene Bourque, Andre Roy, and Curtis Glencross. Also (as I’m sure you already know) GM Darryl Sutter signed Todd Bertuzzi, to the dismay of several fans.
Now that a couple months have gone by, and I’ve had time to calm down I’m not so disappointed. I’ve seen his first games in a Calgary Flames Jersey and big # 7 doesn’t looks so out-of-place. He’s been contributing offensively, and seems to have found some chemistry with a few of his teammates.
In fact, all 5 of the Flames new forwards have found the back of the net in pre-season action at least once… and some more than that. So as a die-hard Flames fan, I’m not so disappointed anymore. I’m ready to cheer them on and see what they can do in 2008-2009.
I’ll surely be watching what happens to Alex Tanguay in Montreal and Kristian Huselius in Columbus… not to mention keeping a closer eye on Owen Nolan and the Minnesota Wild this season.
In any case, I’m stoked for the ’08-’09 season and I’m ready for the regular season to begin!!!
Greg is the founder of Red Mile Blog has been following the Flames through good times and bad since they arrived in Calgary in the early 80s. He has written hundreds of articles on the Flames since 2005 and considers himself an expert on hockey inconsistency and frustration. He shoots right and usually plays defence, but has been known to jump up in the rush. He is a 2-time CAHL men's league champion and knows the sweet taste of beer from a Cup.
