Miikka Kiprusoff News: Pro Sports Daily

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March 8

Calgary Sun

"Since Miikka Kiprusoff joined the Calgary Flames in November 2003, no other goalie has faced the Minnesota Wild. Vesa Toskala was the perfect man to end that streak in Sunday afternoon's 5-2 win by the Flames. Toskala, who the club acquired at the trade deadline in the hopes of finally finding the battery mate to play caddie for its star netminder, played for the first time since Jan. 30 -- when he was still with the Toronto Maple Leafs -- and stopped 27 shots. "I was pretty calm," Toskala said of the starting assignment he found out about the day before. "I was focused not to overdo anything. I'm a pretty laid-back guy. It was just one game, but it was a good win. "I started to feel ..."

Toskala poised to give Kiprusoff breather

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March 7

Calgary Sun

"Maybe it was the pair of late goals against the New Jersey Devils that tarnished a potential romp. Maybe it's just the idea that no goalie can play 75 games and start for his country at the Olympics and still be fresh for the playoffs. Either way, most would agree Miikka Kiprusoff needs some rest. And soon. It could come as early as Sunday afternoon with his Calgary Flames visiting St. Paul for a matinee against the Minnesota Wild. Head coach Brent Sutter won't divulge whether or not it will be his starter or newly acquired backup Vesa Toskala who will tend the twine in the Twin Cities, but the bench boss says the other Finn will get his shot, and the fact he just joined the team at the ..."

Reunited feels good

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March 5

Calgary Sun

"Vesa Toskala's circuitous journey to Calgary reunited him with plenty of familiar faces. The handful of Toronto Maple Leafs who joined the Flames over the past month are certainly chums. Plus the trade-deadline deal which brought him to the Calgary Flames from the Anaheim Ducks reunites Toskala with Darryl Sutter, his former San Jose Sharks coach and now Flames GM. Probably the NHLer most familiar to Toskala, however, is his goaltending partner — Miikka Kiprusoff. "It's always nice to see friends, it doesn't matter where you go, and he's a good guy, one of the top goalies in the league. We had some good laughs this morning," Toskala said after partaking in his first practice with the ..."

Flames' Finns prepared for return to NHL action

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March 3

Calgary Herald

"Have no fear, the masked redhead is ready to rock and roll in the Calgary Flames goal. Although coach Brent Sutter had expressed some concern Miikka Kiprusoff might return a little worse for wear following a heavy Winter Olympic Games schedule in Finland's net, the freshly minted, bronze-medal goaltender said that's not the case after returning to practice on Tuesday. "I'm all right," he said, as a throng of media gathered around him in the centre of the Flames dressing room. "I had a travel day, then a day off (Monday), so I'm good to go. I feel all right, whatever they want. "Yeah, at the Olympics I played a few games, but it wasn't that tough for the goalies. It was more like team stuff ..."

Third-period rally earns Finland men's hockey bronze

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February 28

Calgary Herald

"Team Finland did something Saturday it couldn't manage the day before. It showed up. Finland bounced back from one of its most humbling defeats to beat Team Slovakia 5-3, winning the men's hockey bronze medal in a disjointed but entertaining game. Down 3-1 in the third, Finland scored four unanswered goals, including one on a Kimmo Timonen point shot and two others scored in a span of two minutes by Olli Jokinen. On his second, Jokinen showed a burst of speed, slicing through the Slovak defence. All alone in front of the net, he slid a backhand through Jaroslav Halak's pads. Finland looked both energized and committed Saturday."

Kane was great, but Kipprusoff was terrible

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February 27

Globe and Mail

"It will go down as the Patrick Kane show. But it was really about a no-show. In goal. The diminutive American forward, who sucks on his toothguard like a soother as he plays, scored two goals yesterday afternoon as the United States surprised Finland 6-1 at Hockey Canada Place. The Americans now advance to tomorrow's gold-medal final for the first time since they lost to Canada in the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. Finland will play today for the bronze medal. U.S. head coach Ron Wilson could hardly find the words to describe the skills shown by the 21-year-old Buffalo native. "Seeing Patrick Kane have that type of game," Wilson said, "creating a scoring opportunity almost every time he ..."

Finns advance, as Kiprusoff blanks Czechs

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February 25

NHL.com

"The rule's intent is to prevent a player from suffering a catastrophic injury. In Wednesday night's quarterfinal round, it just might have cost the Czech national team a chance to win an Olympic medal. Having to retrieve his helmet after it came unbuckled and slid to the backboards while he was making a diving sweep check to break up a rush, penalty-killing Czech defenseman Pavel Kubina had to abandon his position and his man in front of the net. That man, Niklas Hagman, used one of the rare moments of freedom from enemy presence all night long to set up shop in front and redirect a Janne Niskala point shot for the goal with 6:26 left in regulation that snapped a scoreless tie, lifting ..."

Sharks devour lifeless Flames

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January 19

Calgary Herald

"There must have been an odour of blood wafting around the Calgary Flames here Monday night because the San Jose Sharks certainly feasted upon their Western Conference rivals. Yeah, as in the Flames were just bloody awful during a 9-1 loss, by far and away their worst setback of the National Hockey League season. That's five defeats in a row as they get out of not-so-sunny California with back-to-back losses and head home for a Thursday night date at the Pengrowth Saddledome against the Chicago Blackhawks. Oh, that's the team that just happened to lay a real good 7-1 licking on the Flames back in November in Chicago. Where the Flames had done so many good things in all but one of their ..."

Laser light aimed at Kipper 'all night'

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January 11

Calgary Herald

"It seemed nothing could throw the Calgary Flames off their game Saturday night at Vancouver, not even what was believed to be a laser beam pointed in the face of Miikka Kiprusoff. The CBC-televised game picked up a green light on several occasions as it flashed upon the Finnish goaltender's mask throughout the eventual 3-2, shootout victory by the Flames in a battle for No. 1 in the Northwest Division. "It was going on all night," Calgary coach Brent Sutter was quoted as saying in a post-game interview. "It was brought to the attention of the refs and security, and it's hard to believe that can go on for 60 minutes in a hockey game and it's not located and not found." The outside ..."

Pest 'bucks Flames with body blows, goal

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January 7

Calgary Sun

"Forget Dallas Stars pest Steve Ott, despised Nashville Predator Jordin Tootoo, and even New York Rangers goof Sean Avery. The most hated man in the Flames' world right now is Cal Clutterbuck. At least for the moment. He made an impact both on the body and on the scoresheet last night in the Minnesota Wild's 4-1 win over the Flames at the Xcel Energy Center. Slamming into Dion Phaneuf around the time a whistle began to blow, and later checking Robyn Regehr in the back, Clutterbuck didn't stop attempting to hammer Flames at every opportunity."

Wild wallop Flames

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January 7

Calgary Sun

"Headed in opposite directions coming into the contest, few would have guessed the team that lost four straight would take down the division leader that had claimed five consecutive victories. At least not so easily. But the Minnesota Wild used first-period powerplays to overcome an early deficit and gain confidence, scored twice in the second period to take a comfortable lead, and didn't let up in the third to come away with a 4-1 victory over the Calgary Flames at the Xcel Energy Center last night. Sort of a hockey version of the movie Freaky Friday, with the teams basically switching bodies for the night. "The first minute was good. The next 59 weren't," said Flames winger Eric Nystrom, ..."

Kipper stellar in feisty Battle of Alberta

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December 29

Calgary Herald

"It was far from pretty but the Calgary Flames sure as heck aren't going to give back Monday's 4-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers. Despite a horrible start, the re-shuffled Flames steadily turned up the heat to kick a three-game losing streak behind the three-goal outing of Rene Bourque and stellar goaltending of Miikka Kiprusoff and waste one of their favourite patsies this season. Make it a sweep of four against the West's cellar-dwelling Oilers, who probably could have wrapped this one up in the first two periods, but either couldn't finish their best chances or were stymied by Kiprusoff. Now the Flames will try to end a three-game losing streak on home ice when they host the Los Angeles ..."

Raymond shoots and scores from long range

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December 28

Vancouver Sun

"The shot had more arc on it than a Steve Nash three-pointer from downtown. And it, too, found nothing but net. Mind you, Mason Raymond was a little further out than Nash for this particular shot. Try centre ice. At 18:50 of the first period, Raymond won possession of a loose puck near the sideboards and flipped the puck into the Calgary zone. Then he watched and realized that Calgary goalie Miikka Kiprusoff had been caught napping and didn't see the puck sailing through the air right at him. The puck appeared to graze off the left shoulder of Kiprusoff and into the net. "It was a weird one." Raymond said of the goal, which was part of his first NHL hat trick in Vancouver's 5-1 win over the ..."

Kipper tips hat to Marty

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December 23

Calgary Sun

"A case could be made Miikka Kiprusoff has been the NHL's best goalie this season. Certainly, the Calgary Flames netminder is near the top of the pack. However, Kiprusoff couldn't help but marvel at Martin Brodeur's latest accomplishment, collecting a 104th career shutout. "That's unbelievable," Kiprusoff said. "Every record he's been breaking -- his stats -- it's amazing how long of a period of time he's been able to play at that high level. "Those 40, 35-win seasons year after year -- that's not easy to do. If you look at 104 shutouts, it's going to be tough for someone to break." Brodeur surpassed the old standard set by the legendary Terry Sawchuk Monday night when the New Jersey Devils ..."

Kiprusoff clams up on Olympic position

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December 22

Calgary Herald

"Miikka Kiprusoff is not going to say anything more about his position as the clock counts down to the roster deadline for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. Perhaps the finest goaltender in hockey today, the 33-year-old isn't about to throw any more fat into the fire. "I said something a couple of months ago and it was a huge story, so I'm done talking," he said, following Monday's practice with the Calgary Flames at the Pengrowth Saddledome. "Let's see what's going to happen. "If they pick me, they pick me . . . let's talk about it then." The Flames' star goalie stirred up a storm when he basically said he'd be interested in playing for Finland at these Olympics as long as he was feeling ..."

They take the bruising and boisterous Flames to the final seconds but dwell on failing to pick up the two points.

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December 18

Los Angeles Times

"Down to their last healthy bodies in their last game of 10 contests in 17 days in six cities, the Kings took the bruising and boisterous Flames to the final seconds Thursday. They lost to Calgary, 2-1, and relinquished the top spot in the Western Conference after the Sharks beat the Ducks, but they didn't lose their sense of pride and the conviction that they should have done better. And when was the last time that could be said about the Kings with a straight face? They competed relentlessly with a lineup full of players who were riding buses in the minor leagues a few days or weeks ago, not giving an inch to a team that must have been salivating at a roster full of so many untried and ..."

Flames end royal losing streak with victory over Kings

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December 18

Calgary Herald

"Weary and battered, the Los Angeles Kings might have expected a more gracious group of hosts. Especially with Christmas right around the corner. With half a dozen regulars sidelined, stuck playing their 10th match in 17 nights, the Kings would have appreciated a pleasantly uneventful get-together. You know, a nice 60-minute sashay. Let the best power play win. Instead, the Calgary Flames appeared bent on sending the Angelenos home in an ice bag. Particularly eye-catching was Mark Giordano's lump-inducing work on Kings captain — and National Hockey League hit leader — Dustin Brown. A handful of times, Giordano singled out Brown for misery. Tone set by Giordano and the rest of the defenders, ..."

Flames ride hit parade to victory

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December 18

Calgary Herald

"Master of the understatement, Flames coach Brent Sutter issued the following comment after his team's 2-1 win Thursday over the Kings. "We wanted to be a team that was more involved physically." Uh, yeah. That was quite obvious. Every period, the Flames out-hit the Kings — 7-3, 11-5, 8-2 -- en route to a 26-10 game total. And Los Angeles, it should be noted, is one of the hittingest groups on the circuit, led by captain Dustin Brown. But it was Brown who wore the bull's-eye Thursday. Mark Giordano rammed him four times, the final time a real rattler. Nothing dirty, however, just punishing checks. Giordano wasn't alone. Fellow rearguards Robyn Regehr and Aaron Johnson and Dion Phaneuf all ..."

Hard-hitting Flames conquer visiting Kings

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December 18

Calgary Herald

"Weary and battered, the Los Angeles Kings might have expected a more gracious group of hosts. Especially with Christmas right around the corner. With half a dozen regulars sidelined, stuck playing their 10th match in 17 nights, the Kings would have appreciated a pleasantly uneventful get-together. You know, a nice 60-minute sashay. Let the best power play win. Instead, the Calgary Flames appeared bent on sending the Angelenos home in an ice bag. Particularly eye-catching was Mark Giordano's lump-inducing work on Kings captain -- and National Hockey League hit leader -- Dustin Brown. A handful of times, Giordano singled out Brown for misery. Tone set by Giordano and the rest of the ..."

Flames end skid with win against Kings

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December 18

Calgary Sun

"Racing out of their seats to beat the beer line rush at the first intermission cost many fans a glimpse of what a functional powerplay looks like. It lasted only a couple of seconds, but it was enough to put the Calgary Flames on the board. Despite the way goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff played after a couple days of rest, the one goal wasn't enough against the Los Angeles Kings. But the physical Flames eventually pounded the Western Conference leaders into submission for a 2-1 victory at the Saddledome last night to snap a three-game losing streak. "That's what we needed," said Kiprusoff, who made 34 saves and fell just short of a shutout when Corey Elkins potted his first NHL goal midway ..."

A little help here, please!

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December 15

Calgary Herald

"A bag skate? The coach hollering at a player every whistle? It would seem this wasn't the day, the time nor the place for coach Brent Sutter to verbally blast away at his players in public for submitting a couple of stinkers in their past two outings. Which is maybe why Sutter parked himself high in the stands of the Scottrade Center and watched while his assistant staff put the Calgary Flames though a brisk 45-minute practice on Monday. "I just was feeling it was a good day to be away from the guys," said the head coach, who is disappointed with the performances of his troops in five of the past six periods, which resulted in a 2-1 loss at home to Minnesota Friday and a 3-2 defeat at ..."

Something Wild

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December 12

Calgary Herald

"OK, who were those guys? This certainly wasn't the old Minnesota Wild that invaded the Pengrowth Saddledome on Friday night. This wasn't the team that used to muck and grind its way to another loss against the Calgary Flames while maybe getting off a dozen or so shots on goal. No sir. These new Wild, even without the services of four concussed starters, introduced themselves as a peppy, puck-hunting, gung-ho gang of hungry wolves in their first visit of the season. Their high energy seldom was matched by the Flames as they hung up a 2-1 victory in overtime to snap a seven-game losing streak in this city, post just their second triumph in their past 18 visits and stain a marvellous night of ..."

Miikka the Magnificient deserves better

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December 12

Calgary Herald

"Some nights, there are not enough adjectives. Not enough superlatives. Some nights, there's nothing you can dream up that doesn't in some way sell the man short. Some nights, even his opposite number has to fight off the urge to stand back and applaud. "You just shake your head at some of the saves he made,'' praised Minnesota goaltender Nicklas Backstrom. "He's one of the best in the league, obviously. "You can tell that he's at the top of his game. He's getting a lot of shots. He's feeling the puck. We played great tonight, and to come away with only a point, or maybe none, would've been tough; wouldn't have been fair. "He kept them in it.'' Ironically, even in a loss, Miikka Kiprusoff ..."

Red-hot Kipper gives Flames a chance to warm up

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December 10

Calgary Herald

"No toe stub. No Chaplin-esque pratfall. No inadvertent, slapstick stepping on the teeth of the rake and the handle scything up to crack them in the mush. Oh, they punched in for work a trifle late, 15 minutes or so, but under the circumstances, all is forgiven. "For whatever reason, the first home game after a long road trip is always a bit tricky,'' agreed Calgary Flames defenceman Robyn Regehr, following a 3-1 National Hockey League victory over an infrequent visitor, the Atlanta Thrashers, at the Pengrowth Saddledome. "And give Atlanta credit. They came out skating extremely well. But we got through that little spell, we didn't deviate from the plan, and in the last five minutes of the ..."

Kipper outshines Sharks' stars

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December 6

Calgary Herald

"Miikka Kiprusoff, peeling off his sweat-soaked garb, glanced up at approaching reporters. The look on his face said one thing, "What's the fuss, boys?" Calgary Flames teammate Dustin Boyd, sauntering by, supplied the answer. "Save of the century." Big statement. Big stop, too. In the second period of Saturday's fracas, the San Jose Sharks had been pouring it on. Like, really pouring it on. From the right side, Scott Nichol sizzled a shot. Kiprusoff got a glove on it and fell forward. The puck, describing a dangerous arc behind him, was sailing perilously close to the goal-line. What's a goalie to do? Well, how about, while flat on his belly, kicking backward with his left leg and USING HIS ..."

Kiprusoff deflects praise

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November 30

Calgary Sun

"Almost insulted as the crowd around him grew from a couple of reporters to a handful, Miikka Kiprusoff begged them not to grill him looking for reasons for his spectacular play this season. "It's nothing new. All the same," he said Saturday morning in Columbus as he enjoyed a rare day off while backup Curtis McElhinney prepared for his third start of the season. But it's not the same old Miikka tending the twine for the Flames. He hasn't had a season this consistent since his Vezina Trophy-winning campaign of 2005-06. Thankful for a team that is showing a renewed commitment to defence on most nights -- Kiprusoff credits the skaters in front of him for the kind of statistics the Finn hasn't ..."

Kiprusoff backstops Flames win over Red Wings

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November 28

Calgary Herald

"In one corner of the visitors' quarters, Jay Bouwmeester was wringing sweat out of his gear. Buckets of it. Jeepers, if the lanky defenceman after his night's toil — 28 minutes, seven of it short-handed — was a squishy mess, which locker-room puddle belonged to Miikka Kiprusoff? Or, rather, which puddle was Miikka Kiprusoff? Because the Calgary Flames netminder was as busy as he was sensational in National Hockey League action Friday at Joe Louis Arena. Kiprusoff saw 40 shots — scratch that, because he certainly did not see every one of them. Not with Tomas Holmstrom and Dan Cleary on the premises. Kiprusoff faced 40 shots — there, that's more accurate — and stopped them all for his second ..."

Flames hand Wings second straight shutout

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November 28

Detroit News

"Normally when a team has 40 shots and holds the opponent to 17, that team wins. But that just hasn't been the case for the Red Wings lately. Miikka Kiprusoff made 40 saves as the Calgary Flames defeated the Wings, 3-0, Friday night at Joe Louis Arena. The Wings were also shut out by the Atlanta Thrashers, 2-0, Wednesday night. The last time the Wings were shut out in back-to-back games was Dec. 15 and 17, 2001, at Vancouver and home against Chicago. The last time they were shut out in back-to-back home games was March 23 and 27, 1977, against Boston and Montreal. "I think in all our life, things sometimes don't go your way for a while," Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. "I thought our ..."

Flames end home ice woes with win over Coyotes

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November 26

Calgary Herald

"Into the Dome of Death rode the Calgary Flames, memories of a humiliating loss in their last foray long forgotten. But not their struggles in front of the faithful. The Pengrowth Saddledome, for whatever reasons, has not been kind to the Flames this season but this was a determined group on this Wednesday night as they toughed out a 2-1 decision over the Phoenix Coyotes. It was only the Flames' seventh win in 12 home games this season and while not overwhelming, they earned full marks for it following that 7-1 loss to Chicago in their last adventure in front of the Sea of Red. "We didn't even talk about it," said Nigel Dawes, who gunned the winning goal late in the third period. "It's in ..."

Kipper out to start for Finns

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November 24

Calgary Sun

"If the Finnish federation comes calling, Miikka Kiprusoff will be happy to backstop his country's Olympic hopes in Vancouver. But there is one catch. He has no desire to be the team's backup plan. It's starter or bust for the Calgary Flames netminder. "Probably not going to go in that case," a pensive Kiprusoff said. "If I'm not going to start, for sure I think I'm going to take that time off and rest." Worrying about rubbing people the wrong way with his words isn't Kiprusoff's style. Neither is stressing about how his country's hockey minds perceive his actions. When he was dealing with a sore hip in 2006, he chose not to go to Torino. The backlash built over time and left things a ..."

Five-goal second period fuels Hawks' rout of Flames

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November 20

Chicago Sun-Times

"The Blackhawks got their six-game road trip off to a rousing start Thursday, crushing the Calgary Flames 7-1 in a game that was all but decided after the second period. The Hawks snapped a 1-1 tie with five unanswered goals in the second in romping to their sixth straight win over Calgary. Kris Versteeg, who sat out the previous game with an upper body injury, scored twice for the Hawks in the second period barrage with Dustin Byfuglien, Andrew Ladd and Patrick Kane also scoring. The Blackhawks got their six-game road trip off to a rousing start Thursday, crushing the Calgary Flames 7-1 in a game that was all but decided after the second period. The Hawks snapped a 1-1 tie with five ..."

Starting Kiprusoff 'made perfect sense'

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November 17

Calgary Herald

"In case you were wondering about the choice of netminder for Saturday's game against the home-ice Maple Leafs, Brent Sutter is here to tell you that the second half of a back-to-back set was an ideal spot for Miikka Kiprusoff. "You manage your schedule and your games very appropriately," started the Flames coach on Monday morning. "I know people were questioning — why was Kipper playing against Toronto? Well, for us it made perfect sense. The fact that we only played two games in six days (Nov. 11-16) . . . and Kipper usually plays pretty good in those back-to-back games. To be quite honest, it was a real simple decision to make. "But as our schedule heats up here, and you're playing every ..."

To Kipper's mates he's always a star

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November 17

Calgary Herald

"Say one thing for Miikka Kiprusoff, he makes things easy for the big brains at the National Hockey League. With last week's spectacular play and spiffy numbers — record of 2-0-1, goals-against average of 0.97, save percentage of .969 — he carried the Calgary Flames to five of a possible six points. On the road yet. Meaning Monday's announcement for player-of-the-week honours was painfully straightforward. Give the nod to Kiprusoff, right? Well, no. The NHL opted for three other chaps — Detroit forward Henrik Zetterberg (nine points in three wins); Atlanta forward Ilya Kovalchuk (eight points in three wins); Buffalo netminder Ryan Miller (1.30 GAA, .953 save percentage, in three wins). But ..."

Kipper, Flames ice road trip with win over Leafs

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November 15

Calgary Herald

"If you didn't know better, you'd swear the Calgary Flames were trying to throw a hockey game Saturday night. Goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff wouldn't co-operate, however, so they were forced to take a 5-2 win over the homestanding Toronto Maple Leafs in spite of themselves to finish their three-game National Hockey League road trip in anything but glowing style. The victory made it a highly successful junket, nabbing five of a possible six points, and snapped a nine-year string of losses in the centre of the hockey universe. But it was anything but pretty. After scoring on their first two shots of the game inside two minutes, the Flames went into some kind of crazy funk that saw them stuck in ..."

Kiprusoff shrugs off his return to top form

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November 12

Calgary Herald

"Those who have been watching closely will tell you there's something different about Miikka Kiprusoff this season. They'll tell you the red-headed Finnish goaltender is either getting better with age or he's rediscovered his Vezina Trophy-winning form. That he's off to a fast start unlike most seasons, that he's more consistent and that he always seems to be in a happy-go-lucky kind of mood. Try as some veteran followers of the Calgary Flames want to put a finger on his sterling play, particularly during the past three games, there is no new magic. This is the same ol' Kipper except for a new mask he broke in a couple weeks ago. "I feel the same," he smiled Wednesday, when asked if he was ..."

Kipper's the hottest Flame of all

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November 11

Calgary Herald

"There's no longer any question as to who is the hottest Calgary Flame. "I go with Kipper," said a grinning captain Jarome Iginla, following Tuesday's 1-0 National Hockey League decision over the Montreal Canadiens. "He played sick again. You can just see he's battling in there, having fun . . . the saves, the demeanour. He's enjoying it, our D is playing great in front of him. "They're playing well as a group back there. You can see they're all enjoying it . . . we're all enjoying it." Iggy popped his fifth goal in the past four games as the Flames stretched their winning streak to four, but his surge on the scoresheet pales in comparison to the heroics of goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff on ..."

Vintage Kiprusoff in victory

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November 11

Calgary Sun

"The Montreal Canadiens wore vintage sweaters from their 1910-11 NHL season. That was the year in which the legendary Georges Vezina began his career with the storied franchise. But it was Calgary Flames netminder Miikka Kiprusoff doing his best impersonation of the legendary goaltender with a 25-save performance in a 1-0 win over the Canadiens last night at the Bell Centre. "I didn't know that," Flames captain Jarome Iginla said of the Vezina trivia. "But he's sure feeling it, right now. He's been playing absolutely huge for us. You can see he's enjoying it. "We're all enjoying it." Kiprusoff has been outstanding since missing a start a week ago due to illness, and he was perfect in ..."

Miikka Kiprusoff blanks Canadiens

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November 11

Boston Herald

"Miikka Kiprusoff got his first shutout of the season and Jarome Iginla extended his goal-scoring streak to four games, leading the Calgary Flames to a 1-0 victory against the Canadiens last night in Montreal. Kiprusoff made 25 saves and improved to 10-3-1 this season as Calgary won its fourth straight to begin a four-game trip. It was his 31st career shutout. Named the NHL's first star of the week one day earlier, Iginla opened the scoring with his team-leading ninth of the season 14:55 in. Jaroslav Halak stopped 30 shots for Montreal, which has lost its last three games at the Bell Centre. The Canadiens have dropped 5-of-7 overall. The Canadiens, who will celebrate their 100th anniversary ..."

Kiprusoff keeps Rangers at bay as Flames win again

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November 8

Calgary Herald

"The anticipation of the confrontation created an obvious stir of tension Saturday night among the seat-takers at the Pengrowth Saddledome. So while the bad blood between Dion Phaneuf and Sean Avery never really amounted to anything more than a stiff shoulder check, it was left to little winger Nigel Dawes to make an impression. Dawes, in his first career game against his former team, gathered three assists as the Calgary Flames edged the New York Rangers 3-1 to end a two-game losing streak on home and stretch their winning skein to three games. Daymond Langkow, Rene Bourque and captain Jarome Iginla, who stretched his goal scoring streak to three games, scored for the 10-4-1 victors. ..."

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 ..."

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, ..."

Never mind Flames stats

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October 23

Calgary Sun

"At the tail end of TSN's highlights of the Calgary Flames-Columbus Blue Jackets clash, a comment was made about Miikka Kiprusoff's performance this season. Kiprusoff "continues to struggle," said broadcaster James Cybulski, reading from a script that noted the Flames netminder has allowed three or more goals in seven of eight starts. Talk about numbers not telling the story. Yes, it's true Kiprusoff has only once surrendered two or fewer goals this season. Curiously, it was in a 2-1 defeat. Yes, he has a goals-against average of 3.23 and a .902 save percentage. Those are facts. But to say he's been struggling is dead wrong. Through the first 10-game segment of the season, which concludes ..."

Comeback kids

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October 13

Chicago Sun-Times

"First it was a shootout victory that went a club-record nine rounds in their first game of the season at the United Center. In their second, it was a comeback from a five-goal deficit. What will those Blackhawks do next? Monday's 6-5 overtime victory over the Calgary Flames was one for more than the franchise record books. The Hawks' biggest comeback in their history that dates back to 1926 was from four goals. They rallied from that deficit to win three times. In coming back from five, however, they tied an NHL record. ''It was awesome,'' said winger Patrick Kane, the rallying point for the comeback with a goal and two assists. ''It was crazy to come back like that, but what a fun game to ..."

Magnificent Miikka preserves win for Flames

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October 2

Calgary Herald

"Don't press the details. Just make the sign of the cross, whisper a couple of Our Fathers under your breath and move on to Edmonton. The width of the paddle of Miikka Kiprusoff's goal stick. That's how far the Calgary Flames were from folding like a piece of cheap oragami; from unravelling like a playful kitty's ball of yarn. A sure thing transformed into a near thing. They almost allowed all their hard work over 35 minutes to go for naught. If not for Kiprusoff, a notoriously slow seasonal starter, this would've ended badly. He saved Calgary blushes. Thursday's 5-3 curtain-raising victory over the late-arriving Vancouver Canucks is down to him. As the Canucks piled on the pressure through ..."

Kipper shines in win

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October 2

Calgary Sun

"Game 1 last season was the difference between the Calgary Flames winning the Northwest Division title. That opening-night 6-0 thrashing at the hands of the Vancouver Canucks added up to the two-point deficit. Looks like the Flames learned the folly of their ways, albeit by the slimmest of margins and thanks in big part to some incredible goaltending by Miikka Kiprusoff in a one-sided third period. The Flames drew first blood against the team expected to be their main competition for the division with last night's 5-3 victory over the Canucks. "It's unbelievable how when it comes down to the end of the year, it's two points that makes the difference," said Flames winger Eric Nystrom. "It's ..."