Head Tale

Flames 9, Lightning 6 – Game Notes

I didn't see the game tonight (getting Santa pictures at the mall in Weyburn is apparently more important ) but I saw the highlights and wow.  A see-saw battle in the first meeting between these two teams in Tampa since the Lightning beat Calgary in Game Seven of the Stanley Cup Finals in 2004.  (Don't get me started on the NHL schedule and how it mislays the focus on inter-division rivalries at the expense of making sure at least each team has a home and home with each other every single year.  Sidney Crosby finally playing in Vancouver last Saturday after being in the league for two years is another example.)

The game was back and forth, all the stars were shining,  and then the Flames pull away in the third for a convincing victory led by Captain Jarome Iginla.  (In 2004, I often made the comparison that the Stanley Cup final was like  Superman II.  Iggy was Superman fighting the heroic battle against three foes, all with the same level of (hockey) super-powers but leaving him badly outgunned.  The three bad-guys were Vinny LeCavalier, Brad Richards and Martin St. Louis (he was the female bad guy ) and the result in 2004 wasn't the typical Hollywood ending as the Flames just simply ran out of gas and ultimately lost after having two chances to win the Cup after going up 3 games to 2 in the series.  So Iggy had some redemption of his own last night with a third period hat trick and all is right with the world again.  Dion Phaneuf also had a wicked game with five assists (which makes my pool stats very happy!) and Kipper looks to be getting back to form after a (typical) slow start.

From the Flames thread linked at the start of this post:

Dearest Gary Bettman,


Enclosed is Grandma's Famous High-Scoring Recipe avec Chocolate Chips



1 part league's highest scorer (Lecavelier's Special)

1 part league's second higher scorer (Iginla Deluxe)

Add 6 parts extra sour defense (Calgary Brand)

Add 2 parts chopped up goaltending (Tampa Regular Mix)

Mix thoroughly for 60 minutes (as per NHL regulation cook book)

Serve on a bed of half-melted slush and ice (St. Pete Times Forum Specialty)

Give chocolate chips to people who got screwed in pools