Sports News and Trade Rumors: Pro Sports Daily

Flames head coach's penalty-killing praise subdued

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November 7

Calgary Herald

"He's not smiling about it. Not exactly effusive in praising his players for a stepped-up effort. But Brent Sutter gave a nod of approval and a soft pat on the back to the Calgary Flames' upgraded vigour in killing penalties during their recent outings. In back-to-back wins against the Dallas Stars and the St. Louis Blues this week, Calgary offered up 10 power-play opportunities to their opponents and gave up just one goal when St. Louis drew even in the third period on Thursday. Among the kills were two ably defended five-on-three sieges, including one that lasted 97 seconds against the Blues. "Whenever you can kill five-on-threes, it's big," says coach Sutter. "I think our penalty kill ..."

Sean Avery heading back to the 'Dome

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November 7

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"Guess who is in town? Yep, Sean Avery is back in Calgary for the first time since the superpest opened his mouth 11 months back . In case you were on Mars at the time, Avery made crude and disparaging comments about Dion Phaneuf's girlfriend, actress Elisha Cuthbert., whom Avery previously dated. The outburst proved to be the end of Avery in Dallas, but he hooked up with the New York Rangers (again) after receiving league-mandated professional assistance for his behavioural issues. Will he keep his mouth shut this time in Calgary? Or finally apologize to Phaneuf for his extremely poor choice of words."

Iggy starting to heat up

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November 7

Calgary Sun

"Baseball legend Reggie Jackson won't need to worry about sharing his nickname with Jarome Iginla. Mr. October, he is not. Like clockwork, though, the Calgary Flames captain is once again swinging for the fences in the second month of the NHL season. "Now that it's November, he's feeling it," smiled Flames centre Craig Conroy. "You can tell he's feeling it. He's stickhandling, skating, battling down low. That's when he's at his best." Fresh off lighting the lamp in consecutive contests for the first time this season, Iginla was not available to the media yesterday afternoon at the Saddledome. Too bad, really, because his sudden awakening from his usual early-season slumber has fans ..."

Sean Avery may see more ice time in Calgary

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November 7

New York Post

"If Dion Phaneuf wants to go looking for Sean Avery on the ice tonight, he had better be alert, with the winger unaccountably banished by coach John Tortorella to the bottom of the food chain on the Rangers' three-game western tour that concludes against the Flames. "It's not just about Sean. Other guys are playing well," the coach said yesterday morning after giving Avery eight shifts for a total of 5:56 of ice in Thursday's 4-2 victory in Edmonton. "There's accountability involved here. "Other players are going . . . [Ales Kotalik] was getting 10, 11 minutes a game, and now he's getting more time because he's picked it up. It's about the team, and trying to figure out who's playing well." ..."

Kipper anchors Flames' triumph

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November 6

Calgary Herald

"Lickety-split, Miikka Kiprusoff went from the sick bay to the winner's circle. From feverish . . . to just plain hot. Wednesday in Dallas, he was turning down his start. Thursday in St. Louis, he was shutting down the Blues. With a sensational evening's work, the Calgary Flames' netminder lifted his squad to 2-1 overtime success in National Hockey League action at the Scottrade Center. Jarome Iginla scored first (3:24 into the contest) and Dion Phaneuf scored last (2:50 into overtime), but the story was Kiprusoff. "Oh, I'm all right," croaked the Finn. "Just had a little cold there. It's gone now. I feel good again." Obviously. The day before, the goalkeeper had been too sick to ..."

Trust-win game for backup

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November 6

Calgary Sun

"Miikka Kiprusoff was back between the pipes last night. But a game like the one Curtis McElhinney had in Dallas Wednesday stopping 38 shots in a 3-2 OT win is exactly what the Flames brass and fans needed to see. Confidence in him -- and his own confidence on the ice -- had been sagging. "He responded to the challenge," head coach Brent Sutter said a day after the backup made an unexpected start when Kiprusoff came down with a bug in the morning. "I challenged him as a coach. I wanted his level of play up where it needs to be, and yet the team's level of play where it needs to be playing in front of him.""

Rest easy! Kipper's back

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November 6

Calgary Sun

"Making his first appearance since undergoing an emergency appendectomy late last month, St. Louis Blues centre T.J. Oshie was determined to make an impact. Starting in goal one night after he was too sick to even sit on the bench as a backup, Flames netminder Miikka Kiprusoff was equally set on keeping the sophomore from making a difference. Kiprusoff got the best of that battle, and Dion Phaneuf got a piece of the young Blues star, banking his overtime winner in off Oshie to give the Flames a 2-1 win. "He was great," Flames captain Jarome Iginla, who opened the scoring just a few minutes into the game, said of Kiprusoff's performance. "We didn't know (if he'd play). Yesterday, he had the ..."

St. Louis Blues net goal, but still fall

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November 6

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"The Blues haven't been beating their opponents lately, but Thursday night they at least managed to end a bad trend. Entering Thursday night without a goal in their last two games, the Blues went into the third period against the Calgary Flames without lighting the lamp. Then finally, Blues rookie Lars Eller, who was making his NHL debut, ended two long droughts when he scored a power-play goal midway through the third period. Eller's goal ended the Blues' scoreless spell at 168 minutes, 7 seconds and also snapped an 0 for 26 power-play drought. But while the tension lifted for a brief moment, the Blues learned that the hard times were hardly over. In overtime, Calgary's Dion Phaneuf ..."

Kiprusoff skates this morning, may start tonight

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November 5

Calgary Herald

"For the Flames, it was an optional skate this morning in St. Louis. But both goalies — Curtis McElhinney (last night's starter/winner) and Miikka Kiprusoff (who'd been sick in Dallas) — were on the ice. Meaning what exactly? "I would say that (Kiprusoff) is probably 50-50 (to start tonight)," said coach Brent Sutter. "Till we see this morning how he responds and we see where he's at — I don't know right now myself — then we'll make a decision at that point in time. "Curtis is (operating) under the mindset that he's playing tonight, which is the way I want it to be. If that happens to change, we'll change it." Sutter went on to praise the work of McElhinney, who, stopping 38 of 40 shots, ..."

New star rises for Flames

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November 5

Calgary Herald

"Hearing that Curtis McElhinney was on the bench during a hockey game would shock no one. As the Calgary Flames' backup, he spends much of his winter perched on pine. But it was a different story Wednesday. A different story entirely. Because by the time McElhinney settled into the players' box, he'd already done plenty of heavy lifting. Maybe more than anyone else at American Airlines Center, having blocked nearly 40 shots — many from point-blank range. A heroic effort. Think that's surprising? Well, try this on for size. With the Dallas Stars ahead 2-1, with only minute remaining in regulation time, with the crowd shrieking in anticipation of a home win, with the Flames deploying an extra ..."

Win a net gain for Flames

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November 5

Calgary Sun

"Enjoying his second win in Calgary Flames silks, Curtis McElhinney wasn't ready to think about tonight and another potential start in St. Louis. The hero of last night's 3-2 overtime victory against the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center was pretty exhausted after a 38-save performance that came just hours after finding out he'd be in for sick starter Miikka Kiprusoff. "I'm going to think about sleep right now," McElhinney said with a sheepish grin after exacting some payback against the Stars -- who embarrassed the backstop 5-2 at the Saddledome early last month in his only other start of the season. No one could blame him for being tired. He was relied on time after time to ..."

Alberta health official fired over Calgary Flames vaccinations

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November 5

Calgary Herald

"Controversy raged Wednesday over the decision to release H1N1 vaccine to Calgary Flames players and their family members, as an Alberta health authority employee was fired, and the scandal grew to include a farm team for the NHL club. The province's health authority announced it had fired the most senior staff member involved in the decision to give the Flames players and relatives the vaccine while many Albertans considered to be at high risk for contracting the virus, including small children, continued to be unable to get shots. Meanwhile, it emerged that members of the NHL club's top minor league farm team had also received early shots. "Like most Albertans, I am deeply offended that ..."

Kiprusoff sick, McElhinney likely to start tonight

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November 4

Calgary Herald

"Curtis McElhinney will, in all likelihood, make his second start of the season tonight. Flames starter Miikka Kiprusoff went to the rink this morning in Dallas — but, very soon after, headed back to the hotel without having even put his gear on. "Well," sighed Flames coach Brent Sutter, "he's got a touch of the bug. So we thought we'd leave him at the hotel and see how he is tonight. But I've got to assume he's not going to be playing. Which is fine — Curtis can play." If Kiprusoff's out, then who sits on the bench tonight for the Flames? A call-up perhaps? "That's not going to work — we can't get someone here in time," said Sutter. "Kipper, I think, will be fine to (play) back-up." ..."

Will Flames sit Kipper?

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November 4

Calgary Sun

"Walking out of the American Airlines Center in a suit instead of suiting up with his teammates for the morning skate, Calgary Flames goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff headed back to the hotel for an extremely early pre-game nap. Seems a "bug" could force backup Curtis McElhinney into action a little sooner than expected this month as the Flames prepare to face the Stars in Dallas tonight. "He's got a touch of the bug. So we thought we'd just leave him at the hotel and see how it is tonight," said Flames head coach Brent Sutter. "We've got to assume he's not going to be playing. Which is fine — Curtis can play." People will naturally wonder whether or not the netminder could be suffering from ..."

Flames shuffle lines in bid to spark Iginla, Jokinen

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November 4

Calgary Herald

"The shakeup continues. A day after whipping his troops through a punishing practice, Calgary Flames head coach Brent Sutter shuffled the lines for Tuesday's pre-departure workout at the Pengrowth Saddledome. Most notably, struggling snipers Jarome Iginla and Olli Jokinen were reunited to form a line with winger Eric Nystrom. "I felt we wanted to change up a little bit and we did after the second period the other night," said Sutter, referring to Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Detroit Red Wings. "We'll see. It could change again (today), but at this point in time, I'd like to give it some thought, but today we put them back together and we'll see where we're at." "Both their play needs to be ..."

Flames deny wrongdoing in flu flap

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November 4

Calgary Sun

"The Calgary Flames did nothing underhanded to procure H1N1 vaccinations in the past week ahead of thousands of high-risk Albertans, club president Ken King said yesterday. But despite that claim from the team, the province has launched an investigation into what officials say shouldn't have happened. While King acknowledged a team doctor and the physician's nurse wife might have been a "point of contact" in seeking the vaccine which is in short supply in the province, King said nothing was done outside Alberta Health Services (AHS) auspices. "I'm happy to confirm we would not have taken an illicit process," said King. "It went through an Alberta Health Services process ... certainly we ..."

Iginla, Jokinen reunited

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November 4

Calgary Sun

"Calgary's most controversial celebrity couple is back together again. Snake-bitten snipers Jarome Iginla and Olli Jokinen hit the ice yesterday in matching red practice uniforms, hinting they'll be skating side-by-side tonight when the Flames face off against Stars in Dallas (6:30 p.m, TSN). Written off by many fans as a failed chemistry experiment, the Flames' highest-paid forwards will get another shot to prove the naysayers wrong after being split up five games ago. "Whenever you're not winning, things change up a bit, and we were obviously prepared for that," Iginla said. "I look forward to it. I always enjoy playing with (Jokinen). "He's a big, strong, smart hockey player, and I think ..."

Flames jump H1N1 queue

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November 3

Calgary Sun

"The Calgary Flames reportedly jumped the queue for H1N1 vaccinations, and that has some members of the Sea of Red seeing red. The Flames received their shots Friday, one day before the province temporarily shut down clinics, saying they would eventually reopen but only be available to high-risk Albertans. "I'm hearing from people," said Flames CEO Ken King. "I'm hearing from fans this morning and I intend to speak with them and try to help them understand why we would make a decision and what criteria under which we made that decision and again explain to them that we ... appreciate that not everyone will agree." The NHL has had several confirmed cases of the H1N1 flu. Colorado Avalanche ..."

Flames hope spell on road will help cure what ails them

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November 3

Calgary Herald

"The Road certainly isn't as forbidding as the stretch of desolation described in Cormac McCarthy's novel of the same name. But this ain't Crosby and Hope ad libbing their way from Bali to Utopia to Morocco, either. The Calgary Flames face a daunting 13 of their next 17 games away from the comfortable confines of the Pengrowth Saddledome betweenWednesday and Dec. 7. And that's no laughing matter. On the heels of consecutive home losses, with their wildly successful (if slightly misleading) start now compromised, this nasty run of the schedule pops up at arguably the worst possible time for the locals. A shaky November could mean a lot of catching up to do within the Northwest Division and ..."

Flames feel coach's fury

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November 3

Calgary Herald

"Oh, you could just feel the love. It washed over them, bathed them, like a steady downpour of acid rain. "I'm not being harsh,'' said Brent Sutter, with flat, stark candour. "I'm not being an a--. It's not that this group doesn't care. They care. "But we will not accept mediocrity.'' As assistant coach Ryan McGill worked the felt marker diagramming drills on a wipe-board set against the glass on one side of the rink on Monday morning, the big boss stood all the way across the ice from his players, his face set permanently on scowl. Alone. Apart. Almost as if he dared venture close enough to the objects of his ire, he might bust a blood vessel or be seized by the irresistible impulse to do ..."

Flames put through paces

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November 3

Calgary Sun

"You didn't have to be on the ice listening to Brent Sutter's early practice pep talk to know what it was all about. All you had to do was watch the morning's drills. "That's for us to discuss internally. I don't think we have to comment on what was said," Dion Phaneuf said after the hard-hitting and heavy skating that filled more than an hour of their day. "I think the practice showed what we deserved." With the Calgary Flames dropping two straight games they could have won with more physical play and hard work, they were forced to put out the effort yesterday. Even for professional athletes, the session was exhausting. But it wasn't unexpected. "We all knew it was coming, I think. It ..."

Red Wings have old Motown mojo back

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November 1

Calgary Herald

"A small thing, it seemed at the time. A quick, deft, almost imperceptible upwards flick of a stiletto. But in the hands of an artisan with such a blade, even the smallest of incisions can slice open a major artery. Like Polanski slicing open Nicholson's nose in Chinatown. "He should be a pickpocket, that little beggar,'' marvelled Detroit Red Wings' assistant coach Brad McCrimmon. "I mean, you're not looking, he's lying in wait and vvvvvvvt! He's got your wallet and is whistling his way down the street while you're off looking for a policeman. "He's just stealth. "The best in the league at that.'' Hoodwinking Curtis Glencross with a nimble lift of the Calgary Flames winger's stick, the ..."

Plante laid blueprint for today's goaltenders

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November 2

Calgary Sun

"Pulling a skinny, old-looking faceplate out of the bench at his stall in the locker-room, Miikka Kiprusoff holds up the last of the new masks he's got hidden. This one will never be used in a game -- it's a replica of Gerry Cheevers' mask, littered with stitches his face would have had to endure if not for Jacques Plante's innovation. It was 50 years ago yesterday Plante returned to a game with a homemade mask guarding the Montreal Canadiens goaltender's face and nose -- broken by a wristshot courtesy of Rangers forward Andy Bathgate minutes earlier. He wasn't the first to wear one, but he was the first to adopt it permanantly. Back then it was for protection. Now, they're equally about ..."

Artwork unmasks fiery character

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November 2

Calgary Herald

"It is a landscape of disembodied figures, of flames, of a demon. A swirl of graphic images and colours. It is Dante's Inferno. "I just wanted to switch it up," said Calgary Flames No. 2 goaltender Curtis McElhinney of his new mask. "I'd gone with the cowboy themes the last couple of years, so I thought we'd do something a little different and this kind of popped into my head and I thought I'd let the artist run with it. "It's pretty awesome work." Indeed. It's right up there with the intricate, air-brushed art work on the new mask being worn Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price. Maybe even better. Whether it's coincidence or not, a large number of the National Hockey League goalies are ..."

Flames fast start distant memory

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November 2

Calgary Sun

"Sitting second in the Northwest Division after a Halloween loss ended the first month of their NHL season, the Calgary Flames find themselves seventh in the Western Conference and barely treading water above a hungry school of sharks eager to bump them from the top eight. There was plenty to take pride in over the first 31 days of the campaign. Tying a franchise-best start with a 7-2-1 record over the opening 10 games, it was hard to fault the team for niggly details like a ballooning goals-against average and a tendency to take leads for granted. Losing their last two of five home games in 20 nights did nothing to keep fans confident, however. For every positive, from Rene Bourque's great ..."

Red Wings' spirits high after long road trip

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November 2

Detroit Free Press

"Kris Draper smiled and paused, looking over at fellow forward Pavel Datsyuk as he stretched on the floor of the visitor's locker room in the Saddledome. "Who?" Draper said loudly in response to a reporter's question, making sure he got Datsyuk's attention. "Pav?" The Wings were in high spirits as they packed up their gear for the long flight home to Detroit after wrapping up a 2-1-2 road trip with a 3-1 victory Saturday night against the Flames. Forward Brad May remained behind for observation after an accidental high stick by teammate Jason Williams left May with a swollen right eye and hyphema (blood in the eye). Trainer Piet Van Zant said Sunday morning that May "will be fine but may be ..."

Wings' Brad May gets eye checked out

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November 2

Detroit Free Press

"Red Wings forward Brad May remained overnight in Calgary for observation after suffering hyphema, or blood in the right eye, when he was hit by a teammate's stick during the Wings' 3-1 victory Saturday at Calgary. Trainer Piet Van Zant said this morning that May "will be fine, he may just need to be out for a bit." May was to fly to Toronto today, an off day for the Wings, to see his family. Van Zant said May is scheduled to be re-evaluated Monday in Detroit. Van Zant said it's unlikely May will need to - or want to - start wearing a visor for protection."

Flames doused by Wings

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November 1

Calgary Herald

"The statistical line on Jarome Iginla painted a scary picture Halloween night. Terrifying, actually. The Calgary Flames captain recorded zero shots, zero hits, five giveaways and a rating of minus-two. Not surprisingly, with those kind of numbers from their best player, the Flames fell 3-1 Saturday to Pavel Datsyuk and the Detroit Red Wings. "Before tonight, I was feeling pretty good," Iginla said, politely fielding all questions, even the negatively charged ones. "It was a tough game. I didn't feel very good tonight." Chalk it up as extremely off night for the man in the running to captain Team Canada at the Vancouver Olympics. And yes, Team Canada executive director Steve Yzerman was in ..."

A pair of second-period goals the difference for Red Wings

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November 1

Detroit Free Press

"The Red Wings looked like their confident old selves as they wrapped up a grueling five-game road trip with a well-played defensive effort against the Flames. From Chris Osgood making the needed saves to timely goals, the Wings claimed a 3-1 victory at the Saddledome to head home with a 2-1-2 record. "Ozzie made two huge saves in the first minute," Mike Babcock said. "If it had been like the other games, those goals would have went in for sure and then we'd have been behind the eight ball. So Ozzie made two big saves, we settled in and got playing. I thought we took the game over for long periods and we skated well. For the first time maybe all year we were a five-man unit, we made some ..."

Wings end West trip with victory over Flames

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November 1

Detroit News

"It has been a while since the music blared in the Red Wings' locker room after a game. But then again, it has been a while since the Wings put together a complete game victory as impressive as their 3-1 win over the Calgary Flames Saturday. "It was the first time maybe all year that we were a five-man unit," coach Mike Babcock said. "I really liked the way we went about our business. We looked like a hockey team." Almost all the scoring took place in a two-minute span of the second period. Goals by Brad Stuart and Tomas Holmstrom scored 59 seconds apart 35 seconds after Daymond Langkow had given the Flames a 1-0 lead.at 14:43. The rest of the game belonged to Chris Osgood and the' Wings ..."

Bertuzzi glad to plug into Motown mojo again

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October 31

Calgary Herald

"Looking back, Detroit Red Wings forward Todd Bertuzzi wonders why he ever drove away from Motown in the first place in favour of playing hockey in southern California. "It's awesome," the hulking forward said Friday, peeling off his Red Wings practice jersey. "I'm obviously honoured that they would call me and ask me to come back. "It's somewhere I wish from the beginning that I didn't even leave. But that's for another day." Bertuzzi has learned to refrain from living his life whilst staring in the rear-view mirror. His career is still perhaps known for the sucker punch that broke Steve Moore's neck. Hard to believe, but that happened more than five years ago and civil legal proceedings ..."

'We're watching'

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October 31

Calgary Herald

"During a pit stop in Edmonton this week, Steve Yzerman heard non-stop about the renaissance of one Dustin Penner. Nineteen points in 13 games? That's quite the comeback for a guy written off this past summer as an overweight, unmotivated bust with zero trade value. From Edmonton, the executive director for Team Canada drove down to Calgary, where fans positively gush over Flames winger Rene Bourque. The undrafted forward out of Lac la Biche, Alta., has banged, crashed and scored his way through the month of October to the tune of 14 points, including five goals, through 11 National Hockey League games. "I've certainly noticed he's playing very well," Yzerman said Friday from his perch in ..."

Brother battle brewing

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October 31

Calgary Sun

"The Kronwalls have been on opposite sides plenty of times in the past. Calgary Flames defenceman Staffan Kronwall grinned yesterday as he recounted his pre-teen battles with his older brother, Niklas, who now patrols the blueline for the Detroit Red Wings. "We were playing in our yard -- playing land hockey, I guess -- for quite a few years. A couple battles out there," he said. "There's actually another one of us, so there were three guys going at it. We'd go one-on-one-on-one. It would be just everyone against everyone." The numbers on the Flames' back-end are also a bit unusual. Heading into tonight's tilt against the Red Wings at the Saddledome, the club continues to carry eight ..."

Nystrom serves it up to Boyd

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October 31

Calgary Sun

"Moving out of his pad temporarily with roommate Dustin Boyd fighting the flu, Eric Nystrom did manage to do his good buddy a favour. "He brought me some soup one day -- left it outside of the house," Boyd said with a laugh as he recalled having to leave his bed and retrieve the care package, which included water, Gatorade and chicken noodle soup in a can. "I didn't go in that place," said Nystrom, who for a few days moved into a house just around the corner with David Moss, his wife, and their new puppy. "The door was closed. I just put it on the front handle of the door, rang the doorbell and then left." Texting Boyd to let him know the food was there, Nystrom went back to playing with ..."

Flames, Red Wings look-ahead

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October 31

Calgary Sun

"The Flames suffered their second home loss of the season in a confusing 3-2 decision with the Northwest Division-leading Colorado Avalanche Wednesday. Outshooting the Avs 32-14, the Flames couldn't solve G Craig Anderson after scoring twice in the first 70 seconds. Meanwhile, the Red Wings battled back from a 5-1 deficit Thursday night in Edmonton to earn a point in a 6-5 shootout loss to the Oilers. HEAD-TO-HEAD This is the first of four meetings this season. They split the series a year ago, with each club winning once at home and once on the road. Two of the games went to extra time, as both teams finished with 2-1-1 records. The Red Wings have a 9-6-1 advantage since the lockout."

Flames not giving out treats

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October 31

Calgary Sun

"It is, by coincidence, billed as the scariest night of the year. Regardless of the date, though, the Calgary Flames want their foes to feel like every trip to the Saddledome is Fright Night. "It's important to be a really good home team, to make it so they look at the schedule and the other team is already thinking 'Oh man, that's going to be a tough night,' and to try to get in their heads early with your record and previous success against them," said Flames captain Jarome Iginla. "It's important to be able to build momentum at home for when you go on the road. And if you look at the best teams around the league -- you look at playoff teams -- they have good home records, and we want to ..."

Sutter system challenges Jokinen

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October 30

Calgary Herald

"Plenty is new for Olli Jokinen. His first full season with the Calgary Flames. His first year under coach Brent Sutter. Summing up the transition best may be the change in article — from The Man to a man. After being the leader of the pack for seven winters with the Florida Panthers — and last season's pit stop with the Phoenix Coyotes — Jokinen is now one of the gang. And, yes, that is an adjustment for the big centre. "It's not Olli's fault that he's been (allowed) to do certain things because he's come from certain programs," said Sutter. "It is different because you're having to work within a team concept now . . . and it's not everyone working for you. You've got to go and find that ..."

Sutter finds some positives in defeat against Avalanche

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October 30

Calgary Herald

"This, chimed the merry members of the media, could be pretty rich. First thing Thursday morning, Brent Sutter demanded that his players gather around him at the far boards. Bearing in mind that the Calgary Flames had wheezed away a two-goal lead to a tired outfit the previous night, this figured to be a rant of epic proportions. So reporters, rubbing their hands together, settled in for the fireworks. The arena clock was checked and noted, 10:24 a.m. — all the better to track the duration of the cuss-out. Fresh notepad pages were secured — all the better to record the number of high-decibel f-bombs. Players rapt, Sutter cleared his throat and began. On and on, it went. Five, six minutes. ..."

Flames have faith in Jokinen

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October 30

Toronto Sun

"On the surface, it's easy to say the Olli Jokinen experiment is a flop. In the 11th game of the campaign, last season's major trade-deadline acquisition finally scored his second goal. He has only six points. That's hardly the production expected when Jokinen came from the Phoenix Coyotes. However, head coach Brent Sutter showed he believes talented players can build their way up in his system -- look at the way defence partners Robyn Regehr and Dion Phaneuf worked their way out of early season struggles -- and is adamant Jokinen will hit his high gear."

Flames cooled by Avalanche

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October 29

Calgary Herald

"Some nights, the shot-clock does tell the story. It hints at puck possession. It offers clues of territorial edge. It serves as an indicator of chances. But Wednesday's shot dispersal was merely an oddity. Sure, the Calgary Flames overwhelmed the Colorado Avalanche by a staggering count of 32-14 in that particular department. But, really, those numbers don't provide a true sense of this night, a 3-2 National Hockey League decision in favour of the visitors at the Pengrowth Saddledome. The Flames snatched an early 2-0 lead — then did absolutely nothing with it. The Avs scraped together enough to knot the proceedings — then administered the final thrust in the third period. That was the ..."

Players cautious of flu bug

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October 29

Calgary Sun

"Mark Giordano will be paying a little closer attention to his body in the next while. On Saturday, Giordano fought Edmonton Oilers defenceman Ladislav Smid. On Tuesday came word Smid had been diagnosed with the H1N1 virus. "It's in the back of your mind," Giordano said yesterday. "But there's really not much more I can do. I try to eat well, stay healthy and that's it. At the time, I didn't know and I don't think he knew either, so it's one of those things. "Just got to be extra careful." Smid is one of four NHLers known to be diagnosed with the virus, which has killed nearly 100 people in Canada. Colorado Avalanche goalie Peter Budaj is recovering from it, while Washington Capitals ..."

Flames crumble to Avs

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October 29

Calgary Sun

"The Colorado Avalanche may be over-achieving, but there are reasons they sit atop the NHL standings. Especially a never-say-die attitude and great goaltending. The Calgary Flames found out first-hand. Despite setting a franchise record for the fastest two goals to start a home game, the Flames became just the latest victim of the surprising Avs in last night's 3-2 loss. On a night the Flames had all kinds of advantages in their favour — a few days of rest and Colorado playing the night before being two of them — they failed to take advantage. So, instead of stating their case as to which Northwest team is the one to fear these days, Calgary had its three-game winning streak snapped, while ..."

Goalie goes from Flame-out to on fire

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October 29

Calgary Sun

"Just the latest of a number of former Flames prospects to shine for other teams, Craig Anderson can hardly remember his time in Calgary. Selected 77th overall in the third round of the 1999 NHL draft, the only time the goaltender may have donned the Flaming C after that day might have been a rookies-only contest against the Edmonton Oilers. Unable to come to an agreement with the Flames, Anderson's professional career stalled right out of the gate as he was tossed back into the draft in 2001. "I vaguely remember. I don't think we were close (to an agreement)," the year's early-season success story said yesterday before his Colorado Avalanche battled the Flames at the Saddledome. "I think ..."

Regehr back in gear

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October 28

Calgary Herald

"Robyn Regehr knows which horse he's backing in the race for first in the West, CFL style. "Oh, I'd like to see the Riders get it,'' Regehr says. "Looks like it'll come down to that last game in Regina, doesn't it? We love Calgary. It's like home. But when you're born in Saskatchewan . . . "A bunch of us went to the game (the wacky 44-44 tie between the Roughriders and Stampeders two weeks ago). We sat in the retractable seats, the silver ones at the end of the stadium. There were 10 of us. Eight wearing green, two in red. Nice day. Exciting game, even if you didn't know how to feel when it was over. "We had a lot of fun. We were actually sitting just behind the guy wearing the pumpkin on ..."

Praise for J-Bo loud and clear

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October 28

Calgary Sun

"Despite how quiet and soft-spoken Jay Bouwmeester can be, Cory Sarich hears him out on the ice. Bouwmeester gives a heads-up when needed and calls for passes. "Just loud enough you can hear it," Sarich said with a grin. As long as it works, it's fine. Besides, it's not like Sarich will complain about his defence partner. Ten games into the season, Bouwmeester is delivering what the Flames were hoping for when they acquired him at the draft and signed him to a long-term contract just before he became an unrestricted free agent. And Sarich, after years of facing Bouwmeester as a rival while they were part of the Battle of Florida, is benefiting greatly from having him as a partner. "He makes ..."

New Flame quietly getting job done

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October 28

Calgary Sun

"Despite how quiet and soft-spoken Jay Bouwmeester can be, Cory Sarich hears him out on the ice. Bouwmeester gives a heads-up when needed and calls for passes. "Just loud enough you can hear it," Sarich said with a grin. As long as it works, it's fine. Besides, it's not like Sarich will complain about his defence partner. Ten games into the season, Bouwmeester is delivering what the Flames were hoping for when they acquired him at the draft and signed him to a long-term contract just before he became an unrestricted free agent. And Sarich, after years of facing Bouwmeester as a rival while they were part of the Battle of Florida, is benefiting greatly from having him as a partner. "He makes ..."

Sutter can't smile in face of penalties

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October 27

Calgary Herald

"Early in his term as Calgary Flames coach, Brent Sutter has scolded reporters for their nitpicking ways. Negative questions — "So, um, what's wrong with (fill in the blank)?" — are typically met with an eyeroll, then a heavy sigh. Or, sometimes, a heavy sigh, then an eyeroll. But, despite the swimmingly successful opening month, even the yay-saying bench-boss is getting fed up with one particular habit of his team, And this complaint arrives totally unprompted after Monday's practice. "Where we've gotten ourselves into trouble is when we've taken too many penalties," starts Sutter. "When you're getting seven, eight, nine minors a night, it's a tough night for your penalty kill. When you're ..."

Reserve rearguards hungry for ice time

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October 27

Calgary Herald

"The math? Simple. The emotions? Mixed. With eight healthy defencemen on staff, the Calgary Flames are in the business of scratching two gents per night. All the while, the team continues to zip through the competition at an enviable clip. So griping — at least, publicly — is kept at a minimum. "We're winning every game, almost, so you can't complain, right?" says Staffan Kronwall, who suited up for the opening five games, then none of the next five, during the Flames' 7-2-1 start. "Obviously, you have to be patient. But as long as we're winning? There's no point in changing, I think personally. "We've been playing great lately." The past two matches, Aaron Johnson got the nod, while ..."

Fast start no shock

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October 27

Calgary Sun

"Jay Bouwmeester has seen this act from Craig Anderson before. The hot start by the Colorado Avalanche netminder has possibly caught plenty of people off-guard, but not Bouwmeester. The Flames defenceman was with the Florida Panthers when Anderson stopped 53 shots in a 1-0 win over the New York Islanders March 2, 2008, the most saves made in a shutout since shots on goal was recorded in the mid-1950s. Anderson followed up that performance with a 40-save outing in Boston a couple of nights later -- which also was a 1-0 game. "It's almost like the more work he gets, his confidence grows," Bouwmeester said of his former teammate. "In some of their wins, he's made a lot of saves, so right now ..."

Physical Flames ruled the ice

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October 26

Calgary Herald

"This one didn't require a late Nikolai Khabibulin stickhandling howler to separate the combatants. Or a last-gasp goal with 1.5 seconds remaining to send the outcome into overtime and then a shootout. This instalment of the Battle couldn't accurately be described a Mike Tyson-like KO, though. No, nothing as decisive, or as senses-sapping destructive, as that. But at 5-2, Friday night's game wasn't a down-to-the-death nail-biter, either. The surprising Edmonton Oilers arrived here fighting a flu bug. They must've felt even queasier heading back home. In a collision of 6-2-1 teams in the Northwest Division, the Calgary Flames, simply put, were harder on the puck, harder on the body, harder ..."

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