The Rays are the legend almost no one saw and Kiprusoff's numbers are something no one in Calgary wants to see.
As all of those FOX cameras caught all of those Rays fans in various states of nail-chewing angst as Tampa Bay over the past couple of nights, it made me wonder:
How many of those fans cared that much when the best team in the American League East was drawing 10,000 fans per game halfway through this season?
The Rays of 2008 are going to end up like one of those historic sporting events that come out of the blue. The number of people who will say they were there every step of the way will be about three times the actual attendance.
No Cubs. No Red Sox. No Dodgers. Not even the best team in baseball this season - the Los Angeles Angels.
In a strange way, that's why playoff baseball is the most dramatic, compelling post-season action of any sport.
They'll call Tampa's run a Cinderella Story, after winning just 66 games and finishing last in baseball in 2007. But nobody flukes their way through playoff baseball.
The Phillies and Rays may be far down the list for television executives. But they have been the best two teams, unquestionably, this October.
Miikka Kiprusoff is not just an easy scapegoat for the Calgary Flames' woes. Not anymore.
His continued descent into being just a good every day goaltender - but not a great one - is becoming part of the reason Calgary has one win in its first five games, and has been swept in home-and-home series by Vancouver, and now Edmonton.
You can come with all kinds of reasons why Kiprusoff's numbers are on a three-year slide. [Four years, if this season counts yet.] But eventually, numbers DO tell the story on a goaltender.
On Friday in Calgary, the Flames lost at home to a rookie goaltender - Oiler Jeff Deslauriers - making his first NHL start. Deslauriers let in two soft goals and still won, which is not something the old Miikka Kiprusoff would have allowed to occur.
There are 41 goaltenders listed on the NHL.com's stats list. Right now Kiprusoff ranks 37th in both saves percentage [.851] and goals against average [4.37].
"Yes," people around the Flames have been saying, "but it's all because of our poor defensive play."
Dan Ellis has better numbers, and do you think Nashville is more sound defensively than Calgary? Kari Lehtonen is better, behind the Atlanta Thrashers. Ilya Bryzgalov's numbers are better, behind the young Phoenix Coyotes.
Coming out of the lockout Kipper was No. 3 in the NHL behind Martin Brodeur and Roberto Luongo. Now he's in the first year of a five-year, $33.5 million deal, and Kiprusoff isn't playing anywhere close to the goalie he once was.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders have a Grey Cup to defend, but they don't have a quarterback to do it with, and not a clue who might start Saturday. "I'll make a decision on that in a couple of days," said coach Ken Miller, not the words he was hoping to be saying in late October.
The Edmonton Eskimos have the best quarterback in the West, but don't have the team around him that's capable of winning. The B.C. Lions likely have the best team, but can't find an every-day quarterback in Buck Pierce or Jarious Jackson.
Then there's Calgary. The Stampeders are the best team, with a fantastic regular-season quarterback in Henry Burris who has never got it done in November.
Is this the year Burris loosens his collar in the playoffs? If so, the Grey Cup will winter in Calgary.
The Ducks' first line: Ryan Getzlaf-Corey Perry-Chris Kunitz. No goals yet this season.
The No. 2 line: Brendan Morrison-Teemu Selanne-Rob Niedermayer. Three goals.
The Anaheim Ducks, with three lousy goals from its top two lines? One win, five losses.
"We're shy… We have to find a way to get back into it," captain Scott Niedermayer said. "Obviously we need to score more than one goal to win a hockey game in this league. And our power play needs to produce more."
We were right on Montreal and Edmonton being pretty good hockey teams this year, and we still reserve judgment on picking the Flames to win the Northwest with Vancouver missing the playoffs.
But I don't care if Andrew Raycroft did win two games since we wrote him off in this space a week ago. It can't last.
Absolutely no way.
Canucks defenceman Sami Salo pulled his groin in the pregame skate Sunday. Look at the bright side: he lasted five games before getting hurt again.
You've heard of Turk Broda? This Finn's nickname should be Turku Broken.
After waiving Kyle Wellwood, the Canucks - who have dropped three of four since going 2-0 out of the gate - have called him back up to fill in for the injured Pavol Demitra. Draw your own conclusions.
