"Peace and Quiet"

I have been wondering for a few weeks now about how the Calgary Flames were going to look this season. Although I was rooting for the Flames to break their season opening record I knew, much like the announcers continued to claim, that you can't go 82-0. While at first glance it appeared that every line was looking solid, Brent Sutter had a different idea for the game on home ice hosting the Vancouver Canucks. Craig Conroy, Curtis Glencross and Jarome Iginla started as our first line and upon reading a few forums I saw what I've always known. Conroy and Iginla have played together for years and they know each other as players and amigos on and off the ice. Why not give them a chance to play together and also combine Rene Bourque's highlighted talents with a few guys on a lower line to see what sort of outcome the team could achieve.

While in past season's I have made it clear that I was not a fan of changing line-mates around without any structural goals in mind, I see and we all saw the results were in our favor! Brent wasn't changing lines all throughout the game, like past coaches tended to do, he had a plan and the players had two days worth of time to work through the nuts and botls. Although, almost repeating our defeat against Chicago, we kept a two goal lead after what came to us as a 5-0 lead through the second period. Calgary was on fire against the Vancouver Canucks, granted there are a few injuries and all, but our team once again looked like the confident group of men they'd first come onto the ice as in our Game Opener against these same rivals. October 16th's game was a great one, and Vancouver didn't necessarily go out without a fight. Final scoring left the game's total at 5-3 with Kipprusoff and Luongo wishing for goals back that they both felt they should have been able to rob from their opponents.

I enjoy the pace of Vancouver after a game like this and I say so only because of the razzing I get when Calgary loses. I'll go to work today and it will be as if nothing happened, and I won't brag. I'll go out tonight with friends and it will be as if nothing happened...maybe I'll brag. But for the most part, it'll be a quiet day.

Perhaps I'm starting to love this gig, you know, being a "away" jersey!

Go Flames Go!