The Hockey programming executives at TSN must be kicking themselves tonight. After broadcasting the Leafs-Rangers game (final score 7-0 Rangers), they featured the Flames-Wild game which ended in a similar score: 6-0 for the Wild. There was a lot of scoring on TV tonight, but it was pretty crappy hockey all around from both Canadian teams.
The Flames continued their streak of inconsistent futility. After a relatively successful road trip where they got 6 out of 8 points, they returned home tonight and put on a stink show for their fans. The Flames went down by 2 goals early in the first period and couldn’t muster any offence to mount a comeback. They didn’t really look like they were trying, though.
The Flames didn’t really start playing until the 2nd period, (after a stern talking-to from Brent Sutter). They came out with some jump and put a bit of effort into the game until Curtis Glencross took a 5-minute major penalty for running Clayton Stoner into the boards from behind (more on this coming…). The Flames managed to kill the entire 5 minutes, and seemed to get a bit of a jump from the massive PK. But it wasn’t meant to be and their momentum fizzled and eventually died when John Madden scored late in the second period.
The Third period was a sorry affair for the Flames and their fans. Mikka Kiprusoff wasn’t able to stop anything and let in three more goals before the game was over. Cal Clutterbuck, Chuck Kobasew and Martin Havlat all scored in the 3rd period to make the final score 6-0 for the Wild. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to learn that the Flames were booed off the ice.
As bad as the game was, the worst part of it was Glencross’ hit on Stoner. It was a stupid hit that should never have happened and I’m sure that Glencross will pay the price for it; not on the ice, but off it. With a suspension pretty much a foregone conclusion, Curtis will be joining Tom Kostopolous in the press box for a few games. How much? It’s anyone’s guess. In case you missed it, here is the video:
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.
