The Red Sea- A Cowtown Dynasty

[AdamJones113]

Oh you know I'm following man! Best of luck

[DrGravyBoat]

Quote: Originally Posted by AdamJones113

Oh you know I'm following man! Best of luck

The man, the myth, the legend AJ113 has made an appearance.

Thanks for the following and the comment. Other than Son of Sam's Wings' chise, these areas have been dead. Hopefully this thread will start a bit of a resurgence.

In other news,

I've updated the "Team Info" reserve. There will eventually be more information in there, I just figured that it'd be a good "start".

[DrGravyBoat]

2016-2017 Calgary Flames Season Primer

Calgary, AB- Things look to be good for the Flames heading into the final month of preparation before the 2016-2017 season gets underway. In honour of the new look Calgary Flames, we have decided to compile a season preview for the fans waiting in anticipation for the first puck drop, which takes place Wednesday October 12th against the Edmonton Oilers in the first battle of Alberta on the year.

Record: 41-35-5

Playoffs?: Yes

Leading Point Scorer: Johnny Gaudreau

Most Goals: Johnny Gaudreau

Most Assists: Sean Monahan

Breakout Player: Alex Chiasson

Biggest Disappointment: Dennis Wideman

Biggest Bounce-back: Dougie Hamiliton

The 2016-2017 season looks to be the Flames most promising since 03-04. Calgary has a plethora of young talent and skill, and now being backed by solid goaltending, the Flames could easily make another run in the playoffs. Calgary compete in a tough Western conference with Chicago, Los Angeles, Anaheim, St. Louis, San Jose and Nashville all leading "the charge". If the Flames plan on making the playoffs, they'll do so as either a wildcard team or with a underachieving season by the Ducks, Kings or Sharks. The Flames could find themselves in the second round of playoffs if they get help from other teams during the regular season and play tough during March.

A team can only go as far as a goalie takes them, so this year the Flames can go farther than they have since Kipprusoff retired. With "Moose" in net, the Flames have become exponentially better. In addition, the Flames boast a great amount of talent of the backend, highlighted by TJ Brodie, Dougie Hamilton and Mark Giordano. Defences win championships, and the Flames are nearing the title that has remained elusive since 1989 with the young core they have on D. The offense isn't too shabby either.

Johnny Hockey leads the talented group of forwards this season. 4th year leader Sean Monahan provides an incredible amount of poise at just 23 years of age. He is one of this team's "leaders" and his performance will reflect that of the team's. If he succeeds, the team will. If he falters, the team will. Another leader on offense in Mikael Backlund. The talented centre has taken somewhat of a "backseat" in the offense but has remained patient and understanding of the process. He deserves to star, and this year he could with all the pieces in place.

In conclusion, this year looks very promising for the Flames. Jump on the bandwagon before it becomes over occupied. The Flames time is coming, the only question is when.

[Son of Sam99]

Nice start! I look forward to seeing some games

[DrGravyBoat]

Pre-Season Battles to Watch

Jokipakka vs Smid vs Wideman

The winner in this battle of defencemen gets a spot on the second line with TJ Brodie. Whoever finishes 2nd get to play limited minutes with Derek Engelland. For the unfortunate 3rd place player, they get to spend the season watching from the press box. Smid is looking from the outside in, with Wideman likely winning this battle. Jokipakka could definitely move up to the second pairing with Brodie, as their similar play-styles could prove to beneficial. Wideman is slowing down, which could cause him to miss out on minutes, however that seems unlikely.

Backlund vs Bennett

The battle between these 2 centres isn't for a roster spot, it's for the chance to play good minutes between Alex Chiasson and Troy Brower. Backlund has spent a ton of time playing second fiddle to the main leaders of the flames, while Bennett provides a young high-upside player. It's a real toss up between the two. Many pundits figure Bennett to have the advantage, however, seeing Chiasson and Brower's play-styles throughout the pre-season could give Backlund the spot.

Tkachuk vs Vey vs Ferland

This could very be the most intriguing battle this year. Tkachuk could replace Ferland and score at a much higher rate. Vey has more skill than Ferland but has never played wing. Ferland can't score, and doesn't have a knack for showing up in games other than the playoffs but has the most experience of all the candidates. Ferland has proved he could score in the WHL, he just hasn't figured it out in the NHL. Gus Gulutzan has said that Ferland will play 2 games this preseason, Vey will get 3 and Tkachuk 1. That gives the advantage to Ferland and Vey. Ferland needs a good 2 first games, as the fact Vey has 3 games to prove himself points to more faith in Vey. Tkachuk has stated he has a desire to play in the NHL right away, but gets that there is a process to follow.

The Flames preseason is looking quite promising, as is the season. It should be entertaining hockey, regardless of the fact it has no implications on the standings. Here is the Flames schedule for the Pre-Season:

09/25/16: Vs. Edmonton
09/26/16: @ Anaheim
10/01/16: @ Vancouver
10/03/16: @ Arizona
10/05/16: Vs. Los Angeles
10/07/16: Vs. San Jose

[Nickflyers]

Sweet. Can't wait to see how those battles shape out. Definitely following

[Strug04]

calgary i feel is one of those teams that could be built into a dynasty pretty quick... or go horribly wrong

[DrGravyBoat]

Pre-Season Results

Results

Game 1: 3-2 OTW
Game 2: 3-2 SOW
Game 3: 3-2 L
Game 4: 4-2 L
Game 5: 4-2 W
Game 6: 3-2 L

Notes:

Tkachuk played well during his chances throughout the pre-season but will not begin the year with the team this season. Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan lead the team in scoring during the preseason with 5 points. Overall, Jokipakka outplayed both Wideman and Smid, however, he will begin the year on the 3rd defenseman pairing with Deryk Engelland. Wideman will take over in the second pairing to begin this season. Other than that, all lines can be found below.

Opening Night Lines



The Flames season gets started tonight, in Edmonton.