Most hockey fans would agree with Don Cherry when he says the Calgary Flames are “a team to be proud of” after advancing to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs despite low expectations heading into the season.
The challenge for Bob Hartley’s team now will be to improve on what some are calling a “lucky” season and progress rather than regress — something one of their Central Division rivals was unable to avoid last season.
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“You know what Calgary is? It’s Colorado last year,” Cherry said on Coach’s Corner on Hockey Night in Canada Tuesday. “Even the coach was coach of the year, [Patrick] Roy, and Hartley gets [a Jack Adams nomination this season]. Everybody had a banner year as they said, everybody tried… and what happened to Colorado? They forgot how they got there was the hard work and they didn’t make the playoffs.”
Last season, the Avalanche won the Central Division title with a 52-22-8 record, but were eliminated in the first round and finished the 2014-15 campaign nine points out of the playoffs with a 39-31-12 record.
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The Flames do have a solid leadership group, which is something Cherry said will help them avoid a collapse next season.
“One thing Calgary’s got going is [Mark] Giordano as the captain. He won’t let them [take a step backwards] but everybody’s going to be waiting for them next year. They’re not going to have a free ride like they did this year.”
