Not a great deal to talk about here. Jarome Iginla and Miikka Kiprusoff are finally gone, and thus the Flames are finally rebuilding in earnest. Sean Monahan has high upside, as does Sven Baertschi, but they're not built to win now at all. Nevertheless, they've won more early on than anyone expected, which is to say "at all." They're a little under .500 as it stands, but the needle is pointing down as the youthful exuberance wears out. Starting goalie and erstwhile Red Wings backup Joey MacDonald was just waived, so I suppose that makes Karri Ramo, back from the KHL after failing with Tampa years and years ago, their #1. The Flames are 2-4-1 on the road, Hawks are 5-1-2 at home. Overall, it's a game the Hawks ought to win.

But alas! Nikolai Khabibulin is in net for the Hawks! That means it's anyone's game.

Apropos of a Calgary game thread, I checked in on the Hawks' pipeline. Through twelve games in Rockford, Adam Clendening has two goals and ten assists, leading the team in points. Likely Oduya replacement for next year if he keeps up the pace. Alex Broadhurst is right behind with 11. Mark McNeill was the Hawks' first pick in the giant 2011 draft class and kind of got lost in the shuffle when Brandon Saad exploded, Andrew Shaw came out of nowhere, Philip Danault had a big year in junior, and Clendening generally showed high upside. Nevertheless, he leads the team in goals with seven, with three assists as well. Six assists in twelve games for Dylan Olsen, which isn't bad. Anecdotally, people are saying he's really turned a corner, which is great. Antti Raanta still looks good with a 5-2 record and a .920 sv%. HV71 gave Kyle Beach back; they don't want his ass, either.

Flames: 5-6-2, 5-7-1 adjusted, 10.682 expected (right on pace)
Hawks: 9-2-3, 7-3-4 adjusted, 17.875 expected (likewise)

Flames: 3.000 scored (11th), 3.583 allowed (29th), -.583 differential (22nd)
Hawks: 3.429 scored (3rd), 2.643 allowed (13th), .786 differential (5th)

Flames: 8/52 power play (11.1%, 21st), 32/41 penalty kill (83.0%, 25th)
Hawks: 11/52 power play (21.2%, 9th), 30/41 penalty kill (73.2%, yet again dead last)
Weird that they're equal on both denominators, huh?

Second game of a cupcake quintet: Jets, Flames, Jets redux, Stars, Oilers. After that, it's the disturbingly good Coyotes, and shit gets real. Until then, just get points!

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God I hope this game is better than anything the NFL has put on today. Bad sports day so far.

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

The Flames have probably the biggest paucity of NHL talent anywhere other than Buffalo and are starting a goaltender named "Reto Berra" whom I've never heard of in my entire life. Khabibulin is probably starting for the Hawks. This could be one where you erase your memory afterward (I did this with the game against the Flori-what who's-its)

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Doesn't sound encouraging.

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

Dude,I am in such a good mood.
One question. Why does it seem every year The Hawks lead the league in back to back games?

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When I am stuck and need to figure something out I always remember the Immortal words of Socrates when he said:"I just drank what?"

No Khabi!!!! The feed looks like shit but no Khabi!!

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That's my purse! I don't know you!

Back to backers and no Khabi should tell you something.
That something is that Khabi sucks. And management knows it.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

It's an illusion perpetrated by the fact that we really never get a true national NHL perspective. I follow 3 teams that I actively get alerts for. From those, it seems like both Detroit and Montreal are playing back to back games on a weekly basis.

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How good would a 42 year old goalie truly be?

I think at that age, even Hasek was getting by more on reputation than continued on ice skill.

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How did you guys get into hockey?

Mostly listening to Pat Foley and Dale Tallon on the Radio back in the 80's... My dad was pretty into hockey and we'd watch road games sometimes but mostly just radio broadcasts at night when I was supposed to be sleeping... but I was listening to WBBM

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

You got that from that commercial.

I started watching road games on TV. My dad would take me to games when he could get tickets. I learned as much as I could from Pat & Dale on TV. I figured out much of the rest of it playing NHLPA 93 on my Sega Genesis.

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I did?
You referring to the one where someone comes alive in the kids poster to molest him?
Close. Less molesty.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

Pee Wee hockey coach vibe...

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Theo Fleury likes this.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

Didn't grow up with it, parents weren't hockey fans. Got into it as a kid after watching my first game. Been gay ever since. Always a Hawks fan, even in high school when I got shit for it because they weren't on TV and they sucked. A lot of bandwagon Avs fans back in high school.

Never played the game in an organized level because I'm a lunatic who hates authority and would eventually kill someone. Use to play every day after high school at Dirkson which is off of Roselle Rd near the Dominicks. Preferred goalie. Would duct tape layers of sweaters on my body and use a Jason mask as my goalie mask. Would have to use a baseball glove when our friend, the only who had a goalie glove, didn't show up. A lot of guys from the high school team and these two Russian guys in their 30's would play there. They could skate faster backwards than I could forward. There was never any sort of "you aren't good enough to play with us" mentality towards me and my friends. Hockey people stick together.

Nah. He always looks like that...blackout drunk.

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I wish kids could do more of that now.

Dude, I grew up less than a block from that rink... Hazel and Hickory. I was there all the time... if you're near my age chances are we played together.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

Whole family were into it. Early 70's Blackhawks . Graduated from watching games to being old enough to stand up in net and have my 2 older brothers ( older by 8 and 10 years mind you) crank slapshots at me . Good times.

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Proud member of the white guy grievance committee

It aint the six minutes. Its what happens in those six minutes.

Which part?

Getting molested by people coming out of posters or pond hockey at the park?

I used to play at the park by my house in Arlington back in the day.

Couldn't skate so I'd play goalie.

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About damn time they scored.

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Aw dang! Where's the d?

That's a tough one to really defend.

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Hammer was snoozing on that one. Can't let someone get all alone in front of the net like that.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

My family owned the radio station that carried the Hawks when they were between AM flagships, so we had some memorabilia lying around. I liked the Mighty Ducks movies, and I was good at floor hockey in grade school because all I had to do was try hard. Got away from it in '96, came back in '02.

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I'm 28.

I'm....
older.

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"Play until it hurts, then play until it hurts to not play."
http://soundcloud.com/darkside124 HOF 2013, MM Champion 2014

Gross