There is a time for hockey then there is is a time for life. My heart goes out to Erik Karlsson and his wife Melinda for the loss of their boy. There are no words I could even come up with to comfort them over the loss of their child. Hockey is just a game; my heart and sympathy go out to the couple. May the Lord comfort them is the time of need.
Now back to a world of hockey. What happened to the Flames this season? Well, I can give you some reasons, every one of which would make you say "Duh." It is trying to figure out how to fix it that would make our hair turn gray.
Let's discuss what went wrong first season.
Obviously, the powerplay is total garbage. The powerplay has to be the biggest eyesore this season. It lacks any imagination, whatsoever. Everyone knows what is coming. There has been no fear in taking a penalty against the Flames this season. Every night, fans are losing their hair over the lack of execution on the powerplay.
Wrong players on the powerplay unit. A coach's role is to put a player in a position to succeed. The Flames continue to make the same silly mistakes over and over. What is the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing and expecting different results. Every year, the Flames have the same problem.
The Flames continue to build around the defence, which continues to let the team down. I am not sure where the blame is on that. Is it the coaching or the players? The system has to change. Fix it, because it is broken. The players do not trust the system. Brodie's confidence is gone. Hammer has not quite fit in. It took the Flames most of the season to settle on the number six dman.
Add the bottom six? Or should I say the awful six? There has been no consistency. The right wing on the third line in Calgary has gone downhill. They have to figure out a winger with Janko and Bennett. The Jagr debacle was a massive failure.
Then there is the ugly trade by our GM. Two first-round picks gone in the Hammer trade. What happens to Brad if the Isles win the lottery pick with the Flames' pick? He has to take some of the blame for this year. The Flames have some decisions to make. This is one ugly eyesore. Time to get it cleaned up.
