Dusk of the Long Night: Calgary Flames Season Preview

It's a poorly kept secret that our Calgary Flames are in for a rough season. They are, in fact, the odds-on favourites to finish dead last in the league (and, for some reason, to draft first overall, even though they would have only a 25% chance of doing so even if they were guaranteed to be the worst team, which they aren't). I'll admit it doesn't look good--though on the other hand, I'm looking forward to this season more than I was last season, largely because the perpetual smog of futility and mediocrity surrounding the team is FINALLY gone. Joy. There's the scent of change on the air, and the Flames are beginning the process of coming about and steering their ship back into contention, rather than heading for the shoals as they had been for the past several seasons. You could argue that they've already run aground, but at least the ship is in tact and likely still buoyant.

In short (unheard of in these parts, I know), the Flames will be bad for probably the next three years or so.  Likely painfully bad. But at least they're starting to head in the right direction, and they'll probably be a pretty fun team to watch.

Remarkable Markus: 2013 Young Stars Tournament

Now that the Vancouver Canucks' Penticton Young Stars "Tournament" is over (I don't know, to this day, why it's called a tournament, but whatever) a lot will be made about who looked good, who didn't, and what it all means.

What it all means, really, is virtually nothing.  Players have come away from this tournament with great performances--think Carter Bancks, Patrick Holland, and Vancouver's Kellan Tochkin--in spite of not amounting to much (or, more accurately, not likely amounting to much).  Conversely, players such as T.J. Brodie (and, this year, Sven Baertschi) have disappointed, only to prove it means less than nothing.  Nevertheless, it's fun to speculate, and this "tourney" does provide us with a window to see our future heroes in real game situations.  The level of play has improved with each successive year (except last year, where the tournament was cancelled for greed-related reasons), and the entertainment value is fantastic.

So, without further wasting of time, here are my thoughts on what I saw from the Flames' youngsters in Penticton (and, to a lesser extent, in Development Camp, since it occurs to me that I didn't post about that).

Oh, and a happy retirement to Miikka Kiprusoff. It's been a wild ride, Kipper!