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Posts: 12,683
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Calgary
   
Default 06-09-2004, 01:12 AM

Good series.

Congrats Tampa.

I really hope that the people down there embrace the Holy Grail, and not just forget about it tomorrow as Football season comes around, because I know how much the Cup would have been cherished in Calgary. Tampa deserved to win tonight, and I hope the fans prove to me that they deserve it as well. That’s all I’m going to say about that.

Calgary just ran out of gas. Yes, we played not so great in teh first 2 periods, but this was our 108th game this season. We played 3 overtimes in the game 7 of Vancouver, many overtimes in Detroit and many in San Jose. I think it just caught up with us. Not mention all the injuries. Here we have Regher, our best defense man possibly playing with a broken foot. Donovan was out from game 5 on and he’s an integral part of our second line. Not to mention all the injuries that haven't come to light yet and all the players that we didn't have in the lineup for the pretty much the entire playoffs including: Reinprecht, Gauthier, McAmmond, and Lombardi from the Detroit series on. Those are major players missing from our lineup.

I'm glad for Dave. Now he can retire in peace. Richards deserved the Conn Smythe, he played well. I don't think neither St. Louis nor Lecavlier played very well in the series. I don't think they deserved it this series. Khabbiboulin played well. Dingman played well, and that’s hard for me to say.

I do think the league needs to do something about goals crossing the line and such. How hard is it to put a chip in the puck so when it crosses the line the red light goes on? That way there is no controversy. I don't really know if that puck went over the line, but it would be nice to know for sure. Now I kind of know how Buffalo felt in '99.

The refing was questionable through out the playoffs. Namely the Gelinas hit from behind. Apparently hitting Lecalvier from behind deserves 5 and a game, but drilling Gelinas from behind warrants no penalty, and no suspension and Saprykins tripping in the game 7 of this series. That was the same move used to trip Simon which scored the winning goal in overtime in Game 6. So call it all the time or don't call it at all. Simple to me. Andrew Ferences hit with 1 minute left was not Charging. The hit was CLEAN. it wasn't from behind, and it was away from the boards. The stick of Ference got up on the face of St. Louis, yes, HOWEVER calling a penalty on any team with 1 minute left in game 7 of the Stanley Cup final where the teams are separated by ONE goal should not happen. I don't care if the guy is dead, you don't call a penalty with the game on the line. Let the players decide the game. Same goes for 5 on 3's. You just don't call them in the final.

All things aside, we still had a chance to win. Leopold had a wide open net and Khabbiboulin robbed him. That’s the way it goes sometimes.

Looking back I’m so proud of these guys. They have given me so much happiness over this past season. So many ups and downs. So many tings to cheer for. So many high fives, so many memories, so much emotion. I love this team, and I love this game. The best game in the world. I'm so glad I live here to experience this team and this game.

We lost to a great team, the best in the east. A team with 106 points. The Calgary Flames have everything to be proud of.

THANK YOU CALGARY FLAMES!

I end with a quote:

We left Calgary as a proud hockey club.
We came to Tampa as a proud hockey club.
We will leave Tampa as a proud hockey club.
-Ville Nieminen
  
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