AHL- Apolyton Hockey League 09/10 (II): We're very perverse

[Flubber]

I didn't get to see this one but word is that the Flames were pretty good despite the loss. Apparently they were much tighter defensively and they did allow far fewer shots. It sucks to lose but for the longer tern prognosis its better to see the team play well than it is to see them steal a win when they play like crap

[Flubber]

Oh and did you hear that gaborik is injured? Maybe this will only be a one game thing . . . That guy is an exceptional offensive threat-- if only he could stay healthy

[Asher]

Yeah, I had to sell him in the salary cap league. Surprise he lasted this long.

Havlat injured, Gaborik injured, Gagne injured...it's lunacy!

[notyoueither]

w00t!

[Asher]

That was a crazy game.

[Flubber]

Yeah, I had to sell him in the salary cap league. Surprise he lasted this long.

Havlat injured, Gaborik injured, Gagne injured...it's lunacy!

I know I am shocked -- Some folks are just injury prone-- but who knows maybe one of these years Gaborik will play 75+ games--heck maybe this year-- People will continue to pick him up in that hope

[notyoueither]

The Wings had their hard hats on tonight, and they had a goalie show up. Bad news for whoever they play. They are such a beautiful team to watch when they are on.

And what the hell is it with the injuries? Now guys are getting whacked sitting on the freeking bench. Brad May is in hospital in Calgary after taking a stick in the eye.

[Asher]

There's a few rumours going out that big changes are coming down in Carolina after their 9th straight loss.

There's also rumours going on out of Carolina that Ray Whitney is bound for Calgary in the near future.

Who would go in return?
Hmm...

[notyoueither]

Calgary would have to ship a pick as well to get them to take Jokinen off their hands.

Nobody else makes sense cap wise.

[Flubber]

There's a few rumours going out that big changes are coming down in Carolina after their 9th straight loss.

There's also rumours going on out of Carolina that Ray Whitney is bound for Calgary in the near future.

Who would go in return?
Hmm...

hmmmmm--Jokkinen actually had flashes in the last few games where he looked better but for the most part he has been a nonentity. I wouldn't be surprised if he got traded but as NYE points out , his cap hit makes him difficult to offload

carolina may be a bit desparate though-- This is not how they saw their season going I am sure

[Asher]

Their GM said today he takes full responsibility for the season and he's going to "fix it".

BTW, I'm looking at going to at least one Flames game 'round Xmas...probably the 30th vs the Kings.

Don't suppose you've got any season tickets you'd like to sell, Flubber?

[Flubber]

weeelll-- My draft team took a beating (6-1-1) while the crappy goaltending on my auction team limited me to a 5-2-1. Cam Ward is not exactly a star at the moment and Steve Mason has been sucking lately too.

On that point, the 5 goalies at team Canada's camp were

Broduer 7-4-0 .912 reasonable-- probably solidified his #1
Luongo 6-6-0 .902 started poorly, then got hurt -- has not advanced his cause
Ward 2-7-3 .898 has hurt his chances badly
Fleury 9-2-0 .918 If this continues he COULD start
Mason 6-4-1 .882 If this continues he could be in the minors

The Us could have Miller and Anderson

[Flubber]

Their GM said today he takes full responsibility for the season and he's going to "fix it".

BTW, I'm looking at going to at least one Flames game 'round Xmas...probably the 30th vs the Kings.

Don't suppose you've got any season tickets you'd like to sell, Flubber?

I'll check-- WE only have a half set this year (versus a full set last year ) so we will only sell maybe 5 games total-- I will look to see what games we have over the Christmas dates

[Flubber]

Flames are getting a hard time over getting the H1N1 vaccine but Eric Frances is willing to give them a pass

Sports Columnists / Eric Francis
Hard to blame team for getting shots in
By ERIC FRANCIS

Last Updated: 4th November 2009, 3:25am
Contrary to the NHL's official stats, it turns out Jarome Iginla did get a shot over the weekend.

An H1N1 flu shot.

And because of it, the Flames captain and the bulk of his teammates are now feeling the wrath of someone even angrier than head coach Brent Sutter: Joe Public.

One day after the most intense, hard-hitting practice the Dome has seen in years, players and team officials faced a similar onslaught as newsies demanded answers as to how the bulk of the Flames jumped ahead of the lengthy inoculation lineups Calgarians were subject to last week.

It's a fair question given the panic, fear, misinformation, disorganization and death stemming from the pandemic.

However, the reality is no one with the Flames organization is to blame.

While it was undoubtedly a poor public-relations move based on the optics of it all, it wasn't a bad decision.

After all, by securing the vaccines the club managed to best protect its most important assets.

The difference being that while tens of thousands of Albertans lined up in the cold last Friday for up to eight hours, the club approached provincial health officials with questions on how their players could get inoculated without the rigours of lining up.

Keep in mind, the Flames rarely line up for any other medical procedures like the rest of us do.

Given the spotlight on these controversial clinics, the person with Alberta Health Services who gave the go-ahead is the one who should -- and will -- be thrown under the bus for this one.

Understandably, the collateral damage comes at the expense of an organization taking a rare hit to an otherwise stellar record of community-mindedness.

Surely if there was a back-door policy, the Flames should have been preceded by a long list of folks, including police officers, firemen, teachers, pregnant women and children.

However, what's critically important to remember in all this is the players were inoculated Friday when clinics were still open.

It's not like Iginla took the vaccination that would otherwise have gone to a pregnant women, as frustrated critics charge.

It would be a radically different story if the Flames were vaccinated yesterday while clinics were closed.

While folks hate seeing athletes skip lines at restaurants, nightclubs or anywhere else they go, it's far tougher to swallow when those in line are cold, angry, confused and concerned over the well-being of their families.

At that point, people see red and offer no Mulligans for an organization that does more for community spirit and fundraising than any other.

Still, the players were following a directive from the league and their team's medical personnel and can't be blamed for following orders AND being responsible.

If you were offered it, you would have taken it too.

Right now, none of us have that option and that's what bothers people the most.

The frustration, quite frankly, is misguided.

Subjected to extensive travel and close contact with others, the players are certainly in a risk group, although, at this point, we all are.

The Flames have a heightened sensitivity of the perils of H1N1 as someone close to the organization recently died of it despite being in their early 40s and in good health prior to contracting the virus.

Flames president Ken King took full responsibility for the decision and understands how sensitive, controversial and personal the issue is.

"We were under the clear and total understanding we were not taxing the system, otherwise we wouldn't do this," King said.

"I'm going to defend the decision on the basis it was the best information available at the time. That suggested it was acceptable to get some vaccine."

It was, but that wasn't a decision health services officials should've back-doored.

And because of it, the Flames reputation takes a rare hit.

In other news -- Sutter is juggling the lines again

It will be

Nystrom-Jokkie- Iggy
Dawes-Langkow-Bourque
Glencross-Boyd- Moss
Sjostsrom-Conroy-Prust-McGratton

Jokkinen and Iggy did not look good together earlier this season and then they didn't look good apart. This looks to me to be an attempt to either jump-start them both or alternatively to have the other lines going well while the "superstars" get their act together. I do like the elevation of Nystrom-- he tries really hard. I still don't see Jokkie and Iggy as a great fit in that they are both big shooters and neither is a huge playmaker BUT it still could work as both SHOULD be big threats to score.

I particularly like the 3rd line in that setup- I thought the Boyd-Moss-Glencross trio had really good chemistry together last year and hope to see it again. they didn't tinker with the second line as I think they have getting as much production from that lately as they ahd hoped.

Oh and on Monday the Flames had the "bag skate" to end all bag skates. Apparently it was things like two guys fighting for the puck for however long Sutter deemed fit and wind sprints galore-- Apparently the media had NEVER ever seen as punishing a practice. Sutter was saying the recent losses were about poor effort not anything to do with systems and he named Glencross and Iginla specifically for their poor effort

Should be fun times-- If the Flames don't hit EVERYTHING that moves in Dallas, I'll be surprised. the team should be in a bit of a chippy mood-- In the last two days they have been called out by their coach, sujected to punishment and now they have a portion of the city turning on them for getting the H1N1 vaccine.

Also with 3 back to backs this month, when do we see the Macklebackup??

[Asher]

I've got a dedicated thread on the H1N1 nonsense in the main forum.