NHL Playoffs: The Finals: Calgary Flames versus Tampa Bay Lightning

[Asher]

[Asher]

http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/CalgarySun/Sports/2004/05/24/470884.html

Flames deserve Cup
Gritty band of underdogs and their fans true hockey heroes
By AL STRACHAN, SUN MEDIA

TAMPA BAY -- If the Stanley Cup is to go where it's deserved, they'll be hoisting it in Calgary soon. Calgary is hockey country, a place where the game has its roots and its most passionate fans, a place where everyone for hundreds of kilometres around knows the Flames and how their season is going.

In Tampa, the game is a trend -- and a very recent one, at that. The building is sold out these days but in a holdover from a promotion established in the hope of gaining fans, 200 tickets still go on sale each game day for $8.

Obviously, there is room for even more promotion. There were thousands of empty seats for first- and second-round games against the New York Islanders and Montreal Canadiens, respectively.

As recently as last Tuesday morning, the day of Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final against the Philadelphia Flyers, 1,500 tickets were still waiting to be sold.

The Lightning's fans, many of whom work in the local media, have no idea of the game's nuances and for that matter, aren't terribly clear on the rules.

None of this reflects on the organization, of course. General manager Jay Feaster has done an excellent job of building a team that is well coached by John Tortorella.

The Tampa players exhibit a tantalizing blend of grit and skill and, as is invariably the case in today's NHL, come from backgrounds so diverse you wonder how they could ever play so well together.

You look at the undersized Martin St. Louis and Cory Stillman, castoffs from the team they are about to battle for the Stanley Cup. You look at Dave Andreychuk, the respected veteran going to the final for the first time in his 23-year career. You look at Fredrik Modin, yet another player mismanaged by the Toronto Maple Leafs but now emerging as one of the league's better power forwards. You look at Vincent Lecavalier and see his occasional blinding flashes of brilliance.

You find yourself hoping this eclectic aggregation can persevere and earn the ultimate triumph.

But only fleetingly. Because then you look at the Flames and see stories just as intriguing and players just as deserving.

There's Jarome Iginla, perhaps the most likable person in hockey. There's the affable Mike Commodore, who fully expected to be at home reflecting on another minor-league season at this point. There's the effervescent Ville Nieminen, a rogue but a lovable rogue, more mischievous than malicious. And many, many more.

So you return to the original point. Which city deserves the Stanley Cup more?

The one with the louts in the stands who need their thundersticks to show approval and who use them to 'playfully' bop other patrons before getting on their cellphones to tell their friends where they are?

Or the people who make up the Sea of Red, who understand the game's intricacies, who don't assume a penalty is coming because the lineman raised his arm and who know the Stanley Cup is not just another silver trophy, it's the Holy Grail?

It's not a difficult question to answer, at least not for any Canadian who has skated outdoors in winter -- properly skated, not wheeled past the marina on rollerblades.

This is a Canadian game and a Canadian trophy. We're the ones who will bleed next year while there's no hockey, while the Americans, caught up with basketball and football, will hardly notice.

This is Canada. The Cup belongs here.

http://www.cbc.ca/pcgi-bin/templates/sportsView.cgi?/news/2004/05/25/Sports/flames-lightningxx040525

Game 1 spotlight shines on the goalies
WebPosted Tue May 25 12:19:25 2004

CBC SPORTS ONLINE - It's often been said that in order to win the Stanley Cup, you need a goalie who can steal a few games by standing on his head.


Miikka Kiprusoff has 12 wins and four shutouts in 19 games for the Flames in this post-season. (CP photo)
Luckily for the Calgary Flames and Tampa Bay Lightning, they don't have anything to worry about in that department.

Tampa Bay's Nikolai Khabibulin and Calgary's Miikka Kiprusoff have been absolutely dynamite in the post-season, backstopping their respective clubs to three consecutive series victories.

The two standout netminders will now go toe-to-toe on Tuesday in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa Bay (CBC, 8 p.m. EST).

A look at the playoff statistics shows very little separating the two goalies.

Khabibulin has 12 wins and four shutouts in 16 starts, while sporting a 1.65 goals-against average and .939 save percentage. Kiprusoff has been equally impressive, with 12 wins and four shutouts in 19 starts, and a 1.90 GAA and .930 save percentage.

Finding out how to solve Khabibulin is the key to victory, according to Flames forward Ville Nieminen.

"This guy's really big: he covers the bottom of the net," said Nieminen.

A finalist for this year's Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goalie, Kiprusoff has thoroughly outplayed his counterparts (Vancouver's Dan Cloutier, Detroit's Curtis Joseph and San Jose's Evgeni Nabokov) during this post-season, and will have to do the same in the finals against the stingy Khabibulin if the Flames have any hope of winning its second Stanley Cup.

"This guy's the real deal," Flames veteran Martin Gelinas told the Calgary Sun. "We'll need him at his best for the next two weeks but he's been doing it since he came here, so there's no reason for him to stop now."

However, the Finnish netminder will have his work cut for him against a Lightning team littered with offensive threats such as Art Ross Trophy winner Martin St. Louis, who also leads the playoff scoring race with 18 points - five goals and 13 assists), Brad Richards (third with 17 points - eight goals, nine assists), Fredrik Modin (fifth with 16 points - seven goals, nine assists), Vincent Lecavalier (nine goals, four assists) and Ruslan Fedotenko (nine goals, one assist).

At the same time, Khabibulin will have his hands full trying to stop Calgary's top line of Hart Trophy candidate Jarome Iginla (second in playoff scoring with 17 points - 10 goals, seven assists), Craig Conroy (sixth with 15 points - five goals, 10 assists) and Gelinas (10th with 13 points - six goals, seven assists).

"They're a talented group," said Flames defenceman Andrew Ference. "They score a lot of goals and play a quick game."

Kiprusoff is expected to be a bit busier against a Lightning team that uses its speed and aggressive forechecking to pressure teams in the offensive zone.

"They're a very fast team that has an aggressive forecheck," said Flames defenceman Robyn Regehr. "And they love to use that to put pressure on the opposition to create turnovers and capitalize on those turnovers."

"I know they're fast, and I know they're going to come hard," said Flames defenceman Mike Commodore. "There isn't going to be a lot of time for me to be dipsy-doodling out there."

Game 2 goes Thursday night (CBC, 8 p.m. EST).

[asleepathewheel]

Lightning in 6

[Asher]

Tampa Fans booing the Flames while the players are announced.



No class, no class.

[joncha]

I just wish they'd move their fat heads.

[Asher]

The chick is pretty good (at singing).

[Asher]

Gotta love how they simplify it all for the finals...

"Flames in the White jerseys.."

[Asher]

1-0 Calgary!

Looks like it was on an own goal.

Calgary's 10-1 when they score first in the playoffs.

[joncha]

Originally posted by Asher
The chick is pretty good (at singing).

She's Hulk Hogan's daughter.

[Asher]

No way. Freaky. He's fugly.

[Asher]

Their supposed deadly powerplay was laughably impotent. They didn't even get a shot off, whereas Calgary got a shot (actually, a scoring chance...)

[Asher]

God I hate American arenas, they can't maintain them properly, freaky bounces...

[Asher]

Gah. Bull**** call.

[Asher]

This is so weird, the shorthanded team is consistently getting ALL the shots. TB hasn't even got a shot on the powerplay.

[Asher]

2-0 Calgary, shorthanded!

Iggy!!!!!