The 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea have come and gone. With the 2018 event complete, the focus of the winter sports world has turned towards preparations for the 2022 Beijing Olympics and the bidding process for the 2026 Winter Olympics. Four cities are currently part of the International Olympic Committee’s “dialogue process” for […]

In hockey, good goaltending can cover up for a lot of a team’s deficiencies. But it’s incredibly difficult to cover up for deficient goaltending. While it’s difficult to characterize the Calgary Flames’ goaltending without Mike Smith as deficient, it’s safe to say that the team is a lot better with him than without him. A […]

In Nov. 2003, the Calgary Flames found goaltending stability when they traded a second round pick to the San Jose Sharks for Miikka Kiprusoff. The acquisition ended a decade of scrambling to find stable goaltending, and provided the Flames some strength in net that lasted until his retirement following the 2012-13 season. Since Kiprusoff’s departure […]

Heading into the home stretch of the 2017-18 National Hockey League season, the Calgary Flames are a team that has accomplished several things. Mike Smith has cemented himself as a top-flight starting goaltender. Johnny Gaudreau has pushed himself into the upper echelon of NHL scorers. But one problem has perplexed virtually everyone around the Flames: […]

It’s often said that good things come to those who are willing to wait for them. It’s almost fitting, then, that the Calgary Flames and Mikael Backlund both remained patient and ended up getting what they ultimately wanted: a long term commitment. The Flames and Backlund have inked a six year contract extension worth an […]

Since he made his National Hockey League debut in the fall of 2016, Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk has burnt an indelible image in the memories of players throughout the league. That image isn’t a goal celebration or a glare after battles in the trenches – it’s a devilish, mischievous smirk, often punctuated by a […]

As they approach the 2018 National Hockey League trade deadline, the Calgary Flames are in a solid position. They sit firmly in the playoff mix; it’s a disappointing position because of all the moves they made to upgrade this summer, but it’s a favourable spot compared to their rivals like the Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver […]

After a whirlwind summer of big moves, the Calgary Flames are in an unexpected place as they approach the 2018 National Hockey League trade deadline: exactly where they were a year ago. In 2016-17 the Flames were part of a pack of teams vying for a playoff berth, eventually capturing a wild card spot. Now, […]

When the Calgary Flames signed Jaromir Jagr at the end of training camp, there were skeptics trumpeting worst-case scenarios. He’s 45 years old, they said. He’s not as fast as he used to be, they said. He wouldn’t be able to keep up, they said, especially without any kind of training camp. It wouldn’t be […]

We’re midway through the 2017-18 hockey season and the players eligible for the 2018 National Hockey League entry draft have played a significant number of games. Several of them have played in the World Junior Championship or a top prospects game, as well. Given that the major prospect rankings entities have released their midterm rankings, […]

From a contract management standpoint, the Calgary Flames are sitting pretty this year. Having already gone through some protracted contract negotiations in recent summers with Sean Monahan, Johnny Gaudreau and Sam Bennett, and having signed long-term deals for Dougie Hamilton, Mark Giordano and T.J. Brodie, the Flames have no big negotiations to delve into this […]

The Calgary Flames got off to a rather slow start to their season. Expected to contend by many before the year began – including their general manager Brad Treliving, who spent big to upgrade their roster over the summer – the Flames were a flat group as the 2017-18 campaign began. But the Flames began […]

The calendar has flipped over from 2017 to 2018. Most junior teams have played in excess of 40 games, so there’s a fairly large recent sample size from which to potentially judge the 2018 NHL Draft class. In addition, the annual World Junior Hockey Championship tournament has come and gone, providing a snapshot of how […]

Over the past few seasons, arguably the biggest thing that Calgary Flames general manager Brad Treliving has done to improve his hockey club is making trades without losing pieces from the team’s roster. The 2015 off-season was highlighted by Treliving acquiring Dougie Hamilton for draft picks, while a five-month span in 2017 featured the Flames […]

It’s been spoken and written about often, but in the game of hockey size isn’t everything. While the rules have changed over time and that’s allowed different types of players to succeed at different times, one thing has always been true: offensive talent is always in demand. In the case of the Calgary Flames, they’ve […]

For young hockey players, there’s no joy greater than being selected in the National Hockey League entry draft and no larger disappointment than not being selected at that event. That said, in recent years it’s become apparent that often the NHL Draft isn’t the be-all, end-all for a player’s development. Players are often passed over […]