Iginla ♥

So here's the thing: the Calgary Flames are really really terrible. Or, OK, that's an exaggeration, because they aren't the Oilers or the Wild (hello, regression, glad to see you've arrived) or the Blue Jackets (sorry, Erin!) or whatever, so they're just on the bad side of mediocre, I guess. They certainly aren't a good hockey team, not by any measure. I spend most of their games pondering just how much I hate hockey. And knitting. And if that isn't the measure of how terrible a hockey game is, then I don't know what is.

Massacre in Beantown. Photo: Elsa/Getty Images.

And there's a lot of things wrong with the Flames. They obviously aren't truly a losing-by-9-to-the -Bruins team, but they aren't a Red-Wings-and-Canucks-beating team either. They are poorly coached, and their roster is a hot mess even when half the team isn't in the sick bay, and management doesn't seem particularly inclined to do much about it. 'Cause, you know, Blair Jones isn't actually the answer.

All of which is to say that most of the time, I really really despise this team. There are a handful of players I have soft spots for, of course. I know Bouwmeester is overpaid, but he's also pretty good at hockey. Mickis makes me smile. I like most of the young guys in the lineup, though that's probably a function of them being new and therefore a source of hope, however faint it might be. And then there's Jarome Iginla.

Last night, Iginla became just the 42nd player in the history of the NHL (a league that involves something like 700 players and has been in existence for nearly 100 years, let's not forget) to score 500 career goals, and only the 15th to do so with a single team. This is a guy who has scored 30 or more goals in 10 consecutive seasons, who has two goal-scoring titles, a most outstanding player award, two olympic gold medals, and six invitations to the NHL All-Star Game. He is a future HOFer on a team that has lacked stars—and for long stretches even decent hockey players—for him to skate alongside pretty much since he arrived in the league.

That's not why he's the franchise player, though. Franchise players are more than that: they are stand-up guys, guys who face the media after tough losses, and politely try to bail out drunk "reporters"in scrums. They sign autographs for kids even when they'd rather go home to their own, and put up hockey-mad fans in the family hotel when they hear those fans are sleeping in their car. Well, OK, they probably don't all do that, but Iginla does, and those things just add to the reasons that Flames fans are lucky to call Iginla their own for so long.

I'll admit it: I got a bit teary when he notched No. 500 last night. It has been a miserable season for Flames fans. And last year was too, and the year before that, and next year probably won't be much better. The Iginla trade rumours aren't going to go away, no matter how many times the organization insists he isn't going anywhere. And even though the part of me that became a Flames fan because of Iginla is heartbroken even at the thought of it, it's at war with the part that desperately wants to see Iginla lift the Stanley Cup.

He deserves it.

PPG Weekend o' Fun

I apologize for our delayed absence. I blame the fact that the Blue Jackets are sucking so much this season that it's hard for me to care about them. Because they make me so mad. Case in point: Steve and I went to the game on Thursday at Nationwide versus Nashville. The Blue Jackets dominated in that game and played well...until the last two minutes of the game. They blew a two-goal lead and then lost in overtime. I have tickets for three more home games this season. They're about as cheap as they come ($10 tickets...for lower-bowl seats. See what happens when your team sucks?), so I don't feel bad about going. We're also going to the game they play in Pittsburgh in February. I, however, will be rooting for the Penguins. Since they're way better than the stupid CBJ.

But enough about that! I know that what you really want to hear about is the weekend that Sarah and I spent in Columbus!* For those of you who don't know, I had never met Sarah in real life before. Sure, we email and text all the time, but since she lives across the continent, it's not exactly convenient to meet up for a hockey game. Or anything, for that matter. But, she graciously decided to come to good ol' Columbus to see the sights...and the Flames (more on that later). She landed Friday night, and I met her at the airport with an awesome sign. My friends were joking that she could be an axe murderer and I should take someone with me to meet her. Never fear; she's totally normal. Well, as normal as someone who claims to be my friend can be. Friday night we chatted for a bit before bed, since it was already waaaay past my bedtime when she arrived.

On Saturday, we went to the Columbus Zoo. That's one of my favorite places in the whole entire world. We also went to the mall, then got ready for our girls' night out. We went to Betty's (a local establishment in the Short North), then over to the R Bar in the Arena District to watch the Blue Jackets game. The R Bar is the only hockey bar in Columbus, so of course we had to go there! Surprisingly, the Blue Jackets won. In Nashville. For the first time since April of 2006. TWO THOUSAND SIX. To put that into perspective, that was about two months after I started dating Steve...and we've been together for awhile now :) We had fun; one of us might have had more to drink than the other that night. But that's the point of a girls' night, right?

Sunday was a lower-key day. We got some breakfast, wandered around the campus of Ohio State, then chilled at my house. Monday was also a relaxing day. It was also Game Day! I took Sarah to Chipotle for dinner, since she had never been there. Then we walked over to Nationwide for the game. We got there about an hour before the face-off, so we had time to wander around. We posed for a picture with the cannon, because we're just that awesome. We watched the pre-game skate. Then we sat in our kick-ass Stub Hub seats--6 rows from the ice for $25 each. See what happens when your team sucks? :)

The Blue Jackets went on to *gasp* actually win a game. Sarah wasn't truly mad, though she might profess to be. We knew going into the game that one of us would go home sad. Then again, given the way our teams are playing this season, I was half-expecting both teams to lose. Sarah departed before dawn on Tuesday, and made it safely home to Vancouver. Which is all the way on the other side of North America. We've discussed when and where our next gathering will take place. Since I know she's not an axe murderer, I'm sure we'll have another great weekend of fun...and hockey.

*Wanna read Sarah's take on the weekend and her visit on Nationwide Arena? Go here.

Fresh Faces for the Flames

It occurs to me that we've been neglecting this space, particularly me, after I told you all how verbose I was. Oops. Suffice to say, the Flames have been playing rather boring hockey, and doing a decidedly mediocre job of it, as of late. I've actually started knitting my way through most of the games. True story. And if that's not an indication of how boring a game is--driving me to knit--I don't know what is.

But there was news worth writing about for the Flames today, as the team waived Niklas Hagman and put Anton Babchuk and Brendan Morrison both on IR. The trio will be replaced by Mikael Backlund (activated from IR), TJ Brodie and Paul Byron (called up from the AHL's Abbotsford Heat). Three vets coming out of the lineup and three young guys going in? I'm a fan.

It's not that I think Byron and Brodie are better than Morrison and Babchuk respectively--though it's hard to imagine them being worse--but that it was time for a change. The Flames, as they are constructed now, are not going to be winning much of anything. Even most games are a stretch. So they might as well let the kids have a chance to learn on the job. If you're going to dress a mediocre roster and lose 30 or 40 games this season, at least give someone with potential a chance.

Which is to say, I hope Flames fans show some patience over the next few games, when Brodie can't hold the line and Byron loses his man in the defensive zone. Just remember, it could be worse. It could be an overpaid veteran making us scream, instead of a fresh face still trying to find his way.

Rock Bottom

It's no secret that the Blue Jackets are not a stellar hockey team. I mean, they've played ten full seasons in the NHL and have only made the playoffs once. That's not really great. This year was (again) supposed to be "THE" year. The year where it all changes. Where we become a legitimate hockey team. Where greatness happens.

I think someone forgot to tell that to the players.

So far, eight games into the season, the Jackets have amassed a total of one point. ONE. Out of a possible 16. They are 0-7-1. That, my friends, is a sucky record. Sure, other teams have had losing streaks such as this. Last season, the Washington Capitals lost nine games in a row and they made the playoffs. They also have Alex Ovechkin, Mike Green, and Brooks Laich. For the Jackets to even have a chance at the playoffs, they'd have to win at least 45 games. Considering they can't even win one, 45 seems completely unreachable.

On the bright side, since they've crapped down their legs so early in the season, I won't be sitting on the edge of my seat during the games, thinking that the outcome will matter. When Steve and I go to the game in Pittsburgh, it will be a no-brainer for me to root for the Pens (as we know I have issues with this). When Sarah comes to visit and we go to the Flames v. CBJ game, one of us is bound to leave happy (though it wouldn't surprise me if both teams find a way to lose.). And even if by some miracle, the Blue Jackets turn their act around, I'll know that it's just for show. They aren't going to make the playoffs this season. Right now, I wonder if they're considering playing for the top draft pick....which, given their luck, they'd lose in the lottery anyway.

Clearly for the Blue Jackets, they've hit rock bottom. I mean, who gives up two goals to Ottawa in the last 30 seconds of a game? That's THE most embarrassing thing the CBJ have ever done. And they have had some doozies. I'm surprised GM Scott Howson hasn't made a trade, but then again, who wants any of our players? (Nash and Umberger are not allowed to move. I say so. Everyone else is fair game.). I kind of wish Howson would get the boot, but I think the problems go deeper than that. Mike Priest is a joke of a President. He doesn't know hockey. Maybe it's time for the front-office to change, seeing as how all of the top folks in power have been here since the start....and clearly have nothing to show for it.

So where do we go from here, a whole eight games into the season?Fortunately for me, there are 29 other teams in the NHL to care about. I always have the Penguins, and Sidney Crosby is due to be back in the lineup...soon. I've considered choosing a new, obscure team to root for, such as the Carolina Hurricanes. I mean, they have a Staal. I could start a collection of Staal jerseys: Mark, Eric, Jordan, and one day Justin. That'd be fun. I'll still watch the occasional CBJ game, but it won't be required viewing. And I'll still write about hockey. Because we all know that I can't live without it.

*waves hello*

I'm so grateful that Erin's agreed to share her blog space with me, as I realized about the time that training camps got started that I would desperately miss having a writing home this season. Erin says all sorts of nice things in her introductory post below, but I won't guarantee that all of them are true; you can decide for yourself whether she was lying about my being awesome, knowing a lot about hockey, or being a fantastic writer. She is telling the truth about my home — I am Canadian and I do live in Vancouver, but don't ever mistake me for a Canucks fan. Ever ever. Ever. In fact, I'm currently scheming on a colour change for the blog; red, I think, would be better than blue... ;)

You can probably expect a bit of everything from me this season. I have a tendency to wax poetic about the game in a sort of ridiculous, patriotic way. And I swear sometimes — and this season, I suspect, especially — that I hate hockey as much as I love it, so I'll probably rant. My family figures prominently into my hockey fandom, as do the nasty Canucks fans by which I am constantly surrounded. Also, this year, I vow to be sillier, because being a serious Flames fan this season might just send me into a depression.

Which brings me to the actual point of this post. As Erin mentioned, I was off celebrating Thanksgiving last weekend, which in my family means closing up the summer cabin for the year. And while we are totally off-the-grid, and thus deprived of watching the NHL's opening weekend, we still talked hockey. My brothers and I were in the middle of a spirited discussion about Luongo when my four-year old niece tapped me on the arm. "Excuse me, Auntie Sarah. Why are you talking about Rapunzel?" It took a minute for all of us to catch up, and then we exploded into laughter (thus embarrassing and upsetting her, and resulting in me apologizing for saying Rapunzel when that's not what I really meant).

A little easier on the
grease, maybe?

But I think Hailey's got a point. Rapunzel and Luongo both have long hair that, frankly, could use a good stylist. They are both maligned and manipulated — Rapunzel by her enchantress/step-mother and Luongo by the media and fans here in Vancity. Both are burdened "unfairly,"  Lu by his ridiculous contract and Rapunzel by her magic hair. And, perhaps most importantly, neither seem to be particularly likeable as people (not that I know either of them, and don't tell Hailey that; she loves Rapunzel). That's enough evidence for me. 

(Erin, bet you want to take back that stuff about fun(ny) and educational about now, eh? ;D)

Flames at the Leafs on HNIC tonight. My Brother the Leafs Fan (known henceforth at MBtLF) texted me this morning predicting 4-3 Leafs in a shootout. And while I do think the Flames can win, it's a sign that your team has gotten really bad when a game against the Leafs could easily go either way *sigh*

Power Play Gals

Welcome to a new NHL season! Yes, I know this post is a little late, but forgive me: I was too busy watching hockey to get to the computer. I did go to the CBJ home opener on Friday. I thought they played decent. Too bad they were playing against Pekka Rinne, because he was playing lights-out, which led to the loss. Last night's game in Minnesota was a totally different story, though. I'm hoping the team rebounds tomorrow at home...versus Vancouver. I love Vancouver (the city, not the team). Mostly because I love to say "Canucks."

Speaking of Vancouver... y'all know that I have written for Chicks Who Give A Puck, right? Right. One of the best things about that site is that I got to meet some awesome ladies who love hockey more than I do (you didn't know that was possible, did you?). One of them--Sarah--has become one of my newest and closest friends. Well, "closest" as in we email and text a lot. See, she lives in Vancouver. She's Canadian. She's all sorts of awesome, and knows a hell of a lot about hockey.

Sarah and I spent a lot of time working on posts for CWGAP last season. That site has been going through some growing pains. In the meantime, this site has been sadly neglected. Well, not anymore! You want hockey talk, you're going to get it! I'm happy to announce that Sarah is now a Power Play Gal. This is awesome on many accounts. PPG gets a new start...and likely a new design. Who knows--we'll be making changes as we see fit. Sarah is a fantastic writer. I know her posts will be fun(ny) and educational. Plus, it will extend your knowledge of the NHL. Who knew there were more team than the Blue Jackets and the Penguins? Heh.

Sarah is currently enjoying a Canadian Thanksgiving celebration, but when she is done with that, she'll be introducing herself to you. In the meantime, I'm going to go watch some more hockey. I have a free preview of Centre Ice for the next two weeks :)

The Night the Lights Went Out

I like to consider myself an optimist who's grounded in reality. I have faithfully watched my Blue Jackets for the past few seasons. Even when they're struggling (which is most of the time), I still have hope and faith that they'll pull it together, that the next game will be better, that the next season will be different. That's more than a lot of people can say, that's for sure. This season is no different. The boys started out great, went on their December free-fall, and spent January attempting to salvage their season. The optimist in me says that it's only the beginning of February and they have 32 more games to put something together. The realist in me says that last night was the beginning of the end of their season.

It was a snowy, icy, blustery winter day here in Central Ohio. The Blue Jackets had the pleasure of hosting the Blackhawks for the first game post-All Star Break. Lucky them. I watched the game from the warm confines of my home. The first period was decent. Then the lights went out with 39.6 seconds left in the period. Despite a two-goal spurt at the beginning of the second period, the Blue Jackets lost last night. Not only did they lose, but they are now 14th in the Western Conference, 7 points out of 8th place. They're done. I don't care if, statistically, they're still in the race for the playoffs. They won't make them, not this season anyway.

Maybe Howson makes a trade and gets a draft pick in return (because that always works out so well for them). But really, who in the NHL wants the boys on our team? Not the ones in the AHL (who show promise for the future), but the ones on the current roster. There are a few players who, in my mind, are untouchable. Most of the guys are expendable. But who wants an underperforming, overpaid forward? We know they didn't want our overpaid, slogging defenseman. Hopefully the Blue Jackets will get something out of this season, aside from a top pick in this summer's draft.