Most hockey pundits, when referring to the Flames' 1998-99 season -
or, more precisely, how it ended - would doubtless succumb to the
urge to use the same tired old cliches: 'Flames Burn Out...',
'Flames Fizzle...', 'Flame-Out...', etc.
Not me, though. As a matter of fact, the first thing that came to
mind for me was "Aw crap". Why? Because of the way the season ended
for the Flames. Now, the casual NHL fan might wonder why it should
be disappointing. After all, the '99 Flames ended up with a record
similar to the '97 and '98 Flames, i.e. a clutch of games under
.500 and no post-season. But the numbers didn't tell the whole
story this time around. In years past, Calgary would be out of
playoff contention by the All-Star break, then play respectably,
albeit unspectacularly, in March and April. But this year...this
year was different.
Come the All-Star Weekend, the Flames were still in the hunt, which
put manager Al Coates in a seriously tough position concerning one
Theoren Fleury. Should he hold onto the team's top scorer for the
rest of the season, then lose him for nothing (okay, a second-round
pick) to unrestricted free agency? Should he deal Fleury to a
contender for futures, and thereby write off the rest of the
season? Coates chose the latter course, but with a stipend: not
only did he acquire prospect Robyn Regehr and a conditional draft
pick, but he also picked up versatile forward Rene Corbet, who was
expected to - and did - help fill the goal-scoring void created by
Theo's departure. Still, what Coates and coach Brian Sutter were
counting on was for their young charges to step up and be counted,
figuratively speaking.
And, for one marvelous month-long stretch, they did. In particular,
Pavel Bure's kid brother, Valeri, took advantage of the additional
ice time and went on a tear, scoring a dozen goals in the final
quarter of the season (for the mathematically challenged such as
myself, that translates into 40+ over a full season). With two
weeks to go in the season, Calgary moved past Edmonton and into the
eighth spot. Four of their remaining seven games were against their
arch-rivals to the north. And that's where the disappointment comes
in.
To be fair, the Flames didn't end up losing those crucial games
against Edmonton due to a lack of effort or lack of guts. Anybody
lacking in either doesn't play on a Sutter-coached team. Nope, they
lost because of the obvious reasons: they didn't score enough, and
they gave up too many goals. A slew of injuries - particularly to
the defensive corps, which played one game with just one healthy
veteran blueliner - didn't help matters. But whatever the reasons,
the Flames got hopes up in Calgary, and then, um, snuffed them out.
And that, you know, sucks.
Team MVP
|
Rene Corbet
by Meredith Martini
|
Al Coates. While a number of players - Jarome Iginla, Cory
Stillman, and Phil Housley among them - acquitted themselves well,
no one guy really stood out. That's why I went with the GM, if only
for the fact that he took a no-win situation (the Fleury trade) and
almost made it work. While the Flames didn't make the playoffs,
they played well enough that it would be tough to make a case that
having Fleury would have made the difference. Now the Flames have
Rene Corbet to play on one of their top two lines, plus hardrock
blue-line prospect Robyn Regehr and what might turn out to be a
first round pick in 2000. And that's not bad, considering the
alternative was a compensatory second-rounder. He also managed to
get Calgary's top center prospect, Daniel Tkaczuk, under contract;
by all accounts, it was a tough signing. Those, combined with a
pretty solid 1998 entry draft, equals one MVP award.
Surprise
Freddy Brathwaite, as if there was any doubt. After two
seasons in the IHL and part of this season with the Canadian
National Team, former Edmonton prospect Brathwaite played his first
NHL game since April of 1996...and then played 27 more for the
goalie-injury-plagued Flames (they used five others during the
1998-99 season), compiling a 2.45 GAA (19th in the NHL) and 91.5%
SP (12th, and ahead of such vaunted names as Curtis Joseph, Mike
Richter, and Chris Osgood). Now the Flames just have to figure out
what to do with him next year: use him as Ken Wregget's backup? Let
Wregget go and let Freddy tandem with J. S. Giguere? Expose him in
the Expansion Draft? Whatever happens, let's hope Freddy is still
in the NHL next year- he's earned it.
Disappointment
No surprises here: the Fleury trade. Sure, it was common
knowledge that Calgary wasn't going to shell out six or eight
million U.S. per year to keep him. Still, deep down, I always hoped
that they'd work something out. Didn't happen, though.
Off-Season Changes
No big ones, but a bunch of lesser moves. Given their lack of depth
at center, the Flames might try to re-sign UFA Andrew Cassels, but
aren't likely to shell out the kind of money that
Phoenix/Rangers/othercenter-needy teams are going to pay. A few
other guys, such as gutsy-but-injury-prone Bob Bassen and veteran
Steve Smith, are probably gone if Al Coates is satisfied that he
has younger bodies who can take their respective places. Daniel
Tkaczuk might crack the lineup in the fall, but is more likely
headed to Saint John for the season. The Flames could do well at
the year's Entry Draft; they'll likely target skilled-but-gritty
forwards Kris Beech, Jamie Lundmark, and Jani Rita. They might also
try to trade up for a late first-rounder to get puck-rushing d-man
Nick Boynton (a re-entry from the '97 draft), who would look pretty
spiffy working the power play with Derek Morris.
In other words, Calgary fans can look forward to more on-ice growing
pains with their young team. Given their status as a small-market
Canadian team in today's money-obsessed NHL, that's about as much
as they can expect. Will the Flames make the playoffs in 1999-2000?
I sure hope so, but I wouldn't bet the farm on it.
Well, that's it for the Flames column, for LCS, and for me as an NHL
writer. Not being privy to their innermost thoughts, I can only
guess at why Michael and Jim are getting the hell out of the game.
I do know why I am, though. It's just not fun anymore. I've written
for a variety of hockey publications, both print and on-line, for
five years now. Some of them are probably available on your local
newsstand, some not.
Back then, I really
enjoyed it. Salaries hadn't begun skyrocketing. Players didn't have
their own personal spin doctors. Columbus didn't have a franchise.
Five years later, I'm completely jaded. The NHL keeps adding new
franchises, even though teams like the Islanders and the 'Bolts are
practically begging to be moved. Players have basketball-sized
salaries and attitudes to match. The rules are enforced seemingly at
random- yes, I'm talking about the Cup-winning non-goal. Oh, and I'm
tired of chasing low-life editors to get my money (or, in the case of
an on-line hockey service that shall remain nameless, being promised
money and then being told no one was going to get paid the first
year, despite the fact that they had paying customers and
advertisers). (Editor's note: John is not talking about LCS Hockey.
Rest assured, we here at LCS Hockey have no money whatsoever.)
Basically, the damn game has just become a big
money-making enterprise, and I've had enough. Anyway, I just want to
say thanks to my loyal reader (thanks, Mom), and also to LCS, just
for being there. You guys made it fun for longer than it otherwise
would have been. Later.
