Seperate entirely

Obviously this blog lost most of the steam it had a while ago and I'd like to address just what the hell happened there. The whole point of doing this was for fun, and when it stopped being fun writing about the Flames, I stopped writing altogether. I'll give an example. It would be awesome to write about how the Flames had a decent team and looked like they had their shit together to make a run at the playoffs. I can handle the team losing games here and there, but its got to be for different reasons.

During more or less all of March and April, every gameday post would have looked something like this:

"The Flames really need to win to have a chance at the playoffs. The [team Calgary is playing that night] should be beatable but we'll probably lose".

Every post-game would look like so:

"The Flames lost again because they scored one goal. Nobody cares what happens this season".

That is boring stuff to write about. It's not even the post-games that killed me to write, it was the preamble to them; the pre-game. Every single game was a big game, and saying that over and over again sucks.

Well, now that I'm logged on I might as well write about something.

If you don't know who this is, stop reading this blog, print off this picture, bring it to a library, and throw yourself off the top of the building. This is Josef Stalin. Josef Stalin was a dick. He killed a bunch of his own citizens before, during, and after WWII, then took most of the credit for when the Red Army eventually made its way to Berlin. One of his war-time strategies was a scorched earth policy. As the Soviets were retreating into the heart of Russia in 1941, Stalin ordered the Red Army to literally burn everything to the ground. This way, the invading Nazi soldiers would not find any spoils of war such as clothing or food. Instead they would find rubble and destroyed towns. This eventually did play a big part in helping the Soviet Union's cause, but at the expense of having to burn down cities.

Darryl Sutter is not Josef Stalin, nor will I ever compare anyone to Stalin. But what Darryl has done to the Flames looks similar to what went down in 1941, with the scorched-earth policy. If you read this, I assume you have some knowledge of hockey and the Flames. The following is a list of players who I would like to point out that are signed for next season and how much money they will make:

Forwards: Hagman (3.0m), Kotalik (3.0m), Stajan (3.5). Those are three players who Darryl all traded for this season. He inherited the contracts of Hagman and Kotalik but still knew what he was getting into. By trying to justify his plans and take on big, useless, contracts like these, Sutter has effectively set $9 million on fire. Nik Hagman is dogshit. Kotalik couldn't give less of a fuck if he tried. Stajan is NOT A NUMBER ONE CENTER.

Defencemen: Regher (4.0m), Sarich (3.7m), Staios (2.7m). Regher's utility is up for debate. Personally, I'm tired of hearing how valuable he is as a shut-down defenceman. He makes four million dollars a season. If he makes that kind of money not to get points, he better be the best fucking defenceman in the league. Sarich infuriates me beyond belief, watching him play hockey is one of the most frustrating endeavors I can undertake. Steve Staios. Just...Steve Staios. Boom, there is $10 million burned. Darryl Sutter has effectively burned the organization down on his way out.

I refuse to talk shit about Kiprusoff because 1. He is the only reason we competed at all this season, 2. He quit hacking darts because he wants to be a better role model for kids, and 3. I have his jersey.

In an effort to be a better role model, Kiprusoff no longer chain smokes with Dion Phaneuf

If you can't see, yes, that is Kiprusoff lighting a cigarette off another cigarette. He no longer does this. Go Kipper Go.

Should Sutter be fired? Probably. In any other profession when someone does not do their job to a level of satisfaction their organization wants, they are replaced. If he isn't fired, it means that the Flames organization is happy with mediocrity. But what poor fool would even replace him? The guy would be walking into a disastrous amount of bad contracts with no prospects and zero first round picks.

(EDIT 2:35pm Sunday April 12--> Removed my mother's joke)

Well that's it. A hell of a 30th season in Calgary. My favorite part? The time I bought a retro Iginla jersey with the 30th patch on the chest. The season he scored 70pts (69 at the time I am writing this). A close second for favorite moment? The Flames, officially eliminated from playoffs, go to the Saddledome for fan appreciation night to play their last home game of the season against the Minnesota Wild. They score one goal in the game and lose. Again.

Bandwagon picks: Pittsburgh and LA. I cheered for the Penguins all last year so respect is due, and I have a Robitaille jersey from when he played for the Kings, plus they might play the Canucks in the first round. There's actually a decent story behind that Robitaille jersey. I originally ordered a Ziggy Palffy jersey, then about eight days into the order a story came out:

AP Online
11-05-2003
Dateline: LOS ANGELES
Los Angeles Kings forward Ziggy Palffy won't face charges for a confrontation with his girlfriend, the team and his attorney said.

Palffy was arrested Oct. 26 for investigation of domestic battery. Police said there was a physical altercation at Palffy's home and that the woman sustained minor injuries.

I decided to change the order to a Robitaille because he is a pretty good bet not to fuck up.