Before we do our Flames panel, I would like to honour Mikka Kiprusoff. (Kipper.) When my son Doug was young, he and I want to all the Flames practices, where we met a lot of the Flames then playing. At one of these practices, we met Kipper for the first time. My son was 5 or 6. I lost sight of him and was looking for him frantically. I heard Kipper calling me over and saying, "Is this him?" Doug was surrounded by a bunch of fans trying to get Kipper's autograph.
The next time we saw Kipper was at another practice when I asked him about the scorpion save. I asked him, "How the heck did you manage to get that puck with the ledge?" His reply was, "Just instinct." Here is the save I found on Youtube.
Kipper was known for his agility, making saves out of nowhere. His ability to dive back to save the day was second to none. One such time, Kyle Winwood had an empty net. Instead of slapping the puck, he just gave it a little flick. He paid for letting up, giving Kipper enough time to dive back with his stick out, stopping him from putting the puck into a wide empty cage.
The fans never wanted him to leave, yelling out Kipper to the end. His sendoff was one of the most powerful moments I have ever witnessed.
Kids wanted to be him. They say imitation is the highest form of flattery. This kid took it to another level:
Last Word
Kipper had nine great seasons in Calgary. He was a late bloomer and really did not become a superstar until he arrived here. His best year was 2003-2004, carrying the team on his back right to the finals. Some people beg to differ, saying that 2005-2006 was Kipper's best season, winning the William M. Jennings Trophy (best NHL goalie statistical.) He also won the Vezina Trophy that year. He was the goalie, period.
Randy
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