Not Much to Report
The Calgary Flames season goes much as one would expect it to. They
are a few games under .500. They are prone to some errors
attributable to their youth and inexperience. Theo Fleury is
having a hot start as he approaches the promised land of free
agency. Two wins against the two time Stanley Cup champion Detroit
Red Wings have been highlights. Blowing a lead against Vancouver
and losing in OT to the Habs have been definite lowlights.
The surprise is that the Flames are challenging for the eighth and
last playoff spot in the West.
The latest road trip has started with two losses. In the
"Goodenow/Bettman Free Agency NHL," where parity is an expired
contract away, you can't afford to lose more than two in a row.
Did you see how fast the Habs wound up in the cellar after a couple
of injuries led to a string of losses. It does not take long.
It's Still a Lot of Money to Most of Us
On November 10 the Calgary Herald printed a story outlining the
earnings of NHL coaches. It turns out that Brian Sutter is dead
last with his $278,885 US. He is, however, being paid in Canadian
dollars and that total is somewhere near $430,000. That looks a
lot better. And, you know, you can live pretty well in Canada on
that much money.
Morris Has the Mo
Mo, that's his nickname. It also stands for momentum. That's what
20-year-old Derek Morris is showing in his sophomore season in the
NHL.
A little cocky after his stellar rookie turn, the Flames defender
came to camp overweight and out of shape. That changed in a hurry
when he was paired with veteran Steve Smith who is nuts for
conditioning.
Now Morris is playing about 20 to 25 minutes a night with Smith and
he's learning the right way how to be an NHL defenceman. With Phil
Housley on the power play he's learning how to control the tempo of
a match. That's a lot of experience to lean on.
"When we talked about getting Housley this summer, the first thing I
thought about was how much better he's going to make Mo," said coach
Brian Sutter. "When Smitty came to the draft and said he wants to
play once again, the first thing I thought about was Mo."
So now Morris is eliminating the mental vapour lock which plagued
him as a rookie and is really settling down. Some liken his
potential to that of a Rob Blake. He's big, fast and tough. There
is definite thoroughbred potential there.
Sutter Grinds Goalies
Ken Wregget is hurt, so now is the time for all young goalies to
come to the party. Tyler Moss and Jean- Sebastien Giguere have
split the duties since Wregget went down with back spasms. Neither
has seized the proverbial brass ring. Their play has led to
dressings down in the media by coach Sutter, especially after the
two combined for a stinker against the Canucks.
"Giggy knows he didn't play well. If a goalie at this level sees
the puck on a shot from well out, he should stop it. Every time.
And Mosser ... well, he lets in the first one he faces and then
doesn't make a big save until a toe stop off Ohlund and then didn't
have another one until right at the end of the game when they hit
him in the tattoo. ... We're not playing bad. Far from it. ... I'm
not criticizing, mind you, both of these guys are going to be good
goalies but they'd better start realising they're being given an
opportunity here not many other young goalies in this league get."
Stay tuned. We're roasting goalies in Calgary...again. Ask Kidd,
Vernon, Tabaracci and Roloson.
