head coach: Brian Sutter

roster: C - Andrew Cassels, Eric Landry, Michael Nylander, Cory Stillman. RW - Eric Andersson, Valeri Bure, Theoren Fleury, Jarome Iginla, Sandy McCarthy, Ron Stern. LW - Chris Dingman, Hnat Domenichelli, Todd Hlushko, Marty McInnis, German Titov, Ed Ward. D - Tommy Albelin, Jamie Allison, Joel Bouchard, Kevin Dahl, Denis Gauthier, Cale Hulse, Derek Morris, James Patrick, Todd Simpson, Rocky Thompson. G - Tyler Moss, Dwayne Roloson, Rick Tabaracci.

injuries: Aaron Gavey, c, returned from abdominal strain, January 27, missed 37 games; Rocky Thompson, d (neck, day-to-day, February 6); Rick Tabaracci, g (knee sprain, day-to-day, February 1); Joel Bouchard, d (concussion, day-to-day, January 24); Jarome Iginla, rw (broken hand, indefinite, January 21); Jamie Allison, d (broken hand, indefinite, January 9); Ron Stern, rw (knee injury, indefinite, September 14).

transactions: Recalled Kevin Dahl, d, from Saint John (AHL), January 26; recalled Rocky Thompson, d, from Saint John (AHL), January 27; sent Aaron Gavey, c, to Saint John (AHL), January 31; traded Jonas Hoglund, lw, and Zarley Zalapski, d, to the Montreal Canadiens on February 1 for Valeri Bure; recalled Tyler Moss, g, from Saint John (AHL), February 2; recalled Denis Gauthier, d, from Saint John (AHL), February 5.

standings:

Western Conference - Pacific Division
Team         GP   W   L   T   PTS   GF   GA   
Colorado     58  29  13  16    74  172  138
Los Angeles  55  26  20   9    61  161  146
San Jose     56  21  28   7    49  139  152
Edmonton     57  19  28  10    48  141  164
Anaheim      56  19  28   9    47  137  170
Calgary      57  16  30  11    43  149  179
Vancouver    57  16  33   8    40  153  203

game results:

1/28 at Anaheim      W 5-2
1/29 at Los Angeles  L 5-3
1/31 New Jersey      T 2-2
2/03 Los Angeles     L 6-3
2/05 San Jose        W 4-2
2/07 Edmonton        W 4-2
**  Olympic Break  **

team news:

by Tony Wong, Calgary Correspondents

Two Weeks at a Glance:

Doing what you're supposed to. One of the simplest concepts, yet one of the hardest standards to meet in professional sports.

With a 3-2-1 record, the Flames did just that. While they were crushed twice by the very ordinary Kings, they did beat playoff rivals Anaheim, San Jose and Edmonton. And as an added bonus, they also played Stanley Cup contenders New Jersey to a standstill. Not bad for two weeks of work.

In Anaheim, the Flames came out roaring, jumping out to a 2-0 lead. They battered Guy Hebert with 45 shots. And most importantly, they covered Teemu and Paul. While Selanne still managed an assist, he was held to one relatively harmless shot. And Mr. Kariya? Let's just say the Flames "bothered" Paul enough for Mr. Lady Byng to garner a spearing major for poking Ed Ward with 10 minutes left. While it wasn't pretty, it's one of the only recipes that the Flames can use against the Ducks.

Against L.A., the Flames collapsed in the second period. While none of the goals were embarrassing, none were spectacular either. But somehow, after the 20 minutes of the second period had passed, the Kings were leading 4-2. Luc "I Love L.A." Robitaille collected his 1,000th point and the Kings went on to a ho-hum 5-3 win.

Returning home with a 1-1 record and a game against New Jersey, things didn't look very promising. But then Mike Dunham started. Spectacular last year, Mr. Mike has been very ordinary this year. With a losing record when Mr. Dunham starts, the Flames stood a chance. Tight and tough the entire game, Calgary played a seemingly bored New Jersey team to a standstill. Then, with 42 seconds left, he of the silent consonants, Hnat Domenichelli, wristed a nice (not great, but good enough) shot through Dunham's pads. Voila! A 2-2 tie versus the best in the East.

With luck on their side, the Flames looked for revenge against the Kings. And the Flames played well. But Josef Stumpel played better than the Flames and his own teammates combined. Playing at a level above everyone else, Stumpel score three times and added a beautiful assist. And that was enough. A nice try by the Flames, but Stumpel wins, 6-3.

With brother Darryl in the house and San Jose holding the last playoff spot, winning against the Sharks was doubly important. And win they did. With Fleury turning the chains and with a power-play goal by the Hnat, the Flames dominated the second and held on in the third for a clutch 4-2 win.

The last game before the Olympics - Nagano and golf beckoned. While the links inspired most of the troops, newly acquired Valeri Bure got ready to play with his brother. And ready he was. With three goals and a few more "shoulda, couldas" Bure showed the flash that had made him a leading scorer in his WHL days. More surprisingly however was the reaction from Brian Sutter. Usually dour and straight-laced, Sutter gushed over Bure's performance. It was like Jacques Demers had taken over his body. "Valeri was so good at this... Valeri was soooo good at that...". It was unbelievable. Perhaps more than the players, the coach needs a good rest. Oh - and the Flames won 4-2 (yippee!) against their provincial rivals.

Overall, the Flames showed what they could be -- a competitive team that can play with the great teams every once in a while. Fleury, Domenichelli and Bure all played well and Roloson - forced into a starting role by an injury to Tabaracci, was solid. With the whole team showing up to play and no major errors by the netminders the Flames showed promise. The question is, can they keep the consistency?

Bure in, Zalapski and Hoglund out

Finally, Coates got it done. Zalapski was finally shipped to the Canadiens (oh, what a surprise) with a shocked and a disappointed Hoglund for Valeri Bure and future considerations. In terms of the players exchanged, the Flames clearly lost. However, as a $1.6 million paper weight, Zalapski needed to be dealt.

>From Montreal's perspective, it's a no-lose deal. While Bure has shown flashes of potential, his numbers in the NHL have been very similar to Hoglund's. A superstar in junior, Bure has never come close to experiencing the same success in the NHL. On a team loaded with offensive talent, Bure was expendable. In Hoglund, the Canadiens got a much bigger and physical player with a fantastic shot. With some luck, Hoglund could blossom into a 3- goal scorer. But the clincher was Zalapski. A big, tough, mobile defenseman, Zalapski is what every team needs. With Ulanov likely out for the season, Zalapski more than ably fills a hole. A favorite of assistant Dave King, Zalapski made the deal almost a no-brainer for Montreal. Unless Bure becomes a major star, the Canadiens win this one.

And from Calgary's perspective? A calculated risk and a problem solved. Zalapski needed to be dealt - and dealt somewhere out of the conference where he would not hurt the Flames' playoff chances. With Montreal far away in the Eastern Conference and willing to accept all of Zalapski's $1.6 million salary, the Canadiens were a "perfect fit".

In Bure, the Flames have taken a calculated risk. While Hoglund was a big, solid winger with some touch, Bure could be a star. A prolific goal scorer in the WHL with Spokane, Bure brings major league wheels and some of his brother's pizzazz. With a larger role and more ice time, the Flames are gambling that Bure will develop into the star that Montreal projected.

What do we think? While we're disappointed with the loss of Hoglund, we're pleasantly surprised that the Flames were able to obtain a quality talent like Bure. Zalapski was an unforeseen and unfortunate problem that had to be dealt with. While we would have rather seen a package deal not including Hoglund to go to Detroit for Dandenault or Hodson, Bure is a reasonable, cheap (salary-wise) risk with an excellent upside. Coates' test will be whether or not Bure pans out. While fair deals are okay, as a general manager you've got to make some steals. Right now, Mr. Coates you are not doing very well.

Sandy wants out

Unhappy with his role within the team, Sandy McCarthy has publicly demanded a trade. Told by Coates that he'd get a chance to show some of his hockey skills this year, Sandy feels that he's been used as "just another goon". After complaining quietly to Coates in November, McCarthy felt he finally had to go public. Does he have any merit?

Well, frankly - yes. As the most feared enforcer in the league, McCarthy has pretty good hands. With some polish, it's very plausible that McCarthy could be as effective as Darren McCarty in Detroit or as Bob Probert used to be. At the very least, McCarthy could be right there with Tie Domi and Chris Simon as "playing enforcers". Sandy has worked vigorously over the last two summers to sharpen his hockey skills and it has shown. And at only 25 years old, McCarthy is still young enough to blossom.

In Coach Sutter's defense, McCarthy has rarely been healthy for any stretch this year. While Sutter had him in the offensive mix early in camp, Sandy didn't really have any chemistry with Fleury, Cassels or Nylander. With McCarthy in and out of the lineup due to injury, Sutter really didn't have a chance to put him anywhere on a consistent basis.

So who's fault is it that Flames fans might lose one of their favorites?

Point the finger at Al Coates. While Coates says he never said to Sandy anything about McCarthy playing a more active hockey role, I can see Coates implying it to keep his big guy happy. Secondly, McCarthy simply loves Calgary. Forthright with everyone, it's difficult to imagine Sandy concocting such a ruse. And lastly, I don't think Sutter knew about Coates' promise or implied promise. A pro-McCarthy fan, Sutter was clearly surprised when he heard that McCarthy had been promised a bigger "hockey" role. While a look is only worth so much, Sutter's surprise and a gut feeling makes LCS suspect that Coates is the rat here.

While Al might not have lied, I'm pretty sure he implied. And that's just as bad.

Upcoming Games:

**  Olympic Break  **
2/27    Vancouver
3/1     Ottawa
3/3     Tampa Bay
3/5     at Vancouver
3/7     at Ottawa
3/9     at Washington

With most of the wounded (Tabaracci, Iginla, Allison, Bouchard and maybe even Stern!) ready after the Olympic break and a soft schedule, it's time for the Flames to make some fire. If the Flames deserve to make the playoffs, they've got to do it against Vancouver and Ottawa, who they play twice each. Of the six games, the Flames need (I know, I know, the term is relative in the weak Western Conference) to get at least 10 points.

Simply - do what you gotta do.

And as for the Olympians - Go Canada!

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